What is the relationship between grace, law, and holiness? If you have been in evangelical circles for very long you have probably heard the phrase “its a relationship not a religion”. On the surface most who vocalize this phrase are attempting to communicate that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works. But the problem with this phrase is that on the surface it makes sense to an extent but it doesn’t really effectively communicate what people think it does. The motivation behind such a phrase is a noble one in that it is an attempt to defend against a form of legalism that establishes works as the primary means of pleasing God and being excepted by Him. But with that positive affirmation of grace not works being expressed in such a statement there is also a strong undertone of the idea that all that matters is “me and Jesus”.
At the core of this statement, “it’s a relationship, not a religion”, is this idea that personal spiritual experience is what is most important when it comes to Christianity. Anything outside of that experience doesn’t really matter all that much as long as the individual feels good about this relationship they have. In this ideology there is really no need for doctrinal teaching or study but just cursory Bible reading and seeking to hear from God; mostly through subjective mystical means. The essence of this form of thinking is probably most represented in the series of books Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.
In a brief summary of the motivation of these books, Sarah Young was impacted by a book written by two spiritist women (actual pagans) entitled God Calling. In this book, these two women lay out their communication with God through the practice of automatic writing. One important thing to note is that these women are not believers and the god they are seeking to communicate with is not the one true God of the Scriptures. As for their practice, automatic writing is a method of communicating to the spirit realm often employed by new-age practitioners and those in the occult. They simply sit quietly with a pen and paper in hand and seek to hear from the other side. As they receive communication they simply begin to write out what they are hearing. With this practice in mind, Sarah Young set out to do the same but with Jesus. This all sounds good and well but what must be understood is that this practice is not only forbidden in Scripture but it is also not the way in which God has chosen to speak to us.
Although the Bible is clear about seeking connection with the spirit realm and also clear about how God communicates with us, many people do not seem to care or understand. This is where the ideology of “it’s just me and Jesus” and “it’s a relationship, not a religion” really bear their fruit. Jesus Calling is one of the highest top-selling devotionals and books. What is also interesting is that over time as people have pointed out the origins of these books publishers have sought to remove the introductory content from the books that explain their origin.
One of the many problems with this subjective approach to faith is that there is no foundation for the development of discernment in the individual. The faith becomes more about what the individual feels rather than what has been objectively revealed by God.
Pastor Tim Carter
One of the many problems with this subjective approach to faith is that there is no foundation for the development of discernment in the individual. The faith becomes more about what the individual feels rather than what has been objectively revealed by God. This is a very popular mindset because at the core of it the individual gets all the control. They essentially will begin to function as if they are their own god. This may sound a little exaggerated and harsh but it is a true reality. If this individual pursues subjective religious experiences as their means of developing their relationship with God they will end up in a position where they cannot discern God’s voice from their own. Self-deception is a very hard thing to recognize and correct. How does the individual truly know if they are hearing from God? Could it be their own subconscious thoughts that are coming through? Or what about the possibility that it is another spirit communicating to them?
There are reasons that God established laws in Israel about not contacting the spiritual realm. He established certain ways and means for them to hear from HIm, interpret what He said, and test what was heard. It was a serious matter, in fact, it was a capital crime to go outside the prescribed means God had established to communicate with them. The death penalty was required for those who contacted the other realm through undesignated ways. Furthermore, if any individual claimed to have a word from God that did not come to pass that person too was to be put to death.
But wait, you say, that was the Old Testament and God doesn’t operate that way anymore. After all, hasn’t everything changed now that Christ has come? Can’t we just ignore the Old Testament on those matters since they were laws given to Israel? Sounds like a decent argument, at least at first. The problem with this thinking is that the New Testament doesn’t seem to align with this idea of the Old Testament law being completely removed.