Recently, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what God wants from us in our Christian life. Growing up in Fundamentalism, I have heard much about the things we must do and the things we must avoid. Not long ago, I read a post on the blog “Stuff Fundies Like” entitled “Being a Five Star Christian.” It sums up what those of us who grew up in Fundamentalism were taught: read the Bible, pray, go to church, give, witness, and determine to be a “five star Christian.” Certainly there are all good things and we should be doing them, but this doesn’t really set well with me.

This concept teaches us that our relationship with God is dependent upon the things that we do (or don’t do). Many in Christianity preach and believe that to be rightly related we must follow the steps of “Being a Five Star Christian.” Logically, this doesn’t make a bit of sense. You see, most (if not all) of these same Christians believe (and rightfully so) that salvation is grace based. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (ESV). Titus 3:5: “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (ESV).

Salvation is not based on what we do.There is nothing we can do. Our righteousness, according to Isaiah, is a filthy rags. How is it then, if salvation can not be earned but is given by grace and mercy, that our becoming Christ-like (our sanctification) based on our works? This entire premise becomes completely illogical. To argue that works somehow play a part in our sanctification is to espouse a salvation-by-works doctrine. Those of us who have spent time reading Paul’s letters know that people preaching this doctrine is not anything new. The church in Galatia was dealing with a similar situation as to what I am writing about here. The basis of the situation: Jesus’s work on the cross was not enough.

Whether it was not enough to initiate our salvation or our sanctification is hardly the point. The point is taking anything away from the grace of God and trying to accomplish something based on our merits is wrong and dangerous. I echo Paul in Galatians 1:6-7 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel– not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and wnat to distort the gospel of Christ” (ESV).

Now, I want to pause for just a second to make something very clear. I am not saying that Fundamentalists are intentionally trying to lead people astray. I’m not condemning. I’m not attacking. I’m not questioning anyone’s salvation. I speak with nothing but love. I realize that not everyone in Fundamentalism preaches this. I also realize that there are those who aren’t Fundamentalists that preach this. I use Fundamentalism as an example because that is what I know. I have experience it. I’ve been made to feel guilty and unworthy because I listen to the wrong music, because I dress the wrong way, I’ve not tallied enough “saved souls,” I’ve not read the Bible through enough, I like a good beer occasionally. Another quick side note. I’m not saying to live your life willy nilly. I’m not saying lower your standards. I’m not saying sin to get more grace. The Bible is clear on what is right and wrong. It is clear that we should live our live as Jesus did. The point I am trying to make is that I am weary of preaching that focuses on what we are doing/not doing. I am tired of the holier-than-thou, high and mighty teacher/pastor/whatever-the-heck-they-may-be-individual using fear tactics to manipulate believers into falling lock-step into their man-made rules. Do get me wrong, I love the fact that there are still those that preach against sin. However, when we miss the grace aspect of our Christian walk we are doing a great disservice to our brothers and sisters.

That was a rather lengthy tangent and now I am back to the point. Paul says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, ESV). I think that this is one of the best verses in all of Scripture on living the Christian life. Why? The focus of this verse is not on what we do but on what the Holy Spirit does. If our walk is Spirit-focused we will not fulfill our fleshly lusts. How do we do this? By grace! Every part of our salvation, from eternity past (our election) to eternity future (our complete sanctification) is saturated in grace. We of ourselves do nothing, it is all Christ, all grace.

Its time for me to get personal again. At my Fundamentalist Christian college chapels, church services, Bible classes were most always discouraging. I felt unclean, defiled, I felt I wasn’t good enough or ever would be good enough. I felt small and belittled. I was told I needed to stop listening to certain genres of music, stop wearing certain brands of clothing, read from the KJV, and vote Republican.

Right now I’m listening to hip-hop, wearing Hollister, quoting the ESV, and back in November voted for Libertarians, Democrats, and Republicans. And guess what? No guilt. Not because I am now perfect, or because I have arrived, or becuase I have stopped caring. But because I have decided to put my faith and trust in God’s grace not just for salvation but for sanctification. Guys, I still sin. A lot. Daily. I’m still not like Jesus. If you were to name a sin, its likely that I have done it. Here is something to think on: if God didn’t get hung up on our wretched, awful, jacked-up, depraved condition prior to saving us, then why would He suddenly flip out on us when we slip up and revert to our old ways? (Of course those of us who are His children He disciplines.) Even when we screw up, He still loves us!

I would like to finish up with one quick thought. I had said previously that much of my time at Christian college was discouraging. But this was not always the case. In one Bible class, Galatians and Prison Epistles, the instructor was teaching through the book of Galatians and the discussion was much of the same as what I am writing about here. What he said that day has stuck with me ever since and I doubt I will ever forget it. He mentioned that the Christian life is not a “laundry list” of dos and don’ts. That the summation of the Christian life is found in Galatians 5:16- walk in the Spirit.