Not even Tim Tebow can make it ‘cool’ to do the right thing; just ask Carlos Dunlap
By Ray Melick — The Birmingham News
December 03, 2009, 3:33PM
Tim Tebow’s teammates admire him, but apparently not enough to really want to be like him. (Associated Press) Last Sunday night, preparing to do “The Zone” on ABC 33/40 with Mike Raita and guest co-host Charles Barkley, Raita asked the question, “Has Tim Tebow made it cool to do the right thing?”
Barkley quickly answered, “No. First of all, there’s a lot of guys doing the right thing. But it’s a lot easier to follow the bad guy.”
I have thought about Raita’s question this week as we get closer to Tebow’s final SEC game. Everyone seems to agree he’s been a positive influence, a role model, everything that we say we admire in a person.
But then Tuesday the news broke that one of Tebow’s teammates, defensive end Carlos Dunlap, was arrested and charged with a DUI at 3:30 in the morning, a time when most players were expected to be safely tucked in bed. 
Dunlap, a junior who could be a first-round NFL draft choice this spring, has been suspended for the game.
Certainly no one has been in a position to be positively influenced by Tebow more than the Florida players. And yet Dunlap is just one of many off-field problems the Gators have had over the last few years.
Which only goes to prove that, as much as we’d like to believe otherwise, not even the Heisman Trophy winning, two-time national championship winning quarterback can make it “cool to do the right thing.’ Not when it’s so much easier to do our “own” thing.
But I do admire him for trying. (Original article is here)
In the Christian subculture, you hear a lot about “mature” Christians “modeling” behavior in th
eir communities (and I’ve never heard Tim Tebow say this, to his credit). As much as one can say about how obnoxious the claim is, there is a more important thing at work here.
The important thing is not orthodox in a Christian sense because it assumes everyone is walking around with free will. Objective reason is the dominant force of their being. They see one of these models of behavior and think, “Of course. Since I am objectively reasonable and have free will, I will choose to pattern myself after this person.”
Free will here is usually accompanied by a strange, detached “cause-and-effect” thinking or “karma” (to dive into pop spirituality). If goodness is sown, goodness will be reaped. The right thing always results in the desired effect. There is a lot to be said here regarding what sin actually is, but I’ll save that for my next post (hint: Modern Victorian ethics are always more popular than blood Atonement).
The writer of the article, Ray Melik, has actually come upon an important insight. Tim Tebow is as fine a fellow as they come (even though I hope my Crimson Tide pounds the Gators this Saturday). He is supremely accomplished and does the right thing (at least publicly/so far) from the view of societal behavioral norms.
The interesting thing is that even one of his stature cannot “make it cool to do the right thing”, as Melik notes. Interesting. Example is not changing behavior. In fact, if one is to read sports message boards, there is a significant Tebow-fatigue or Tebow-backlash. Example or “modeling” actually provokes what it does not intend. I wonder why 😉 I wonder if the posts and discussion on our beloved Mockingbird can shed light.
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Roll Tide!!!!!!!
Love this post. Very good stuff.
part 1
"The important thing is not orthodox in a Christian sense because it assumes everyone is walking around with free will. Objective reason is the dominant force of their being. They see one of these models of behavior and think,
"Of course. Since I am objectively reasonable and have free will, I will choose to pattern myself after this person."
Free will here is usually accompanied by a strange, detached "cause-and-effect" thinking or "karma" (to dive into pop spirituality). If goodness is sown, goodness will be reaped. The right thing always results in the desired effect. There is a lot to be said here regarding what sin actually is, but I'll save that for my next post (hint: Modern Victorian ethics are always more popular than blood Atonement)."
excellent.
"Examples" are a preaching of the law.
They make us flee and hate God or try to obligate him with our works and so become gods controlling God.
It is important to remember here that man, using free will and will power CAN do all outward earthly righteousness, and that this a working out of God’s Will.
God provides all earthly blessings to us through this earthly outward righteousness that he wrings out of man through not only the sticks but the carrots of the law. Good government, families, material goods all are provided to us through this means. Carrots… God does indeed promise earthly blessings to those who do outward earthly righteousness.
