!Dr. McKay Caston

!!

A Primer in the Gospel for Ordinary Folks

The A+ for the F

!!!!!!!!!Copyright © 2012 by McKay Caston !All rights reserved. No portion of this booklet may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form except for brief quotations in printed reviews or articles, without the prior written consent of the author. !Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

!!!

�2

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!For my friends

at Creekstone Church! !!

�3

Chapter 1 Christianity is not Religion!!

The ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, his heart was weighed on a scale by the god of the underworld, Osiris. On one side of the scale was a feather. If the individual’s heart was lighter than the feather, it was considered good and would pass on to eternal blessing in the next life. But if the heart were heavier than the feather, it was considered bad, and would be eaten by a ravenous beast called, appropriately, the Devourer, a creature that was part lion, part crocodile and part hippopotamus. (Try wearing that getup at your next costume party!)!Except for images of the Devourer, religion still functions that way, teaching that the good are in and the bad are out. The goal of man-made religion is personal, moral performance driven by a resolve to keep the rules or follow the program. This is the way I lived for years, thinking that “God loves good boys and girls.” He was like a cosmic Santa, checking his list to see who would get gifts at Christmas. But that is religion, not Christianity.!Conversely, Christianity says that the humble are in and the proud are out, because it is the humble who will cry out for grace, who know that their heart is heavy, corrupt and bad. The humble know that they need a new heart. !However, most folks (Christian and non-Christian alike), assume that Christianity functions like ancient Egyptian style religion! This means that many professing Christians are not really Christians at all, having bought the lie of a substitute gospel, which poses in our culture as the read deal gospel. But it is not real. It is cubic zirconium. This also means that many non-Christians who think they have rejected Christianity, have not rejected the real thing after all. They have rejected the imitation. !You see, religion says that I am blessed, forgiven and accepted by God based on my obedience and sacrifice. But the Bible teaches that I am blessed, forgiven and accepted not by my obedience and sacrifice, but because of the obedience and sacrifice of someone else who obeys and sacrifices himself in my place. Human religion and Christianity are diametrically opposed. One is based on human works; the other is based on God’s grace, which sets Christianity apart from what we normally think of as religion. !After all, Buddhism has the Eight Fold Path. Hinduism has Karma. Islam has the Five Pillars. Modern, orthodox Judaism emphasizes the keeping of God’s law. But Christianity has a cross, which emphasizes that God has come to do what we could not do for ourselves. So in a word, Christianity is grace, not religion.

�4

“Religion says that the good are in and the

bad are out.”

“Christianity says that the humble are in and the proud

are out, because it is the humble who will cry out

for grace.”

Chapter 2 The Exam of a Lifetime !

Imagine that God is a professor and is giving each of us a comprehensive exam. The subject of the exam is personal morality, with His law being the standard. We are not graded on what we know about right and wrong, good and bad, but by how we perform in light of the standard—and not just by our outward actions, but by the inner motives of the heart. !So, how do you think you would score? I asked this question to a group of children several years ago. The eldest spoke first, claiming that he would get an A minus. Yet upon further reflection, he changed his estimate to a B... plus. One of the younger students gave herself a C, while the youngest of the group gave the best and most accurate answer, saying, “I would

fail. My grade would be an F.” !Having such a poor, although realistic self-image certainly cuts across the grain of a culture that prizes personal self-esteem. However, the youngster was a good theologian, agreeing with the Apostle Paul in Romans 3, who said, “No one is righteous. No, not one... There is no one who does good. No, not one... All

have sinned and fall short of the glory (standard) of God.” If this is true, then self-esteem deceives us concerning our true condition because it blinds us from our need for grace.!It is at this point that some folks assume that God grades on a curve, and that essentially everyone except serial killers pass the test. Yet, if God doesn’t grade on a curve, what does that mean for me? It means that I fail and cannot claim to have “tried my best” as an excuse.!Undoubtedly, it is true that while one person may look rather good in comparison to other people who really blow it publicly, the standard is not my neighbor’s morality, but the character of God himself revealed in His law—a law which is meant to show to us our need for Jesus, not to serve as a way for us to save ourselves (which is how “religion” works). The law was given to show us that we can’t save ourselves. We need a substitute Savior—someone to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. !After all, Jesus reserved his “hard words” for those who looked respectable on the outside, but who were full of self-righteous pride on the inside. So, I can run, but I can’t hide from the bad news of my personal failure before the law. My grade is an F.!“But I thought the gospel was good news?” Oh, it is! But the only way to understand the good news is to have a firm grasp of the bad news. For a better understanding of just how bad this bad news is (and how good the good news is), we’ll move on to our next chapter, where we will examine a question that almost everyone gets wrong.

