Grace Party: Escape to Reality Greatest Hits, Volume 3 (3 page)

The letter to the Laodicean church
may be the best known of the seven Revelation letters. But for many Christians it
is also the most troubling letter. The difficulty stems from the rebuke spoken
by Jesus:

I know
your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or
the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit
you out of my mouth. You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not
need a thing.” But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor,
blind and naked. (Revelation 3:15–17)

What does it mean to be lukewarm?
Many commentators define lukewarmness in terms of apathy or a lack of zeal.
“It’s better to be on fire for God or coldly opposed to him than be halfhearted
in the middle.” This interpretation has become so widely known that even
outside the church the term lukewarm is synonymous with apathy and complacency.

But
there are at least three problems with interpreting lukewarmness in terms of
zeal.

Problem 1: Zeal is a subjective
term

What is hot to you will be
lukewarm to someone else. You might think that you are on fire for God. “I fast
twice a week and give a tenth of all I have.” Then you meet someone who fasts
four
times a week and gives
two
-tenths. Compared to them you look like a
casual believer. You’re only doing half as much. You’ll wonder, “Am I doing
enough? Will Jesus spit me out?”

I’ve
heard some firebrands use this passage to condemn Christians who are, in their
eyes, complacent and lackadaisical. It’s funny, but they usually define hot in
terms of whatever level of zeal they happen to be living at. It’s an amazing
coincidence.

No
matter how zealous or enthusiastic you may be, there will always be someone
more zealous and more enthusiastic who makes you look lukewarm by comparison.
Define lukewarmness in terms of zeal and you will inevitably end up insecure.

Problem 2: Zeal implies God’s
acceptance of us is based on our performance

The lukewarmness of the Laodiceans
put them in danger of being spit out or rejected by the Lord. This begs the
question, what makes us acceptable to God in the first place? Is it our zeal?
Is it the things we do and how enthusiastically we do them?

But
think about this for a second. Since when did we buy into the idea that our
performance makes us acceptable to God? This is self-righteousness. You can
tell by looking at the fruit. What if you did fast twice a week and give a
tenth away. How would you react if you met someone who didn’t fast or tithe at
all? You’d inflate with religious pride. You’d think, “I’m no Billy Graham, but
compared to this person I’m hot, hot, hot!”

Yeah,
that impresses God.

Religion
deals in relatives and leads people to say, “I’m basically a good person,” or,
“I may not be perfect, but I’m above average.” But God deals in absolutes.
Either you’re in the kingdom or you’re not. And his standards are infinitely
higher than any one of us can attain.

Defining
lukewarmness in terms of performance is the bait for DIY religion. It will lead
you to trust in yourself and your work instead of Christ and his finished work.

Problem 3: Jesus says we’re
better off cold

Most would agree that it’s better
to be hot than lukewarm, but Jesus also said it’s better to be cold. Either hot
or cold is preferable to being lukewarm. But if Jesus was referring to
enthusiasm, why would he say it’s better to have none than some? If Jesus was
referring to the things we do for him, why would he say it’s better to do
nothing than something? This doesn’t make sense.

Some
have defined cold as meaning coldly opposed to God. Why would Jesus want that?
Surely he would prefer us to be somewhat open than coldly opposed. Yet Jesus
says he would rather we were cold than lukewarm.

Lukewarmness is not about zeal

Those who preach zeal are saying,
“Be good for Jesus.” It’s good to be good but our goodness is not good enough.
All of us fall short of God’s goodness. Our best is never good enough.

Most
Christians know this. They accept that God’s grace makes the sinner righteous,
yet they don’t believe his grace also makes the
Christian
righteous.
It’s as if God helps you all the way to the cross only to leave you there to
finish the journey on your own. This mixed-up idea has been floating around
since the time of the Galatians:

You
foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ
was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from
you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what
you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you
now trying to finish by means of the flesh? (Galatians 3:1–3)

The Message Bible translates the
last verse this way:

Only
crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was
begun by God (Galatians 3:3b).

The Contemporary English Version
puts it like this, “How can you be so stupid?” while Darby’s translation
wonders, “Are ye so senseless?”

So there
you have it. The Bible says those who preach human effort are crazy, foolish,
stupid and senseless. Whether you are saved or unsaved, your self-righteous
acts never make you acceptable to God.

You
might say, “It’s not about works, it’s about attitude. God looks at the heart.”
But Jesus did not say to the Laodiceans, “I know your heart.” He said, “I know
your
deeds
, that you are neither cold nor hot.” There was something they
were doing that made them lukewarm and unacceptable. So what was it?

