As someone involved in Bible teaching in the church, I resolve to do the following:
Preach free grace until they accuse me of antinomianism; and preach discipleship until I am accused of legalism!
It's just not enough to strike a balance between the two and sell each absolute short.
5 comments:
Perhaps a better title for this piece would be 'more imbalance required'?
Yes, I see where you are coming from. The reason I chose the title was to suggest that to have a 'balance' between these 2 things is in itself insufficient.
In suggesting that the requirements of discipleship are high, but that the grace of God reaches low, I am not favouring an imbalance ie. an emphasis on one at the expense of the other, nor a comprise on either; but the need to go beyond this into treating each aspect fully, hence: 'more than'.
This is obviously harder to do systematically; but does at least free the preacher to perform the exegetical and expository tasks first and fully - without using systematics to 'pull the teeth' from the weight of individual texts.
Ah - 'pulling the teeth from individual texts' - a nasty thing indeed. But of course I doubt we feel it should be done in all cases. To give two examples-
We are very keen to 'pull the teeth' from the Canaanite genocide narratives and from tales where Jesus calls for radical selflessness & simple living. In the latter case a sensible modern rendition of those who have two cloaks giving to him who has none would be those who have two houses (or perhaps one very large one?) giving to those who have none.
Indeed this last example doesn't even really fit. Your law/grace & my genocide/love your enemies are ideas in tension within scripture, whereas the example of caring sacrificially for the poor appears to be unappossedly biblical (yet strangely unpreached and ignored).
Indeed - and well said.
Your final point brings us back to the opening salvo; the need for preachers not to short-change the requirements of 'discipleship' (rather than law) by trading it against grace.
When we we realise that Paul's famous "should I sin more, that grace may more abound? By no means!" applies equally to sins of ommission as to those of commision to which they are usually assumed to apply.
"oh, the good I have left undone"
My dear boys, this really is excellent work. There is nothing that gladens the heart of our father below like knowing that people are talking and writing endlessly about 'ideas in tension', bemoaning the fact of leaving good undone, and the lack of care for the poor.
You know it is most excellent to hear young 'christians' like yourselves talk about the importance of caring for the poor, and how it is not preached enough from the pulpit. Humans talking about it is, I find, a verygood armour plating against actually doing anything. By all means- bring the story about cloaks up to date- how jolly creative of you - just be sure not to do anything about it. Remember worldly advancement is the real key to success and peace. Get up that property ladder (you *need* to invest for your children) - you deserve that newer car (after all look at all the nice cars in the church car park - it must be OK).
Your affectionate uncle,
Screwtape
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