The Tension Bridge

The Tension Bridge

The Tension of Growth and Grace We cannot grow in Christ without increasingly embracing the grace of God, and we have not embraced the grace of God if we are not increasingly growing in Christ.

Is this Biblical? Exodus 20:1-171 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery…do…do not… New Testament Letters (because of God’s grace to you in Christ, grow in ____ )

Is this Biblical? 2 Peter 1:2-9 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

Is this Biblical? 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them (SOME DID NOT!!!), he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

The Struggle with Growth & Grace • Pretension = “a plausible lie” • 2 Corinthians 10:5  We demolish arguments and every pretensionthat sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

TwoDitches NOMINALISM Fleshly Hedonism Sitting, Soaking,& Stagnant DisengagedUnavailability

The Gospel Gap -from How People Change by Lane & Tripp

The Gospel Gap HERE AND NOW -from How People Change by Lane & Tripp

Jesus will Demolish these Pretensions! “The New Testament is clear that our acceptance into the family of God is not the end of God’s work in us, but the beginning. God has not called us to a life of ‘I have spiritually arrived’ or ‘I am just waiting for heaven.’ Rather, he calls us to a life of constant work, constant growth, and constant confession and repentance. Making us holy is God’s unwavering agenda until we are taken home to be with him. He will do whatever he needs to produce holiness in us. He wants us to be a community of joy, but he is willing to compromise our temporal happiness in order to increase our Christlikeness.” -from How People Change by Lane & Tripp

TwoDitches NOMINALISM EXTERNALISM Fleshly Hedonism Formalism Sitting, Soaking,& Stagnant DisengagedUnavailability

Formalism “If you want to know the church calendar, just look at Jim’s schedule. Whatever the meeting or ministry, Jim is there, Bible in hand. He’s done his stint as a Sunday school teacher and regularly volunteers for short-term missions trips. He is faithful in giving and a willing volunteer when work needs to be done around the church. But Jim’s world and God’s world never meet. All of his church activities have little impact on his heart and how he lives his life beyond church meetings.”

Formalism “If you want to know the church calendar, just look at Jim’s schedule. Whatever the meeting or ministry, Jim is there, Bible in hand. He’s done his stint as a Sunday school teacher and regularly volunteers for short-term missions trips. He is faithful in giving and a willing volunteer when work needs to be done around the church. But Jim’s world and God’s world never meet. All of his church activities have little impact on his heart and how he lives his life.” Formalism is reliance upon rules & rituals to help us keep track of and earn our status with God.

TwoDitches NOMINALISM EXTERNALISM Fleshly Hedonism Formalism Sitting, Soaking,& Stagnant Legalism DisengagedUnavailability

Legalism “Sally is a walking list of dos and don’ts. She has a set of rules for everything. They are her way of evaluating herself and everyone around her. Her children live under the crushing weight of her rules and expectations. To them, God is a harsh judge who places unreasonable standards on them and then condemns them when they can’t keep them. There is no joy in Sally’s home because there is no grace to be celebrated. Sally thinks that performing her list gives her standing with God. She has no appreciation for the grace given her in Christ Jesus.”

Legalism “Sally is a walking list of dos and don’ts. She has a set of rules for everything. They are her way of evaluating herself and everyone around her. Her children live under the crushing weight of her rules and expectations. To them, God is a harsh judge who places unreasonable standards on them and then condemns them when they can’t keep them. There is no joy in Sally’s home because there is no grace to be celebrated. Sally thinks that performing her list gives her standing with God. She has no appreciation for the grace given her in Christ Jesus.” Legalism is the arrogant assumption that someone can satisfy God’s perfect requirements.

TwoDitches NOMINALISM EXTERNALISM Fleshly Hedonism Formalism Legalism Sitting, Soaking,& Stagnant Psychologism DisengagedUnavailability

Psychologism “Joan always has a group of people ministering to her, and usually seems to be dealing with a personal crisis. She also talks a lot about how many ‘hurting’ people there are in her congregation, and how the church isn’t doing enough to help them. She is always reading the latest Christian self-help books, but she doesn’t seem to be able to find personal healing and peace. She spends much of her time discouraged and often leaves church meetings in tears.”

Psychologism “Joan always has a group of people ministering to her, and usually seems to be dealing with a personal crisis. She also talks a lot about how many ‘hurting’ people there are in her congregation, and how the church isn’t doing enough to help them. She is always reading the latest Christian self-help books, but she doesn’t seem to be able to find personal healing and peace. She spends much of her time discouraged and often leaves church meetings in tears.” Psychologism views our deepest need as merely unmet needs, and tends to focus on the ways one has been hurt. As a result, Christ becomes more of a therapist than a Savior.

Jesus will Demolish these Pretensions! “Christians who are no longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present spiritual achievements, are subconsciously radically insecure persons…” – Richard Lovelace in Renewal as a Way of Life

Beware of Forgetting the Gospel We forget the Gospel when we reverse justification and sanctification… • Justification = once and for all legal action by which God accepts us because of the work of Christ • Sanctification = gradual growth in godliness

Beware of Forgetting the Gospel We forget the Gospel when we reverse justification and sanctification… • Justification = once and for all legal action by which God accepts us because of the work or Christ • Sanctification = gradual growth in godliness To reverse the gospel, to “base your justification on your sanctification,” means that we assume God’s love and acceptance of us is based on the quality of our behavior and the purity of our hearts. We obey God’s law out of a fear of rejection and out of a desire to create a good self-image through our moral efforts. However, to “base your sanctification on your justification” is to assume God’s love and acceptance of us is secured in Christ, and then to obey God’s law out of a desire to delight, resemble, and know him. -Tim Keller

Captured by Growth AND Grace??? Grace-based growth is empowered by God. 2 Peter 1:3-4  “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him… he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Captured by Growth AND Grace??? Grace-based growth is from & for the glory of God. 2 Peter 1:3c  “called us by (for) his own glory and goodness.”

Captured by Growth AND Grace??? Grace-based growth is full of strenuous effort. 2 Peter 1:5-7  5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Captured by Growth AND Grace??? Grace-based growth is effective & productive for Christ. 2 Peter 1:8  “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A Grave Closing Warning… 2 Peter 1:9-11 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Tension of Growth and Grace We cannot grow in Christ without increasingly embracing the grace of God, and we have not embraced the grace of God if we are not increasingly growing in Christ.

Please RAISE YOUR HAND and wait for a MIC

The Tension Bridge