�5

“I can run, but I can’t hide from the bad news of my

personal failure before the law.”

“Self-esteem deceives us concerning our true condition because it blinds us from our

need for grace.”

Chapter 3 The Question that Everybody Gets Wrong!

Seminary professor and author, Dr. Michael Horton, attended the National Christian Booksellers Convention in Denver, Colorado a number of years ago and asked the vendors a simple, but revealing question: “Does God require perfection?” Meaning, does God require that we be perfect in order to be in good standing with him now, and eventually experience heaven later? Interestingly, not one person responded with a “yes” to his question. Nobody believed that God required perfection. !However, the Bible is very clear that God does require us to be, in a word, perfect. For example, Psalm 15:1 begins by asking a question, “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” He is asking who is qualified to dwell in God’s presence, whether now or forever. The answer follows in verse 2, where the Psalmist says, “He who walks blamelessly…” Translation: he who lives perfectly. He who is righteous.!It’s as if the entrance requirement for heaven were a 36 on the ACT, a 1600 on the SAT or a 1.000 batting average. There is simply no room for error. And while there are those rare few who score miraculously high on standardized tests, the rest of us ordinary humans would not stand a chance for such a score. And we all would be leveled by a requirement to bat 1.000, since the all-time record for the highest career average attained in the major leagues is held by, Ty Cobb, whose lifetime average was .367. For baseball, hitting 36.7% is good, but it still is far, far from perfect. And God requires perfection. !Some of us might hear that and say, “Well, nobody’s perfect!” That is true. The problem is that the excuse, nobody’s perfect, is essentially a deep seated personal self-righteousness that is allergic to grace. Admitting a lack of perfection appears humble on the surface. However, it

actually reflects pride in the heart, because, while assuming that I may not be perfect, it assumes that I am still pretty good and surely don’t deserve hell as a penalty for my faults.!We are usually okay with admitting bruises on the outside of the apple, but not confessing to a rotten core. However, the Bible has a more realistic view of humanity. Jesus

himself, the ultimate psychologist, says that the outward things we do and say come from within—from the heart, the center of operations in the human soul. In other words, our human defect is not a surface problem. It is a problem at the very core of my being. !It is painful to admit that depth of personal corruption. And yet, if we do, we are able to experience a depth of personal healing and hope that we never imagined possible. This leads us up to the heart of the gospel’s message in the next chapter.

�6

“It’s as if the entrance requirement for heaven were a 36 on the ACT, a

1600 on the SAT or a 1.000 batting average. There is simply no room for error.”

“Our human defect is not a surface problem. It is a

problem at the very core of our being.”

Chapter 4 The Heart of the Message!

