Since our readership has rapidly expanded over the past few years, and especially during the past few months, we want to take some time this summer to draw attention to earlier articles for those who may have missed them. Today's article was among our first articles published on Recovering Grace
on August 1, 2011.
The Apostle Paul always seemed to know his audience. In writing to the Galatians, he challenged the way in which they were over-selling the law and under-selling the Gospel — a move that paved the way for rampant legalism. Meanwhile in Corinth, Paul was faced with the other end of the spectrum, an under-appreciation for the law that led to outright antinomianism and licentiousness. Yet at both ends of the spectrum, whether Paul is calling the Galatians to true faith or the Corinthians to true obedience, he finds the same point to be essential:
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love..” (Galatians 5:6: see also Galatians 6:15).
“Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.” (1 Corinthians 7:19)
Paul was focusing his readers beyond the externals and religious rites to the heart of the gospel: a faith in Christ resulting in a new creation (Galatians 6:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17). The issue at hand was circumcision, and Paul and the rest of the early church bore out this adiaphora understanding in their actions. Paul saw no need to circumcise the Greek Titus (Galatians 2:3) despite his conversion. And when the early church gathered for its first church council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) — with this topic as the main agenda — their conclusion was clearly that the sign of circumcision as a Christian ‘rite of passage’ would place an unnecessary burden on the new Greek believers.
I am grateful that Mr. Gothard has taken the time on his web site to clarify his position on circumcision. There he states, “Circumcision is certainly not required for salvation or for achieving righteousness as a believer.”[1] However, the Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP) printed materials still draw a moral line in the sand for believers, stating that “The attack against circumcision in the United States coincided with the revolt against authority and morality in the 1960’s” and that “the term uncircumcised is synonymous with immoral men.”[2] These materials also conclude that “uncircumcised men have been more promiscuous than circumcised men,” and that even today there is a strong link between circumcision and moral purity.[3] The conclusion, in no uncertain terms, is that “Because this is one subject which is so strongly commanded and reinforced in Scripture, there is no question what the decision of Christian parents should be on the matter.”[4] A suggested ceremony, and a certificate suitable for framing, are included in the materials.
In the end, the issue isn’t ‘to circumcise or not to circumcise.’ I raise the topic of circumcision to address a broader, more methodological issue — namely, the general tendency of IBLP’s system of doctrine to ‘add unnecessary burdens’ to believers. Over the years, both in print and verbally at IBLP seminars and ATI conferences, Gothard has made dogmatic moral assertions into every conceivable realm of life. A true believer will rid their homes of idolatrous Cabbage Patch Kids which, by enacting a written agreement to love a doll, violates the First Commandment.[5] A true believer will not listen to music that places a downbeat accent on beats 2 and 4; it is “the antithesis of what God desires in the life of a Christian.”[6] A godly heart will not only avoid movie theaters, but is duty-bound to confront those who visit these “places of worldly amusement.”[7] IBLP and ATI attendees are instructed on the proper moral length of men’s hair, the anathema of blue jeans or skirts with slits, and the dangers of frivolous conversation with the opposite sex.
Much could be said about these and other regulations, and I will leave it to others to delve deeper. But the tragedy of these restrictions is that they create an alternate trajectory for spirituality. Like the Judaizers who taught the Galatians “after beginning with the spirit” to continue their Christian walks “by human effort” (Galatians 3:3), these extra-biblical moral restrictions for holy living replace the power of the gospel for the same goal. Paul states it directly to the Colossians, in a verse extremely relevant to the topic of ‘Basic Principles’: “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” (Colossians 2:20-23)
“For in Jesus Christ neither long hair nor short hair, neither rock nor Bach, neither penny-loafer nor flip-flop, has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Piling up a list of extra-biblical rules, with the inference that serious believers will be wise to follow them, replaces the burden Christ has lifted with an entirely new burden, that of moral conformity to earn the smile of God. Sanctification becomes a list of human-effort do’s-and-don’ts rather than — first and foremost — an encounter with a lavish savior and a friend of sinners, in whom I am already at the pinnacle of God’s acceptance.
Stated in the positive, the same gospel that justifies also sanctifies. In other words, putting our faith in the death and resurrection of Christ isn’t just the intro-level prerequisite course that gets our foot in the door, so that we can graduate to the advanced classes. Our growing maturity in the Christian faith doesn’t play by a different set of rules. The new birth and the new life are both gospel-driven. In practical terms, this means that every morning I live my life in Christ by placing my trust, all over again, in the amazing grace of my faithful Lord. This reminder is not meant to be an indictment on Bill Gothard; it is meant to be a challenge to my own heart, which so often forgets that the goal of my life is not to impress God with my obedience, but to rest each moment in the completed work of Christ.
I believe that the IBLP movement is a well-intended movement, and that Mr. Gothard has been motivated in his teachings by a desire to help others in living out the Christian life. But amazingly, Paul tolerated bad motives (see Philippians 1:15-18) if the gospel was kept pure. The converse was not true. His concern was that the beauty of gospel freedom not be maligned by adding anything to it. It needs no sequels.
The gospel that saves and the gospel that sanctifies have the same formula: Jesus plus nothing. The many regulations of the IBLP materials may have “an appearance of wisdom” but ultimately they “lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” and gloss over the stunning acceptance that is already ours in Christ by faith. The good news is far better than we imagine.
