The Gospel – Grace Life Baptist Church

Repentance and the Fire of “Victim Mentality” (Mk.1:14-15)

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on February 14, 2022. Posted in The Church, The Gospel, Theology.

from THE CHURCH UNDER FIRE sermon series . . .

You’ve got to love some of the comical billboards out there. For example, we’ve got a bail bonding company here in town called “Devil Made Me Do It Bail Bonds” with their ads around town. It’s a play on a common saying that’s been around a while. Sadly, when it comes to taking personal responsibility for their actions, the human race is very adept at blaming others for their wrongdoing. It’s a trait we’ve inherited from our common ancestors, Adam and Eve—Eve blamed sin on the devil, and Adam blamed his wife, and we blame just about everyone and everything else but ourselves when we sin.

Grace and the Fire of “Inequality” (Dt.9:1-12)

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on February 8, 2022. Posted in The Church, The Gospel, Theology.

from The Church under Fire sermon series . . .

It’s a phrase we all struggle to hear coming from the others; yet, we generally have no problem using it when we believe we have been wronged. It’s used all the time in the mainstream culture—in the media, politics, and workplaces. It’s often used in an attempt to shut down disagreement and debate about various issues. The phrase is, “It’s not fair.”

Regeneration and the Fire of “Pragmatism”

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on February 8, 2022. Posted in The Church, The Gospel, Theology.

from The Church under Fire sermon series . . .

A few weeks back, Pastor Jody Anderson of Christ Church in Guntersville, AL, preached one of the topics in our Church under Fire series. His topic was pragmatism, which is rampant throughout local churches in our country and the world. And this article is a brief summary of the topic for those seeking more information or perhaps just coming to an awareness of the problems it poses.

Mortality Reality behind COVID-19

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on April 23, 2020. Posted in The Gospel, Theology.

Afraid to die. That about sums it up. People are afraid to die. And it appears we Americans are especially afraid. This has been evidenced in many ways during this time of COVID-19, including the following:

1) Frantic hoarding of basic commodities
2) Persistent numbing of the self through various media technologies and vices
3) Flat-out denial of the reality of death
4) Overreactions in some of the precautionary efforts

Don’t misunderstand. I agree that disease can be serious, and we should take appropriate precautions. But we should also take care not to overreact and do more harm than good. When it comes to the topic of death and dying, the flight or fight instinct kicks into hyperdrive, and it becomes more difficult to remain balanced.

May I share some good news with you? You don’t have to be afraid to die. But before you can arrive at this place of fearlessness, you must first face the fact of your mortality. So, turn off Netflix, put away Facebook, and set aside that glass of wine long enough to let your mortality-reality set in:

I’m going to die, and you are going to die. Everyone is going to die. Coronavirus has not changed this reality in either direction. It’s as true now as it was the day you were born.

Why are we going to die? Well, it depends on who you ask? If you ask the secular humanist, he would say it’s just part of the physical reality of our evolutionary life-cycle. How sad! Is that really the best explanation of reality? People are just a pile of mobile flesh and bones?

This view falls short on many counts, not the least of which includes our complexity of emotions and deep sense of justice. For example, we don’t arrest, prosecute, and imprison lions and wolves for killing their prey; but we do carry out justice for humans murdering other humans. Why? Because of a deep sense of human value and complex emotions founded upon justice (right vs. wrong).

Enter the biblical view of death. Death is not simply the end to a biological life cycle. Death is the consequence of our disobedience to the Ultimate Holy Lawgiver. His name is Yahweh, the one and only God, the LORD of this universe that He created. The reason we feel a deep sense of justice is because God has set His laws on our hearts.

The bad news is you and I have broken God’s laws again and again and again. Our disobedience is called sin. And God doesn’t hide our mortality-reality from us. He tells us straight up, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom.6:23). That’s eternal death, a forever conscious punishment that we deserve in Hell. No earthly disease can hold a candle to the torments of this judgment. What good would it be to survive COVID-19 only to die of some other cause and land yourself in eternal judgment? This is the mortality-reality behind COVID-19.

