Paul's Passing Thoughts

“What they don’t understand is the Spirit’s work and our work together is seamless. We appropriate the Spirit’s power and that leaves us without excuse because we can  do all things through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Working hard while knowing by faith that the Spirit is working with us in accordance to God’s word, and not outside of it, is not ‘fruit hanging.’ I beg your pardon, but that’s a lie. It’s not either all us, or all of the Spirit, and I beg your pardon again, but that won’t always be experienced as a ‘natural flow.'”

I am on a sabbatical to get a major project done and I suppose it was bound to happen—I have allowed distraction. I saw a Facebook note the other day that read,

“Spiritual fruit is born from the inside—not applied to the outside.”

As anybody who knows me can attest, these churchy truisms drive me nuts. I tried to stay the course by having Susan do this piece for me, but per the usual, she doesn’t think EXACTLY like I do—an attribute of hers that has been known to annoy me more than once. However, I have entitled this post “Paul’s Take” in hopes that she will post on it as a second part for added perspective. Besides, I love the email I get telling me how much this blog needs her “sensitive” touch.

So, I can’t let it go. My initial response to the jingle was the following:

What does that mean exactly? How is fruit birthed from the inside out? Since Christ told us to put into practice “these words of mine,” how do we put them into practice WITHOUT “applying it to the outside.” ? So, in order to do what Christ wants us to, what’s the right approach according to your truism?

Depending on the answer I got, I could be continuing my work, but the answer I got contained the “E” word:

Gents, this is a quote I liked from an article I was reading. A small excerpt of it is in one of my facebook notes titled the same as above. Once you read it, it will be clear the author’s intent is that beautiful true and lasting fruit (natural outward words and deeds) flow from a heart stayed on God. This is opposed to false fruit such as outward appearance and acts that do not reflect the inner heart condition. These “fruits” are not intrinsic to the person, but mere ornamentation (such as tassels and phylacteries) meant to deceive men. These fruits only have earthly reward (worthless impressions of men) and do not last (perhaps even on earth and certainly not eternally). We can bear no true fruit without the enablement of the spirit. Once redeemed, we then have the power available to walk in righteousness, but we also can choose to disobey. Indeed, a Christian is making a conscious choice to sin each time they do. God’s sovereign will is worked out even in sin (of redeemed or unredeemed people). We are active agents in all we do, yet God remains in control.

The excerpt he is referring to is the following:

Imagine that the fruit you desired was the edible variety, so you went out into your yard and planted an apple tree. Just suppose that one day, while you were waiting for the apples to begin growing on your tree, you caught a glimpse of a neighbor’s apple tree. You noticed in admiration that its branches were laden with big, luscious apples. What would you do? Would you run to the produce market to buy some apples, then go home, and in the dead of night, tie them onto your tree? If you did, the sight of your tree might really impress your neighbors. But that is not what you would do. You would likely go to the neighbor and ask how he cared for and fertilized his tree to produce such fruit. It is the same with our children – luscious fruit will be born from what we put into them – not from what we tie onto them. As a matter of fact, in no time, the fruit that we put onto our children will rot and fall off

The excerpt was taken from an article by Reb Bradley who produces gospel-centered  (the antinomian concept of “the same gospel that saved you also sanctifies you, ie., sanctification by justification) teaching materials for the homeschool subculture. The article was reposted by New Calvinist/gospel centered  guru Joshua Harris on his blog resulting in 107 comments (http://goo.gl/zuNzE0).

Is the author’s excerpt “clear”? Hardly. Why is it important? Because the New Testament teaches that the age marked by the ascension of Christ in its beginning, till His return marking its end, is a unique age identified predominantly with d-e-c-e-p-t-i-o-n. Look at the New Testament. Apart from the historical books, all but maybe two books were written for the sole purpose of addressing error—in the church. That’s in the first century; the kingdom of darkness has had 2000 years since then to hone its craft. More than ever it’s important to teach truth with biblical words.

So, does the Holy Spirit lead believers to obey in a way that isn’t what we will call fruit stapling through “enablement”? No, and the whole fruit stapling/”fruit hanging” thesis is a false premise. We will address that prism/illustration first and then address “enablement.”