[1] http://billgothard.com/news/circumcision
[2] Basic Care Bulletin: How to Make a Wise Decision on Circumcision, p. 2.
[3] Ibid., p. 6.
[4] Ibid., p. 2.
[5] http://www.pfo.org/bgothard.htm, referencing an IBLP letter from 1986.
[6] Advanced Seminar Textbook, p. 133.
[7] Journey to the Heart: Discover Marvelous Rewards by Experiencing the Greatest Commandment!
© 2007, p. 18.
You might be interested in this article: http://www.pfo.org/evol-fad.htm
Excellent article and the main problem with ministries and teachings like BG. They add to the simplicity of the Gospel with other "things" designed to sanctify them, when it is always (and always will be) Christ alone who sanctifies. Believers can become so easily distracted from the goal, which is "Christ in you--the hope of glory" (COL 1:27). When we add any other tenet or action to knowing Christ we are no better than the medieval Catholics who persecuted the true believers in the Inquisition.
Thank you for this evaluation of Bill's wrong teachings. May minds and hearts continue to be opened to our need to follow Jesus and the Bible--not extra teachings added by man.
.”[4] A suggested ceremony, and a certificate suitable for framing, are included in the materials.",,,Yessirreebob. I'd be proud to have that with me at all times or have it hanging in my locker if I should happen to go to a training institute somewhere."" Hey People! I'm disease free and have holy thoughts because I was chopped on!"" Wonder if bill had his certificate taped to the back of the seat ahead of him in the van when he and the underage girls were all bunched together on their trips? The girls should have felt safe and not so nervous,,,,,,
Cute, Greg. Real cute.
Thank u Mary :)
Maybe, just maybe, the reason Bill Gothard was so legalistic, was because he really did not know Jesus as his Savior. He was trying to earn his salvation. Look at over 40 years of unrepentant sexual misconduct. A true follower of Jesus actually follows Jesus, not perfectly, but follows. Look at the fruit of his life.
Is circumcision something that members of IBLP must do? I don't understand why this is so if the Bible says it is okay to be uncircumcised. Can someone help me understand?
Bill elevated his personal views of holiness don't to Biblical standards for all Christians for all time no matter what. His personal views and opinions became equal to the Bible gut the problem is that 99.9% of his ideas are not found or can't even remotely eve be supported. Telling others that watching TV or going to movies in it of themselves are not sinful but because there are sinful films and shows, he just through them all out. The result is that Christians are not involved in the culture but an isolated kook group totally disengaged from the culture
What is interesting is people do not believe there really are false prophets and that they can be deceived. The Scriptures are relevant but often have to be explained and applied to our generation. Church folk accept teachings such as Bill G or Joel Osteen without comparing what they preach to Scripture. We do not want to admit how much a "cultural ethos" affects our belief system. Bill G. was huge in the 80's and 90's and bible believing families accepted his teachings without discernment. How was I to realize his teaching was not biblical-it sounded wise to me. I grew up with "Why knock Rock" and album burnings along with the Hal Lindsey craze (The Late Great Planet Earth) and Mike Waranke (The Satan Seller). It was only much later with spiritual growth, bible study and maturity that enabled me to see through these 'cultural icons'-also they were finally exposed. Biblical illiteracy, sadly, is a weakness of evangelical believers who are easily 'wowed' by personalities.
"But amazingly, Paul tolerated bad motives (see Philippians 1:15-18) if the gospel was kept pure. The converse was not true."
Thank you, Kevin. The quote above from your article sums up ATI/IBLP in a nutshell for me. An impure "gospel" with the purest of motives is altogether wrong. Giving BG the benefit of the doubt as to his motives still leaves us in the wasteland of hurting individuals and families, caused by a gospel of works - not rest in a finished work.
"The many regulations of the IBLP materials may have “an appearance of wisdom” but ultimately they “lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” and gloss over the stunning acceptance that is already ours in Christ by faith."
Another great quote from your article - this one brings such pain to my heart. So many young and old alike coming to this Biblical conclusion after seeing that their grit toothed march toward purity would never, ever produce in them the desired end. How it makes me hurt. I hurt for the young people whose parents (like me) sold them a bill of goods that went against the gospel - "if you do this, if you think that, if you read this, now just try this, make this commitment, go on this journey, don't look at him/her," on and on missing the mark of the true gospel. "Jesus paid it all, all to Him we owe dear daughter or son. Look unto Him and be saved, all the ends of the earth.
Thank you for your article. I once heard a man at a conference for children's Bible clubs say
"expecting all these character traits from our unsaved children is like expecting fruit from a dead plant"
and a light went off in my head! How stupid I had been. Only Christ can give life to that which is dead. Your article reminded me of this.
thsnk you Julia
I feel more and more blessed that I did not buy into the Gothard cult. In central Illinois, anyone who did not submit to his teaching was considered a nominal Christian or as the "Goths" still like to say - "not Christian enough." I saw far too many young believers damaged by this bizarre obsession with performance based Gothard doctrine. This article exemplifies some of the teachings that convinced me Gothard was no different than multitude of cultish teachers preaching "Jesus plus" doctrines in the 70's and 80's.
This is good stuff:The gospel that saves and the gospel that sanctifies have the same formula: Jesus plus nothing.
just plain & simple. The answer is always "seek first". Seek God & he will give you the answer about everything.
Yes. "Jesus plus nothing." Amen! So well said.