Challenge is Good, Invitation is Better

From time to time, we might hear something (a comment, an idea, or a sermon) that, due to its thoughtfulness and insight, tests what we had formerly believed or thought. Perhaps the former belief or thought wasn’t even something we formally held to; it was simply a default, something we had absorbed over time. (For clarity’s sake, I have in mind instances in which we change our minds for the better, not occasions in which our minds begin to doubt essential truths.)

I had one of these instances within the last couple years when listening to a certain podcast, and the comments of one of the hosts struck me then, and his remarks continue to stick with me now. As a Christian and a counselor, I’m regularly on the lookout for insights, metaphors, and stories that bring biblical truth and beauty more fully to life. So what were the comments? I’m glad you asked.

To set the stage, in this podcast, two seasoned Christian pastors were reflecting with each other on the difficulties that pastors face and sharing things they would do differently if they could somehow have a do-over in their younger years in ministry. One of the pastors, Sam Allberry, says that wise pastors do “not just [want] to challenge people, but instead [desire] to… ‘gospel’ people into change rather than to sort of push and elbow them into change.” (He is here using gospel as a verb to get at the idea of change that goes to the heart of a person as they have their desires stirred for Christ.)

The other pastor (Ray Orlund) then responds with the following words:

I have so many regrets in this very way, Sam, because although I didn’t use the word challenge, for years I preached hundreds of the most wretched sermons imaginable that really were of the nature of challenge as opposed to the nature of promise. And I didn’t realize it, but I was exercising an Old Covenant ministry [obey God’s law in your own strength], when I could have exercised a New Covenant ministry [trust Christ’s obedience on your behalf]. Challenge is of the nature of law. Promise is of the nature of the gospel. And Jesus fulfilled the law for us, and sends His Holy Spirit now to fulfill it in us. And this is not a challenge coming at us. It’s not pressure. It’s not Jesus barking orders. It’s Jesus sending the Holy Spirit, having atoned for our sins…[He sends] the Holy Spirit to work in us that which is pleasing in His sight. So when I hear Christians describe preaching, and even compliment preaching, as “Oh, that was a great challenging message today, Pastor,” I feel what a tragedy. I deeply regret it.

Now, are these two pastors saying there’s not a place for challenge, exhortation, and the like? Absolutely not. There’s a place for that, and the Bible has plenty of it (Gal. 3:1; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Tim. 2:1). But it’s not the Bible’s “bread and butter,” nor is it what typically softens a person’s heart and draws them to Christ (Rom. 2:4). When Jesus had the chance to disclose and describe the most fundamental nature of his heart for people, he said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) He says Come, not Do (at best, the doing is in the coming). The New Testament does not major on challenge, it majors on promise, on invitation to a God who knows that our best efforts done in our own strength have exhausted us. People who are challenged to do something—even good things—will find themselves despairing in the face of a checklist that is absent of an overt, desperate dependence and thankfulness to a Savior who has obeyed God’s perfect standard on their behalf. This is something that the Christian ought never “graduate” from.

This has profound counseling implications (which is also to say that it has profound implications for friendship, for our Gospel Groups, for our families, and for practically any interactions we have with each other). It is tempting even for those of us who believe in the sufficiency of the gospel to behavior (I’m using behavior as a verb) someone into change (“Do this, try that, attempt more”). At a basic level, this cannot work. Behavior matters, but it is not the starting point. The starting point is to turn our eyes upon Jesus. For the person who has put their trust in Jesus, He already has accepted them, is pleased with them, and bids them press into friendship with Him. Notice how even in the Old Testament, this is the pattern (see Exodus 20, where God has already rescued His people before giving them commands that are meant for their flourishing). To get this backwards is devastating.

There is a place for challenging other believers at times, but at a foundational level, challenge provokes us to look inward…and this is a dead-end street when all is said and done. This is like trying to run a marathon after having only eaten tons of sugar and carbs. It may get someone off to an artificially fast start, but only discouragement and despair are ultimately to be found there. It is much truer to the impulses of Scripture (and to what will motivate someone long-term) to invite someone to come to the Savior who has already obeyed God’s standard perfectly for them and is head-over-heels happy with them (see the reaction of the father in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15). This is the nature of promise, of welcome, of invitation into relationship with God.