Context Makes All of the Difference

The other day I heard the song called “I’ll do my Best” by Go Fish and I couldn’t help but feel more motivated to love, serve and worship my God and Savior because of that song. The song has very simple and repetitive lyrics, but I find that there is power in repetition when you sing, teach or preach to people of any age.

Love, I’ll Love,
I’ll Love You Lord forever (repeat)

I’ll do my best, I’ll do my best,
Oh I’ll do my best for You (repeat)

Serve, I’ll Serve,
I’ll Serve You Lord forever (repeat)

I’ll do my best, I’ll do my best,
Oh I’ll do my best for You (repeat)

Praise, I’ll Praise,
I’ll Praise You Lord forever (repeat)

I’ll do my best, I’ll do my best,
Oh I’ll do my best for You (repeat)

I’ll Love, I’ll Serve,
I’ll Praise You Lord forever (repeat)

I’ll do my best, I’ll do my best,
Oh I’ll do my best for You (repeat)

When I think about these lyrics, depending on who is singing, that person could be acting in an absolutely heretical and abominable way toward God or their actions could be a pleasing and right response to His grace. Let me explain what I mean.

There are two, and only two, different types of religion in the world. There is the religion of human achievement that builds any hope of pleasing God, attaining heaven, or some other goal upon what I can do. In other words, God may do some, or even most, of the work in order to get me saved but my own contribution is what makes the difference. This type of religious thinking and action toward God is an abomination and He will not deal kindly with them when He judges them no matter if the person claims the name of Christ or not.

You see, this type of religion doesn’t see sin in its proper context, and therefore the adherents believe that by doing certain things they make up for any sin that they may (or may not) have done.¹ This philosophy cheapens God’s glory to something that Man can, on some level, measure up to as well as it lessens the treasonous nature of all sin and diminishes the horror of sin. Basically, it makes God more like man, man more like God, and sin more like holiness. Not to mention that this type of idea, especially when it is inside of label of Christianity, makes a mockery of the cross of Christ.

The second type of religion in the world is one of Divine accomplishment, or Justification by faith apart from works of the Law (Romans 3:20-28; Galatians 2:16; 3:1-18). In this system, and only true Christianity has this as one of the foundational principles of salvation, God does 100% of everything to bring people into a right relationship with Him. God remains totally holy and man remains utterly sinful, and yet this sinful man is able to be made right with God and is able to be in fellowship with Him. This is all made possible by the virgin birth, the perfect and sinless life, the substitutional and sacrificial atoning death, and the victorious resurrection of the eternal second Person of the Triune Godhead; the God-Man Jesus Christ.

The song lyrics above are blasphemous if coming from that first mindset where the person thinks that he is able to do something in order to be made right and acceptable before God. However, if they are sung in the way that the artist intended and they come from the foundation of justification by faith alone in Christ Jesus and they are an outpouring of gratitude from a person in that position…well, then they are most correct and acceptable before a Holy God.

The context makes every difference with this type of mentality. If this is the way that one is seeking to be justified, then it is heresy and that person will end up in hell. However, if this is the response to justification by faith, it is the picture of what sanctification looks like in the redeemed Body of Christ. We dare not mingle or confuse these two glorious truths (Justification and Sanctification) from God’s Word or we will show that our faith is not in the True God, but yet another created god and religious ideas that will end up with those who follow and believe in hell.

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¹ I say “or may not” because many religious people believe that they are good and do not believe that they sin much (if at all) and have a very self righteous attitude.