I finished up Prodigal God by Tim Keller over Christmas break, and I wanted to share some good thoughts he had about the heart, motivations, and desire behind Christian behavior. He emphasizes the idea that ‘what’ you do is not as important to God as much as the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’.
In other words, the motivations that compel you to do what you do are important because they fundamentally indicate what you believe about God and how you relate to him. Keller argues that right Christian behavior flows only from right Christian motivations, which are inspired by relishing upon what God has done for you in Christ.
For example, true generosity, then, does not result from pressuring yourself to give more, or thinking that God will punish you if you don’t give ‘x-amount’, or wondering how much God will be pleased with you if you do give, or compensating God with good works in order to negate your bad ones (like paying on credit). On the contrary, the gospel declares that we are fully forgiven, accepted, and loved because of what Christ has done for us–not because of what we do for him. We are not right with God because of our morality, but because Christ made us right by his atonement of perfect righteousness before God on our behalf. Reflecting on what he has done for us is the fuel for truly giving from the heart. That is a natural response of love to God for his initial and gracious love to you.
Here are some excerpts that I found particularly convincing:
“You may wish to become more generous with your money. This will not happen by simply putting pressure on your will to do so. Instead, you should reflect on the things that are holding you back from more radical giving. For many of us, having a lot of money is a way we can get others’ approval and respect, and a way of feeling we have control of our lives. Money comes to be not just a thing, but something our heart puts its hope and trust in. Look at how St. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian church, helped them grow in the grace of generosity. He doesn’t put pressure directly on the will, saying, “I’m an apostle and this is your duty to me,” nor pressure directly on the emotions, telling them stories about how much the poor are suffering and how much more they have than the sufferers. Instead, he says, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Paul is taking them back to the gospel. He is saying “Think on his costly grace—until you want to give like he did.” (131)
“all change comes from deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ and living out of the changes that understanding creates in your heart. Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding, our identity, and our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without heart-change will be superficial and fleeting.” (134)
“A Biblical text that conveys this is Jesus’s parable of the sower in Matthew 13. The preacher of God’s word, the gospel, is likened to a sower of seed. There are three groups of people who “receive” and accept the gospel, but two of the groups do not produce changed lives. One set of people do not have the endurance and patience to handle suffering, while another group continues to live an anxious, materialistic life. The only group of people who produce changed lives are not those who have worked harder or been more obedient, but those who “hear the word of God and understand it” (Matthew 13:23).” (138)
Like any lover, God is not interested in outward compliance if your heart is far from him. Like any lover, he wouldn’t enjoy the appearance of love without the reality of love. God is not interested in a veneer of Christian reputability that simply conceals a heart of inward detachment.
Indeed, we begin to give from the heart only when we reflect on the heart of God that gave to us when we were least deserving. Then, and only then, do we give because we truly want to–that’s what makes us cheerful givers. The gospel inspires new, more powerful, more God-honoring motivations than ever before.
Don’t get caught up in the DO of Christianity. Get caught up in the DONE. And meanwhile, I think you’ll find the ‘DO’ a lot easier than before.
