It's really on my heart to begin sharing something of Dave Johnson's (co-author of "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" and pastor at Church of the Open Door in Minnesota). This church has a ministry of a "lending library" that has really been instrumental towards my recovery from legalism and growth in God's grace. I met Dave's dad, Bill Johnson, long ago at a Christian camp called, Silver Birch, up in northern Wisconsin. Bill Johnson and his wife and I became friends and started corresponding while they were retired in Florida. I was also able to participate in Bill's conference on Job and have loved his audios and book on Job called, "Friendly Fire." God has used both Bill (who is now in Heaven) and his son, Dave, to present to me the clear Gospel.
Dave's teaching on "The Double Message" is powerful and valuable and that's why I'm quoting most of it and for the sake of time, breaking it down into parts. May God bring all of us into total trust in Christ, having no confidence in our flesh, but be completely led by the Spirit. Amen.
Galatians 5:1-6 (Walk by the Spirit)
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. 7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Fallen from Grace. You were running so well. Who hindered you? Satan would just as soon leave Christians living their Christian life in their Christian flesh; working as hard as they can, and never breaking thru in the Spirit.
The definition of a double message is: while in a conversation, there are two things being said at the same time. There are two things involved. While one thing is being communicated, another thing is being felt. For instance, someone may say the words, "I love you," but with an angry, indifferent tone. There are two messages at the same time. You're hearing the words, "I love you," but the feeling is the opposite. When we get double messages, what it does is it causes confusion. You can't always sort it out. And the characteristic of a double message is that the two things being said contradict each other. The irony is for us is when we get a double message from someone, instead of taking the time and sorting it out by asking them, "what do you mean." Generally, what we do is we live trying like crazy to reconcile the tension in the double message almost as if they can live together as equal and it can really be okay. You're left living in a limbo -- between what is said and what you are really feeling is being said (the opposite).
The Galatians had received and fallen prey to a double message. They had been wonderfully saved. They had received the Holy Spirit of God. You could see the work of the Holy Spirit thru them as God was demonstrating thru their lives and He transformed them with love and patience and joy and peace. The internal work of the Holy Spirit had begun for these people. And it was characterized by freedom and joy.
Then the "Judy-izers" came and they said, "Praise the Lord! You're saved. I'm really glad that that happened. It's wonderful. Isn't God good? That's just great. Ah, yes, BUT NOW that you're in, now that you've passed the salvation test and you know that it's all by faith, what you NEED TO KNOW NOW my dear friend, is that now that you're in, here are some rules that you need to keep, and here are some little rituals that you need to observe. If you really want to be a Christian of course you'll have to be circumcised. If you really want to be a Christian, of course, you have to join the church. If you really want to be a Christian, you have to give more money. If you really want to be a good Christian, you have to get a little more involved; you need to do this external thing that will prove to everyone else around you that you really are in. You gotta come not only to the morning service, but all the other services as well, and participate in as much as you can."
There's nothing wrong will all these things . . . .UNLESS that activity that you do is done because you think that somehow by doing it you can get God to like you more, to love you more, to accept you more, to be a really "good" Christian, I'll do this external thing.
The result of this kind of mindset is a double message. The double message is this: the Christian life, dear friend, is lived by faith. It is lived by the Holy Spirit of God coming into you taking His residence in you and beginning to express Himself out. . . BUT REALLY YOU LIVE BY THE LAW. The double message is this: The Christian life is a life of God's gracious giving and the Holy Spirit's empowering . . .BUT THE REAL TRUTH IS THIS -- IT'S UP TO YOU, BUDDY. IT'S UP TO YOU.
So, we'll "talk" about grace and we'll "talk" about faith and we'll "talk" about the Holy Spirit (some times) of God in you moving thru you, producing fruit and freedom and producing holiness, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS ALL THOSE THINGS REALLY MEAN IT'S UP TO YOU. YOU GOTTA DO IT. WORK REAL HARD.
You felt set free when you first got saved. You felt excited. You felt full of Jesus. This can even be illustrated with a worship service. During praise, my heart gets so lifted, I see Jesus real clear. And I think all the things I'm worried about and all the things I'm consumed in are just trivial things, they're external things that I've allowed myself to get bogged down in and my freedom is gone. I see Jesus real clear sometimes and I feel real sensitive to Him and I feel real free and real alive. BUT then there's that "double message" that comes flying right behind you.
We'll "talk" of grace and Spirit, but the truth is "you better do it right." It's not up to the Spirit at all, it's up to you. It's up to you. "You own it." The result: While you know you are a Christian and there's nothing in the world to convince you otherwise . . .while you are a Christian, in your life, there is no joy . . .there is no joy. Paul's greatest concern for the them was "what happened to that sense of blessing you had?" There's no joy, no life, no freedom and there is no victory, even tho you seek after it with tears and try as hard as you can to be a good Christian . . . you just work so hard and you begin to think, "something's missing. Something's off! Is this all there is?" We just keep on striving and keep on working, hoping nobody will notice you are living a totally defeated Christian life. You're even wondering if this is real?!
And then to that Paul says this . . . (into that double message) Paul says: "It was for freedom that Christ set you free. Keep standing firm in that freedom." Don't you "buy" the double message. Get on one track. You can't have it both ways. It is either Spirit, or it is flesh. It is either law or it is grace. It is either external control (as a Pastor, getting people to do things you want them to do) or it is internal control (the Spirit of God getting them to do what He wants them to do.) You can't have both. And if you mix them at all, it's OVER. It's over.
In fact, Paul says if you try to mix law and grace, if you come at people with this double message ("Oh, yes, it's Spirit, but it's really you.") if you come at people with this double message you have not just confused the Gospel, you have DESTROYED the Gospel. It is NO LONGER the Gospel. Paul called it a different Gospel. The double message may sound just like Christianity . . . but it isn't. Galatians 5:2-6 says if you start living this double message, Christ is of no benefit to you . . .you are under obligation to keep the whole law . . . you are severed from Christ . . .you are fallen from Grace. Pretty heavy stuff.
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