Quote:
Although Christians tend to naturally hide their imperfections from God and others, Bethke points out that as the Bible states, God is actually seeking out "ungodly people."
"[God] is not hiding the fact that the very people He is looking for is the messed up people, the jacked-up people, the broken people," he explains.
Bethke therefore encourages Christians ashamed of their "ungodly ways" to instead embrace them and present them before God to be "made right" and be "[pulled] from darkness to light."
The motivational speaker suggests Christian must [sic] "[lean in] to really believing He's going to do what He says He does because He's always come through."
Once Christians are able to present their flawed ways to God, their faith then "is the power that activates that cleanliness and that power of healing."
End quote.
~The "Christian" Post
The problem is that this first of all doesn't take into consideration the presupposition of God that all men are already ungodly and "messed up".
Rom 3:9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
Rom 3:10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
Rom 3:11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
That's all there is in this world. So God's choice of children is ONLY from sinful, ungodly mankind.
Secondly, no one can "hide their flaws from God". That's just asinine.
Thirdly, while we are justified by God while ungodly, that is not a call or sanction to stay that way.
There is shame before God for our sin against Him. After salvation, the sanctification process begins.
Bethke wants to deal with Rom. 4:5. Here it is in context:
Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
Rom 4:5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Rom 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
Rom 4:7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
Rom 4:8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."
This passage is discussing justification which presumes total depravity (see Rom. 3 and Eph. 2).
But then Bethke talks about how some can feel ungodly. He tells us to stop being legalistic and religious. Legalists are unsaved, like the Pharisees who pushed aside God's inflexible holy standard for man's unholy one which they then, can achieve. As Christians we are absolutely called to live according to the Word, striving to live godly lives through His immeasurable power which is at work in us through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1-4).
True humility confesses that one IS ungodly before God and ill-deserving of His salvation. The truly regenerate person will humbly bow before Christ Jesus the Lord in agreement with Him of his sin and ungodliness before the thrice Holy God. As the Publican exemplified:
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'
Luk 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
One cannot be saved without this attitude of biblical humility before God that we see with the tax collector. If this wasn't part of one's life, then one isn't saved, it's that simple. To try and present one's life as better than he is is to be the unjustified Pharisee.
There is always shame attached to the sin of a child of God because we have offended the thrice Holy God whom we love. We must never lower the treason of sin against the King of kings.
Another problem is that Bethke is not precise enough when dealing with the issue of salvation and sanctification. I suppose he wants to squeeze in his motivational speaking in less than 3 minutes, but he's lacking biblical precision. It seems he's mixing up justification and sanctification. On the one hand he's using a passage about being justified which is the first part of salvation; on the other he's talking to people who are claiming to be Christians and yet might be too religious, churchy, or legalistic. He doesn't clarify if he's talking to unbelievers or if he's talking to Christians who think that a change in behavior is salvation. His hasty treatment of Romans 4 and sanctification or justification very sloppy and dangerous.
On another note, Bethke dares to call the God-breathed words in Rom. 4:5 as "churchy" which is his anti-church, anti-"religious" view coming out. This is talking down Scripture. This is treating the HOLY Word of God as trivial. This young man is not sober minded when trying to "preach" to people in 2 minutes. Moreover, he doesn't give time to do the actual verse any justice. It's just a pep talk. Considering that most churches today are geared toward the ungodly, Bethke's confusing call fits right in. He seems to be right in line with the Emergents who are trying to be counter-church and push this "stop trying to live holy lives, we're all imperfect and God likes it that way" thinking. In their view, having godly lives is somehow looked down upon. There are standard for behavior in the church as seen in 1 Tim. 3:14-16, 1Peter 3:1-5, 1 Cor. 14, etc.
If a Christian has a life riddled with sin ("jacked up"), then the sin must be addressed within the local church by Scripture. We are called to lay aside our old man:
Eph 4:17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
Eph 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Eph 4:19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
Eph 4:20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
Eph 4:21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
Eph 4:22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
Eph 4:23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
Eph 4:24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Lowering the standard of God's command to be holy in order to sound less "religious" is wrong and actually perpetuates the sin in people's lives.
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
1Pe 1:15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
1Pe 1:16 since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
1Pe 1:17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
1Th 4:4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
1Th 4:5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
1Th 4:6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
1Th 4:7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
1Th 4:8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
As Christians, we are to be conforming to Christ more and more. His dynamic power is at work in us and therefore bears much fruit.
1Jn 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
1Jn 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
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