Lukewarmness is about mixing
stuff

When Jesus says he would prefer
that we are hot or cold rather than lukewarm, most people think of a
thermometer. Cold and hot temperatures are good, but being stuck in the middle
is bad. But this is a poor metaphor because there is no middle ground with God.

Yet
lukewarmness can also refer to mixing things. When you mix cold with hot you
get lukewarm. What are two good things that, if you mix them together, you end
up with something bad? Here’s a hint — what were the Galatians mixing together?
Answer: law and grace.

God’s
grace is good and so is the law. But these two good things cannot be mixed
together. Mix law with grace and you’ll end up with the benefits of neither.

Grace
comes from the white-hot love of the Father’s heart while the law was written
on cold tablets of stone. Jesus would rather you were under hot grace or cold
law but not both. He’d prefer you to be under his grace, but if not then the
law will do, for it will condemn you as a sinner revealing your need for grace.

However,
the law won’t do its proper work if we dilute it and lower God’s righteous
requirements to attainable levels. The Laodicean’s problem was not that they
were complacent, but that they were trying to attain through human effort that
which only God can do. Their problem was far more serious than a poor attitude.
They were trying to make themselves righteous.

Good and bad zeal

It is good to be enthusiastic for
Jesus, but there is good zeal and bad zeal. Look at what Paul said of the Jews:

For I
can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not
based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from
God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s
righteousness. (Romans 10:2–3, NIV1984)

Bad zeal is what you get when you
try to establish your own righteousness instead of submitting to God’s
righteousness. Good zeal is what you get when you realize that Christ has set
you free from the demands of the law and given you his righteousness. When you
apprehend what Jesus has done for you, you will be as enthusiastic as a freed
prisoner. You will run like a cripple with new legs, like a blind man with new sight!

Jesus
did not suffer and die to give us a chance to compete for God’s approval. He
died to make us righteous. If Christians are apathetic today it’s because they
are weary of being told they are not praying enough, reading enough, witnessing
enough, giving enough. No matter how much they do, it is never enough. The
unfinished work of the law always demands more.

What
will set you free is the revelation that Jesus has done it all. Not only did
Jesus die for us but he lives for us, he keeps us, and he intercedes for us. As
you begin to appreciate this, it will set you free like never before.

A word after

This is the article that launched
a blog. This is the seed that blossomed into Escape to Reality. The story runs
like this: On February 4, 2010, I received, via email, a question that was
circulating among some pastors. “How do we interpret Christ’s harsh words to
the Revelation churches in light of grace?”

As it
happened, a friend of mine had asked me this very question a few weeks earlier,
so I had a ready answer and I shared this with the group of pastors. However, I
was apprehensive in doing so because my friend, who took a dim view of my
understanding of grace, had not been impressed with my response. He basically
thought I was nuts.

“Perhaps
I
am
nuts about this whole grace shtick,” I said to myself. But that
self-doubt disappeared when I heard back from the group of pastors. They were
unfailingly positive and their encouragement prompted me to write more. The
next day, E2R was born.

It turns
out I had quite a bit more to say about this grace shtick.

From
time to time I hear from people who stumbled upon Escape to Reality because
they were looking for some insight into the Laodicean church. (Thank you,
Google.) This article has been a doorway to grace for many folk. So it seems
fitting that I take this opportunity to thank the five pastors who read my original
email and took the time to encourage me.

To Ryan,
Tony, Brad, Kyle, and Andrew, thank you for your word of encouragement. It has
gone far!

One of the biggest signs that a
believer does not fully understand what happened at the cross, is that they are
scared of the Holy Spirit. They view him as a Convictor and Policeman even
though Jesus called him the Comforter and Counselor. Their perceptions are
shaped by old covenant traditions rather than new covenant truths.

Here are
ten myths and ten truths about the Person of Holy Spirit:

Myth 1:
The Holy Spirit keeps a record of my sin.

Truth 1:
The Holy Spirit remembers your sin no more (Hebrews 10:17).

The Holy Spirit is not forgetful,
but love keeps no record of wrongs. At the cross, justice was done and your
sins were forgiven. To forgive literally means to send away and your sins have
been removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Because of
Jesus, God is no longer counting your sins against you. If the old covenant was
characterized by remembrance of sins (see Hebrews 10:3), the new is
characterized by forgetting them (Hebrews 8:12).

Myth 2:
The Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin.

Truth 2:
The Holy Spirit convicts you of your God-given righteousness (John 16:10).

