When Being Good Isn't Good Enough

Of late I have found something most of us, myself included, have missed: the laughter which comes from the freedom Christ gives us. This book is about that laughter, and it’s written to those for whom the good news has not been very good news for a long time. (Page 19)

Brown, Steve. When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough. Baker Pub Group, 1995. 222 pages.
ISBN: 978-0801054464

God’s salvation could bring us to laugh the laugh of freedom and joy in His presence. But there are some important reasons why we who have come to God for grace and salvation have not known this freedom to laugh for sometime. This book explores what went wrong and shows us how to find the freedom to laugh again.

In part one, Steve explores the humorless elements of that which has corrupted Christian faith in our day. The further you get from a relationship with the God who loves you and frees you, the more fettered your faith is. It helps to remember that Jesus and Paul were accused of being lawless, because real Christianity is closer to lawlessness than the Pharisaism found in the Church today. Moreover, genuine Christian faith must be distinguished from the cultural and psychological baggage of its adherents. Part One begins with a beautiful and illustrative story of a mean little boy who secretly desires to learn to play piano. This boy, who cannot afford lessons, is surprisingly befriended by a master who not only teaches him for free, but also covers his mistakes as he learns and performs. To prepare us for the rest of the book, Steve asks us to remember this story, which obviously stands for the gospel, as we wrestle through the implications of the free grace of God in Christ.

Having separated genuine Christian faith from its dross, In part two, Steve takes us on an exploration of the pure gospel itself. We investigate justification (via another wonderful illustration of our pardon by the Father-King who paid the price for all of our crimes). We examine sanctification, receiving clear and helpful teaching of the four-fold purpose of the law (how to use it and how not to abuse it). And then, Steve treats us to a compelling survey of essential lines in the sand; between the saved and the lost, between love and fear as a motivator; between God and man as the One who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and between freedom (which leads to obedience) and obedience (which does not lead to freedom).

Then having explored the true Gospel which God gives to set us free, Steve asks the following question in part three: If Jesus set me free, why do I feel bound?
And the rest of the book is taken up with this question’s four-fold answer. Sometimes its because Christians like to be bound – and here, Christians are likened to Pharaoh who asked to keep the frogs just one more day (Ex. 8:9-10a). We like the security and safety in bondage or the deserts of a guilty conscience or poor self-image. Sometimes its because we forget that the prison keepers are just like us, equally longing for freedom themselves. Sometimes its because we focus on the wrong things; the law instead of love, judgment instead of Jesus, results instead of relationship. And, Finally, sometimes its because we fail to grant others the grace we so desperately rely on for ourselves.

This is a rich and rewarding read! The illustrative story in part one alone is well worth the price of the book, especially if you borrow it as I did from a seminary library. Read this book and find the freedom to frolic and laugh in God’s free grace again!