By Jeffrey E. Carroll and Randal E. Pelton
The Pharisees of Jesus' day are a great example of what behavior modification (morally restraining the heart) can do. Doriani writes, "Our disobedience condemns us, but without gospel motives, our ‘righteousness' will too" (2001, p. 8). Worse case scenario is that they immediately sense that, not only can't they seem to do what Scripture is demanding, but they do not even want to (they lack the desire and the ability and only experience more frustration). In both scenarios, the missing element of faith in the gospel is addressed through cross-eyed application.
Cross-eyed application is severe, however, because obedience to the gospel is not easy and to ignore it results in eternal judgment. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus instructed His listeners to "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
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From the example above, putting away the sin of anger is much more serious than avoiding ulcers and damaging interpersonal relationships. Like every biblical instruction, the decision to obey or disobey carries eternal significance for the life of every listener. For the believer, cross-eyed application exposes the fact that deliberate disobedience is tantamount to denying the faith. For the unbeliever, cross-eyed application exposes their unbelief and condemnation (cf. John 3:18, "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.").
When we consider what is at stake, it is fair to say that the way to application holds dangers for the preacher seeking to be accurate and relevant. As we have seen, the most fundamental of these dangers is the potential for a pastor to move people away from dependency on the power of God in their attempt to implement Scripture. The failure to connect obedience with empowering faith leaves the congregation with the burden to obey in their own might. Furthermore, it breeds deception in their hearts, leading them to think they are pleasing God when in fact "without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Heb. 11:6).
We sense a primary source of this peril is the misunderstanding that eternally relevant application can be found in historical grammatical interpretation that does not culminate in Christ-centered theology. A kin to that error is the practice of calling for behavior modification alone, thinking it can satisfy the real goal of application. This wrongly placed confidence threatens the evangelical pulpit with the potential for historically accurate, intensely practical, but lifeless preaching. This is the error of the Pharisee and every other legalist who sees morality as the final goal.
Jesus said to those first-century preachers in John 5:38-40, "You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You study the Scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness of Me, and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life." Note that Jesus did not condemn their commitment to obey Scripture. He condemnd a view of obedience to Scripture that was void of faith in Him. That is why in our effort to apply the text to our hearers, the first question we must ask is, "Do you believe?"
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Jeffrey E. Carroll is Pastor of Trinity Community Church in Bowie, Maryland.
Randal E. Pelton is Senior Pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, and adjunct professor at Lancaster Bible College's Graduate School.
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Bibliography
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