The good news is you and I don’t have to go to Hell because God is not only a just God but a merciful and loving God too. God loved the world by giving “his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn.3:16). This good news is called the gospel—that Jesus died for our sins and was raised to life on the third day, victorious over sin and death!

But this good news is still bad news if you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to it. If you refuse to repent of your sin and put your trust in Jesus Christ alone, you will remain in your sins and death will swallow you up for all eternity. But if you repent of your sin and put your trust in Jesus Christ alone, you will be swallowed up by new spiritual life in Christ that begins now and lasts for all eternity. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Christians still fear the dying process and may fear death itself from time to time, but consistently and persistently our fear of death has been turned to faith in the One who conquered the grave.

In Christ Alone,
Jeremy Vanatta

(*Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations come from the English Standard Version)

#TheLordIsOurStrength

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on April 1, 2020. Posted in The Gospel.

The fundamental issue the gospel addresses is man’s sinful autonomy. Everywhere we look in this world we see humans declaring themselves “strong enough”, “tough enough”, “resilient enough”, and “self-reliant”. And we Christians must admit that too often the person staring back at us from the mirror is guilty of the same.

Recently, devastating tornadoes tore through Tennessee only a few miles from my home. In the aftermath of the storms, we witnessed both the best and the worst of humanity. First-responders and neighbors sacrificed to help those who had been battered by the winds. But scammers and cheats came out of the woodwork too.

Unfortunately, the more subtle travesty of “hometown hashtags” began popping up everywhere you looked. By “hometown hashtags” I mean people posting a hashtag followed by their city name and the word strong, such as #_________Strong (you fill in the blank).

Now with the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing much of the same. We expect the world that lives independently of God to declare such things, but this should not be the Christian’s banner cry. For followers of Christ, only one hashtag will do, #TheLordIsOurStrength

Four weeks ago, at Grace Life Baptist Church, we began our study of spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20 where Paul begins the section with these words.

Ephesians 6:10—Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

We learned from this verse that Paul’s “be strong” is a verb in the present tense, passive voice, and imperative mood. For all you non-grammar nerds, that simply means that Christians are commanded (imperative mood) to continually (present tense) be strengthened by (passive voice) the Lord.

The Lord is our source of strength in the spiritual battles we face. Why would we think strength to face physical challenges and suffering would require anything less? As we noted in our study, spiritual battles are spiritual but the effects of the battle will be experienced physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In this way, no one is #Strong. God alone is! And when a person comes to rely solely on the Lord Jesus through faith alone in Him, only #TheLordIsOurStrength makes any sense. And this brings a whole new attitude on our part toward the many threats of suffering and death in our world like that of COVID-19. Our thinking and attitudes will begin to sound more like Romans 14:8-9.

Romans 14:8-9—For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

The question is not, “Are you going to die?” And the question is not, “Are you going to die in such and such a manner?” The question is, “Are you ready to meet God in judgment?” For “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb.9:27). Our sin deserves the punishment of eternal death, but Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of all who call on His name for forgiveness.

Therefore, the answer to the question, “Are you ready to meet God in judgment?”, doesn’t have to be “no”. It can be “yes” if you believe on Christ. “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb.9:28). “Waiting for him” means the Christian waits on Christ in faith expressed in faithfulness in place of unbelief and disobedience.

Christ the Lord was and is strong on your behalf. He alone is strong enough! “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31) from God’s eternal judgment and granted eternal life.

In Christ Alone,
Jeremy Vanatta

(*Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations come from the English Standard Version)

God of the Macro and the Micro Worlds

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on March 31, 2020. Posted in The Gospel, Theology.

“Who is God and what is He like?” The answer to these questions will become the foundation on which you build your view of everything. For example, it determines your views on family, religion, government, and money. It determines your views on personal and community health too.

Health is always a hot topic, but it’s especially so in view of the COVID-19 pandemic our world is experiencing. The question, “Who is God and what is He like?” remains the fundamental question all humanity should be asking whether they realize it or not.

We can’t explore the fullness of God’s identity and character in a short article, but we can certainly summarize the basics in an effort to encourage people of the world to find their salvation in Him.

