GRACE, VIII

Showing Grace

I confess that I don’t listen to many radio or TV preachers, and I don’t read many books by preachers.  There are many good preachers who teach the Bible clearly and present the gospel clearly.  But so much of what is preached seems to be lacking in grace.

There are tirades against, and handwringing about the sins of America.  There are predictions of coming judgment.  And there are also calls to follow Jesus.  But little of grace is heard.  We don’t hear much about God’s grace, and we don’t hear any grace demonstrated by those who preach.  And our politicians are sounding more and more just like those graceless preachers.

In a previous post (GRACE II, the Grace ofGod), I defined God’s grace as “The expression of God’s love without condition toward those who do not merit it.”  Also that grace is a “communicable attribute of God” – that is “a characteristic of God that is also found in human beings.”  Then I noted “He apparently expects it of us.”

We don’t usually think of God’s grace in this way.  We like to think on His grace in saving us, of His grace that we experience daily, even of His grace in our suffering.  But to think of it as something that He expects of us is to me and I suspect, to many others, a bit troubling.

But if grace is as defined above, and if we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves, and one another as Christ loved us, then we have to see grace also as “the expression of our love without condition toward those who do not merit it.”

And this is the way that both Peter and Paul use it a few times.  They tell us how we need to demonstrate grace in our relationships, whether with our fellow believers or with unbelievers, or even with oppressive masters.  It is to be demonstrated in our speech as well as in our actions.

As often, however, we find that the ideas that these writers attempt to communicate are found first in the sayings of Jesus as recorded in the gospels.  Of course, Jesus is the embodiment of grace, and as He walked this earth, He was the example of grace.  He exemplified grace in His actions and even in His speech.  As Luke records of those who were listening to His sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth:

“And all were testifying to Him and were marveling at the gracious words (literally “words of grace”) coming out of His mouth …” (Luke 4:22).

Jesus doesn’t use the word “grace” very often, but He uses it three times as seen in Luke’s record of the Sermon on the Mount:

“And if you love those who love you, what grace is it?  For even the sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what grace is it?  Even the sinners do the same thing.  And if you lend to those from who you hope to receive, what grace is it?  Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive the same.

However, you are to love your enemies and do good and lend, expecting nothing back, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful (literally “graceless”) and evil” (Luke 6:32-34).

I translated the Greek word charis as “grace,” which is its usual meaning.  Most English versions translate it as “credit” or “thanks” with the understanding of Jesus’ question as meaning  “what favor or credit do these actions gain with God?”

This is, of course, a legitimate translation, but I suspect (can’t be dogmatic) that Jesus is not speaking here of God’s grace, but that of His hearers.  He’s asking “If you love only those who love you, how does this show grace on your part?”

If we do loving acts toward those who reciprocate, we are exercising love but not grace.  My love for my wife is powerful but it isn’t grace.  Of course, when I fail to reciprocate, when I return her love by being a jerk and she still acts in love toward me, she is exercising grace.

Jesus tells us that when we love our enemies, those who wish to do us harm, or who actually do us harm, we are demonstrating that we are God’s children.  We are showing grace.

And this grace should characterize our relationships with our fellow believers as well.  There are those weaker brothers and sisters who need building up.  As Paul says:

“No nasty word should come out of your mouth, but only what’s good for building up of the one in need, in order that it might give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

Peter tells us that even when suffering we are to exercise grace toward those who abuse their authority over us:

“You house-servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the crooked.  For this is grace if for the sake of conscience toward God, one bears up under grief when suffering unjustly.  For what credit is it if you endure when you are beaten for sinning?  But if you endure when you suffer for doing good, this is grace with God” (1 Peter 2:18-20).

And Paul tells us that our conversation with those who do not know Christ is also to be characterized by grace.

“Walk in wisdom toward those outside, redeeming the time, your speech always with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you know how to give an answer to every one” (Colossians 4:5, 6).

I believe that our conversation with unbelievers is to show grace in two ways.  We are, of course, to be able to clearly tell them of God’s grace that He has demonstrated toward them in the sacrifice of His Son.  But this message is to be conveyed with grace on our part.  There should be no place in our relationships for a critical or judgmental spirit.  If we do not demonstrate grace toward others, how can we expect them to desire the grace of God?

I’M A MEMBER OF A VOTING BLOC?

Evangelical Christians have finally received the recognition we have desired.  We’re now considered a voting bloc.  Our votes and opinions affect election outcomes.  Prominent evangelical leaders are questioned by reporters regularly as to which (Republican) presidential candidate they are currently endorsing.  They are questioned as to their opinions about the genuineness of the faith of our President and that of the other candidates.  And they seem to always be eager to pass judgment on matters relating not only to these persons’ destiny in time, but also in eternity.

