Gospel indicatives vs. Imperatives

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

This is from a blog called “heavenward” by Tullian Tchavijin. It’s implications and observations are profound for our lives. Read the full article here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/

Here’s a preview: “Promise Driven Commission”

About 10 days ago, Mike Horton’s new book on the Great Commission came out entitled The Gospel Commission: Recovering God’s Strategy for Making Disciples.

Mike spoke on this topic during his session at our inaugural “Gospel-Centered Life” conference at Coral Ridge back in January (you can listen to the audio here). He began by asking the audience to say the opening words of the Great Commission from Matthew 28 out loud. As you can imagine, almost everybody started with the words, “Go therefore…”. Mike rightly pointed out that the Great Commission actually begins with the words, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me” (v. 18). It’s only after Jesus says that, that he says, “Go therefore…” (v.19).

This may seem like an insignificant thing but it’s actually a paradigm shattering observation. In fact, if we don’t see it, our understanding of the church’s mission will be weakened.

Comments

Anonymous | April 14 2011 at 8:25 am

Interesting comment from Tchavijin:

“When we stop obsessing over our need to improve, that is what it means to improve! Remember, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners at the end of his life. It was his ability to freely admit that which demonstrated his spiritual maturity–he had nothing to prove or protect because it wasn’t about him!”

I recall this similar comment from Chaplain Mike (Internet Monk) from April 2010:

“Furthermore, when you read the writings of the mature Paul, he emphasizes not how far he has come, but how far he has to go, and again gives Jesus the glory for his ongoing work. In passages like 1 Timothy 1:15-16, written in the final decade of his life, Paul still calls himself ‘the foremost of sinners’ (note: present tense).”

Now let’s look at some things the immature Paul wrote (say, from his first epistle, 1 Thess). Should we dismiss these as the naive, youthful ramblings of a foolhardy apostle, deprived of the wisdom that can only come with age, back when he still had something to prove—back when it was still about him?:

“That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory” (2:12)

“[We] exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication…” (4:1-2).

“... but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (4:10-11).

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.” (5:14-15)

Are we to dismiss these apostolic exhortations because Paul was so immature at that point? Was Paul “obsessing” over the need for the Thessalonians to contemplate the fruits of repentance and what that should look like outwardly? Can the Thessalonians (or we) be blamed for focusing on what Paul instructs them (and us) to focus on—indeed, what God, through Paul, is instructing us to focus on?

The entire first epistle to the Thessalonians is positively dripping with grace, and the richness of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, but Paul doesn’t do what both Tchavijin and the Internet Monk do: he doesn’t plead with the Thessalonians to stop focusing on what it means to get better.

For that matter, the “mature” Paul doesn’t either. After saying we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling, he continues, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:14-15).

After saying “work out your salvation,” Paul continued right in to providing an example of what that might look like outwardly in the lives of the Philippians.

I don’t disagree with Tchavijin’s main emphasis that we are indeed called to grow in grace. I’m just not ready to embrace the new mantra that the apostolic exhortations of the older Paul carry more weight. That’s a subtle, albeit unintentional, assault on Paul’s other equally authoritative exhortations, and with them, on authority of the Scriptures themselves.

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