Dear Champions,
The short excerpt is by Jerry Bridges with a little help at the end by Tim Keller.
�As I see it, the Christian community is largely a performance-based culture today. We think we earn God�s blessing or forfeit it by how well we live the Christian life. Most Christians have a baseline of acceptable performance by which they gauge their acceptance by God. For many, this baseline is no more than regular church attendance and the avoidance of major sins.
For committed Christians, this baseline of acceptable performance includes regular practice of spiritual disciplines, obedience to God�s Word, and involvement in some form of ministry. If we focus on outward behavior, many score fairly well. But these Christians are even more vulnerable to self-righteousness, for they can look down their spiritual noses not only at the sinful society around them but even at other believers who are not as committed as they are.
�We think we earn God�s blessing or forfeit it by how well we live the Christian life.�
Then there is a third group. The baseline of this group includes more than the outward performance of disciplines, obedience, and ministry. These Christians also recognize the need to deal with sins of the heart like a critical spirit, pride, selfishness, envy, resentment, and anxiety. This group of Christians is far more likely to be plagued by a sense of guilt because group members have not met their own expectations. And because they think God�s acceptance of them is based on their performance, they have little joy in their Christian lives.
Tim Keller puts it this way. Religion says, �I give God a record of righteousness, and then God owes me blessing.� But the gospel says, �God through Jesus Christ has given me a perfect record of righteousness which I receive by faith, and now I live for him.� The gospel message is that you are more sinful and evil and weak than you ever dared believe, but you are more valued and accepted and loved than you ever dared hope. John 14:6 Jesus answered, �I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.� Grace shows you that you can only be saved through the works of Jesus and not your own works.
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining
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