Jul 22, 2010
I Really Want To Change. Help Me God!
Hopefully you've realized by now that legalism and license are both ineffective, unbiblical motivations for the Christian life. But the question of proper motivation for Christian growth is often overlooked. Consequently, people go on motivating themselves in all kinds of ways that belittle the gospel and do nothing for the person seeking change. It's no wonder, then, that people grow sick and tired of "spinning their spiritual wheels" and going seemingly nowhere with God. They feel broken inside. They feel tired and discouraged. Moreover, they are lost, not knowing what to do or how to "fix it". The next step is despair. But when hopelessness and despair engulf a person in their battle against sin, humanly speaking, they're just one step away from throwing in the proverbial towel.
If that's you, you need gospel motivation - and now. You see, the standard duty-driven, religious motivation that has crept into the church and taken us by storm simply won't cut it anymore. It's destructive and powerless to bring about any lasting and genuine change. Instead, it tends to produce only a facade of piety, while keeping us indifferent to our inward motivations for obedience. We need gospel-motivation. We need it because the gospel causes us to both repent of our sin and believe in God. The gospel is both something we speak and something we believe. It's both the message and the medium of redemption. In it God motivates us with his unblushing promises. We need those promises because they offer us joy, hope, strength, glory and a place in the kingdom of God - something duty-driven motivation will never give you.
Trusting in your performance is tantamount to trusting in a false functional god to change you. In order to receive the redemptive benefits of change, flowing from the gospel, we must repent of our trust in the false god of self-change and exercise faith in the God of the Gospel. This is not something you do once. This is a life-long endeavor. The Christian life is a constant repenting from belief in false promises and an increasing belief in the true, good promises of God. Promises such as: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:8, 10-12).
The following words from Paul Tripp are an example of how we may find a new motivation, a gospel-motivaiton.
"When I come to the Lord after I’ve blown it, I’ve only one argument to make. It’s not the argument of the difficulty of the environment that I am in. It’s not the argument of the difficult people that I’m near. It’s not the argument of good intentions that were thwarted in some way. I come to the Lord with only one appeal; his mercy. I’ve no other defense. I’ve no other standing. I’ve no other hope. I can’t escape the reality of my biggest problem; me! So I appeal to the one thing in my life that’s sure and will never fail. I appeal to the one thing that guaranteed not only my acceptance with God, but the hope of new beginnings and fresh starts. I appeal on the basis of the greatest gift I ever have or ever will be given. I leave the courtroom of my own defense, I come out of hiding and I admit who I am. But I’m not afraid, because I’ve been personally and eternally blessed. Because of what Jesus has done, God looks on me with mercy. It’s my only appeal, it’s the source of my hope, it’s my life. Mercy, mercy me!” - Paul Tripp "Whiter Than Snow".
O how sweet that is! While I'm at it, let me encourage you to pick up a copy of Paul's book. Currently, we have a copy of it on our book stall. May God help you pursue growth and change through the gospel alone from this day forward. In the following video, Paul describes the goal of his book.
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