God Is the Creator of the Universe
Put away your “But what about” and “I don’t believe in God” arguments for 2 minutes and consider two thoughts:

1) The complexity and immensity of the universe requires a Sovereign Designer and the First Cause of all effects.

2) The desire for morality and justice among all human societies requires a Holy Lawgiver.

These two thoughts shouldn’t be dismissed too quickly. If God is indeed the Creator of all and Holy Lawgiver, this means He’s the Creator of the macro and micro stuff to whom we will be held morally accountable.

Macro Is All the “Big” Stuff
God created the earth and its vast beauty, all the planets, the countless solar systems, and untold billions of stars filling untold billions of galaxies (Gen.1:1-31; Ps.33:6). The universe is complex and huge!

Micro Is All the “Small” Stuff
God created all the “tiny” stuff too (Gen.1:1-31). Think of all the tiny particles of sand and dust on the earth. Think of all the particles of space dust throughout the universe. Think of all the protons, electrons, neutrons, and even the smallest things we know of thus far, subatomic particles. Ironically, all the “big” stuff is made up of the “small” stuff.

And then there’s the living creatures. He created humans and animals, which are tiny compared to most things in the universe. Even smaller, He created the insects; smaller yet, the earth worms and parasites; smallest of all (that we know about!) the bacteria and viruses.

COVID-19 is part of God’s Creation
No matter how you stack it, coronavirus is one of many microscopic lifeforms created by God. The question we naturally ask usually goes something like this: “What is God up to in ordaining (or “allowing” if you prefer) this virus to spread, killing some and disrupting the lives of all?” This is no easy question, but let’s try to answer it as simply as possible.

1) All suffering and death is the result of man’s sin against God.
Adam and Eve sinned against God, and they immediately experienced spiritual death (Gen.3:1-19). Spiritual death is the severing of man’s relationship with God and puts man under God’s righteous wrath. All people since Adam have inherited Adam’s sin nature, meaning we are natural born sinners (Rom.5:12-14; 1 Cor.15:20-22). Yes, all acts of sin are by our choice; but all our acts of sin are also the result of our inner sin-nature that wants what it wants when it wants it whether it’s right or wrong to want it (Matt.5:21-30; 15:10-20; Rom.1:24-32).

2) Suffering and death are God’s gracious warnings to prepare us to meet Him in eternity.
In the case of a dangerous viral infection like COVID-19, God is “speaking” loud and clear: “If a virus can do this to ‘self-reliant’ humanity, how much more helpless is humanity before Me, your all-powerful Creator.” Human suffering and death are God’s gracious opportunity for us to repent of our sin and come back to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ because suffering and death on this earth are nothing compared to the eternal Hell we will face for living in personal rebellion against our Holy Creator.

3) The only proper response to the reality of suffering and death is repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Whether Christians or not, people tend to respond to suffering and death with one of two errors. One, “Those suffering and dying deserved what they got, but not me or the people I love.” Two, “No one deserves to suffer and die.”

But Jesus gives us the only accurate understanding of the truth about suffering and death in Luke 13.

Luke 13:1-5—There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (ESV)

As in the case of Pilate, some suffering and death is the result of wicked men (Lk.13:1-2). As in the case of the Siloam Tower, some suffering and death is the result of “natural” disasters (Lk.13:4). In both cases, there’s only one right interpretation of and response to such events by ALL people—Repentance. Jesus is clear, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk.13:3, 5).

Don’t hear this language of repent as all negative. It’s actually positive because God loves you and me enough to warn us about the consequences of our sin and is giving us an opportunity to believe on Jesus. And you’ll know you’ve become a believer when you have a love for Jesus that includes a love for obeying His Word (the Bible) with an obedience that’s by God’s grace through faith (Eph.2:8-10).

So, whether you’re a Christian or not, let’s all examine our lives and repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ fully. Only then can we face this life’s suffering and death with hope and peace.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Jeremy Vanatta

Fasting according to Jesus

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on April 18, 2019. Posted in Discipleship, The Gospel.

