Gutsy Guilt

John Piper has recently come under attack for his invitation to Rick Warren to speak at the Desiring God National Conference. Although many have criticized Pastor John for inviting the 'Purpose Driven'/pragmatic preacher to stand behind his pulpit, let us not forget the great influence the Christian hedonist has had on many of our lives. In a popular book entitled When I Don't Desire God, Piper offers some practical help in fighting for joy in the midst of sin using a principle he calls "gutsy guilt." The concept comes from Micah 7:8-9 which says,

"But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication."

From this passage Piper makes two observations. On the one hand, Micah recognizes he is guilty of sin and accepts the sorrow and gloom that hang over him. He does not try to short-circuit God's discipline with sentimental talk of God's mercy. In the midst of this gloom under God's anger, Micah also gets right in the face of his enemy and exclaims, "Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise." Apparently the enemy is telling Micah that the sin cuts him off from God and leaves him in a hopeless situation. What makes Micah's guilt gutsy is that he counts on God's light in the darkness that God himself sent. He says, he will bear the consequence of his sin until God himself pleads his cause. In other words, while experiencing the guilt of his sin, the writer believes God will come and free him from darkness and enable him to live in joy again. Piper draws application by writing, "Micah's words are an utterly crucial illustration of how to preach the gospel to ourselves when discouragement and darkness threaten to overwhelm us as Christians. Micah's way-the biblical way-is very different from the quick fix that tries to deny the seriousness of sin and the pain of God's discipline" (pg. 89 When I Don't Desire God).

Over the past few months, some of the believers at Delia Christian Fellowship (including my wife and I) have been wrestling with how to fight besetting sin with proper remorse while at the same time acknowledging victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I have been encouraged lately to see brothers and sisters in Christ take sin seriously like Micah did. People are beginning to see more of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and displaying brokenness, and contrition. At the same time, I trust that we are laying hold of the righteousness of Christ and displaying Micah like faith. Piper's use of the term "gutsy guilt" is complemented by Micah's "bold brokeness" in the fight for joy.

In contrast with gutsy guilt, Dietrich Bonhoeffer comments on an unwillingness to go with Micah into darkness and bearing God's reproach using a term he calls "cheap grace." He comments,

"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution (set free from consequences of guilt) without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate....The only man that has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ...We...have gathered like eagles round the carcass of cheap grace, and there we have drunk of the poison which has killed the life of following Christ" (The Cost of Discipleship).

The central strategy for fighting for joy in a world filled with sin is preaching the gospel to ourselves. Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." The secret of gutsy guilt goes hand in hand with what Jerry Bridges calls "Preaching the Gospel to Yourself" in The Disciplines of Grace. In this book Bridges writes, "When you set yourself to seriously pursue holiness, you will begin to realize what an awful sinner you are. And if you are not firmly rooted in the gospel and have not learned to preach it to yourself every day, you will soon become discouraged and will slack off in your pursuit of holiness." Let us consider the concept of gutsy guilt (fighting sin like a justified sinner) and remember to practice preaching the gospel to ourselves daily.