Under the veil of moses man cannot see the depth of sin, that it is fatal not fixable, and because of that cannot see the need for a higher inner heavenly righteousness that is far far above outward earthly righteousness, one that can only be radically had by our death that leads to Life.
The preaching of the law terrifies consciences and makes one flee God. One way to flee that conscience is to use the law to try to bargain with God. To turn the law in a vertical direction rather than leave it be about serving our neighbor. If we can obligate God with our deeds who then is in the drivers seat?
But then this minimizes the law and makes it doable.
For with our free will alone, man CAN do ALL outward righteousness.
We imagine that we can look for life there, especially when the very real carrots of the law beckon (God DOES promise earthly rewards in keeping the law). And besides even a pagan can observe that all we have in earthly blessings comes from outward righteousness. So we look for life there. Faith can only be life who have stopped seeking life in the earthly blessings that will die with the earth.
part 2
Since our wills are so profoundly in bondage in this way, only the Holy Spirit can show man the depth of sin.
Only the Holy Spirit can impress on man that only the death of the sinner is the "cure" for sin.
Chemotherapy that cures the cancer by killing the patient!
No wonder the gospel seems foolish.
Only radical faith in one exhausted and terrified by the law, can accept this weird proposition from the Great Physician: “ I can cure your cancer by killing you. But I will raise you up again. Trust me.“
This revelation of the Holy Spirit, THIS preaching of THE law, can only make one despair, but also prepare one to follow the one example of death that leads to life which is not about law or despair but about faith.
This faith in the forgiveness of sins, that excludes works, the law and sin. This alone is the Holy Gospel.
That gospel is alone for those, who through the holy spirit have been brought to the rope's end. "Lord, we have no where else to go, you alone have the words of eternal life." "even the dogs get to eat the crumbs from the Master's table." We come only as beggars. Those who have run out of all other options.
part III
“14. The reason for this is, that man’s understanding cannot get beyond this external piety of works, and cannot comprehend the righteousness of faith;
but, the greater and more skillful this understanding is, the more it confines itself to works and rests upon them.
It is not possible for man in times of temptation and distress, when his conscience smites him, to cease from groping around for works on which to stand and rest.
Then we seek and enumerate the many good deeds, which we would like to do, or have done, and because we find none, the heart begins to doubt and despair.
This weakness adheres so firmly to our nature, that even those who have faith and recognize the grace of God, or the forgiveness of sins, cannot overcome it with all their efforts and exertions, and must daily contend against it.
In short it is entirely beyond human knowledge and understanding, ability and power, to ascend above this earthly righteousness, and to transfer oneself into this article of faith;
and although one hears much about it and is conversant with it, there continues nevertheless the old delusion and inborn corruption which would bring its own works before God and make them the foundation of salvation.
Such is the case, I say, with those who are Christians and fight against this workrighteousness; others, critics and inexperienced souls are even lost in it. “
Luther’s Sermon on the 3rd use of the law, 19th Sunday after trinity, matt 9:1-8 Marburg 1528 http://www.godrules.net/library/luther/129luther_e13.htm
part IV
“8] 7. As to the revelation of sin, because the veil of Moses hangs before the eyes of all men as long as they hear the bare preaching of the Law, and nothing concerning Christ, and therefore do not learn from the Law to perceive their sins aright.
[They] either become presumptuous hypocrites [who swell with the opinion of their own righteousness] as the Pharisees, or despair like Judas, Christ takes the Law into His hands, and explains it spiritually, Matt. 5:21ff ; Rom. 7:14.
And thus the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all sinners [ Rom. 1:18 ], how great it is; by this means they are directed [sent back] to the Law.
They then first learn from it to know aright their sins.
This is a knowledge which Moses never could have forced out of them.
9] The preaching of the suffering and death of Christ, the Son of God, is an earnest and terrible proclamation and declaration of God's wrath, whereby men are first led into the Law aright, after the veil of Moses has been removed from them, so that they first know aright how great things God in His Law requires of us, none of which we can observe, and therefore are to seek all our righteousness in Christ:
10] 8. Yet as long as all this (namely, Christ's suffering and death) proclaims God's wrath and terrifies man, it is still not properly the preaching of the Gospel, but the preaching of Moses and the Law, and therefore a foreign work of Christ, by which He arrives at His proper office.
