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Get Out of Hell Free. Really?

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Not long ago I encountered a well-intentioned brother sporting a bright orange T-shirt. On the center of the shirt was a graphic borrowed from the popular board game Monopoly. The graphic was a Monopoly Chance card that said in bold font, “Get Out of Hell Free”. This, for far too many Christians, sums-up Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection. Believe in Jesus and you’ll be issued a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. Really? Is it really that one-dimensional? Does this sum up the sixty-six books of scripture, the promises to Abraham, Israel, David, the Disciples and the church today? Is this what it’s all about?

To borrow the phrase that Paul repeats again and again in Romans in response to the conclusions not to be drawn from his teaching, “By no means!” (Rom 3:4, 6, 31, 6:2, 15, 7:7, 13, 9:14, 11:1, and 11).

How have we ended up in a place where our theology grants license to promote the gospel as synonymous with a Get Out of Jail Free card? I’m sure the answers are many, but the bottom-line, I believe, is that we have tragically lost sight of the salvation narrative. Sandra Richter said it well with this, “most Christians have not been taught that the story of the Old Testament is their story…The church does not know who she is, because she does not know who she was” (Richter, Epic of Eden, 17). Paul does not make this mistake. If we read Paul without the Old Testament in perspective, we will misinterpret all over the place and end up with cruddy theology T-shirts.

As noted in the previous chapter (that blog readers haven’t read yet), one of the central pillars for reconstructing the proper framework for interpreting Paul and his doctrine of holiness is the salvation narrative, the big picture, God’s single plan. But what de we mean by “salvation narrative”? In a phrase, the salvation narrative is the story of God’s single plan to re-establish his reign through his chosen human agents in the creation; to renew the world and its righteous governance. To borrow N. T. Wright’s language, what we’re talking about is “God’s World Renewal Project”. This is the story of scripture. God’s plan to restore and renew the creation from its condemnation and corruption that came as the consequence of human disobedience and moral autonomy. This story of God’s mission is what we will regularly refer to as God’s World Renewal Project. It is only when we have this larger framework in mind that the concepts of covenant, cross, kingdom, and holiness come clearly into focus.

This concept of God’s World Renewal Project is fundamental for putting together the big picture. In fact, it is the big picture. Understanding Paul, holiness, whatever it may be, means reading Paul against the backdrop of this salvation narrative. If we discard the salvation narrative, we end with a one-dimensional, out-of-balance theology (and bad T-shirts). We end up, sadly and wrongly, thinking about salvation as being solely about me and Jesus and our language ends up sounding a lot like this: “Jesus died to forgive my sins so that I can go to heaven”. While this statement is true, it is incomplete and heavily out of balance with the thrust of the gospel according to scripture. The gospel, the full gospel, Paul’s and Jesus’ Gospel, is much deeper, richer, and more profound than this. It is about so much more than where we spend the after-life. The full gospel is a rich, and complex thing that cannot and should not be flattened out by removing or neglecting the long story of God’s enduring and faithful plan to redeem the creation.

(This is an excerpt from my working book manuscript titled Holiness in Fresh Perspective: Covenant, Cross and Kingdom. All rights reserved).

6 comments
  • I thought the concept of our standard teaching, at least from most Baptist pulpits, is significant as you are obviously trying to lead to a point that there is a lot more to knowing Jesus than just getting our “fire insurance”.

    So I am led to ask myself: What is there to this Jesus beyond His work of life, death, and resurrection that I should get to know? Why would the Bible talk so much about walking with our Lord when all I need to do is believe in His Son and I,m covered, right (note sarcasm here)? How well do I know Jesus? How close do I want to be to Him really? Am I consumed with how I can walk with Him “closer still”? Why not?

    You say, “It is about so much more than where we spend the after-life” and I agree. It is about our life now. When Jesus says so many times “Heaven is like …”, I believe He is describing how we can be now when united closely with our Lord. Knowing Jesus is about how we live this minute, this hour, this day. If heaven is being with God forever and I can have God’s Spirit with me now, then I should be able to walk in heaven today. And I should not be slack in seeking, looking, or searching for that close walk with Jesus at all times.

