The Discipline of Grace:

What is God's role and your role in sanctification?

This book has been immensely formative for me. It has brought about a renewed desire to act upon grace in all things. Therefore, Bridges mentions several disciplines that are necessary but all seated in God’s enabling grace. So what is God’s role and what is my role in sanctification? I have the responsibility to actively fall in debt continually to grace; just depend upon God’s grace.
So how has this impacted my life? I had finished this book about a year ago and about six months ago it became very helpful when God exposed the sin of the fear of man in my life. There was a circumstance where the Spirit called me to meet the need of another and I compromised the situation and cowered in fear of what others would think. The Lord would not let this sin go by unnoticed. He gracious brought this book to mind as well as a panel discussion where C.J. Mahaney discussed the need to come to a thorough conviction of sin. As a result of reading this book, I new that my responsibility in sanctification was to dependently seek a thorough conviction of my sin before God.
In depending upon God’s grace to lead me in this pursuit, I sought to explore books that dealt with my sin, passages that spoke to my sin and friends who could constructively point me in my sin to Christ. It was my responsibility to do this – to act upon grace to come to a thorough conviction of sin so that true repentance could take place.
As a result of seeing my role in sanctification I sought to act upon grace. In doing so, God responded with overwhelming means of grace. He orchestrated several messages at church to speak to my sin. He prompted friends to confront me specifically with my sin. He tangibly worked in my heart to involve myself in the lives of others that otherwise I would attempt to avoid due to a need to uphold my selfish reputation. He opened the eyes of my heart to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ as my complete acceptance and approval before others. This meant my purpose, identity and functionality were all enveloped in the work and person of Christ!
What a blessing to fall into the arms of God being confident that he will not treat me according to my sins but bring me along as an adored child. He will continue to provide the grace necessary to continue to grapple in spiritual warfare and to have victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Do we really live according to the Gospel or do we formulate another? pt. 1

adapted from How People Change.

Much of what we consider to be good becomes the means through which the Gospel is supplanted. If we are honest, we will see that in some way we are all guilty of consistently supplanting the Gospel. It becomes secondary and our own efforts and wisdom becomes primary - sheer idolatry.

Formalism:

Formalism seeks to be apart of everything that the church is doing. It is faithfulness to a church calendar. It is works oriented with aggresive physical involvment and passive spiritual engagement. This is done so that I retain control of my life, my time, and my agenda. It is often seen a healthy aspect of a good life, however, it often reduces the gospel to participation in the meetings and ministries of the church. God hates formalism. (Is. 1; Matt. 23:23-28)

Legalism:

Legalism seeks to establish rules and standards for which Scripture does not. Hence, God is a god of unreasonable rules and harsh judgment. There is little joy in the life of a legalist because there is no grace to be celebrated. It is all about the performance of gaining a position before God. Hence, the gospel is reduced to what I accomplish instead of what Christ has done. God's requirements for me as a sinner really aren't that difficult which means God really isn't that holy. However, in assuming my righteousness comes from conformity to my own established standards, I supplant the gospel with another gospel - my own. I become the standard of holiness and the saviour of my sin. God hates legalism. (Gal. 1:6-10)

Vintage Church and my Trinity Joy