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THE DANGER OF MORALISTIC PARENTING

If a majority of our children are leaving the faith as soon as they can, something has gone terribly wrong.

Certainly the faith that has empowered the persecuted church for two millennia isn’t as thin and boring as “Say you’re sorry,” “Be nice,” and “Don’t be like them.” Why would anyone want to deny himself, lay down his life, or suffer for something as inane as that? Aside from the “Ask Jesus into your heart” part, how does this message differ from what any unchurched child or Jewish young person would hear every day?

Turning God into Santa

Let’s face it: most of our children believe that God is happy if they’re “good for goodness’ sake.” We’ve transformed the holy, terrifying, magnificent, and loving God of the Bible into Santa and his elves. And instead of transmitting the gloriously liberating and life-changing truths of the gospel, we have taught our children that what God wants from them is morality. We have told them that being good (at least outwardly) is the be-all and end-all of their faith.

This isn’t the gospel; we’re not handing down Christianity. We need much less of Veggie Tales and Barney and tons more of the radical, bloody, scandalous message of the God-man crushed by his Father for our sin.

Instead of the gospel of grace, we’ve given them daily baths in a 'sea of narcissistic moralism.'

This other thing we’re giving our children has a name—it’s called “moralism.” Here’s how one seminary professor described his childhood experience in church:

The preachers I regularly heard in the . . . church in which I was raised tended to interpret and preach Scripture without Christ as the central . . . focus. Characters like Abraham and Paul were commended as models of sincere faith and loyal obedience. . . . On the other hand, men like Adam and Judas were criticized as the antithesis of proper moral behavior. Thus Scripture became nothing more than a source book for moral lessons on Christian living, whether good or bad.

Teaching Good Manners Instead of Salvation

When we change the story of the Bible from the gospel of grace to a book of moralistic teachings like Aesop’s fables, all sorts of things go wrong. Unbelieving children are encouraged to display the fruit of the Holy Spirit even though they are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Unrepentant children are taught to say that they’re sorry and ask for forgiveness even though they’ve never tasted true Godly sorrow. Unregenerate kids are told they are pleasing to God because they have achieved some “moral victory.”

Good manners have been elevated to the level of Christian righteousness. Parents discipline their kids until they evidence a prescribed form of contrition, and others work hard at keeping their children from the wickedness in the world, assuming that the wickedness within their children has been handled because they prayed a prayer one time at Bible club.

The Bible Isn’t a Book of Fairy Tales

If our “faith commitments” haven’t taken root in our children, could it be because they have not consistently heard them? Instead of the gospel of grace, we’ve given them daily baths in a “sea of narcissistic moralism,” and they respond to law the same way we do: they run for the closest exit as soon as they can.

Good manners have been elevated to the level of Christian righteousness.

Moralistic parenting occurs because most of us have a wrong view of the Bible. The story of the Bible isn’t a story about making good little boys and girls better. As Sally Lloyd-Jones writes in The Jesus Storybook Bible:

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne—everything—to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life.

This is the story that our children need to hear and, like us, they need to hear it over and over again.

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Adapted from Give them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson, © 2011. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

(via: The Resurgence)

Bible Study Won't Change Your Life

He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Luke 24:25-27

BIBLE STUDY WON’T CHANGE YOUR LIFE

OK, that may be a bit of overstatement to get your attention, but just because you know the Bible doesn’t mean the Word will bear fruit in your life. It is possible to know the Scriptures, read the Scriptures, revere the Scriptures, and study the Scriptures and miss the point entirely.

Way too often Bible study is more about us than Christ. We commonly begin with us at the center and bring God into our world to address our already-defined needs and problems. We look at the Bible as a book of divine instruction, a manual for succeeding in life, or a map for making sure we get to heaven when we die. Studying the Scripture like this will not result in life transformation. Why? Because it is missing something. Better put, it is missing Someone.

