CAREFUL, DANGER AHEAD

 

Romans 12:3 (NIV)
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

               On Sunday, we heard an amazing testimony from a young man whose life has been transformed by the power of the Gospel. It was encouraging to hear how God has worked in this young man’s life.

               After the service I began to reflect upon the effects of hearing this kind of testimony. The best response is to rejoice with this young man and celebrate how God has entered into his life and totally changed its direction. But that is not the only possible response.

               From my experience, there are two other responses, both of which are negative. The first is to be intrigued by the sinfulness of life. You could equate this to the younger brother in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. Growing up in church I have heard many of these transformation stories. As young person, my response was often mixed. I sometimes felt like I was missing out on some parts of life, not having indulged in the kinds of things the person had been set free from. The more dramatic the conversion, the more enticing it was. There was a feeling that in order to have a real compelling testimony for God I needed to first indulge in sin.

               I didn’t really think that through, but it seems to be reflected in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul had been talking about how the Law makes us aware of sin and makes it possible for us to experience God’s grace. Then he addresses an unspoken response. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Romans 6:1 (NIV) Paul’s immediate response is an emphatic NO!

               The other negative response to a dramatic conversion testimony can be illustrated by the older brother in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. The temptation is to indulge in pride in our own faithfulness and exemplary lives. In our heart, we can judge the other person and inflate our own sense of righteousness.

               Luke’s Gospel records a parable of Jesus that directly addresses this idea of having and inflated view of ourselves.

Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

               It is so easy for us to fall into the spiritual comparison trap. Like the Pharisee and the older brother, we laud all of our faithful service, as if this puts God into our debt. Look at how good I am, God. Don’t I deserve more of your grace than this “sinner?”

               In Romans 12, Paul challenges us to take a good look in the mirror. Instead of having an inflated view of ourselves, we need to have a realistic view of ourselves. We should always remember, but by the grace of God, that could have been me. We can celebrate God’s dramatic work in another’s life, while also rejoicing in God’s work in our own life.

               As a young man growing up in church, I struggled with what is called works righteousness. I felt that I had to earn God’s favor. When I heard dramatic testimonies, I often felt inadequate. My life had always been pretty compliant. I was a good rule follower. There came a time when I had to let go of the rules and repent of my own self-righteousness. I had to learn that true humility was not beating myself up, but accepting that I can’t fully follow Christ on my own. I had to recognize that the grace of God was as powerfully at work within me as it was in the former drug addict.

               I rejoice whenever I hear of a person whose life has been transformed by the Gospel. I also rejoice that God is doing that same transforming work in my heart. It is not a competition to see who has the most dramatic testimony. When it comes to sin, we all stand on a level playing field.

Romans 3:21-24 (NIV)
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.