Political scholars and pundits see evangelicals as a powerful political movement.  We are given much of the credit for the rightward movement of the Republican Party.

Wow!  We’re right up there, running with the big dogs – the banking lobby, the health care lobby, the NRA and the Military Industrial Complex.  Now we have the power to bring America back to the state of righteousness from which she has fallen!

Is this what it’s all about?  Is this what we’re here for?  Is this what Jesus intended for us?  If so, we’re succeeding beyond our wildest dreams!  But if not …

My Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11^th Edition defines evangelical in a number of ways, but I believe the following definitions describe how we have historically understood ourselves.

“Evangelical:  1) of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel esp. as it is presented in the four Gospels.  3) emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual.”

There is no mention of a voting bloc, or of anything political.  I’m sure the 12^th Edition will correct that oversight?

The twelve apostles were concerned about greatness and apparently its accompanying power, as well.

“There arose a dispute among them as to which of them would be considered the greatest” (Luke 22:24).

“And He said to them, ‘The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called Benefactors.  But it is not this way with you!  But the one who is greatest among you must become as the youngest, and the one who leads as the one who serves.  For who is greater, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves?  Isn’t it the one at the table?  But I am among you as the One who serves!’”  (Luke 22:25-27)

This was not the first time Jesus had told them this, and if my chronology here is correct, He said this right after He had got up from the floor from washing their feet.

Jesus did promise power.  But it’s the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) – power for witness, power for service.  He didn’t promise us political power.  And if my understanding of history is correct, the spiritual power of the church – her witness – is in inverse proportion to her political power.   I believe what’s happening today demonstrates this.  As we become more and more enthralled with political power, our power for witness becomes more and more diluted.

So what kind of power do we want?

GRACE, VII

Grace and Suffering

“You are born, you suffer, you die.”

– Old proverb of uncertain origin

Suffering seems to be the lot of the human race and has been with us, to some degree, from the beginning.  History and the Bible are filled with it and philosophers have pondered it.  Most of us do our best to avoid it and not even think about it until it hits us, as it inevitably does in one form or another.  And we usually do not accept it as matter-of-factly as the proverb seems to do.

In fact, it seems to me that we who are followers of the suffering Savior are often those who have a difficult time resolving ourselves to suffering.

And yet, Jesus warned us that we would suffer.  He predicted His own sufferings and death and warned His followers they could expect the same.  Usually the sufferings He spoke of are those that accompany discipleship – insults, persecutions, hatred, strained relationships.  The New Testament writings, especially those of Paul, are filled with similar warnings.

But we’re not told that all of our sufferings are caused by direct persecutions related to our discipleship.  In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of the “narrow” or restricted road.  The Greek word used to describe the road is thlibo, which is often translated “afflict” (Matthew 7:14).  The road of discipleship is a road of affliction.  Paul gives a similar warning in Acts 14:22, where he tells the new disciples “…through many afflictions we must enter the “Kingdom of God.”  In neither passage is the manner given as to how these afflictions take place.

Perhaps one thing that bothers us about suffering is that most of our sufferings seem unrelated to our discipleship.  Most American Christians are not being persecuted for our faith (despite much rhetoric by preachers and politicians).  We suffer pain and illness and loss – both our own and that of our loved ones.  We suffer broken relationships.  Our suffering seems pointless and this pointlessness only serves to intensify our pain.  And as we look around, we must admit that most, if not all of the suffering in the world seems pointless.

Isn’t this what Paul was talking about when he said “…the creation was subjected to futility” (Romans 8:20a), and “…the whole creation groans and suffers birth pains together until now” (verse 22)?

The entire passage reads:  “For I consider that the sufferings of the present time aren’t worth comparing to the glory that is going to be revealed in us.  For the anxious longing of the creation eagerly awaits the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  For we know that all the creation groans and suffers birth pains together until now.  And not only that, but also we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly awaiting the redemption of our body!” (Romans 8:18-22)

Our suffering, says Paul, has purpose; it is something that we share with all creation – a fallen creation.  It is anticipatory – there’s something better coming.  And it is preparatory for that something better.

And this is where we must see grace.  It is grace that permits the sufferings in our lives and it is grace that carries us through those sufferings.

In Philippians 1:29, Paul has some strange counsel to give to a church that was undergoing persecution of some sort.  “…to you it has been given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for Him.”

The Greek word translated “given” here is charizomai, which is related to our word charis – grace or favor.  We could translate it “given as a favor” or “graciously given.”  What?  Is Paul telling these folks that not only is their faith something that they receive graciously from God, but that their suffering is as well?

Without getting too deep in a discussion about the sovereignty of God, it seems that we’d have to admit this to be true.  Suffering is part of God’s plan for us.  It is of His grace.  This also appears to be what Paul means in 1:7, where he says that even in his imprisonment his readers are “partakers of grace” with him.

