The Spirit of Our Age
The following conversation did not actually occur, but the thoughts of the two individuals, representing two different perspectives, could have been spoken. Tom had just completed a conversation that he had in a restaurant with someone wanting to know more about the Bible. Max overheard part of the conversation, and even though the two did not know each other, Max decided to approach Tom as he left the eating establishment.
Max: Good evening; my name is Max, and I could not help hearing some of your conversation. May I ask you a question?
Tom: I suppose. What is it that interested you?
Max: Your name is….
Tom: Tom.
Max: Well, Tom. It seemed to me that in your discussion of the Bible, you were taking an awfully legalistic approach.
Tom: How do you define legalism?
Max: Generally, I think of legalism as an approach to God that emphasizes what we do more than what God has done for us. We’re saved by grace, you know.
Tom: Perhaps you missed that part of the conversation; I don’t think I ever met anyone who minimized the grace of God.
Max: But that’s what you do when you emphasize our actions. There isn’t anything we can add to God’s grace.
Tom: Are you affirming, then, that everyone is universally saved? If our actions do not matter at all, then every individual would be saved by the grace of God alone.
Max: No, that’s not quite what I mean. Naturally, we must have faith. Surely, you recognize that faith is sufficient to save us.
Tom: No, God expects us to be obedient to Him.
Max: See, that’s what I mean. You keep emphasizing that our actions play a role in salvation. That ideology makes us earn our own salvation.
Tom: No man can earn salvation on his own merit; if it were not for God’s grace, no one could be saved. But that fact does not eliminate our obedience.
Max: Yes, it does. If salvation depends on our obedience, then it cannot be grace.
Tom: Okay, let’s use an example. I showed my friend the case of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-2.
Max: Why do you guys always go there? I’ve heard that so many times. Next, you will bring up instrumental music.
Tom: No, there’s no need to; you already made that application. Christians such as I bring up this passage because it demonstrates a valuable concept, which is that if one does not do what God has authorized, as taught in Colossians 3:17, then He is displeased.
Max: Surely, you don’t think that getting fire from somewhere else prompted God to kill them. What difference does it make where these priests got the fire?
Tom: But it did make a difference to God. It may not matter to you or others, but they disobeyed what God said to do. Even the NIV (which did rather shoddy work on several verses) recognized the importance of this principle, saying “they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.”
Max: Oh, that’s just opinion. God may have been mad at them for some other reason, such as their being drunk at the time.
Tom: But the reason cited in verse one was that it was unauthorized fire.
Max: But that’s so silly. Nobody cares about that today. Fire is fire! God has more important things to think about. And what was it that you were saying about Moses striking the rock?
Tom: I was saying that God had commanded Moses to strike the rock the first time He provided water for the people, but the second time, in Numbers 20, he was instructed to speak to the rock.
Max: What difference could it possibly make if Moses struck the rock or spoke to the rock? Whatever.
Tom: The difference is one of obedience versus disobedience. The second time God did not want the rock struck when water came forth. It might have ruined a type-antitype that God was setting up, but in any case Moses disobeyed what God said to do, and he was denied entrance to the Promised Land because of it.
Max: Oh, come on. That’s absurd.
Tom: Since you were so eager for it, now I’ll introduce the subject of instrumental music. What this incident shows is that God may authorize one action for a certain time and then authorize a different action. On the first occasion God authorized striking the rock, but the second time He changed it to speaking to the rock.
Max: You lost me. So He had him to do one thing and then asked him to do it a different way. (I’m still not admitting you’re right in granting you the difference between the methods).
Tom: The application is simply this: Under the first covenant God authorized instrumental music (2 Chronicles 29:25). In the new covenant God does not authorize its use. He changed what was acceptable worship to Him.
Max: I knew you’d find some ridiculous explanation. The fact is that God is not that concerned about forms. It’s how sincere we are that He is concerned about.
Tom: Have you forgotten that true worshipers are to worship in spirit (that is, in sincerity) and in truth?
Max: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but notice it’s the sincerity part that comes first.
Tom: Since you brought it up, how about the sincerity of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6:6-7? The text does not indicate that the man harbored any impure motive whatsoever. In fact, he tried to prevent the ark of the covenant from falling on the ground out of respect for it. Nevertheless, God struck him dead because it was a violation of the Law to touch the ark.
Max: Yeah, that’s what you fellas always say. I’ve heard that song before many times. You probably think the ark that Noah built would have sunk if it had been 301 cubits long.
Tom: I wouldn’t presume to make decisions for God, but one thing is certain—301 cubits would not have been the specifications that God commanded.
Max: But don’t you see that it doesn’t matter? So the ark is 299 cubits or 301? Why do you insist on a legalistic 300?
Tom: I’m not insisting on anything. God gave the specifications, and Noah did precisely what God said to do. His obedience is mentioned—twice.
Max: I could never live the way you do. I would be so nervous that if I made one wrong step, wham! God got me, and I’m lost.
Tom: What makes you think that Christians live that way? We know that we err, but we are walking in the light. When we fail, we confess our sins and continue to do what’s right, as taught in 1 John 1:7-10.
Max: I never worry about my behavior. God’s grace has me covered.
Tom: Are you arguing “once saved, always saved”?
Max: No, I’m just saying that I don’t have to worry about keeping every little rule. I’m free in Christ; it sounds like you’re still in bondage.
Tom: Just as Moses told Israel in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, God has given us commandments for our good.
Max: See, it always comes back to commandment-keeping. You just can’t get away from legalism.
Tom: It’s a matter of love. Do you not recall Jesus saying to His disciples, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”? If I truly love God why would I want to ignore what He says? And why would I not want to do what’s in my own best interests?
Max: But love means not having to worry about every little detail.
Tom: You mean like the mint and anise and cummin?
Max: Yes. Now you’re getting it.
Tom: But Jesus said that, while we should not neglect the weightier matters, we should not leave the smaller matters undone.
Max: I’m beginning to think you’re hopeless. We don’t have to dwell upon small details. The essence of Christianity is the cross. Do you think Jesus cares whether or not we use a piano in worship?
Tom: He cared that the Jews substituted the commands of God with traditions of men in Matthew 15:1-9. He also cared enough about what the disciples believed to warn them about the teaching of the Sadducees and Pharisees in Matthew 16:12.
Max: Don’t even start on doctrine. Do you want to say that those who sprinkle instead of immerse are lost? Do you want to say that those who believe in Pre-millennialism are lost? Are you going to deny fellowship to those who believe in spiritual gifts today? Once you start down that road, there’s no stopping place.
Tom: How interesting! I was just going to say the same thing about you. But, first, it is the case that Jesus and His apostles warned about false teaching because it leads people astray from the truth. Second, if you accept one error regarding salvation, worship, or major New Testament teaching, where is it that you stop? On what basis do you accept one false doctrine but not another? Once again, you end up as a Universalist, and everyone is saved—contrary to what Jesus said about the majority of people being lost in Matthew 7:13-14.
Max: I had hoped that I might get you to be reasonable, but I see you’re beyond that. There’s no more use in wasting my time. You legalists are all the same.
Tom: Are you saying you’re an illegalist?
Max walked away, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. He just could not understand why Tom could not see things the way he presented them. How sad that Tom didn’t believe in grace! Meanwhile, Tom wondered what Max had against obedience.