All who grew up in traditional, evangelical churches are undoubtedly familiar with the old hymn, Trust and Obey,
one of the regular staples in the cupboard of old hymns. It teaches the standard “old time religion” of faith and obedience as the two things we must do to “be happy in Jesus:” “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus – but to Trust and Obey.”
When I was singing in the Glee Club Choir in Jr. High as a 1st tenor (my voice hadn’t changed yet), I could successfully follow along as others sang on-key, and I knew when I was off-key, but I was helpless to find the right key myself, singing alone. I really couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket!
However, during the decades since those Jr. High Glee Club days, I discovered that my musical ineptitude does not impede my brilliant skill at composing lyrics! During my recent ruminations on what I believe to be our blindness to the full gospel of the grace of God, I was reminded again of the unrecognized error in Trust and Obey. quoted above. Here are the words I spontaneously thought of to correct the hymn’s theology. Substitute these words as you sing the hymn to yourself. Be sure and tell me if you don’t think they are Emmy-worthy!
“Trust and Trust More, for there’s no other door, to victory in Jesus—but to Trust and Trust More.”
As I have mentioned many times, I am convinced that we all have a natural, built-in proclivity to want to be “good” and not “bad;” “right” and not “wrong,” of which we are completely unaware. How many old saints of the faith, singing Trust and Obey down through the centuries, were aware that they were proclaiming works-salvation in the song they were singing?
Yes, we are fully addicted to that fruit our ancestors ate in the garden of Eden, and we don’t have a clue! The theological “third use of the Law” is a convenient device proponents of the Reformed branch of the faith unconsciously use to feed our addiction. Here are the classical Reformed three uses of the law:
1st Use – To hold the conduct of non-Christians in check until they become believers (Yes!); 2nd Use – to expose Christian’s sin so they can eagerly and openly repent (Yes!); 3rd Use – to obey so we can be “more like Jesus” (No!). Thus, to Third Use advocates, Justification and Glorification, two aspects of our salvation, are by grace alone—we have absolutely nothing to do with them. But Sanctification, the third aspect—”we’ve got to get to work, being obedient to God’s Law!” We are then proclaiming that Salvation, in all its fullness, IS NOT BY GRACE ALONE!
Our addiction to knowing and living by good and evil is so natural it is unconscious; we are ALL afflicted with it, even the most righteous, the most famous, the most successful, and the rank unknown. The only solution is embracing, even glorying in, our weakness (“But he said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me” – 2 Corinthians 12:9). ALL of my weakness and sin is ALL FORGIVEN BY GRACE ALONE!
Paul was confronted by religious addicts in his day with the same question that grace-alone advocates are asked today: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” (“Does this mean I can just keep sinning to my heart’s content?” – Romans 6:1). Paul’s answer is “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (“You can’t do that when you’re born again!” – Romans 6:2)
In other words, Paul is telling us that now, as born-again believers, Jesus is actually living His life in us and through us, naturally, spontaneously and unconsciously (NSU – Galatians 2:20). Those who have an experiential (ginosko) relationship with their Daddy as little children (Matthew 18:2-5) are finding that their desires are actually changing—believe-it-or-not—to WANT TO DO WHAT DADDY TELLS THEM (Philippians 2:13). They begin to notice that, NSU, what they want to do, and what Jesus actually does through them, is to KEEP THE LAW OF GOD (Romans 8:4)!
Lo and behold, they discover that what Paul said in Romans 6:2 proves to be true: NSU, they discover that, indeed, they “have died to sin and can no longer live in it!”
So, we no longer need to bite on Satan’s hook at the end of a wonderful sermon on “salvation by grace alone” when the preacher concludes with a “challenge to do better,” or a “practical application” or a “resolution to change”—if that conclusion involves us determining to be obedient. Instead, we now live by simply “Trust and Trust More, for there’s no other door, to find victory in Jesus—but to Trust and Trust More.”