How could he convict you of
something he chooses not to remember? Jesus did away with sin once and for all.
Your sins are not the problem. The real question is whether you’re trusting in
the grace of God. As an expression of his love and mercy, the Holy Spirit
convicts the world of its unbelief in Jesus, but the only thing he convicts or
convinces Christians of is their righteousness in Christ.

Myth 3:
The Holy Spirit leads me to confess my sin.

Truth 3:
The Holy Spirit leads you to confess Jesus is Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The Holy Spirit will never distract
you from Jesus (John 16:14). He will help you to see that Jesus is Lord which
means everything you have — including your problems and sins — belongs to him.
You don’t have the right to your sins. They are not yours for he bought them
with his blood. Still thinking about your sins? Then reckon yourself dead to
sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).

Myth 4:
The Holy Spirit is watching to see if I slip up and fail to finish.

Truth 4:
The Holy Spirit personally guarantees your salvation and inheritance (Ephesians
1:13–14).

When you were saved you were
marked as God’s own and sealed with his Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22). The Holy
Spirit is not a fault-finder, but a hope-giver (Romans 15:13).

Myth 5:
The Holy Spirit reveals God’s judgment.

Truth 5:
The Holy Spirit reveals God’s love (Romans 5:5).

Love and fear don’t mix. God
poured out judgment on the cross so that he could pour out his love on you “by
means of the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 5:5, GNB). If you fear God’s punishment,
allow me to introduce you to the Holy Spirit.

Myth 6:
The Holy Spirit inspires us to fear a holy and distant God.

Truth 6:
The Holy Spirit helps you to know and draw near to God your Father (Ephesians
1:17).

The Holy Spirit will never cause
you to be afraid. Rather, it is by his power of the Holy Spirit that “we cry
out to God, ‘Father! My Father!’” (Romans 8:15b, GNB).

Myth 7:
The Holy Spirit lives somewhere out there, probably behind Alpha Centauri.

Truth 7:
The Holy Spirit lives in you (2 Timothy 1:14).

Under the old covenant, God lived
in the temple. In the new covenant, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1
Corinthians 6:19). Where does the Holy Spirit live? In you!

Myth 8:
The Holy Spirit comes and goes. We need to cry out for him to come.

Truth 8:
The Holy Spirit abides, dwells, stays with you and in you (John 14:17, 1 John
3:24).

In the old covenant the Holy
Spirit rested on certain people for certain times. But in the new covenant he
abides with us and “makes his home in us” (2 Timothy 1:14). If you have
received the Holy Spirit, be comforted, for he’s not going anywhere. He has
promised to never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Myth 9:
The Holy Spirit plays hard to get.

Truth 9:
The Holy Spirit is The Gift, given by the Father and sent by Jesus (Luke 11:13,
Acts 10:45).

Jesus redeemed us so that we might
receive the promised Holy Spirit. Look at what Peter said to those who heard
the gospel at Pentecost: “Repent and be baptized,
every one of you
, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you (every one
of you) will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit
does not limit himself to a chosen few. Believe in Jesus and you will receive
the promised Gift!

Myth 10:
To receive the Holy Spirit you must fast, pray, attend some classes, get
straightened out, act holy…

Truth
10: The Holy Spirit is received by faith (Galatians 3:14).

Did you fast and pray to receive
Jesus? Didn’t think so. You just received by faith. It’s the same with the Holy
Spirit — we receive him by faith. Jesus said, “If you then, though you are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).
Don’t let anyone tell you that you must do stuff to earn what God freely gives.
Jesus paid for it all. “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.
Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24)

A word after

Many of us have grown up with a graceless
picture of the Holy Spirit. In response to this article, one reader wrote:

Wow, I
love this! Thank you for sharing these thoughts. I had been afraid of the Holy
Spirit, probably because I wasn’t taught much about him in the early years of
my faith. But having received him, I have found him to be the most loving,
caring, wonderful, ever-present Encourager and Friend! He has cemented so many
grace truths into my experience and shown me more than ever that God is love.
Thank you again for sharing!

Of course, not everyone was grateful. One man suggested that I was
portraying a God who turns a blind eye to sin with the implication that it’s
okay to run out and sin. Like any grace preacher I hear this a lot, but the
logic behind it never ceases to amaze me.

When you’ve met the Lord, why would you
want to sin? It’s like the prodigal sneaking out of the party to go wallow with
the pigs. It makes no sense.

You are the temple of the Spirit of life
(Romans 8:2). When you appreciate the awesome and blessed life that he gives
you, the superficial and death-dealing thrills of sin lose all appeal.