That proper office is to preach grace, console, and quicken, which is properly the preaching of the Gospel. “
Formula of Concord , article V Law and Gospel
http://www.bookofconcord.org/sd-lawandgospel.php
part V
“15. Therefore this doctrine, that our piety before God consists entirely in the forgiveness of sins, must be rightly comprehended and firmly maintained. We must therefore get beyond ourselves and ascend higher than our reason, which keeps us in conflict with ourselves and which reminds us both of sin and good works; and we must soar so high as to see neither sin nor good works, but be rooted and grounded in this article and see and know nothing besides. Therefore let grace or forgiveness be pitted not only against sin, but also against good works, and let all human righteousness and holiness be excluded. Thus there are in man two conflicting powers: Externally in this life he is to be pious, do good works, and the like. But if he aims beyond this life and wishes to deal with God, he must know that here neither his sin nor his piety avails anything. And though he may feel his sins which disturb his conscience, and although the law demands good works, he will not listen nor give heed to them, but will boldly reply; If I have sin, Christ has forgiveness; yea, I am seated on a throne to which sin cannot attain.
16. Therefore we are to regard the kingdom of Christ as a large, beautiful arch or vault which is everywhere over us, and covers and protects us against the wrath of God; yea, as a great, extended firmament which pure grace and forgiveness illuminate and so fill the world and all things, that all sin will hardly appear as a spark in comparison with the great, extended sea of light; and although sin may oppress, it cannot injure, but must disappear and vanish before grace. They who understand this, may well be called masters, but we will all have to humble ourselves and not be ashamed to keep on learning this lesson as long as we live. "
Luthers sermon on 3rd use of the law.
Part VI
"17. For wherever our nature succeeds in finding sin, it tries to make an unbearable burden of it. Satan fans the spark and blows up a great fire which fills heaven and earth. Here the leaf must be turned and we must firmly conclude: If the sin were ever so great or burdensome, this article of faith is nevertheless much higher, wider and greater, which has been recommended and established not by man’s wisdom, but by him who has comprehended heaven and earth and holds them in the hollow of his hand. Isaiah 40:12. My sin and piety must remain here on earth as far as they concern my life and conduct. But in heaven above I have another treasure, greater than either of these; there Christ is seated and holds me in his arms, covers me with his wings and overshadows me with his grace.
18. You may say: How is this, since I daily feel sin and my conscience condemns me and threatens me with God’s wrath? I answer: For this reason, I say, one must understand that the righteousness of a Christian is nothing that can be named or imagined but the forgiveness of sin, that is, it is a kingdom of power which deals only with sin and with such abundant grace as takes away all wrath.
It is called the forgiveness of sin for the reason that we are truly sinners before God; yes, everything in us is sin, even though we may have all human righteousness. For where God speaks of sin, there must be real and great sin; so also forgiveness is no jest, but real earnestness. When you, therefore, consider this article you have both. Sin takes away all your holiness, no matter how pious you are on earth; again, forgiveness takes away all sin and wrath. Therefore your sin cannot cast you into hell, nor can your piety elevate you into heaven. “
Part VII
The fact is that all christians bring in works through the back door. When the law terrifies us, we restlessly look for something to do. We are tired of ourselves and others. We want God to fix us. it becomes about us not God.
So we begin to nervously ask: "what should the christian life or works LOOK like"? We SEE defeat, not the "victorious christian life" our egos want. We hate that. We hate what we see. We feel ashamed. we hide behind the fig leaves of externals. we try harder! we hope that others do not find us out.
So we chase after examples so we can see. are we the only ones who are faking it? we feel a certain schadenfreude when others are found out. Tiger Woods. ah. we are not alone!
When we look to the one perfect example Christ, we see that he was extraordiarily ordinary. remarkably unremarkable. His keeping of the law looks like what the 3rd use tells us a real outward righteousness should look like. But that isnt good for us. Letting our egos tell us what WOULD Jesus do is more useful to us in our anxiety than what Jesus actually DID. Why? We cannot see anything he did that looks remarkable that we could do something to look remarkable as well.
