The Naked Gospel: Truth You May Never Hear in Church (3 page)

Many Christians still walk in Old Covenant bondage.
Regarding the law as a Divine ordinance for our direction,
they consider themselves prepared and fitted by conversion to
take up the fulfillment of the law as a natural duty.

Andrew Murray (1828-1917)

M
ANY NON
-C
HRISTIANS WHOM
I
KNOW HAVE PURPOSELY OPTED
not to contract the Christian disease. They may call themselves
atheist
or
agnostic,
and they seem to wear the badge proudly. They have, in their minds, wisely avoided the painful symptoms of unnecessary religion.

Maybe it’s true that some still say, “Christianity is a crutch.” And in essence, those are actually kind words, since a crutch is a support that keeps one from falling. But more recently, the popular line of thinking is “Why would I want to subject myself to something that appears to be making so many miserable?” For many, Christianity is seen more as a cancer than a crutch.

Outsiders are growing wise to the fact that many Christians are dissatisfied with their church or their personal relationship with God. Their faith just isn’t working for them anymore as they can’t seem to maintain their end of the “bargain” with God. Many Christians may have had an exciting salvation experience and perhaps even a period of fulfilling spiritual growth, but somehow what began as exhilarating and explosive is now fizzling out.

This is
not
a new problem. More than one hundred years ago, Hannah Whitall Smith recounted the following statement made by a friend who was looking in on Christianity from the outside:

“If you Christians want to make us agnostics inclined to look into your religion, you must try to be more comfortable in the possession of it yourselves. The Christians I meet seem to me to be the very most uncomfortable people anywhere around. They seem to carry their religion as a man carries a headache. He does not want to get rid of his head, but at the same time it is very uncomfortable to have it. And I for one do not care to have that sort of religion.”

Q
UOTED IN
H
ANNAH
W
HITALL
S
MITH
,
The God of All Comfort

So if we admit that this problem exists, it is only sensible to seek out a solution. But where do we turn for genuine answers? Perhaps we should begin with understanding the
origin
of the problem better. And, yes, this problem is more than just a hundred years old.

To understand the root of this religious problem, let’s journey back thousands of years ago, when the people of Israel gathered to hear what God required of them. Notice that their response was a fully committed
yes
:

When Moses went and told the people all the L
ORD
’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the L
ORD
has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down everything the L
ORD
had said…Then [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the L
ORD
has said; we will obey.”

E
XODUS
24:3, 7

Over 600 commandments in all—more than 350 items and actions to abstain from and nearly 250 actions on the Jewish to-do list. Oh, and by the way, some violations of the law—such as idolatry and sexual sins—were punishable by death!

So how did the Israelites’ commitment play out? Well, you may know the story. The history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament is one of failure upon failure and disappointment after disappointment.

God commissioned the tribe of Levi to function as Israel’s priests. These priests taught the law, offered animal sacrifices, and prayed for guidance. The high priest officiated in the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. He would enter and sprinkle blood all over the cover of the ark as an offering, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the Israelites. A priest would serve for twentyfive years or until death, at which time the privilege would go to his oldest son. And God mandated that the priesthood remain in the family line of Levi.

Asaph, a Levitical choir director, wrote one of the best encapsulations of Israel’s experience under the law. In Psalm 78, we read that God was continually faithful to Israel. He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, dividing the Red Sea and guiding them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He split rocks to miraculously provide water and even made food fall from heaven. He proved himself again and again. And all he asked in return was one simple thing—that Israel be faithful.

But Psalm 78 reveals a roller-coaster experience of ups and downs with God—obedience followed by failure, failure followed by a promise to recommit, and then failure once again ensuing. Here’s a brief excerpt from Asaph’s account:

But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.

Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.

They angered him with their high places;
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.

When God heard them, he was furious;
he rejected Israel completely.

P
SALM
78:56-59

So it appears that the people ended up with egg on their faces. But what about the priests themselves? Perhaps the Levitical line of priests remained faithful to God despite Israel’s disobedience?

“And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the L
ORD
Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.”

M
ALACHI
2:1-2

The priests themselves didn’t fare much better than the laypeople of Israel. But could it be that the obedience of a nation just takes time to develop? No, even long after the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and well beyond the days of Malachi, we still find the most devout Jewish servant struggling to remain faithful. Saul of Tarsus, perhaps Israel’s most committed of all, couldn’t seem to fulfill his religious commitments to God: “I do not understand what I do. For
what I want to do I do not do,
but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15, italics added).