Why do we have Christmas? In other words, why did Jesus have to be born? Why not just Easter? Why did Jesus, as the eternal God, have to enter this world as a human child and live thirty-three years before going to the cross? !The simple answer is that Jesus came to be a substitute. He came to live as one of us, in our place. You see, Jesus was not born merely to be a great moral teacher (although he was) or a spiritual Mr. Rogers who could sweetly guide us into being good boys and girls. No, my need is not for a teacher or even a moral example to follow. I need a substitute Savior. I need someone to take my place—someone to do for me what I can’t do form myself. !To substitute simply means to replace one thing for something else. Sometimes we substitute artificial sweetener for real sugar in certain recipes. In professional baseball, the American League allows for a stronger slugger, called a pinch, or designated, hitter, to replace a weaker batter in the batting lineup. In Hollywood, a stunt double often replaces a lead actor in performing a dangerous scene. Of course, we’re not talking about recipes, baseball or Hollywood. But the concept is similar. !When Jesus went to the cross, he went as a substitute for sinners who had failed the exam. That is why 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is also the idea in Galatians 3:13, where Paul says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...’” Or as 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.” !What Paul is saying is that Jesus put himself in my place, taking the consequences for my sin so that I could receive the benefits of his obedience. He bore my guilt so that I could receive his grace. He took my F so that I could receive his A+. !And you know, my guilt is not primarily because I have broken a list of rules. My guilt centers on the fact that I have not loved God, nor have I really loved my neighbor—and certainly not my enemies. I am a self-consumed idolator who seeks to create a man-made righteousness (i.e., praiseworthy reputation) through being good, being right, being successful, etc., rather than a repentant sinner who simply receives and rests in the gift-righteousness of Jesus.!

In light of the exam, I have failed on every count. And when I really think about the depth of my sin patterns and how often I am ruled by my sin nature, I can’t help but identify with the apostle Paul, who in Romans 7 cries out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this body of death?” We find out how this happens in the next chapter.

�7

“I need someone to take my place—someone to

do for me what I can’t do for myself.”

“He bore my guilt so that I could receive his grace. He took my F so that I could

receive his A+.”

Chapter 5 The Grade Exchange !

The hope for those who fail the exam is the grade exchange. Here is how it works. I fail the exam and Jesus makes a perfect score. As the grades are being handed out, Jesus stands up and makes an offer to the class. !Anyone who made an F is invited to come forward and exchange that grade for the perfect score achieved by Jesus. If I will make the exchange, in God’s record book, my grade will be changed forever. The result is that my status changes from unrighteous to righteous, from condemned to justified , from an object of wrath, to an object of mercy, from an orphan to a 1

son. I will no longer have to live in fear of God as a judge, but can know him as a good, wise, trustworthy, strong and loving Father. This Father’s love for his children is such that he cannot love me more, even if I do good things, and He will not love me less, even if I do bad things. It is a perfect, complete, eternal love that will not ever, ever let me go—regardless of my past, present or future performance. !So how do we make this exchange? There are only two steps in the process. First, we take our F to Jesus. This is what we call repentance. We simply admit our failing grade and acknowledge the consequences that it deserves. We confess not only our rebellious sins (the stuff we know is wrong), but also our religious sins (the stuff that think is good and feeds our prideful self-righteousness). !Second, we receive Jesus’ perfect score as our own. This is what we call faith. Faith is not just believing that there is a God or that Jesus was a real person who lived, died and rose again. Gospel faith believes that Jesus‘ record is now my record. !

� !This exchange is what we call a gift, or grace. It is not deserved and cannot be earned. We can think of it as charity (after all, our English word charity comes from the Greek word that means grace, charis). In that light, we can say that every Christian is a charity case! This is because, in the gospel, rather than achieve for God, we receive from God. Period.!Of course, this entire picture defies religion. That is why Christianity is not religion in the sense that we expect it to be. We are not saved by our works and effort, but by the works and effort of Jesus for us, and now can affirm Romans 8:1 with full confidence, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!”

�8

To be justified is to be declared by God, as if in a court of law, to be seen “just as if I’d” never sinned and “just as if I’d” done 1

everything right. It is a legal term that denotes a new legal status.

