Faith in Future Grace

    

I know I've mentioned this new book I've been reading in some Facebook posts, but I wanted to share more in a blog post, because I've been really challenged in my thinking by John Piper's "Future Grace." It's not a new book. We've actually had it for years, like so many books we mean to read but never get around to. I am only about half way through, but it's 399 pages, so half way is a lot of reading! It's gone really fast, though. Deep stuff, but not difficult to read or understand. A bit more challenging to change the way I've been taught to think about things that aren't really biblical. There are so many things we tend to believe as American Christians that really have no grounding in the Bible. This book really challenges those things. It also encourages me to read, study, and memorize Scripture more so that my thinking is based on Truth rather than just what I grew up hearing.

Note: This is not a review, really. I couldn't possibly touch on or summarize everything I've even read so far. It covers so many topics (under the broad topic of living by faith in future grace), many of which I have always had questions about. You'll have to read the book for yourself to learn more about what "future grace" encompasses, but I wanted to list some things I've learned and taken hold of since reading the first half of this book. So far, it is one of the best books on theology I've read.

1) The "debtor's ethic"- "God has done so much for me, what can I do to try and repay him?" is so prevalent in the church and really not biblical at all. He argues that scripture never connects gratitude for past grace (the cross, and any other grace of God in my life in the past) with motivation to serve God with good works or obedience. At first I thought that must be wrong. But searching for those scriptures, I realized it's true. And instead, the Bible almost always says we are to be motivated to serve and live obedient lives for Christ by faith in future grace (the promises of God possible because of Christ). We look back at past grace with rightful gratitude, but this look back at God's faithfulness in the past points us toward the promises of future grace (not just Heaven, but the promises of God for us while we are on earth) with faith to motivate our good works/obedience, trusting God will do it in us. We don't just have to "try harder" at sanctification. He essentially saves us and enables us (through the Holy Spirit along with all these amazing promises to do good to us if we love/trust/believe him) to obey him and love him. Romans 8:32 is a key verse, summing up all of the promises of God for us. It says, "He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" If God gave up his own son for us, surely he will give us everything else we could possibly need and anything that would truly be for our good, to finish the race. If we really believe that, how much differently will we live? I found myself really asking the question, "Do, I really trust/believe God?" I don't think I live like it much of the time. If I did, I wouldn't choose to sin so much. I wouldn't say "no" to God when I am prompted to do something, because of fear. That just proves I am trusting more in myself (even though I admit to myself that I don't have what it takes) than God to get me through whatever it is. Can we say, breakthrough?

2) Some impacting quotes from the book:

"Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it holds out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Which means that the power of sin's promise is broken by the power of God's. All that God promises to be for us in Jesus stands over against what sin promises to be for us without him. This great prospect of the glory of God is what I call future grace. Being satisfied with that is what I call faith. And therefore, the life I write about in this book is called Living by Faith in Future Grace."  (pp. 9-10)

 (on Pride vs. Faith in Future Grace)
"This is ironic. Self-sufficiency should free the proud person from the need to be made much of by others. That's what "sufficient" means. But evidently, there is a void in this so-called self-sufficiency. The self was never designed to satisfy itself or rely upon itself. It never can be sufficient.... The empty craving for the praise of others signals the failure of pride and the absence of faith in future grace.... Itching for glory from other people makes faith impossible. Why? Because faith is being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus; and if you are bent on getting the satisfaction of your itch from the scratch of others' acclaim, you will turn away from Jesus." (pp. 93-94)

"Here is another irony. Anxiety does not look like pride. It looks weak. It looks as though you admit you don't control the future. Yes, in a sense the proud admit that. But the admission does not kill pride until the proud heart is willing to look to the one who does control the future and rest in him. ... Why is anxiety about the future a form of pride? God gives the answer: 'I- the Lord, your Maker- I am He who comforts you, who promises to take care of you; and those who threaten you are mere men who die. So your fear must mean that you do not trust Me. You must think that your protection hangs on you. And even though you are not sure that your own resources will take care of you, yet you opt for fragile self-reliance, rather than faith in future grace. So all your trembling- weak as it is- reveals pride.' The remedy? Turn from self-reliance to God-reliance, and put your faith in the all-sufficient power of future grace." (pp. 95-96)

"The commandments of God are not negligible because we are under grace. They are doable because we are under grace. The new covenant gift of the Spirit is the power to obey the revealed will of God; but the path along which the Spirit comes and works is faith in future grace." (p. 168)

It would be dangerous if I had a highlighter while reading this book, because it would all be neon yellow after I finished. Almost every sentence is quote worthy! This book has come at the perfect time for me (I love how God does that) because I have been burdened lately with the weight of, "I feel like I should be doing more...more good works...being less comfortable in my life...obeying better. How come I am still paralyzed by fear of failure and fear of man?" I felt such a weight lifted when I read this book, along with the accompanying study "Battling Unbelief" that our small group is going through. I am finally understanding that the same God (and grace) that saved us to begin with is the same God that is enabling us to love, serve, and obey him each day until Heaven. I used to feel like we were saved by God's grace, but now it's our turn to work...to make sure we try really hard to obey him until the end. And yes, we are to live obedient lives, but HE is the one who does it in us! What a relief! HE gives us his Spirit that enables us to obey and love him. HE gives us his promises of future grace in the Bible that we can bank on. And HE gives us prayer to use to rely on those promises and put our faith into action. After hearing sermon after sermon that challenges me, I far too often think, "I must do a better job" at this or that.  "I just have to try harder to not be anxious, to not trust in myself over God, to read my Bible and pray more." But we aren't supposed to have that as our takeaway! Rather, we know our weaknesses and then we turn to our mighty God who loves us and enables us through grace to trust in the promises of his Word and through faith, obey and love him.

I have been so blessed by these truths, lately. I highly recommend reading "Future Grace" if you get the chance. This sermon by Jason Meyer, (candidate for John Piper's successor) perfectly complements what I've been learning along these lines. What a powerful, encouraging sermon on prayer and trust in God's promises to enable us to live obedient, God-glorifying lives.