Grace - Cheap, Costly and Hyper

This represents the opening section of something that I think might become a bit of a magnum opus (or at least a Feast) because Grace, for me at least, one of the issues of Christianity. (note: in my nomenclature - Capital G Grace is God's to us)

Grace is, as I understand it, my not getting what I deserve because of the love of a God that caused him to take flesh (incarnate meaning what it says on the tin) and humbling Himself, die upon the cross to reconcile me to God, the Father. Jesus getting what He did not deserve so that I didn't get that which I did deserve! Or to use Wesley's words: 'Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God should die for me? '

In his book 'the cost of discipleship', Dietrich Bonhoeffer contributes much on the subject of  grace and the call to die to self and take up our own cross is clear. Grace,
according to Bonhoeffer, can be 'cheap' in that it can be found in a grace without discipleship, the cross, the Christ (truly man and resurrected). We find forgiveness without repentance preached - it's yours for the taking, free.

Now, I'm not denying that Grace is free, but the danger is that we treat is as something of little value because of the price tag attached to it for us - for it comes at an inestimable price. But let Bonhoeffer help set the scene:

'.Grace is represented as the Church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing.' (Cost of discipleship. P. 45)

The tragedy of such a grace is that having told us sin is defeated and proclaiming that we are therefore no longer sinful, it is too small a step to find ourselves caught up in sin! After all, costly Grace is taken up with admonishing and correcting and adhering to law, but the cheap side of the market often takes Paul's words regarding the condemnation and impotence of the law to heart and seeks to reside wholly in Grace. A popular and appealing position from where I, struggling to put the old man to death, am sitting.

For me the reality is somewhere in the middle, law having the power to condemn whilst Grace speaks of my innocence (justification).

With Paul's challenge to me (Romans 6) is ringing in my ears: 'What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?' I fear this (perhaps cruelly labelled, 'hypergrace' position  might just be leading us into error. But since so many who occupy this position like to work from Paul's words, perhaps it is best that he speaks up (ibid):

'By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.'
Grace costs us nothing and demands everything! We are dead to sin. New creations who walk 'in newness of life' - this is the walk of discipleship, or no longer being 'under the law' but living within it so that those who are might see how we live and consider their own walk. Because we are 'under Grace' we are enabled, by the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit, to live godly and Christlike lives.

Grace demands discipleship. a discipleship that looks to keeping the commandments and possessing the circumcision of the heart that marks us out as true believers.It confers blessing and screams forgiveness (justification) but to reside in that mercy, under the blood of the Lamb, requires more than us just being willing to receive it - and yet it is not a reward for works either lest we might boast. The cost of Grace is, for me, found in the conviction of sin and the desire to see more of Jesus, the Christ, and less of me each day made more obvious by the shadow of the cross.

And so my journey to dialogue with, challenge and understand this, for me, new and emerging group begins. This is but the first step of, I fear, many and though some may disagree and even doubt my own faith - that's where Grace comes in, isn't it?


Suggested reading
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1959, The Cost of Discipleship, Second edition, London, SCM Press Ltd  (1963 reprint - Macmillan Paperbacks Edition)
Romans

Heroes of the Faith - Flawed like us?

During the sermon on Pentecost Sunday I was very aware of the heroic Simon Peter standing, as he did, raising his voice and addressing the crowd. This wonderful, bold, saintly person. The cry, "Oh that we might be like him," on the lips of so many of us. Others look at the Apostle Paul and wish they could be the consistently 'go for it' zealot that we see in him.

Well of course these two mighty men of faith were heroes and were 'all out' for God. But they were also as flawed and fallible as us; They too had their feet of clay and their sinful natures poked through the thin layers of righteous clothing in exactly the saem way it does for us.

Take a look at the divisions, arising from the Gentile Pentecost, between Peter (leaning towards Judaism) and Paul (leaning towards freedom from the Jewish way). The divisions and the way that the primary figures handled themselves leads on to think that they weren't all sweetness and light and that they wouldn't have fared well in so many of our twee, 'let's agree to differ (and sing I love you with the love of the Lord)' churches and fellowships.

Let's face it, these two were flawed, aggressive and probably not the plaster saints that so many would have us believe. Don't believe me? Take a look at Galatians and the strongly worded, and extremely robust, attack on false Apostles. Who do you think Paul was having a pop at? Who were the 'pillars of the church' Paul was having a swipe at?

Not all the time, for there are indications of love and mutual respect, but there are barbs and the flawed and sinful human nature shows it's head from time to time.

I recall reading a biography of Paul which spoke of the man being depressive and flawed at times. Amazingly, depression is seen as making us fallible and open to attack of all kinds (mental, emotional and more) and yet it is often a hallmark of the Christian saints, historical and present, and thus should not be seen as something that limits but perhaps opens us to God and his healing, enabling and grace.

The tension between reflecting Christ in our lives and living with the hidden depths of our ever-present depraved nature is no different for us as it was for Simon Peter, Paul, James, John or any other of the saints and heroes. The ability to do good and to think differently, to endure the idiots we meet and struggle to see the image of the invisible God in the person before us (hoping that they might be doing the same with us), is part of the daily struggle to follow the path that leads to the cross and denying of self.

Watching the film, 'Machine Gun Preacher' recently I found myself cheering as the flawed man that was Sam Childers apparently found Christ in a church service. I applauded as the Childers character went to East Africa and worked with others to construct buildings for orphans and returned and encourage people to give themselves and be committed to the work of God. Yippee, a real-life action hero of the Christian kind?

Well it was 'Yes' and then, for me, 'No'.

The man becomes more and more taken up with doing stuff in his own strength and his encouragement of others turns to condemnation and reviling and the means that he adopts deny the Christian message and puts off God entirely. The story is one of excess in all areas and by being so displays the ability to be the saint and have that subverted by our passion, commitment and desire to see 'stuff' happen, with or without God and His people.

I struggle to lead by example and be non-directive (which some see as a failing) and yet I know that there is a need for me to walk at God's pace in a way that might bring others on the journey with me and so, despite myself, I continue (but there's someone in me who wants to act differently).

When you look in the mirror do you celebrate the image of the invisible God made visible in you or do you sag at the image of the flawed and fallible person? May we make our prayer the words of John (3) in that, "He must become greater and we must become less.”

Pax

Is there a Sponge Bob in your church?

I saw the cartoon below and couldn't resist the opportunity to colour it in and post it as it so very neatly sums up the impact that maddeningly happy people have in church.

You know who I mean. Simplistic and cheerful regardless of what is going on around them and always happy to chat and state to obvious.

Aren't they a wonderful blessing?

Well, most of the time!