Fallen from grace? What about frustrated grace?

I've tried to write this latest post several times recently, only to have the Lord stop me and tell me it wasn't time yet. I've even told friends, "I'm going to have a new post this week," only to scrap it all before I could finish. Maybe this time will be different.

Consider this:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do
not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then
Christ is dead in vain. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that
you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath evidently set
forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so
foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the
flesh? Galatians 2:20-3:3

We talk a really good talk in our circles. We write books and papers, and we preach sermons declaring how we are not legalists as so many accuse. We pay lip service to the notion of grace as we indignantly profess that we don't believe we are saved by works. But the attitudes and behaviors that are inherent to our sectarian sub-culture betray our best efforts of shaking off the legalist labels. The comments by pastors and evangelists that degrade anyone with a "lower" or less-strict standard than their own are arrogant at best, and devisive at worst. To create a line where the Bible does not make a line is beyond the authority of church leadership, and causes confusion in the church, and serves to exclude many precious and dedicated saints from what we determine to be the Body of Christ.

I was engrafted into the Body of Christ on June 23, 1985 when I received the new birth. Over the last 24 years, I have heard those who have "let down the standard" maligned in every imaginable way - and even participated myself at times. Backslid. Gone Charismatic. Fallen from grace. I don't even know what "charismatic" means, other than a derogatory term used to describe a group with fewer outward standards, so I won't really deal with that. But backslid? What about fallen from grace? I'm not sure either can really be applied with a broad brush. While I'm sure those terms would apply to some (though, hopefully with a heart of compassion and God's love), I don't believe that to be the case in general.

Consider the context of the letter to the church at Galatia. At the time of Paul's letter, the church was being influenced by a group of "Judaizers", whose intent was to force the church to submit to the religious and ceremonial laws and customs of the Jews. Much of the conversation revolved around circumcision, but the overall agenda of these Judaizers was to assimilate the church into compliance with the Mosaic law. Paul's remarks in the first chapter give no doubt about how he felt about it.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that
called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another,
but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of
Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

The gospel is not a burdensome list of do's and don'ts, can's and can'ts. Rather, it is liberty in Christ! Liberty to sin? God forbid. But liberty to live according to the leading of the Holy Spirit? We are not saved from the curse of the law, only to be thrown back under another law! But when we receive the new birth, His Spirit is inside of us. Jesus is the Word (John 1.1) and He indwells us. Jesus is the Truth and the Life (John 14.6) and He indwells us. His law is written in our hearts now, not on tables of stone (2 Corinthians 3.3). Forcing the saints back into law-keeping is what Paul was talking about when he said "I do not frustrate the grace of God."

I'm amazed when people get so excited about quoting from Isaiah when teaching or studying the plan of salvation. With enthusiasm we read:

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he
speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause
the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: Isaiah
28.11-12

But we stop there and miss a critical lesson! The last part of the 12th verse says, "YET THEY WOULD NOT HEAR." If you go on reading, you will see a picture of the legalistic church today. The only problem is the judgment pronounced upon them.

But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon
precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,
and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and
snared, and taken. Isaiah 28.13

They were given the refreshing, but they refused to hear. They insisted on precept upon precept, line upon line law-keeping. The "here a little, there a little" makes me think of the somewhat random proof texts that are used to prop up some of the wackier rules that men have come up with. Either way, Isaiah said that these were actually the ones who had fallen backward (backslid, fallen from grace). Paul's statements again in Galatians, having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh... ring just as true today as they did nearly 2000 years ago. The law was fulfilled and removed because it could not make us right with God. It showed us our frailties and inadequacies, but did nothing to remedy the problem. That's why Jesus went to the cross.

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
his cross; Colossians 2.14

Jesus Himself became a curse for us in order to redeem us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3.13). Why is it that we can still view our salvation and relationship with Christ as so fragile that the slightest offense against a standard or rule would cause us to lose out and be separated from Christ? Why are we so focused on the external in contradiction to scriptural admonition? We read scriptural passages like 1 Peter 3:3 to say that women shouldn't wear gold or outwardly adorn themselves lavishly. But the context is actually saying something completely opposite! While I believe in scriptural principles of moderation and modesty, the context of 1 Peter 3 says that our focus SHOULD NOT BE ON THE EXTERNAL. But we've perverted this and so many other passages to do just that!

I know, I'm ranting now. I suppose it is so much easier for everyone to just follow a set of rules to "keep everyone safe." But doing so prevents the saints from truly maturing in their own relationship with God and their ability to be led by the Holy Spirit. In overriding personal conviction, and establishing codes of conduct and appearance, we have created a spiritually retarded body who are not only not accustomed to seeking God themselves on issues of personal holiness, but actually discouraged from doing so. And in doing so further, we end up with the understanding that we "do such and such" to be holy, rather than asking God what He wants us to do (and be) because He has already made us holy. It takes much more maturity and discipline to listen to the voice of God and obey than it does to receive a rule book from some organization or pastor.