Though the facebooker’s answer is not totally objectionable, the excerpt is based on antinomian reductionist theology propagated by Reb Bradley, Paul David Tripp in “Age of Opportunity” and the Priestess of Contemporary Antinomianism, Elyse Fitzpatrick, in her new book, “Give Them Grace.”  Elyse wrote an article recently denying that there is any such thing as antinomianism, even stating that in her many years of counseling she has never met one. Well, I have news for Elyse, Sigmund Freud never met one either. Learning through specific biblical words in our day is vital, and Fitzpatrick’s claim that there is no such thing as an antinomian is a great example.

The word “anomia” which is the Greek word for what English speaking folks refer to as “antinomianism” occurs in the New Testament twenty-five times. It’s almost surreal that those who are revered as the premier teachers of our day can commit these first-degree theological felonies in broad daylight and get away with it. This is important because Jesus Christ framed the judgment in the last days in context of antinomianism:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV).

The word for “evildoers” is “anomia.” The passage rightfully reads: “Away from me, you antinomians!” The word anomia means “lawless” or “without the law” and speaks to any devaluing of obedience to God’s word as final authority (Matthew 5:17-20). Hence, in Matthew 7:21-23, the ESV rightfully translates “evildoers” as “lawlessness” which is much closer to the real meaning.

One stands aghast when they realize that “Give Them Grace” is a parenting book and the article she wrote, “Dear Mr. Antinomian” was applauded by the who’s who of New Calvinism (http://goo.gl/61oYZ). Likewise, Harris did not repost Bradley’s piece for pastime. Also note Harris’ disingenuous comment in introducing the piece that he was “challenged” by it when his ministry has been saturated with such teachings for years, and the full article is nothing more than a regurgitation of gospel-centered Sonship Theology as propogated by Tripp’s Age of Opportunity and Fitzpatrick’s Give Them Grace.

That’s the introduction; now let’s look at the illustration first.

It is the same with our children – luscious fruit will be born from what we put into them – not from what we tie onto them. As a matter of fact, in no time, the fruit that we put onto our children will rot and fall off.

This is an erroneous illustration that leads astray because it creates an unbiblical dichotomy between “natural” obedience and obedience in our own efforts. This is how my fellow Facebooker understood the article saying,

Once you read it, it will be clear the author’s intent is that beautiful true and lasting fruit (natural outward words and deeds) flow from a heart stayed on God. This is opposed to false fruit such as outward appearance and acts that do not reflect the inner heart condition. These “fruits” are not intrinsic to the person, but mere ornamentation (such as tassels and phylacteries) meant to deceive men.

Notice that his understanding of the article is correct: “true” obedience is a “natural….flow” from a “heart condition….intrinsic to the person.” Just prior to the fruit tree illustration in the article, Bradley stated the following:

Preoccupation with results often leads to emphasis on outward form. When we are preoccupied with achieving results it is natural to admire the results others seem to have achieved with their children. We like the way the pastor’s kids sit reverently in the front pew and take notes of their father’s sermon, so we go home and begin to teach our children to sit reverently and to take notes. What we don’t know is that the pastor’s kids conduct themselves with reverence and attentiveness not because he “cleaned the outside of the cup” and simply drilled them to do so—he lived a genuine love for Jesus that was contagious, and watched as the fruit was born (Matt 23:26). Parents are destined for disappointment when they admire fruit in others and seek to emulate merely that expression of fruit in their own children. Fruit is born from the inside—not applied to the outside.

Note the author redefines biblical obedience as outward only. He is saying, like Tripp and Fitzpatrick, that the only way to our children’s heart is to speak grace into it by modeling a genuine love for Jesus that is “contagious.” However, Christ modeled Himself in front of the disciples for three years, and at the end of the day, it wasn’t pretty. But the point here is that Bradley propagates the same, worn out antinomian teaching that obedience only concerns the outward, and he does this by only teaching half of Christ’s cup and tomb illustration.

Christ’s indictment of the Pharisees was not only a concern for outward lawlessness, but inside lawlessness. The Pharisees were guilty of inside disobedience as well as outside disobedience. True, Christ said inside obedience comes first—inside thinking dictates outside behavior, but that is not the way Bradley frames it in his article. The biblical model of outside obedience following inside obedience is clearly replaced with wowing our children with the love of Christ and letting the outside behavior  flow naturally from the inside because we are motivated by love and not fear:

….he lived a genuine love for Jesus that was contagious, and watched as the fruit was born (Matt 23:26).

It’s about having a real faith in God, and expressing it in a real relationship with a real person—not about methods and self-working principles. God intends that the side-effect of loving Jesus and enjoying the grace of the gospel will be that all people—including our children—will be touched by the Savior in us [observe the statement carefully. Really, it boils down to this illustration: http://wp.me/pmd7S-U4 ].

