If you explain grace and you’re not afraid people will abuse it, you’re doing it wrong.
Look at Romans 6. Everything up to that point was such good news, even Paul felt the need to say, “now don’t go crazy, y’all.”
In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the dangerous, controversial, frightening truth of the gospel: if you are in Christ, you are free. You are untouchable. The verdict is in, and you’re innocent. Nothing you or anyone else can do can change that. You are adopted into God’s family and you stand in line for His eternal inheritance. Really.
If you are in Christ, what is “too good to be true” has come true.
As Jared Wilson said,
Yes, people watch too much TV and play too many video games and spend too much time on the Internet and what-have-you. But the proper response to our media over-saturation is not a rigorous attention to the explicitly “spiritual” in every margin of life. Be a Christian, not an ascetic. Don’t be lazy, but realize that Jesus Christ did not die and rise for you so that you would stress out about whether you’re being spiritual enough. So take a nap. Watch some television. The gospel frees you to chill the heck out.
Do you sense a “but” coming? There isn’t one. That’s it. Nothing but good news.
Really.
I appreciate this post. Whenever I hear terms like “Hyper-spiritual” or even “Super-spiritual” I picture a person striving as if to earn grace. Maybe it is just me, but it seems to imply that there are moments you are really spiritual and then there are moments your just a little spiritual, and then there are moments you’re turned off to anything spiritual. The Bible is clear that we are to walk in the Spirit; your either walking in it or not. Sometimes, in an effort to reassure ourselves, we venture onto a path of legalism and may not even be aware of it. One of the beautiful aspects of Christian fellowship is having others to come alongside of us, walking in that freedom, to give us a balanced perspective.
Scripture also reminds us that while grace does not give us the freedom to over-indulge or venture into temptations and sins, so that grace can abound, we can enjoy the provisions God has given us with a heart full of thankfulness and generosity.
(I’ve found that the biggest challenge comes in not abusing your freedom and being a stumbling block to another. That is hard when trying to discern if you are actually helping a legalist continue in legalism…finding yourself caught up in it too, in an effort to be sensitive to their conscience.)
I do agree that you can watch TV, play Bingo, and even go line-dancing, and still be walking in the Spirit. Sometimes “chilling” or relaxing can even produce a stronger heart of worship, where as senseless striving can’t. This blog is a great reminder of that. Thanks!