When I was an intern, the topics of legalism and performance came up quite a bit. In that environment, it was always a struggle to know where the line was. Now I see that although Ron Luce or Dave Hasz talk about grace and trust in Jesus, the overwhelming attitude presented to the interns is about what WE have to do. Not what Jesus did for us or what He does in us – but our requirements and obligations. And of course, the disastrous consequences that will befall us if we do not live up to their standards.
During his talk, “The Aura of a Statesmen” Dave Hasz was talking about his role as the director of the internship and he said,
“If we don’t train you…the world is going to suffer because you won’t be prepared to be a leader, to take the good news to the far reaches of the world…as a result they won’t hear. So I have an obligation to train you.”
(This quote is nearly word for word, and you can find the audio under “Honor Academy” on itunes.) This is just one very small example out of many.
Wow, talk about the pressure of performance. If they don’t train the interns, and the interns don’t follow their training obediently, the world is going to suffer! That is a lot of pressure for an 18 year old kid – or anyone for that matter.
Of course, we are called to be a light to the world and to share the good news. But the burden they are laying down reeks totally of performance instead of letting God work in us and trusting in Him. That is supposed to be the light – not us and what we can do.
The problem is that this type of thinking is very deceptive…it sounds Christian enough…after all, who doesn’t want to save the world? The problem is that we can never live up to the standards that require this – which is why Jesus came in the first place. When we inevitably fail, we fall into a deep sense of guilt, condemnation, despair and self-loathing. We are told that if we fail, terrible things will happen.
The truth is that we will always fail but God’s grace is enough for us and enough for the world.
