Where the Sanctification Controversy Lies
Speaking for myself, Tullian's response to Jen Wilkins' sensible concerns regarding "celebratory failurism" (TGC blog, May 1, 2014) was extremely alarming. Jen merely noted that "Failure Is Not a Virtue" and that Christianity does not in fact celebrate the permanent wallowing of believers in sin. Tullian responded not by saying, "Of course we don't celebrate failure. Christians can have successes in Christ." Instead, he posted a comment accusing her of "confusing law and gospel." He followed this with his May 15, 2014 post titled "Unburdened," in which he claimed that 1 John 5:2-3 does not urge Christians to obey God and his law. I responded by pointing out that his teaching is contrary to what the Bible says and therefore false.
I hope these comments show where the controversy lies. The matter is not about legalists claiming that the law provides the power to obey God's commands. Neither is this a fight between Tullian's defense of the radical grace of the gospel versus those who are afraid of grace. Quite to the contrary, it is precisely the grace of God that is being denigrated, since it is by God's amazing grace that Christians are not only justified through faith alone but are born again and given the power of Christ to lead new lives (Eph. 1:18-20). Moreover, this is not a small number of angry men who are "attacking" Tullian. Rather, a large body of Reformed scholars and leaders, including The Gospel Coalition but extending far beyond it, are gravely concerned that Christians are being told that they cannot pursue holiness and that their pastors should not tell them to do so.
If anything I have said here is a misrepresentation, I will be very glad to learn and will be happy to make a correction. The issue simply is not personal. In fact, great restraint has been exercised over more than two years as numerous Reformed scholars and pastors have expressed concerns over Tullian's teaching. In saying that Tullian's teaching on 1 John 5:2-3 was false, I was not urging that he be rejected as a fellow believer or be repudiated in all that he does or teaches. I was simply stating that his teaching here was false, just as I believe that what he is saying about sanctification involves serious error. For this reason, I suggested that his material did not fit will on The Gospel Coalition blog, a decision that had already been made by the whole council. My appeal to Tullian would be to listen to the criticism without primarily interpreting it as a personal attack and to respond to the substantive matters that have been laid out, representing the sincere concern of many well-meaning men who are burdened for the church.