Chapter 6 The Gospel is Not a Second Chance

!After we have made the grade exchange through repentance and faith, what now? This is where true Christianity often gets derailed. If you have ever heard anyone say that in salvation God “gives you a clean slate” or “a second chance” then you know what I am talking about. !When we experience the grade exchange, God does not give us a clean slate or a second chance. I cannot be more emphatic about this. What he gives us is far better! !Remember, the grade exchange does not just wipe away our bad score (ie, forgive our sins). It gives us a new score—a perfect score (i.e., the righteousness of Jesus). This means that our “slate” is not clean—it is full of the righteous obedience and moral merit of Jesus that he has credited to us through faith. It is a slate that can never be erased. God has written his indelible grace in the indelible ink of Jesus’ blood.!When folks speak of God giving us a second chance, the idea is that he has forgiven us for failing the exam the first time, but now requires us to re-take the exam. In this model of Christianity, we essentially are told to try harder and do better the next time. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to need more that a second try. In fact, there is no chance for me if all I get is a second chance—or even a third, or fourth, or fifth, etc. !“Second Chance Theology” leads to either self-righteous pride for those who are able to look religiously respectable on the outside (Phariseeism), self-righteous despair for those who keep failing to keep the rules, or flat out rebellion. The problem with second chance Christianity is that it leaves grace at the door like an umbrella on a rainy day. But grace is not just for initial the grade exchange. It is for living every moment after the exchange takes place.!This means that the “what now” of the grade exchange is to keep living in the shadow of the cross where I can be perpetually mindful of my new status as an A+ student in the eyes of

God. Did I earn that status? No. Do I deserve that status? No. Do I have it? YES! This is to the glory of God’s grace. For He is praised not by my abilities, but by His gifts. And the ultimate gift is the new status before God that I posses through the person of Jesus that leads to knowing God as Father. !

Some people have compared the Christian life to a dance. It is really a simple dance. Not easy, just simple. The first step is to take the step of repentance. Keep taking your failures to Jesus. The second step is faith. Keep receiving his record of righteousness as your own by faith. Then keep it going. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right, etc. But as you dance, don’t look at your feet. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the Risen, Sin-Bearing, Righteousness Providing Savior!

�9

“The grade exchange does not just wipe away our bad

score. It gives us a new score—a perfect score.”

“The problem with second chance Christianity is that it leaves grace at

the door like an umbrella on a rainy day.”

Chapter 7 Distinguishing the Work of God For Us

from the Work of God In Us!At this point, many will ask, “Okay, if I am saved by sheer grace, then why should I now obey God? If I no longer have to take the exam for my grade, why not skip class?” These are great questions! To answer them, it will help us to distinguish between the work of God for us and the work of God in us. !In the grade exchange, Jesus does the work and we get the credit. This is called justifying grace, where God works for us. However, there is another kind of grace that takes place when God begins to work in us. This is called sanctifying grace, where God indwells his people in the person of the Holy Spirit and produces from within them the fruit of new life. !In Galatians 5 we read about what Paul calls “the fruit of the Spirit.” He is referring to the virtues that begin to be displayed in the lives of those who have experienced the grade exchange—fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, etc. This fruit is evidence that these folks now have the indwelling presence of God in their lives, the Holy Spirit. As they continue to believe who they are in Jesus (newly minted A+ students), the Spirit flows like sap in their lives to produce fruit, as if from a vine into a branch. This is how God works in us. We could say that as grace becomes the internal, spiritual life-blood of the believer, fruit begins to grow. That is the dynamic of grace. !If someone wants to intentionally reject following Jesus in practical ways, he reveals that he really has not understood grace in the first place. He probably has experienced nothing more than religion, which doesn’t have the power to transform anyone at a deep level, especially not the motives of the heart. !This is because there are essentially two ways to motivate change—one is by fear and shame, the other is by love and grace. When I have been loved, it compels love in return. So if I have no desire to love Jesus through following his ways and will, it reveals that I really do not know what it means to be loved by Jesus. !In 2 Corinthians 5:14, Paul said that he had a new motivation that was driving his life. No longer was he compelled to follow God out of of fear or shame, but rather because of the love and grace of Jesus. Paul now wanted to serve and love the Savior—not out of guilt or duty, but out of gladness and joy. As John said, “We love him because he first loved us.”!Therefore, the way to experience life change is not to beat the horse harder in order to get more obedience out of it. The solution is to go back to understanding how God has worked for us. When we begin to get it and believe it, God will begin to work in us. Not only will we see new fruit, but also we will begin craving it. In this light, both justification and sanctification are all of grace, and both serve to magnify the greatness and glory of God.

�10

“There are essentially two ways to motivate change. One is by fear and

shame, the other is by love and grace.”

Chapter 8 A Personal Invitation!!

