Western Wall, Religion, and the Gospel

Two nights ago we had the unique opportunity of going to the Western Wall during Shabbat, which is the Jewish Sabbath. As I drew closer to the wall I encountered an increasing number of men, dressed identically, bowing back and forth with great fervor, praying with what seemed like a mouth full of fear and angst. Their eyes were tight, bodies tensed, fingers frantically racing across the pages of the torah. These men were certainly religious. But is their religion joy giving? Or slave driving? Where was the gospel? Where was the “good news?”

Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Church in NYC explains the difference between religion and the gospel.

            Religion says, “I obey, therefore I am accepted.”

            The Gospel says, “I am accepted unconditionally, therefore I obey.”

Do you see the paradigm shift? I believe these men at the wall two nights back were very, very religious. This notion of religion pervades our culture. Our visceral instincts breed religion. Think of a resume before an exacting boss. Religion says we have to clean up our act before we can be presentable before God. I believe this religion was prevalent at the wall two nights ago, and I reject it.

 Conversely, The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that it is finished. We no longer have to work for our acceptance. No hoops to jump through. This is the essence of freedom. Our loveliness in God’s sight is not contingent on our action. Again, we must ask ourselves, how do we know? How can we be sure? The answer again, as always, is look to the cross. Just look at it. What happened here? Why is the cross significant? All other religions are essentially man’s endless pursuit of God. The cross is a bold, cosmic statement of eternal, everlasting significance that shows God’s endless pursuit of man. It flips this notion of religion completely on its head.

Now, because of Christ, we no longer have to live under a cloud of fear, constantly wondering if we are acceptable before God. Jesus was sent to the cross to absorb the full weight of sin, and suffer in our place. No more fear. No more ritual. No more angst. Not tensed. We’re freed from the shackles of justifying our existence through our job, parenting, kid’s success, relationships, social status, grades, financial security, accomplishments, and morality. Through the lens of the gospel we ask ourselves, “how do we qualify?” The answer now is…know we don’t. Our disqualification is our qualification.   Because of Christ, we have full confidence that the God of eternal, soul-satisfying comfort is looking down on us, so proud of us he could bust.

Do we still see God as an exacting boss looming over our heads, examining every action? Do we see him as a slave driver? Do we see him as some quasi-deity that we must allure with our action and ritual? Or do we see him as a loving father, Immanuel, God with us, guiding our path and eagerly anticipating our arrival home?

Galatians 4:3-7 – In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”