    • I think you’re spot on Chris. I would further emphasize that the concept of the T-shirt is not at all a scriptural emphasis of salvation. While it may be true, it’s not, in anyway, reflective of biblical soteriology. I’m simply trying to get at what has gone wrong…
      Thanks again, brother.
      M

      • Great tract. It is a wonderful ice breaker with the lost. They recognize the humorous play on words, “Get out of hell free”, with the monopoly game card. The back of the card which is hidden from the discussion here gives those scripture verses known as the “Roman Road”. No one but the spiritually uptight stops with that first phrase and pretends that it is all that is on the card or an attempt to give all one needs to hear about God, People handing these out have great results as God blesses. The lost will very often keep these novelty tracts for years,especially the gospel money tracts, and even show them to friends. I often have the lost come back weeks later when they see me again and ask for more tracts for friends. The card is a seed that God can bless.

        • Hi, Michael. I’m not saying that tract isn’t useful. God is BIG and can use a number of tools to reach his people. At the same time, I’m arguing that this has become the center-piece for much contemporary soteriology—escaping final judgment. This is certainly a part of what the NT teaches about salvation, but hardly the center. My use of the tract here is a springboard that leads to a deeper thought and conversation, just like the tract.

  • We’re talking about getting out of Hell. We’re talking about receiving eternal life. Your “righteous living” has nothing to do with how you receive that. Some people try to strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel, when attempting to squeeze a self-righteous or works-based gospel message out of a story or parable, but completely ignore plain direct statements in scripture that refute ideas opposing the truth that we are saved FREELY by GRACE, not of works!

    Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
    3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
    4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
    5 But to him that *worketh not,* but *believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly*, his *faith* is counted for righteousness.
    6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness *without works,*
    7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
    8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

    Salvation is *exactly* a get out of hell free card! Heaven knows, I could never pay for it!!!

    Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the *free gift*. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

    Titus3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

    That’s why it’s called a *free gift.* That’s why it’s called *grace.* Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe! None of us can boast that we earn, merit, or maintain eternal life with our good works or our own supposed “righteousness”. All the glory goes to Christ and what HE has done – and I don’t think I could be any happier about it!

    Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

    No, that doesn’t mean we should sin that grace may more much more abound (even though grace WILL abound, otherwise this verse is nonsensical), and there are still consequences on this earth (pain in our lives, and even possibly early death etc.) and in the world to come (loss of rewards in heaven etc.) but when Jesus says believers on him shall never perish, I believe him.

    • Greetings 🙂 I’m not saying that justification is NOT a free gift, it certainly is. Read carefully and hear what I’m saying. What I am saying is that Paul’s soteriology is must more concerned about God fulfilling his promise to Abraham than where people go when they die. Furthermore, the texts that you quote from Paul are arguing for a soteriology whose centre is absent of (1) Israel, (2) Covenant, (3) and Christ’s reign as King. These three things the NT writers are adamant are at the centre of the Gospel message. Be careful constructing a soteriology that leaves out the main parts of the puzzle when making a case for a NT soteriology.

      To think that the Gospel is ALL ABOUT ME is the wrong approach. In fact, it’s all about GOD and his plan to redeem all of the creation.

      To argue such as hardly a works-based soteriology.

      Furthermore, be careful proof-texting verses from Paul. Paul makes his statements about justification and righteousness in a very particular context.

      Out of curiosity, what do you do with passages like Rom 2:6–11 in your reading of Paul? And 9–11? Additionally, justification by faith through grace does not abolish God’s final judgment (“Sometimes Christians have imagined that Paul’s doctrine of ‘justification by faith’ (see chapters 3 and 4 in particular) means the abolition of a final judgment according to works, but Paul never says that. His theology is more robust than many traditions have given him credit for. He can look the world in the face and speak of the justice of God.”)

      Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: Romans Part 1: Chapters 1-8 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 31.

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