Wow... I'm writing my second post this week. Given my track record over this summer this is a pretty huge thing. I have just been mulling some thoughts over all day and find that writing them out on here works best (besides, I always enjoy seeing what others think about my mullings).
I'm currently working my way through the book Above All Earthly Powers: Christ in a Postmodern World by David F. Wells. He chronicles the rise of postmodernism in North America (specifically the US), looks at the world views tied in with postmodernism, and then assesses the role of the church in this postmodern world (yes, I know I just used "postmodern" a lot in one sentence). The book has been very interesting, but the last chapter has really started to delve into the role of the church, and this has gotten me interested. At the end of the chapter he says:
"Thus it is that we have two diametrically opposed visions of life. In the one, there is no center; in the other, there is and it is Christ. In the one, life is but a succession of random events; in the other, lie is lived out under the sovereign rule of Christ. In the one, we are alone in the cosmos; in the other, we are not. In the one, salvation is humanly managed; in the other, it is divinely given. Christianity best flourishes when the sharpness of these opposing visions is preserved, and it becomes sickened when it is not."
The next chapter begins with a quotation from Dietrich Bonhoeffer which I also want to share.
"Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices... Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."
Huh...
I'm not going to lie, this is one of my peeves with the church (or rather, with some churches that I have attended). The prosperity gospel and the making of the gospel what people term "palatable" bothers me. Not only do they bother me, but I find that preaching both of them develops Christians who, when they reach a brick wall, will be crushed by it. Christianity is no easy. As Bonhoeffer said, it requires repentence, discipline, confession, discipleship... and most importantly, Christ. When we lose sight of this, of the "diametrically opposed visions of life," Christianity becomes sickened. This doesn't make it flourish.
When Charming was up visiting we were talking about youth and a focus on theology (this was when he mentioned the Heidelberg Catechism). He has worked with youth for a while, and said one of his goals was to ground them, to help them know what they believe so that when they come across a brick wall it doesn't crush them. When they hit a crisis of faith, they will have a foundation to stand upon. I joked that when I hit my brick wall it did crush me... God just managed to help me crawl through the rubble and get to the other side.
Yesterday at church we were discussing what it means to be "citizens of Heaven" and to have our minds focused on "heavenly things." We broke up into groups to discuss this and one of the things my group came up with had to do with looking at how Jesus lived.
Jesus loved. But He didn't sugar coat things. He forgave, but He also said "Go and sin no more." He trained His disciples. This didn't mean He coddled them. He came down hard on the Pharisees, but that wasn't because He hated them. He loved them and knew they could be so much more than what they were being.
Jesus didn't offer cheap grace.
This has been a summer of reflection for me, a summer where I have done a lot of looking back over the lessons God has taught me, the ways He has proved His love and faithfulness to me.
This last week as I prepare myself for school, I have started to look ahead. I'm not content with what I have learned so far and I know there is so much more out there. I don't want to settle into a pattern of living in the past. I can never forget what God has done for me, but I also can't live only in those lessons. He has laid a foundation, but I believe He also wants to build on that. I want to live a life of costly grace. Christ paid a price for me... I don't want to cheapify that. Will it be easy? No. It will require discipline, repentance, confession, accountability... but will it be worth it?
Definitely.
This is my story.
I'm currently working my way through the book Above All Earthly Powers: Christ in a Postmodern World by David F. Wells. He chronicles the rise of postmodernism in North America (specifically the US), looks at the world views tied in with postmodernism, and then assesses the role of the church in this postmodern world (yes, I know I just used "postmodern" a lot in one sentence). The book has been very interesting, but the last chapter has really started to delve into the role of the church, and this has gotten me interested. At the end of the chapter he says:
"Thus it is that we have two diametrically opposed visions of life. In the one, there is no center; in the other, there is and it is Christ. In the one, life is but a succession of random events; in the other, lie is lived out under the sovereign rule of Christ. In the one, we are alone in the cosmos; in the other, we are not. In the one, salvation is humanly managed; in the other, it is divinely given. Christianity best flourishes when the sharpness of these opposing visions is preserved, and it becomes sickened when it is not."
The next chapter begins with a quotation from Dietrich Bonhoeffer which I also want to share.
"Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices... Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."
Huh...
I'm not going to lie, this is one of my peeves with the church (or rather, with some churches that I have attended). The prosperity gospel and the making of the gospel what people term "palatable" bothers me. Not only do they bother me, but I find that preaching both of them develops Christians who, when they reach a brick wall, will be crushed by it. Christianity is no easy. As Bonhoeffer said, it requires repentence, discipline, confession, discipleship... and most importantly, Christ. When we lose sight of this, of the "diametrically opposed visions of life," Christianity becomes sickened. This doesn't make it flourish.
When Charming was up visiting we were talking about youth and a focus on theology (this was when he mentioned the Heidelberg Catechism). He has worked with youth for a while, and said one of his goals was to ground them, to help them know what they believe so that when they come across a brick wall it doesn't crush them. When they hit a crisis of faith, they will have a foundation to stand upon. I joked that when I hit my brick wall it did crush me... God just managed to help me crawl through the rubble and get to the other side.
Yesterday at church we were discussing what it means to be "citizens of Heaven" and to have our minds focused on "heavenly things." We broke up into groups to discuss this and one of the things my group came up with had to do with looking at how Jesus lived.
Jesus loved. But He didn't sugar coat things. He forgave, but He also said "Go and sin no more." He trained His disciples. This didn't mean He coddled them. He came down hard on the Pharisees, but that wasn't because He hated them. He loved them and knew they could be so much more than what they were being.
Jesus didn't offer cheap grace.
This has been a summer of reflection for me, a summer where I have done a lot of looking back over the lessons God has taught me, the ways He has proved His love and faithfulness to me.
This last week as I prepare myself for school, I have started to look ahead. I'm not content with what I have learned so far and I know there is so much more out there. I don't want to settle into a pattern of living in the past. I can never forget what God has done for me, but I also can't live only in those lessons. He has laid a foundation, but I believe He also wants to build on that. I want to live a life of costly grace. Christ paid a price for me... I don't want to cheapify that. Will it be easy? No. It will require discipline, repentance, confession, accountability... but will it be worth it?
Definitely.
This is my story.
I wish I could remember the writer but we underestimate the full meaning of grace. Grace is something you get that you don't deserve, none of us. The dirty rotten scoundrel I spent much of my life being, has been given grace by God. This means that even though I don't deserve it, I have got it. I can't really earn grace. I can't buy it. BUT, I do have to continue to be the changed person that God wants me to be, even though I am in my late 60's. Grace never ceases to completely amaze me and as soon as I figure I have it all thought through, He reveals a little bit more to me. How come you have this concept and I am just getting it at my age.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Harry, grace is a gift given to us by God that we can never earn. I guess I just get frustrated when people seem to dumb it down. The "seeker friendly" movement really irks me--grace is an amazing concept. Living a life that is identified by the grace of God is not easy, it requires work on our part, but God's grace covers over our screw ups along the way (which is good... because I have a lot of those!).
DeleteThanks for commenting!!!!!
Thanks so much for the emphasis on "Costly grace." Maybe that will attract some people of the prosperity gospel. Yes, the contrast was well defined. To be alone in the cosmos does not sound good. Our soul longs for our Saviour!! God bless you this coming year in your studies.
ReplyDeletePauline