What is Morality other than harm?

Rethinking the way we teach students

I recently attended a student conference where the difference between gospel centered teaching and moralism was clearly on display. Some of the communicators made the gospel story the fabric of the message. They shared the Story of the scriptures, encouraged the students to trust in Christ rather than themselves, and to remember where they had been, who they are now, and where Christ was taking them. In the next moment, they were told, by the next speaker, to “man up” and trust God to give them victory over sin today. The problem ? My faith ability  defined the Christian I am rather than Christ’s saving ability defining the Christian I am. The subtleties may be small, but the implications are great! It was a confusing mix to say the least.

The conversations with students afterward did not come as a surprise. They were concerned about their sin, of course. They wanted to change. They wanted God to free them from sin. But the questions arose, “Why aren’t I free from sin, now that I have trusted God more and believe?” They tried hard to let God liberate them from sin, like they were told, but even within hours, the sin still remained there. The truth, as I shared with them, is those same sins will most likely always be a struggle. This explains why we need Christ! It isn’t my ability to trust God that saves and transforms, it is Christ’s ability to save and transform me. Since, in Christ, I have been declared not guilty and righteous, I must now walk as who God declared me to be. As Lane and Tripp wrote in How People Change we must understand our identity in Christ (who God says we are), our provision in Christ (the strength Christ provides), and the process that God uses to change us (life, suffering, joys…). As they wrote, “God has not called us to a life of ‘I have spiritually arrived’ or ‘I am just waiting for heaven.’ Rather, he calls us to a life of constant work,constant growth, and constant confession and repentance. Making us holy is God’s unwavering agenda until we are taken home to be with him” (6). The Sovereign Lord is saving us from the power of sin in our lives through his grace, but not in an instant, and not because of how hard I try to overcome my own sin. You will never overcome the power of sin, by focusing on overcoming sin. You will only overcome sin when you focuses on the One who defeated sin already.

I am thankful for all the men who shared with the students. I do not question whether or not they love Christ, that was, I think, amply apparent. Their passion for the gospel was clearly demonstrated, and for that I am thankful.  My prayer is that some would not just see the gospel as an addendum to the message or the subject matter of the invitation, but as the undergirding power of God in all Christianity, demonstrated by reliance upon Christ and His grace before and after trusting in Christ. I pray the gospel declarations would become the foundation of all the encouragements to obey God’s word. I used to think much in the same ways, but the Lord has been gracious to me, through the encouragement of others, to challenge my mind and heart. Thankfully, our God is faithful, and he is teaching and transforming us all for the glory of his name.

I think this post from May of 2011 on betweenthetimes.com captures better than I the difference between how we communicate God’s word and the implications of our emphasis. It will be worth your time.

“Moral Failure” in Student Ministry: There is a Better Way by Alvin Reid

What has been taught, this thing they call moralistic therapeutic deism, has offered a how-to faith based on the needs of the individual over the redemptive plan of the Creator God. How has this happened, often in churches which stand firmly on the Bible as the Word of God? I would argue part of this comes from our tendency to view students as “kids” who are more silly than serious, and wrote a whole book on that called Raising the Bar. In addition, we have fundamentally made a shift in much of our teaching and living of the Scripture from seeing the Bible through the lenses of the gospel and the mission of God to understanding the Bible primarily as a roadmap which will guide us via morality to the place of faithfully serving God. Read More