If you have rejected religion, I want to commend you. I reject it, too—one hundred percent. However, if you reject the gospel, you are not rejecting a moralistic, legalistic rule oriented religion, you are rejecting grace. !It may be that you have professed to be a Christian all of your life, but now realize that you have merely been living by the spiritual mirage of moralism. If that is the case, join me in rejecting religion and embracing the grace of God in the gospel.!Whichever context describes you more accurately, I invite you to embrace the exchange. As author Jerry Bridges says, “Our entire confidence in our acceptance before God is based solely upon the fact that Jesus was our legal representative in His sinless life and obedient death.” Or in the words of the historic Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Justification (the exchange) is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us that is received by faith alone.” !There it is. Free grace! That which cost Jesus his life is free for us. So come without money, without goodness or gifts. Come with your need and discover a grace that is higher, wider, and deeper than you ever thought possible. Or as Jesus says in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden... and I will give you rest for your souls.” He is inviting us to trade in our religion for the gospel and experience the A+ for the F.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

�11

Appendix Gospel Quotes!

"I became a Christian once for all upon the basis of the finished work of Christ through faith; that is justification. The Christian life, sanctification, operates on the same basis, but moment by moment. There is the same base (Christ's work) and the same instrument (faith); the only difference is that one is once for all and the other is moment by moment...If we try to live the Christian life in our own strength we will have sorrow, but if we live in this way, we will not only serve the Lord, but in place of sorrow, He will be our song. That is the difference. The 'how' of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."

~ Francis Schaeffer!“Our entire confidence in our acceptance before God is based solely upon the fact that Jesus was our legal representative in His sinless life and obedient death.”

~ Jerry Bridges !"Belief in the gospel is not just the way to enter the kingdom of God; it is the way to address every obstacle and grow in every aspect. The gospel is not just the “ABCs” but the “A-to-Z” of the Christian life.

~ Tim Keller!“Growth in Christ is never going beyond the gospel, but going deeper into the gospel.”

~ Tim Keller!!“It is by simple, close, and searching views of the cross of Christ that the Spirit most effectually sanctifies the believer. This is the true and great method of gospel sanctification... The Spirit especially and effectually sanctifies by unfolding the cross of Jesus.”

~ Octavius Winslow!“Self-trust, self-complacency, self-boasting all must be crucified... Our wisdom is to go in our weakness and folly to Jesus. In this lies the great secret of our victory: ‘When I am weak, then I am strong.’”

~ Octavius Winslow!“Look more at justification than sanctification... If you have looked at your resolutions, endeavors, workings, duties, qualifications, etc., more than at the merits of Christ, it will cost you dear.”

~ Thomas Wilcox !“Love for God grows out of an experience with the love of God.”

~ J.D. Greear!"Religion is the invention of the devil."

~ Larry Crabb!!�12

!About the Author !

Originally from Memphis, TN, McKay Caston completed his high school education in Jackson, MS, before receiving a B.A. in History and Literature at the University of Mississippi, and graduated with both masters and doctorate degrees from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. With seventeen years of experience in pastoral ministry, McKay is presently serving as the church planting pastor of preaching and leadership for Creekstone Church (www.creekstonechurch.com) in Dahlonega, GA, a small college town just north of Atlanta in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  He blogs at www.mckaycaston.com.

McKay and his wife, Kristy, were married in June of 1992, and since, have added three children to their family, Ann Ferris, Schaeffer, and Sarah Wynn. They all are committed to letting their brokenness, weakness and need be the channel through which God communicates his grace through them to others. Yet, this has not always been the case. For much of their lives, Kristy and McKay misinterpreted the gospel to be a form of moralism whereby God would accept and bless them based on their goodness. They lived like the Jews in Romans 10:3, “Being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” By God’s grace, they are growing in their understanding of the substitutionary nature of the cross, of the imputation of Jesus’ righteousness, and of what it means to be a dearly loved, adopted child of God. These doctrines have become very precious to them, and now serve as the centerpiece of their life and ministry.!!!McKay’s other resources:!The Bronze Serpent: A Collection for Prayers for Living All of Life in View of the Cross !Baptism: A Primer for Ordinary Folks !!!!

�13