What about Christ’s true indictment of the Pharisees? This is the model Christ presented when the other half of the cup and tomb illustration that Bradley left out is considered:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:25-28 ESV).

Inside lawlessness was the issue, not a mere modeling of “grace” and Christ’s love that supposedly leads to a “natural flow” that we are to sit back and observe like a motion picture so that we can give God all the glory. Notice Christ said that they were full of “lawlessness” on the inside. We are to instruct our children how to think inwardly according to Scripture. We are to instruct our children how to pray, and we are to instruct our children how to behave. And yes, we are to set the right example, but then we are to instruct them to follow that example! Christ did not call a mismatched outward and inward obedience “fruit hanging,” He called it “hypocrisy.” This model of obedient thinking, obedient praying, and obedient doing can be clearly seen in Philippians 4:2-9. Also, the very reason God judged the world was because mankind’s “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The apostle Paul made it clear that our spiritual warfare entails taking every thought captive and bringing it into obedience to Jesus Christ (2Corinthians 10:5,6).

We are to teach our children that if they will judge themselves according to God’s word—they will not endure God’s discipline because those who are his children he will discipline if necessary (1Corinthians 11:31,32). If anything is “clear”, Bradley’s article excludes the complete teaching of Christ’s cup and tomb illustration and replaces it with musings about going to the store to buy fruit and hanging it on a tree—this makes a mockery of God’s word. Furthermore, Christ’s primary contention was not the Pharisees’ method, but contrary to Bradley, Tripp, and Fitzpatrick, His primary contention was they were making the law void by mixing it with their tradition (Matthew 15:6). To make the law void is to be antinomian. Obviously.

Bradley’s article is a mere rewriting of Fitzpatrick’s Give Them Grace, and one mother had apt comments accordingly on Fitzpatrick’s book:

*Sigh* I get that burying your kids under a pile of rules can set up the expectation that holiness is completely predicated on one’s behavior rather than grace and one’s heart attitude. But what’s wrong with having compliant children? Can’t we teach them manners and good behavior, AND teach them that manners and good behavior don’t save them?

Because I can just hear it across churches and the blogosphere now: My kids are terrors, but I’m a “grace-based parent” and therefore better than you because you make your kids obey the rules like a good little Pharisee.

Please tell me the book addresses potential misinterpretations of its point, like I’m bringing out here.

But, the Pharisees didn’t obey God’s word, they were antinomians par excellence and “lawless” on the outside as well as the inside. That is why Jesus told the people that their righteousness needed to surpass that of the Pharisees—they were lawless inside and out. In addition, also regarding the above comment—these “teachers” aren’t talking about salvation, they’re talking about sanctification. What they don’t understand is the Spirit’s work and our work together is seamless. We appropriate the Spirit’s power and that leaves us without excuse because we can  do all things through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Working hard while knowing by faith that the Spirit is working with us in accordance to God’s word, and not outside of it, is not “fruit hanging.” I beg your pardon, but that’s a lie. It’s not either all us, or all of the Spirit, and I beg your pardon again, but that won’t always be experienced as a “natural flow.”

In fact, that will undoubtedly be the fruit of this doctrine in due time. Especially since this doctrine considers obedient thinking to be an outside work regardless of the fact that Christ called it an inside consideration that was efficacious to outside behavior. For example, Paul David Tripp refers to our efforts in aligning our thinking/attitudes with the Bible as omitting the “person and work of Christ as Savior” (How People Change p.27). Got that? It’s either all of Christ and His grace, or us omitting Him completely—even as Savior!

This brings us to “enablement.” Does the Bible teach that the Holy Spirit enables us? Again, we must be careful to use biblical words. The person who posted the article originally commented in reply:

We can bear no true fruit without the enablement of the Spirit. Once redeemed, we then have the power available to walk in righteousness, but we also can choose to disobey. Indeed, a Christian is making a conscious choice to sin each time they do.

Again, the fellow Facebooker’s comment is not totally objectionable, but much qualification is needed when we say that we are “enabled” by the Spirit—especially when set against the article he is endorsing. Their version of enablement would have to be, in essence, the Holy Spirit obeying for us, or the Holy Spirit enabling with each act of obedience. The disconnect is huge and just plain ambiguous. The enablement issue will be covered in part 2.

paul