Sad to say, most Christians have neglected the discipline of fasting. There are probably a thousand little reasons this is the case, but there appears to be three big reasons:

Ignorance: Few sermons are preached on it. Few Bible studies address it. Therefore, few Christians know what it is and why it is important.
Fear: Perhaps some Christians fear being called a “weirdo” or being associated with a religious group outside their own. Many, however, seem to fear failure
Hedonism: Hedonism is basically a love for pleasure that is rooted in sinful desires. Hedonism is the opposite of fasting. It is self-gratifying rather than self-denying.

One Bible teacher, Donald Whitney, has said, “Christians in a gluttonous, denial-less, self-indulgent society may struggle to accept and to begin the practice of fasting. Few Disciplines go so radically against the flesh and the mainstream of culture as this one.”

The most basic truth of all about fasting is that Jesus expects us to fast.

Matthew 6:16-18—“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus clearly taught use about the legitimacy of godly fasting. Not only did Jesus Himself fast (Matt.4:2), but in verses 16 and 17, He says, “When you fast,” two times. Therefore, the expectation is that Christians are to fast. Jesus goes on to affirm this even more plainly later in Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew 9:14-15— Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

What is biblical fasting? Fasting is a Christian’s voluntary abstinence from a basic need or some other desirable pleasure. The point of fasting is to withhold something from the body and the mind that will be sorely missed, especially things that are fundamental to life. Food and certain drinks are the most commonly withheld items because they are extremely needful, extremely craved after on a daily basis, and extremely missed when withheld. There are few greater tests of mankind’s character than taking away food and fluids

What kind of fasts are there? The Bible teaches at least eight different kinds of fasts:

Normal fast: Abstaining from all food but not water (Mt.4:2)
Partial fast: Limitation of the diet but not abstention of all food (Dan.1:12)
Absolute fast: Abstaining from all food and fluids (Ezra 10:6; Esth.4:16; Acts 9:9)
Supernatural fast: Moses on Mt. Sinai (Deut.9:9) and Elijah’s journey to Horeb (1Kgs.19:8)
Private fast: Not publicized (Mt.6:16-18)
Congregational fast: A group of God’s people fast together (Joel 2:15-16; Acts13:2)
Regular fast: Scheduled on specific days (Lev.16:29-31; Lk.18:12)
Occasional fast: Observed on special occasions that arise (Mt.9:15)

What’s the point of fasting? When we fast, we are saying that we need and desire God more than whatever we are fasting from. If it is food, we are saying we hunger more for God than bread. If it is coffee, we are saying we thirst more for God than any pleasure caffeine can bring. Fasting helps us to remember our relationship with Jesus more throughout the day. Every hunger pang and every frustrated desire reminds us that Jesus is better. The result of genuine fasting is greater victories over the flesh. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Fasting helps to discipline the self-indulgent and slothful will which is so reluctant to serve the Lord, and it helps to humiliate and chasten the flesh.” Do ever feel like you will never win the battle of overeating, losing your temper, or giving in to internet pornography? Fast and pray, and see what the Holy Spirit will do in your life.

With this foundation built, Jesus warns us not to fast in a way that glorifies man (vv.16-17). Apparently, people in Jesus’ day used fasting as an opportunity to really put on a show. They would put on a gloomy face. The word translated “gloomy” can also be rendered as “sad” or “dark.” Many interpreters believe Jesus may be alluding to how some people were even using makeup to change their appearance. At the least, they were making themselves look miserable. In verse 16, Jesus confirms this when He says, “for they disfigure their faces so that they may be seen by others.” The word translated “disfigure” in this context is related to cleanliness, which makes sense because Jesus tells us in verse 17 to wash up when we fast. In that culture, the daily routine of anointing your head with oil and washing your face constituted the bulk of personal hygiene.

What does this mean? It means whatever personal hygiene you practice when not fasting is the same personal hygiene you should practice when fasting. It means, while fasting, we should get up, wash our bodies, wash our hair, shave, put on deodorant, put on clean clothes, and do whatever else that we normally do.

If we fast for the wrong reasons, the consequences are serious. One consequence is that Jesus calls such people “hypocrites.” As we have already learned, a “hypocrite” refers to a person that pretends to be one thing but in reality is someone completely different. Of course, we all must admit we all have some hypocrite in ourselves. But we must understand that Jesus is using the word here of people who know they are hypocrites and they don’t care.

