The High Cost, Of A Cheap Grace

We're divided.

Not just as a nation, but as the church.

Specifically, we're divided over God's response to the moral crisis of our day.

• We're divided over God's response to racism (e.g. Charlottesville, etc).
• We're divided over God's response to national leaders, duly elected, but profane.
• We're divided over God's response to people who lack relationship with Christ. 
• We're divided over God's response to global threats (e.g. North Korea).
• We're divided over God's response to abortion.  
• We're divided over God's response to pride and narcissism. 

We fall into three 'camps' related to God's response:  1) God calls us to reach sinners; 2) God calls us to reach those sinned against; 3) God calls us to reach -- both -- sinners and those sinned against.

• First, God Calls Us To Reach Sinners.  Translated: our focus must be on rescuing persons for tomorrow, for eternity, with a primary emphasis on repentance, grace, and thus, salvation.  Theme Scripture:  John 3:16 (You must be born again).

• Second, God Calls Us To Reach Those Sinned Against.  Translated:  our focus must be on rescuing persons for today, with a primary emphasis on serving the poor, working for peace and addressing systemic injustice. Theme Scripture:  Matthew 25: 31-46 (What's Done To the Least of These, Is Done Unto Jesus).

• Third, God Calls Us To Reach -- Both -- Sinners And Those Sinned Against.  Translated:  our focus must be on rescuing persons both for tomorrow and today, with a primary emphasis on proclaiming Jesus -- but -- flavored with what Jesus proclaimed:  the Reign of God (Kingdom of God; Lordship of Christ) over all of life.  Theme Scripture: Matthew 5-7 (Sermon On the Mount; Romans 12).

A blunt assertion: the 'camp' we land in, is largely determined by how much of our life we are willing to give to Jesus. 

If you're selective in giving your life to Jesus, you end up in either the first or second 'camp.'  But if you yearn to give all of your life to Jesus, you end up in the third 'camp.' 

Why?  Because when you yearn to reach both sinners and those sinned against, you apply the Reign of God, the Lordship of Christ, to every aspect of life.  Thus, every aspect of life -- is given over to the Savior, for life-change.  

Bottom line:  the Saving Grace Of Jesus is intended to save us from every expression of sin.  Yes, personal sin (e.g. pride, lust, etc.).  But also, lifestyle sin (e.g. consumerism, violence, etc.), and systemic sin (e.g. racism, sexism, etc.).

Years ago, a young theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, referred to a saving grace that addresses every aspect of sin as costly grace.  The opposite, cheap grace, restricted grace to only one expression of sin and life.   In classic words, Bonhoeffer said:

"Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church.  We are fighting to-day for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares (p. 45)...Cheap grace...amounts to a denial of the living Word of God. Cheap grace means justification of sin without the justification of the sinner...(p. 46)...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross...grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace...is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods...Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ...It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life...(p. 47)"   Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.  New York:  MacMillian Publishing Co., 1937)    . 

And so, in the spirit of Bonhoeffer, we're to reach both sinners and those sinned against, offering the costly grace of Jesus; the all inclusive, wide-ranging, Reign of God.  That's the Gospel remedy for the wide-ranging woes of life.

Past blog posts detail examples of God's reign over both personal and corporate sin (see endnote below).

But recently, I discovered an articulation of discipleship, that's unique in its scope, persuasion, and specificity.   It comes from Mike Henderson, a member of Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD, where my wife Robin serves as organist.  It was written in response to the Senior Pastor's recent vision casting sermon, calling for costly grace, in relation to renewed local outreach.

It's structured around the necessity of both starting and stopping, to allow Jesus to be truly and fully, Lord.

“We Have To STOP…

• ...This false caricature of Christ to the world where Christianity is identified more with political parties and accumulating power than it is with loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us...

• …Being afraid of embracing those whose stories, cultures and skin color differ from our own… 

• …Gossiping and tearing others down. 

• …Flirting with and indulging in sexual immorality… 

• Taking in entertainment that poisons our mind and dulls our conscience. 

We Have To START.

• Seeking the Lord with all of our strength, all of our heart, all of our mind; all that we got…

• Loving our neighbors as well as we love ourselves… 

• Welcoming the stranger living among us.

• Seeking justice and loving mercy.

• Building bridges. 

• Standing in the gap and intercede for the broken, the lost, the lonely, the imprisoned, the widow, the orphan, the sick, and the poor... 

• Start being salt and light in a world that is lost and wanders around in darkness, bumping its collective heads on vain and empty philosophies. 

And together, as we collectively fall on our knees before God, repent and seek Him with everything we got, and as we start stopping and start starting, we will see revival…”  http://www.centralpc.org/notes/thoughts-from-the-congregation-on-reaching-out/\ 

Sounds like the full Reign of God, to me.  Costly grace, not cheap grace.

As we fall on our knees, seeking God with everything we've got -- connecting God to everything in life.

Everything.

No longer divided -- but united.

In Christ -- as Lord of all.
_______

For examples of God's Reign as applied to personal sin, see: "A Trip Around The Son" http://wwwpaulmundey.blogspot.com/2017/06/a-trip-around-son.html/ "Nothing Is Ever Wasted" http://wwwpaulmundey.blogspot.com/2016/12/nothing-is-ever-wasted.html For examples of God's Reign as applied to systemic sin, see: "The Climate Controversy" http://wwwpaulmundey.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-climate-controversy.html/  "What About Women In Ministry?" http://wwwpaulmundey.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-about-women-in-ministry.html