To some, the law appeared to offer a satisfying religious experience and a life of fulfillment. But, one way or another, it pronounced the curse of failure on anyone who attempted to keep
it. No one could escape the inevitable outcome. There was certainly nothing wrong with the law itself, but through rule upon rule upon rule, the law clearly showed that there was something wrong with
everyone
in Israel.

But let’s fast-forward a couple of thousand years to the present. It’s not just the most committed of Israel who have expressed frustration and misery because of their own religion.

Martin Luther’s struggle with his religion is also well documented. Despite Luther’s fervor and lifestyle of commitment, he was constantly overcome with guilt. He was infatuated with self-flagellation and made countless attempts to atone for his neverending list of sins. In addition to whipping himself until he bled, he would sometimes lie down on the snowy ground all night long in the dead of winter until eventually he was in such a state of shock that his colleagues would have to carry him away to safety.

Similarly, in her recently released private writings, Mother Teresa confessed the following: “I am told God loves me—and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. Before the work started, there was so much union, love, faith, trust, prayer, and sacrifice. Did I make a mistake in surrendering blindly to the Call of the Sacred Heart?” (addressed to Jesus, at the suggestion of a confessor, undated).

In more than forty years of tireless service, Mother Teresa had an impact on thousands upon thousands of lives. She reached out to the sick, the homeless, and the orphans of her own country and beyond. Still, her private writings reveal a struggle for meaning, purpose, and a stable relationship with God.

So what do Saul of Tarsus, Martin Luther, and Mother Teresa all have in common? They all appear to have wrestled under a religious system that brought them no enduring sense of satisfaction or accomplishment, but only misery. Their methods of propitiating and thereby approaching their God ultimately led to a deep sense of failure. Having exerted more effort than nearly any of us will ever expend, they probably found themselves saying, “How much is enough? When will it end? Why is God still not satisfied? When do I get to relax and enjoy? There’s got to be another way.”

So what if there
is
another way? What if we could do away with
all
of the religious guilt and live from delight? What if we could enjoy so great an intimacy with God that it would seem he was nearly beneath our skin? What if we could just go through life being ourselves and somehow express Christ along the way? And what if all of this could come at no expense of our own? It would mean the religion thing could end. It would mean we wouldn’t have to analyze ourselves and measure our spirituality.

There is an Old way that forever leads to disappointment, no matter how much “holy” effort is exerted. There is also a New way that comes free of charge and changes everything. And yet there is also a third option—a hybrid of Old and New that you find in many churches today.

This book is intended to reveal the futility of the Old and the ecstasy of the New. Most important, we’ll talk about how to escape the misery of today’s hybrid religiosity and enjoy the purity of the New. The New is what God intended all along for the dedicated but miserable people throughout history.

And the New is what God intends for you.

P
UT YOURSELF IN THE PLACE OF YOUR FAVORITE
O
LD
T
ESTAMENT
character for a moment. Imagine what it would be like to be them. Perhaps you’d like to be David or Esther or Daniel.

What closeness they had with God! How they walked with him and were used by him! Wouldn’t it be great to be one of them? Perhaps you’d be willing to trade your own relationship with God for theirs instead? If so, I couldn’t agree with you less.

Less?

That’s right, less.

Not in a million years would I want David’s relationship with God over my own. Nor Esther’s. Nor Daniel’s. Nor any Old Testament figure’s. I much prefer what I have right now.

How arrogant!

How bold!

I hope I’ve startled you and perhaps even ruffled your feathers a bit, because I intend to. I believe it’s time for the church to wake up and realize how good we have it today on this side of the cross.

You may know about the famous heroes of the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11—people such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Through the author of Hebrews, God tells of their commitment, their sacrifice, and their surrender to his ways.
These heroes were mocked, imprisoned, and even stoned to death because of their faith.

Have you been tested to such lengths? Have you proven to be equally committed? Likely, the answer is
no.
Then how could you possibly obtain a better relationship with God than they had?

Before we answer the
how,
let’s make sure that this is indeed the case. Referring to Old Testament believers, the author of Hebrews writes, “These were all commended for their faith, yet
none of them received
what had been promised. God had planned
something better for us
so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40, italics added).

Such dedication, such commitment—yet what do we learn about these heroes of Old? They did
not
receive what was promised. And on this side of the cross, we possess something better than they ever enjoyed.