A second consequence is that such hypocrites “have received their reward” (v.16b). Now don’t pass over that too quickly. For a Christian, this means that fasting to be seen of men causes a loss of reward but not of eternal life itself. For a non-Christian, however, fasting to be seen of men means the only reward they will ever receive is man’s applause and a one-way ticket to hell.

On the other hand, fasting that glorifies God is righteousness (vv.17-18). Christians are to fast in a way that it brings God all the glory, all the credit. When we fast, we are to go about our daily routine as if we are not fasting at all, especially regarding our personal hygiene. Jesus says that secret fasting is the best kind of fasting because it’s strictly between you and God (v.18a). Obviously, there will be a few people in our lives who might have to know about our fasting—wives, children, close fellow employees. But for the most part, fasting is something we can do without many people knowing at all.

And what is the result of this kind of fasting? Jesus says, “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (v.18b). Man’s applause and approving words will no longer be of any concern of yours so long as God gets the glory!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Jeremy Vanatta

Wisdom of a Church Covenant

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on January 18, 2019. Posted in Discipleship, The Church, The Gospel.

In a world often confused about personal accountability, some churches have seen fit to abolish what has been a historic mainstay, namely the Church Covenant. At Grace Life Baptist Church, we recently renewed our covenant commitment as a church family, and we discussed why having and holding onto such a covenant is wise. We defined a biblical covenant this way: A covenant is a God-initiated agreement between He and His people, established with mutual obligations for His glory and their joy

Before I offer you 4 reasons for having a church covenant, let me make one clarifying note. I must admit there’s no biblical command prescribing that a local church have a church covenant. Therefore, a church should never present a covenant as anything more than a descriptive document of what the Bible teaches about living the Christian life in relation to Christ and a local body of His disciples.

With that said, there are biblical principles in Scripture that make a church covenant wise.

1) A covenant summarizes what it means to be in fellowship with Christ and His Church. The Bible is our only authority in matters of doctrine and practice; but the Bible is a big book and a summary statement is helpful, especially for new believers. Our church covenant is a reasonable way to define God’s expectations of us in the New Covenant.

2) A covenant clarifies accountability. Without mutual accountability, you don’t have a church because you won’t have unity of faith and practice—everyone would just do whatever’s right in their own eyes. Without accountability, sheep and elders won’t get along—both will vie for control. Using our covenant, we can hold each other accountable while still allowing for lots of grace, patience, and understanding toward each other.

3) A covenant protects the Church from wolves. Our covenant is threatening to potential new members that are just church-hopping, trouble-makers because they’re less likely to join a church that tells them up front what is expected. It warns them of the consequences of not walking in humility before Christ and His people. Our covenant threatens to expose wolves for who they really are.

4) A covenant limits personal preference. You may prefer 1,001 things, but most of your preferences are irrelevant to the gospel. Perhaps you prefer dressing up for church or dressing down. Or you prefer 20-minute sermons instead of 40-minute ones. The list could go on. Your preferences are important, but important doesn’t equal biblical or helpful.

For example, the trending craze todayis having churches for specialty groups like hipsters, homeschoolers, cowboys, or bikers, etc. Are these preferences important? Yes, it’s a part of who these people are. But none of these is the defining mark of what it means to be a Christian committed to a local church.

The defining mark of the Church is the gospel. At Grace Life, we advertise our purpose as Proclaiming God’s Glory in Christ because that’s at the heart of the gospel. God’s glory is best magnified when the Church is like a prism refracting and reflecting all the colors of the spectrum—the hipsters, homeschoolers, cowboys, bikers, and on it could go. May the Lord continue to build His Church with a beautiful array of people.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Jeremy Vanatta

The Gospel Call to Pharisees

Written by Jeremy Vanatta on August 22, 2018. Posted in The Church, The Gospel, Theology.

Our fourth sermon in our Prodigal Son series at Grace Life helps us to see Jesus’ warning, yet tender call, to the Pharisees who are the proverbial elder sons standing outside the father’s house refusing to come into the party.

