What’s the point of “grace” in popular Christianity, anyway? What does it mean? What is it for?
I think it is interesting that we stand up in church and sing, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” It often seems that the next, un-sung line in many people’s minds is, “but not that poor sucker around the corner. He’s too far gone. Not even God’s grace can save him.”
Then, we talk about how the death penalty is a good thing saying, “So and so deserves death. They don’t deserve another chance. Any type of repentance they might show is just a show to try to get off.” Apparently, the un-said part of that is that, “Not even God’s grace can make a difference in that person’s life.”
Some are asked to teach Sunday School, but the response we hear is, “Well, I really don’t know anything about the Bible. I just don’t think I have the ability to do something like that. I’ve never tried, but I really just want to focus on me. I need my own Sunday School class.” What’s not being said here: “I don’t think God, in God’s grace, will help me be able to do this. Grace is something I need. If those in the Sunday School class that need a teacher don’t find or experience God’s grace, it’s not my fault. That’s what God is supposed to do.”
Others are asked to serve food to the less fortunate or the homeless, but what we hear is, “If they want food, they just need to go get a job. It’s their own fault that they are hungry. It’s none of my business.” Maybe what we are really hearing is, “I just don’t think it is fair that everybody has access to God’s grace. I don’t think it should be unconditional. Everybody needs to do something to deserve it.”
Sadly, we forget that, by definition, grace means a FREE gift that one receives even though they don’t deserve it. Sadly, we have the idea that grace is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.” The idea here is, “Jesus did it so I won’t have to.” Sadly, we live life as if God’s grace really isn’t all that amazing after all. We claim to be people who “believe the Bible,” and yet we don’t pay attention to (or we ignore) passages such as:
- There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
(1 John 4:18, NRSV)
- I am confident of this, that the one [God] who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 1:6, NRSV - Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
(2 Corinthians 4:15, NRSV - But [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
(2 Corinthians 12:9, NRSV - For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
(Ephesians 2:8-10, NRSV - I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:13, NRSV - For mortals [salvation] is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.
(Mark 10:27, NRSV
What I think all of this means is that we are not all that amazing, and we tend to view the world in that same way. Yet, we forget that God’s grace makes us amazing, makes the world amazing, and allows us to do amazing things in the world for God. Let us not forget that God’s grace is amazing – for ALL people!
(Originally posted at http://theology-of-t-roy.blogspot.com/2009/03/amazing-grace.html on March 9, 2009)
