Beyond Grace vs. Works
I was reminded this week how a lack of a workable (or should I say livable) theological framework is debilitating to most Christians. Their understanding of the cross may be accurate - in other words, they have no problem comprehending what Jesus did for them. But when faced with the question, "How should I live?", they immediately run into roadblocks. Many are caught between what appears to be a paradox - Jesus died for us so we don't have to do anything to earn his love, but doesn't it say something in there like "faith without works is dead?"
I had a thought this morning. Imagine a Christian from India or China listening in to one of our neurotic conversations. What would they think? "Gee...it must be nice to think about your faith that way. This morning at the market, after getting rocks thrown at me when I tried to tell my cousin the Good News about Jesus, it was really hard turning around and praying God's blessing on them. Life would be so much easier if I didn't have to deal with that everyday."
The problem with the old faith vs. works conversation is that it abstracts the daily decisions we have to face where our trust in Jesus is actually lived. We are left either being crippled to act for fear of trying to 'earn' something from God or putting our time in because "that's just what good Christians do." Neither of those options are functional or biblical. We first need an overall vision of God that is much bigger than us and our individual concerns. This is where teaching about the kingdom of God is so vital. The Kingdom pulls us out of our focus on ourselves and places us in a Story that dwarfs our little kingdoms. When we find our place in that Story - as beloved children of God - then we can begin to see the possibilities for our daily grind. We are not meant to sit around in Bible studies talking about what-if scenarios or how glad we are that we're forgiven and don't have to do anything. Our lives become a huge gymnasium, and the Holy Spirit is our trainer. Every situation, every suffering or joy, even the mundane tasks of the day, become a training ground for Christlikeness.
Just with any exercise, unless you're in the army, no one is going to tell you to get up and work-out. Spiritual disciplines, acts of service, quiet resistance to evil, working for justice, forgiving enemies - all actions that open ourselves to more of God's kingdom, more of his grace. We don't do these things to earn anything. They are natural parts of our lives that we choose to press into for the purpose of becoming more like Jesus. Dallas Willard says it way better than I ever could:
"The path of spiritual growth in the riches of Christ is not a passive one. Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Effort is action. Earning is attitude. You have never seen people more active than those who have been set on fire by the grace of God. Paul, who perhaps understood grace better than any other mere human being, looked back at what had happened to him and said: "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." (I Cor. 15:10)
As to "means of grace" placed in our hands, well-directed action is the key. The disciplines of the spiritual life are simply practices that prove to be effectual in enabling us to increase the grace of God in our lives.
That grace is, of course, "unmerited favor." But the form it takes is the action of God in our lives and with our actions. If we wish to know more of this and see the deliverance it works in and around us, we must do the things that will bring it to pass. These things are spiritual disciplines or the disciplines for the spiritual life.
A discipline in any area is something in my power that I do to enable me to do what I cannot do by direct effort. This is the general nature of discipline, and there is simply no area of human attainment--from playing a musical instrument, to sports, to speaking a language or being friendly--that does not require discipline."
May we not be afraid of effort when it comes to living as disciples of Jesus. Sadly, this has been my biggest downfall in my experience of being a Christian for the past 30 years. My prayer is that for the next 30 I can find myself more rooted in God's love and grace and pursuing actions that will enable me to have more of his character.
I had a thought this morning. Imagine a Christian from India or China listening in to one of our neurotic conversations. What would they think? "Gee...it must be nice to think about your faith that way. This morning at the market, after getting rocks thrown at me when I tried to tell my cousin the Good News about Jesus, it was really hard turning around and praying God's blessing on them. Life would be so much easier if I didn't have to deal with that everyday."
The problem with the old faith vs. works conversation is that it abstracts the daily decisions we have to face where our trust in Jesus is actually lived. We are left either being crippled to act for fear of trying to 'earn' something from God or putting our time in because "that's just what good Christians do." Neither of those options are functional or biblical. We first need an overall vision of God that is much bigger than us and our individual concerns. This is where teaching about the kingdom of God is so vital. The Kingdom pulls us out of our focus on ourselves and places us in a Story that dwarfs our little kingdoms. When we find our place in that Story - as beloved children of God - then we can begin to see the possibilities for our daily grind. We are not meant to sit around in Bible studies talking about what-if scenarios or how glad we are that we're forgiven and don't have to do anything. Our lives become a huge gymnasium, and the Holy Spirit is our trainer. Every situation, every suffering or joy, even the mundane tasks of the day, become a training ground for Christlikeness.
Just with any exercise, unless you're in the army, no one is going to tell you to get up and work-out. Spiritual disciplines, acts of service, quiet resistance to evil, working for justice, forgiving enemies - all actions that open ourselves to more of God's kingdom, more of his grace. We don't do these things to earn anything. They are natural parts of our lives that we choose to press into for the purpose of becoming more like Jesus. Dallas Willard says it way better than I ever could:
"The path of spiritual growth in the riches of Christ is not a passive one. Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Effort is action. Earning is attitude. You have never seen people more active than those who have been set on fire by the grace of God. Paul, who perhaps understood grace better than any other mere human being, looked back at what had happened to him and said: "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." (I Cor. 15:10)
As to "means of grace" placed in our hands, well-directed action is the key. The disciplines of the spiritual life are simply practices that prove to be effectual in enabling us to increase the grace of God in our lives.
That grace is, of course, "unmerited favor." But the form it takes is the action of God in our lives and with our actions. If we wish to know more of this and see the deliverance it works in and around us, we must do the things that will bring it to pass. These things are spiritual disciplines or the disciplines for the spiritual life.
A discipline in any area is something in my power that I do to enable me to do what I cannot do by direct effort. This is the general nature of discipline, and there is simply no area of human attainment--from playing a musical instrument, to sports, to speaking a language or being friendly--that does not require discipline."
May we not be afraid of effort when it comes to living as disciples of Jesus. Sadly, this has been my biggest downfall in my experience of being a Christian for the past 30 years. My prayer is that for the next 30 I can find myself more rooted in God's love and grace and pursuing actions that will enable me to have more of his character.
posted by Mike Bishop at 6:17 AM
1 Comments:
Great post, Mike. I'll pass this one along to others for some more thoughts.
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