The Gospel Call to Pharisees
Luke 15:1-2, 25-32

When we study the Bible as a church and as individual Christians, it’s essential that we examine a passage within its context. When we’ve completed our study of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, it’s my hope that we’ll know with full awareness how important the surrounding context is to interpreting God’s Word with precision. Luke’s introduction to the Prodigal Son parable gives us all the context we need to accomplish this.

Luke 15:1-2— Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

The Pharisees and scribes are furious that Jesus is receiving sinners and eating with them! Therefore, the purpose of the Prodigal Son Parable is to give a proper response to their griping. With this emphasis in mind, let’s look again at the fascinating main characters and images Jesus incorporates. These characters and images are illustrations and metaphors that symbolize deeper, spiritual meanings. We shouldn’t go to extremes and try to spiritualize every part of a parable but only the most important ones that push us toward the main point.

1) Father: The father represents God the Father. And Jesus, as the Son of God, came to represent the character and purpose of God the Father (so by extension, Jesus could be said to be the father figure in the story).

2) Younger Son: The younger son represents rebellious sinners like the tax collectors and sinners mentioned in verse 1. By extension, he represents all human sinners because we’ve all rebelled against God our Father.

3) Elder Son: The elder son represents the Pharisees and scribes mentioned in verse 2. They were the religious elite among the Jews that considered themselves moral and righteous. By extension, the elder son represents all human sinners because we’ve all pretended to love God the Father just to make ourselves appear righteous.

4) Robe, Ring, Shoes, and Fattened Calf (vv.22-23): The gifts the father gives to the younger son represent God’s salvation of lost sinners. They are pictures of restoration to a right relation-ship with God and reception into His family. We don’t want to go too far with this, but each gift likely symbolizes various facets of salvation. The robe is a picture of our filthy sin-rags being replaced with Christ’s righteousness. The ring symbolizes our new status as sons and daughters in God’s family. The shoes speak of our new relationship with God in which we now walk with Him. The fattened calf points to God the Father’s sacrifice for us as He slaughtered Jesus on the cross like a calf.

As we’ve concluded, the Pharisees are the self-righteous elder brothers that hate to see undeserving, riff-raff sinners repent and welcomed into God’s family. Therefore, this parable is especially for people like most of us here—we’ve been believers for a while, and it’s easy to slip into a coldhearted attitude toward unbelievers. Let’s put a label on the elder son’s self-righteous attitude. Legal-ism: the belief system that says we can become righteous and earn salvation through our good works.

1. Legalism is based on a slave-master relationship to God (v.29). We see this in the elder son’s three complaints to the father: “ ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends’ ” (v.29). That’s not how a son who loves his father talks to his father. That’s slave talk. God doesn’t need slaves to serve Him. He’s not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts.17:25).

2. Legalism craves recognition (v.29). The elder son demanded his father acknowledge and appreciate him for his many years of service and obedience. This same craving for recognition is what motivated the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:5a—“They [the Pharisees] do all their deeds to be seen by others. . .”

Craving for attention is still around today. It’s present when you want others to see and hear about all you’re doing for the Lord in the Church, or when you complain that no one is paying you enough attention or is saying “thank you” for your “service”.

3. Legalism harbors disgust toward sinners rather than consistent compassion. You know you’re being an self-righteous jerk when you’re more concerned about the sin of others than your own sin. Our disgust over other people’s sins will manifest itself in bitter words, angry outbursts, gossip, slander, and blame shifting. The reason legalists do these things is they’re trying to earn salvation through good works. They’re trying to make their own sin look tiny by overacting to the sin of others.

Some examples of this that stand out in the Bible include: 1) Adam blaming Eve; 2) Jonah’s anger at God for showing mercy to the Ninevites; and 3) Esau’s frothing anger toward Jacob. The similarities between these Old Testament people and the two prodigal sons is no coincidence. Jesus knows that the Pharisees know the Old Testament inside-out. So, undoubtedly the Pharisees would make the connections, especially with Esau and Jacob.