What is it that makes our situation better than theirs? Has God changed? Certainly not. God is the same as he has always been. Then what is it exactly that makes today so different from 2,000 or so years ago? It has everything to do with the New.

Imagine being a fly on the wall during a hypothetical dialogue between Moses and Jesus of Nazareth. “Papers, please,” Moses exclaims. But Jesus of Nazareth would have no papers, at least none that would meet the requirements. The law required that a person be from the tribe of Levi to qualify as high priest, but Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. No one from Judah’s line had ever served as priest. The law forbade such a selection.

Today, Christians regard Jesus Christ as their high priest, but according to the law, Jesus as high priest makes no sense at all.
How then can we rightfully look to Jesus as our priest today? If the priestly line has changed, then the whole system for relating to God has to be replaced. And that’s exactly what has happened—the
whole
system has changed!

It’s crucial to realize that the law and Jesus just don’t mix. “[Jesus]…belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests” (Hebrews 7:13-14). Christians talk about Jesus as their Savior, their Lord, and the author (priest) of their forgiveness. Some of these same believers then claim that the law is still for us today. In so doing, they adhere to a major contradiction.

The issue of law and grace (Old and New) is certainly still hotly debated today: Do we live by law? Do we live by grace? Do we live by a combination of the two? Doesn’t God write the law on our hearts? Despite the countless pages in Christian books devoted to these questions, Jesus’ lineage fails to take center stage. We can propose all kinds of theories, compromises, and answers concerning law and grace, but one fact remains: the law discredits Jesus as priest. For this reason, the writer of Hebrews writes, “When the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also” (Hebrews 7:12).

The bottom line is that if you appeal to Jesus as your priest, what place is there for the law in your life? You call on a man from Nazareth, from the tribe of Judah, who shares no family lineage with Aaron, or Levi, or any other qualified priest of the law. You call on an outsider, a renegade, a table turner.

Christians readily accept the idea that Jesus is their priest. But it’s not clear to some that, through their adoption of Jesus as priest, they enter into a contract with God, an agreement, a covenant. In contrast to the old contract that God penned through Moses,
this new one will never be replaced. It’s the final word concerning a human’s relationship with God. Jesus Christ is the author and guarantee of something totally new and revolutionary:

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

H
EBREWS
9:15

“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”

Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

H
EBREWS
7:21-22

A new covenant? What does that mean? I attended churches for more than a decade before hearing even a single teaching about the new covenant. But if we want to understand how God relates to us, we should look to the New. The New and the Old are certainly not the same.

Here’s a quote from God himself on the matter:

The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,

because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,

declares the Lord.

H
EBREWS
8:8-9, italics added

Something new was coming all along. God always intended to usher in something radically different. This passage indicates that the New is unlike anything before, and that it solves a serious problem—our failure to remain faithful. Whatever the New is, it somehow
causes
people to remain faithful, even when their own strength fails them.

Today we debate eternal security, but security (or faithfulness) was an Old issue. Apparently, one reason the New came on the scene was to cure that problem: “For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people” (Hebrews 8:7-8).

There was really nothing wrong with the Old in itself. It should still be esteemed as holy and good. The issue with the Old was that no one could operate successfully under it. For that reason, God orchestrated a different way.

The New involves God’s desires being written inside us, so that we have the guarantee of being his people no matter what:

“This is the covenant I will establish
with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.

I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”

H
EBREWS
8:10

We glean some important insights from God’s own description of the New. God inscribes his laws on our minds and hearts. We become his people and have the privilege of knowing him personally. But the author of Hebrews actually
misquotes
the Old Testament
passage here. How could he be so bold? And for what reason? He purposely changes the Old Testament rendition “my law” to “my laws” to clarify an important truth: Contrary to popular teaching, it’s not the law of Moses that is written on our hearts.

It’s God’s laws.

These are expounded on by Jesus and the New Testament writers. These laws are called “the royal law” (James 2:8), “the law that gives freedom” (James 1:25; 2:12), and “[Jesus’] commands” (1 John 3:24). God’s commandments are to love him and to love each other (Mark 12:30-31). These aren’t burdensome. In fact, Jesus himself says that those who love him
will
obey his commands (John 14:15). Under the New, God has it rigged.

If the Mosaic law were written on our hearts and minds, imagine the consequences! The dietary restrictions, the wardrobe regulations, and hundreds of other rules would overwhelm our consciences, just as they did the Israelites’.

Thank God that the New isn’t just a dressed-up version of the Old!

The New is different, and simple.