Earning a reputation as a winebibber and glutton, and hanging out with homosexuals and other immorals just doesnt look like something that Jesus WOULD do. Not if he were us that is.
part VIII
And so we make being christian about what we do, works, and not who we are, faith. believers in what cannot be seen.
Our pastors assist us in this error by bringing works into the back door calling them sanctification or fruit of sanctificaion. They are not.
The heart of this error is to disconnect fruit of sanctification and regeneration from that new will, where things where "must" merely means "spontaneous" like the law of gravity means things "must" fall, and attach it instead to OUR wills, where "must" can only mean "try harder!". and so we imagine that our will-power, now "sanctified" can increase sanctification by striving, contending, following examples (wwjd).
We imagine that our will power is now only impaired. We do not surrender to the fact that our will power is the enemy and must also die and be made to submit to the Word. We imagine that our "christian" will-power, is now powerful such that we will 'never willfully sin' when even st paul confessed that his sin-will controlled him.
and so the 3rd use of the law is LAW. It works as law by removing all talk of works from what it means to be christian, and points christians again to the lowly first and second use law that is God's will.It forbids us to sever works from God's word in the 10 commandments in favor of more spiritual roll-your-own works.
sanctification/regeneration is where the HS implants in the new man a new will that is in perfect conformity to Gods Will. Insofar as we are regenerated then, truly good works simply flow from that will automatically and spontaneously.
This is EXACTLY as God's Will actively flowed from a Jesus Who was, in the flesh, God's Will.
Why whatever else would a will conformed to God's will do?
part IX
the fruit of sanctification therefore must look like this according to the Formula of Concord article VI 3rd use of the law SD:
[Insofar as we are regenerate, a christian] need[s] no law, and hence no one to drive them either, but they would do of themselves, and altogether voluntarily, without any instruction, admonition, urging or driving of the Law, what they are in duty bound to do according to God's will; just as the sun, the moon, and all the constellations of heaven have their regular course of themselves, unobstructed, without admonition, urging, driving, force, or compulsion, according to the order of God which God once appointed for them, yea, just as the holy angels render an entirely voluntary obedience. "
it is in this context alone that we can read Luther's statement:
"O, this faith is a living, busy, active, powerful thing!
It is impossible that it should not be ceaselessly doing that which is good. It does not even ask whether good works should be done; but before the question can be asked, it has done them, and it is constantly engaged in doing them."
Shame on Lutherans who say this is Luther on sanctification as something we can do more of with our efforts!
part X
further more the Formula on 3rd use says:
"7] However, believers are not renewed in this life perfectly or completely, …for although their sin is covered by the perfect obedience of Christ, so that it is not imputed to believers for condemnation, and also the mortification of the old Adam and the renewal in the spirit of their mind is begun through the Holy Ghost, nevertheless the old Adam clings to them still in their nature and all its internal and external powers… like a recalcetrant ass…
9] Therefore, because of these lusts of the flesh the truly believing, elect, and regenerate children of God need in this life not only the daily instruction and admonition, warning, and threatening of the Law, but also frequently punishments, that they may be roused [the old man is driven out of them] and follow the Spirit of God, as it is written Ps. 119:71: It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes. And again, 1 Cor. 9:27: I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that, by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. And again, Heb. 12:8: But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons; as Dr. Luther has fully explained this at greater length in the Summer Part of the Church Postil, on the Epistle for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. "
so the holy spirit at the same time in a christian is killing him and making him alive.
sorry if I hijacked things with my lengthy response.
Perhaps THE burning question for all christians of all times once they have come to the faith:
"what now"? "things don't look or feel different to me? is that normal? is that ok?
shouldn't I look different in my life or works than the pagans? "
The Lutheran 3rd use of the Law says:
In righteousness of faith all works are excluded.
In righteousness of works all faith is excluded.
We see we really don't trust the first proposition because that second one sets uneasy with us.
We let talk of outward righteousness encompass ALL outward works PRECISELY to exclude works completely in the talk of that inner righeousness that alone counts before God to save us.
the difference between works of a pagan and works of a christian is?
NOTHING AT ALL!
this is what the 3rd use tells us.
The diference between a christian and a pagan is in the DOER of the works, BECAUSE that only difference is faith in Jesus Christ.
This faith, alone, is the work we can never do with our free will.