4. Legalism turns personal convictions into God’s standard for others. The elder son was right to consider the younger son’s sin to be sin, but he was wrong to withhold forgiveness from his younger brother who repentantly and humbly came home to the father. The elder son’s personal conviction was that such sin and sinners were beyond forgiveness and restoration. He then took this personal conviction and called it God’s law.

Too often we too are prone to elevate a personal conviction to equivalent status with God’s Word, and then we feel justified in condemning others for disobedience to our personal conviction. This is where most of the muck hits the fan in the local church. Most disunity will not be directly over core Bible doctrine but how we apply to living it out together, which inevitably will affect core doctrine.

Here are 10 statements that will arise on occasion that can begin as a small ripple but end up a tsunami if we don’t stay grounded in Scripture. Each one usually begins with “I think” or “I believe”.

“I believe we should sing the old hymns from hymn books.”
“I believe we should sing new songs projected on a screen.”
“I believe we should use the King James Bible.”
“I believe we should boycott Disney movies.”
“I believe we shouldn’t have body piercings or tattoos.”
“I believe church members should stay away from alcohol.”
“I believe we should campaign for Republican candidates.”
“I believe people should participate in more church activities.”
“I believe we should have more things for the children.”

The problem with such statements is there is no scriptural basis for any of them. They’re all based on personal opinions, and once you draw a line on personal opinions, you’ll have to draw more lines to keep you farther and farther away from your line. Let me show you what I mean by using three of these same examples again:

1) What most people mean by “old hymns” are hymns written in the 1700-1900s? What about the hymns from 1400-1600s or the centuries before that? Your line can be moved.

2) You want to boycott Disney movies? What about the other major companies that Disney owns—Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, Pixar, ABC, The History Channel, and ESPN? Your line can be moved.

3) You don’t believe in body piercings? Ladies, what about the 1 or 2 holes you have in your ear? Is there a real difference in righteousness between 1 or 2 piercings in the ear versus 1 or 2 in the lip or 5 or 10 scattered around? Your line can be moved.

We all have some personal convictions that we abide by in our walk with the Lord that are not equivalent with God’s Word. And we cannot use any of them as a measure of someone else’s right standing with God. Here is where the wisdom of organizing Christian belief and practice into three categories can be helpful for protecting us from self-righteousness toward other sinners. The three categories are primary, secondary, and tertiary doctrine.

Primary doctrine are those teachings of the Bible in which there is no room for disagreement without departing from Christianity altogether. Examples include: salvation by grace, through faith, in Christ alone apart from works of the law; Jesus is the eternal Son of God, without sin, He died in our place on the cross, and was raised from the dead; Heaven and Hell are for real—repentant believers go to Heaven for eternity and unrepentant unbelievers go to Hell for eternity. Primary doctrine is essential to being a Christian.

Secondary doctrine are those teachings of the Bible rooted in primary doctrine but leaving room for some disagreement among Christians without departing from Christianity. Examples of include: baptism of believers versus baptism of babies; pretribulation return of Jesus versus a posttribulation return; a plurality of pastors versus having a singular pastor. Secondary doctrine is non-essential to salvation.

Tertiary doctrine are those teachings of the Bible that may or may not be rooted in primary and secondary doctrine but are completely open for disagreement because they are non-essential to being a Christian. Examples include: men’s facial hair, length of skirts for women, partaking in secular entertainments, controlled use of alcohol, and eating pork and catfish. How we understand these issues is important, but they’re not essential to salvation itself. The only way these become a salvation issue is if your reason for believing what you believe comes from a prodigal heart: a heart of rebellion or a heart of legalism.

5. Legalism can twist freedom in Christ into a law. Here is where things get interesting. Did you know that being anti-legalistic can itself be a form of legalism? If you get angry at other people because you believe they’re acting like self-righteous hypocrites, then how are your behaviors and attitudes any better than the self-righteous elder brother? Beware of your reaction to sin and sinners being a default anger. God’s grace softens our hearts, and our new default reaction will be compassion.

There’s enough room in God’s family for rebellious younger sons and self-righteous elder sons. The Father runs to the rebels and brings them home; and the Father goes outside the house to the self-righteous and invites them inside! There’s enough gospel for us all. So, who are you begrudging in our church? Won’t you repent of your anger today?