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Transforming Grace
Discussion Guide, Chapter 1: The Performance Treadmill
Notes:
- BK means "Book"—Transforming Grace
- SG means "Study Guide"—the companion to Transforming Grace
Spiritual Bankruptcy
- SG #2: Why is it important to focus on your spiritual condition apart from Christ in
order to understand God’s grace?
- Because to the extent that I understand my true condition is the extent that I
understand my need, which is the extent to which I can understand (recognize, appreciate)
God’s grace.
- Rom 5:7-10, 17. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man
someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his
blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! . . . For if, when we
were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
- The more negative we are, the more positive Christ’s grace has to be
to save us.
- Read the first quote in the "Pondering Grace" section of SG (page 18).
- SG #1a: What is our spiritual condition apart from grace?
- Rom 3:10-12. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is
no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together
become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
- In business terms, a bankrupt business still has some assets left over to partially
repay its creditors, but man has nothing at all to offer to a holy God.
- Isaiah 64:6. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts
are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us
away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your
face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.
- Man’s "+10" is viewed by God to be "-10". Man’s
righteousness is not just neutral or value-less, it’s gross and detestable.
God has no part with it.
Grace and Works
- Bad Definition of Grace: "Grace is when God makes up the difference between the
requirements of His righteous law and what we lack in meeting those requirements." In
other words, no one is good enough to earn salvation by himself, but God’s grace
simply makes up for what we lack" [SG, page 10].
- SG #5: Why can’t we "mix" grace and works?
- "To say the grace of God makes up the difference of what God requires of us is like
comparing two people’s attempts to leap across the Grand Canyon. The canyon The
canyon averages about nine miles in width from rim to rim. Suppose one person could leap
out about thirty feet while another can leap only six feet. What difference does it make?
Sure, one person can leap five times as far as the other, but relative to nine miles, it
makes no difference! When God build a bridge across the ‘Grand Canyon’ of our
sin, He didn’t stop thirty feet or even six feet from our side. He built the bridge
all the way" [SG, pages 10-11]. How useful is a 1-mile long bridge if it stops 30
feet short of the other side?
- Grace and works are mutually exclusive.
- Rom 11:6. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no
longer be grace.
- Grace is a different "currency" than works.
- How successful would I be if I walked into Kentucky Fried Chicken and after ordering a
bucket of chicken, handed the cashier a handful of Japanese Yen and expected that to be
"good enough?"
- Gal 5:2-6. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,
Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets
himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to
be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But
by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing
that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
- The only thing that "counts" in Kentucky Fried Chicken is American dollars.
- SG #4: So, which person needs God’s grace more: the conscientious, dutiful,
hardworking Christian, or the most decadent, hard-living sinner?
- SG #6: Why is it so hard for us to rely on God’s grace rather than our own
efforts?
- Because grace is a threat to our pride!
The Performance Treadmill
- What’s the difference between justification, sanctification, and glorification?
- Diagram Jerry Bridges’ illustration found on BK page 20.
- Show the different "kinds" of grace.
SG #4: Many Christians believe that the basis of God’s favor in sanctification
is to be found in our own obedience. Where is the error in this thinking?
- Bridges says, "Most of us would say we declared permanent bankruptcy [with respect
to] the gift of eternal life. [We readily admit] that there is nothing more we can do to
earn our salvation." Although many of us may admit that we are permanently bankrupt,
we actually tend to live as if we were temporarily bankrupt. That is, "We were saved
by grace, but we are living by performance."
- Example: "Think of a time recently when you really fell on your face spiritually.
Then imagine that immediately afterward, you encountered a terrific opportunity to share
Christ with a nonChristian friend. Could you have done it with complete confidence in
God’s help?"
- My example: Preparing for this Bible study. I didn’t do so hot this past weekend
spiritually speaking. Therefore, in a sense, I was "dreading" this Bible study
meeting because I was (unconsciously) linking God’s ability to bless my preparation
and teaching with my recent spiritual performance.
- Even the disciples found themselves expecting blessing based on their obedience. Matt
9:27. Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will
there be for us?" Then Jesus goes on to tell of the parable of the workers who
all worked different amounts, but then got paid the same at the end of the day (Matt
20:1-16). His point was that even the "blessings" of living the Christian life
are based entirely on God’s sovereign grace—It’s totally up to Him.
- Seemingly contradictory passages concerning this issue:
- 1 Cor 9:24-27. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into
strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown
that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not
fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I
have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
- 2 Tim 4:7-10. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train
yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for
all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a
trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that
we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of
those who believe.
- Paul isn’t saying that the ensuing reward is based on his merits of
obedience. He is saying that obeying simply results in rewards.
- Conclusion: There is a tendency for us to obey in order to receive the blessings that
are due us. This is the kind of "performance" mindset Bridges is
referring to. Instead, we should obey in order to receive the blessings that are due
Christ because we are heirs to the promises that Christ is heir to.
- Put another way: If the Lord blesses you as a result of being obedient, it’s not
because you deserved it. It’s because Christ deserved it, and you
"happen" to be in Christ. So God’s blessings to us are still based on
God’s grace in Christ.
- Col 1:28-29. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that
we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his
energy, which so powerfully works in me.
- Read 2 Sam 9.
- Who represents God, Christ, and us in this story?
- God: David
- Christ: Jonathan
- Us: Mephibosheth. "Mephibosheth, in his crippled and destitute condition, unable to
improve his lot and wholly dependent on the benevolence of others, is an illustration of
you and me, crippled by sin and unable to help ourselves" [BK, page 24].
- Why did David treat Mephibosheth like he would have treated Jonathan?
- Because Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son. Mephibosheth’s identity was linked to
Jonathan.
- Who’s merit "earned" Mephibosheth’s privileged position at the
King’s table?
Jonathan’s
- How does this passage demonstrate that we not only have a priviledged position before
God, but also a lifetime of blessings and rewards, all based on the merits of Christ?
- "Mephibosheth never got over his crippled condition. He never go to the place where
he could leave the king’s table and make it on his own. And neither do we" [BK,
page 24].
Conclusion
How can we apply these truths into our own lives?
- Don’t link our poor spiritual performance to God’s ability to bless us and use
us.
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