Bible study alone is not what transforms your life. Jesus transforms your life. It’s possible to amass great amounts of biblical knowledge, to impress people with your mastery of Bible trivia, to creatively apply the Bible in ways that seem so down to earth and practical, to dot your theological I’s and cross your exegetical T’s – and still miss Jesus. Scary, isn’t it?

The purpose of our Bible study is to know God and make Him known. The Bible unveils Jesus Christ as the focal point of human history. All creation exists by Him, through Him, to Him, and for Him. Our Bible study should exist for Him too. That’s the only kind of Bible study that will change your life.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷ Why is it important that all of the Bible is pointing to Christ?

▷ What is the difference in knowing things about Jesus and actually knowing Him?

▷ Which would you say best describes you: Knowing about Him or actually knowing Him?

He Instructs

“The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. The precepts of the LORD are right, making the heart glad; the command of the LORD is radiant, making the eyes light up. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are reliable and altogether righteous. They are more desirable than gold—than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey, which comes from the honeycomb. In addition, Your servant is warned by them; there is great reward in keeping them.”

Psalm 19:7-11

“WHAT IS GOD’S WILL FOR MY LIFE?”

It’s a popular question that most every Christian (hopefully) asks at some point. Usually it’s around a time of big decision—where to go to college, who to seriously date, what studies to pursue—something like that.

The question is a good one. It shows that we really want to do what God wants us to do; otherwise, we wouldn’t really be asking the question. The truth is that for most everything, God has already revealed His will for our lives. There are certain things you can do that you absolutely know are God’s will for your life, because they’re the same for every believer.

These are things like:

★ Study and memorize Scripture

★ Avoid sexual immorality

★ Pray on all occasions

★ Seek to make disciples of all nations

No one has to ask about God’s will in these matters; He’s already revealed it. In fact, if most of us would seek to commit ourselves fully to the aspects of God’s will that He has already revealed, then the other aspects of God’s will might not be so mysterious to us. Say, for example, you are trying to choose where to go to college. You know that it’s God’s will for your life to share the gospel and commit your life to bringing glory to Him in all contexts.

The question then becomes “Where can I best live out what I know that God wants me to do?”

The only way we grow in this area is through reading, meditating on, and memorizing God’s Word. This is how we learn God’s will for our lives.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷ Do you find God’s ways more desirable than gold or sweeter than honey?

▷ What areas of your life right now may be hindering you from finding His will for you?

▷ What prevents you from living out what you already know to be true?

He Inspires

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

2 Tim. 3:16-17

THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD.

To use the theological word for it, it is an “inspired” book. That doesn’t mean that the writers of the Bible fell into a trance and then woke up several hours later with pages in front of them. It means instead that God chose to use, as His instrument, these men, complete with their own personalities. 

Think about it in terms of a text. If you want to be really particular and specific in what you communicate, you might use an emoticon. Or a different color. Or all capital letters. 

In the same way, God not only chose the words, He also chose the instruments He would use to communicate those words. Have you ever wondered why there are four gospels? Wouldn’t it be simpler if there was just one? But think about the differences in those gospels. 

Matthew was a former tax collector. He had a Jewish background. So His gospel includes these elements.

Mark appears to write from a Jewish perspective but to a gentile audience.

Luke was a physician by trade. He had an organized and logical mind. His gospel displays that organization and logic.

John started following Jesus when he was a teenager. His gospel has that mindset of imagination and creativity to it, complete with the flowery language.

Four different men. Four different perspectives on the same story. All inspired by one God. 

There is great hope for us in this fact. It means, among other things, that God has wired you, too, very specifically. He has given you talents and abilities, ingraining them into your very DNA. If God used these four men, along with the other writers of Scripture, according to their own personalities, then He’s sure likely to use you, too. He’s likely to use your creativity. Your love of sports, art, computers, or even animals. Your physical makeup and being.

God can use you. He is, after all, the One who made you.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

Have you ever wondered why you have the gifts and abilities you have?

What ability do you secretly wish you had? 

How does knowing that God allowed men to write the Bible and used their uniqueness to accomplish His mission impact the way you look at how He has gifted you?