But it is also grace that carries us through suffering, when we pray for relief and it doesn’t come.  We see this in Paul’s account of his “thorn in the flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

I am not here going to attempt to determine what Paul’s “thorn” was.  I have read too many commentaries and graded too many inane papers on this subject.  All we know for sure is what is given in the text.  Paul tells us that it was “a messenger of Satan,” that it “buffeted” him (literally the idea is of beating with the fist – cf. Matthew 26:67).  So we can conclude that this thorn was an affliction – whether physical, mental, emotional, relational or whatever.  And Paul tells us that it had a purpose – “to keep me from exalting myself” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

Then he tells us “I entreated the Lord three times concerning this, that it might go away from me” (verse 8).  And he received an answer, though not what he had asked for.  “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness’” (verse 9a).

I believe we can conclude from Paul’s experience that while God does not always answer our prayers for relief, He always gives His grace to see us through.

There are numerous passages that reinforce this idea.  Hebrews 4:15, 16; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5 all speak of the supply of grace in our time of need.

God’s purpose in our lives is that we should be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29) – to make us like Christ.  And since Christ suffered, we suffer as well.  We may pray for relief – Jesus Himself did.  God may choose to answer our prayer in a different manner.  But He always provides grace.  And grace, as Paul says “is sufficient.”

THE LIE

Though the word “lie” is found 10 times in the New Testament, it has the definite article only four times in Greek, and I believe should be translated the lie, though most of our English translations do not do so, at best placing this translation in a marginal note.

The definite article in Greek, even more than our English “the,” has many uses, but like our English word, it is usually used to point out a definite or particular person, place or thing.  So when we translate “the lie” we are not speaking of just any lie but of a particular lie.  What is this particular lie?

The first place we read of “the lie” is in John 8.  Jesus has been carrying on a heated discussion with the Jewish religious leaders as to who is who’s “father.”  They had claimed Abraham as their father or ancestor, both physical and spiritual (8:33-40).  Jesus rebuts this and they then, claim God as their Father and that Jesus is of illegitimate birth (41-43).  Jesus then hits them with the statement recorded in verse 44:

“You are of your father the devil and you want to do the desires of your father.  He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because truth is not in him.   Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own, because he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

It is not simply that the devil speaks an occasional lie, or even that he continually speaks lies, but that he, Satan speaks the particular lie, which comes from his own nature and that he is the “father” of this lie, in the sense of its originating with him.  Perhaps we could even call it the original lie.

If this is a correct inference, we might want to go back in the biblical record to find this lie, which we find recorded in the first book of the Bible.

“And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die, because God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4, 5).

Like many lies that have followed, this original lie contained a germ of truth.  The eyes of the woman – and the man – would “be opened” and they would know “good and evil,” but not in the way implied (verses 6 and 7).  They would not be “like God.”

And this is what the lie really is – that a human being could be “like God” or even be God.

In the second use of “the lie” in our New Testament, it is found in the words of Paul.  In Romans 1:18-32, Paul is describing “the descent of man” from an original knowledge of God through the evidence of creation, into idolatry.

“Such ones exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshipped and served the created thing rather than the Creator --Who is blessed unto the ages.  Amen!” (Romans 1:25).

Here we see that deity is ascribed to what is created.  Not only has man exalted himself to being God, but also “birds, four footed animals, even reptiles” (verse 23).

The fourth use of “the lie” (I’ll get to the third use later) is found in Paul’s prophetic description of the great apostasy of the last days, when a man, whom Paul calls “the son of destruction” will actually “take his seat in the sanctuary of God, showing himself as being God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4).

“And because of this, God is sending to them the operation of deceit so that they will believe the lie …” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

And so the history of humankind is filled from beginning to end with “the lie.”  Whether pagan idolatry or modern philosophy, mankind is worshipped in the place of God.  A human being is exalted or exalts himself to the status of God.

But the lie is always presented in contrast to the truth.  Man cannot become God – but God became Man.  Jesus said, “I am … the Truth …” (John 14:6).  This is the great truth of history – the ultimate truth.  And those who have put their faith in this Truth do not need the lie.

There is one more use of the term “the lie.”  It is found in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.  In chapters 4-6, Paul is explaining how the believer is to “walk” or behave in the light of his position in Christ.  It is to be by a renewing of the mind, a laying aside of the “old self” and his habits (4:22-24), and along with this “the lie.”

“Therefore, laying aside the lie, each of you speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).

Our “old self” – our pre-Christ personality, has been characterized by that self-deification tendency that has ruled in us since the garden.  And it still keeps asserting its influence on us even after we have come to Christ.  We are now to be characterized by truth in our dealings with each other – truth in our conversation and also truth as to who we really are.

God is God and I’m not!

See:    WHAT IS TRUTH?

            BE REAL