There are many perks that come with getting married and having kids, one
of which is developing a dad-bod. You know, looking a little less JJ Watt and a
little more Nacho Libre.
Guys get married and think, “Hey, now that I’ve got her locked in, I
don’t have to try so hard anymore. She has to love me for better or worse,
right?” And so it begins. A little more pizza and ice cream, a little less time
at the gym.
I’m guilty of the dad-bod effect. I entered marriage in 2007 a fairly
chiseled 165lbs. For the last three or four years I’ve been hovering around the
185lbs mark, and have become more and more pillow-like in certain areas.
Marriage is a new covenant that a man and woman enter into for life.
Because it is a lifelong covenant, it comes with tremendous grace offered to
each party. But the grace offered by this new covenant is not intended to give
each party the liberty to act a fool toward the other.
Unfortunately, Christian culture not only often treats marriage this
way, it also has begun to view the New Covenant we enter into with Jesus in a
similar light. Hyper Grace teacher, Joseph Prince, writes this about the New
Covenant, and the strange way it should cause us to filter the simple words of
Jesus, our heavenly bridegroom.
Whether
interpreting the Old Testament, or the words which Jesus spoke in the four
gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), let Jesus and His finished work at the
cross be the key to unlocking all the precious gems hidden in God’s word. This
means that we have to read everything in the context of what He came to do and
what He accomplished at the cross for us. For example, some things that Jesus
said in the four gospels were spoken before the cross – before He had died for
our sins – and some were said after the cross – when He had already won our
complete forgiveness and rightfully given us His righteousness. It is the
latter that applies to us (believers under the new covenant) today. –
Joseph Prince
According to Mr. Prince, believers under the New
Covenant written about in Hebrews 8 don’t have to obey the Sermon on the Mount
or any of the teachings of Jesus before the cross. Prince says those teachings
are Old Covenant teachings.
I get it. Jesus’ sayings are hard. Who wants to
carry their own cross? Wait, I can’t even hate people anymore? First I couldn’t
touch, but now I can’t even look with lust? Now I have to love my enemies too?
I have to love people like Jesus did?
I can understand why not only Hyper Grace teachers,
but many prominent Protestant leaders through the years have taught that Jesus
doesn’t actually expect us to follow His commands. But is that the orthodox position?
What did the early Christians teach?
Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon, was the spiritual
grandson of the Apostle John. He was discipled by Polycarp, the bishop of
Smyrna, who was personally discipled by John. Irenaeus was deeply respected by
Christians throughout the Roman Empire during the 2nd Century, and
was well known for His apologetic works.
This is
what Irenaeus wrote concerning the New Covenant and Christians’ responsibility
to simple words of Christ:
These
things, therefore, which were given for bondage, and for a sign to them, He
cancelled by the new covenant of liberty. But He has increased and widened
those laws which are natural, noble, and common to all. … They are to follow
His word unswervingly, while they abstain not only from evil deeds, but even
from the desire for such deeds. … And therefore the Lord says, “As to every
idle word that men have spoken, they shall render an account for it in the day
of judgment.” And, “he who has looked upon a woman to lust after her, has
committed adultery with her already in his heart;” and, “he that is angry with
his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment.” [All this is
declared,] that we may know that we shall give account to God … as those who
have truly received the power of liberty. – Irenaeus 180CE, Volume
1, p. 804-805 [CD-ROM]
Early Christian teaching = The New Covenant means I am empowered to obey
Jesus.
Hyper Grace teaching = The New Covenant means I don’t have to obey
Jesus.
It’s interesting how Hyper Grace teachers often call those who want to
obey Jesus’ teachings Pharisees. The truth is, statements like what Joseph
Prince made earlier are incredibly Pharisaical. According to Jesus, one
hallmark of a hypocritical Pharisee is creating traditions in order to avoid
obeying Him (See Mark 7:1-13).
Hyper Grace teachers play semantics games with the Scriptures to create
traditions that allow them to not have to obey the simple words of Christ.
However, if they would read the post-resurrection words of Jesus simply, they
would realize the absurdity of their tradition. Jesus’ Great Commission calls
us to teach others to obey everything He had commanded during His
ministry, which would include the Sermon on the Mount and everything else
pre-crucifixion.
Our society has created the term ‘dad-bod’ to make it acceptable for
husbands to quit trying to stay healthy. Basically, marriage is an opportunity
to quit loving your spouse in one area. The Hyper Grace community sees grace as
opportunity to avoid obedience to Jesus. The Early Christians viewed grace as
empowerment to obey Jesus.
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