I mentioned briefly in my sermon on Sunday a brewing conflict in the heart of Christianity, based largely around a misunderstanding of the identity of Jesus. I stand by those words, since I think there really is a growing division in the Church about who Jesus is and what really mattered to him. The conflict is not new, but it seems to flare up periodically and this seems to be one of those times.
On one side are the legalists, the moralists, and Pharisees of this contemporary age. At the core of their beliefs is the idea that the “rules” matter and matter most. One lives their life in a focused effort on avoiding sin. That, in of itself, is not a bad thing, but it also often manifests as a concerted effort to make others avoid sin as well. Hence, we have a county clerk in Kentucky who refuses to issue marriage licenses to gay couples because she believes she will be held accountable for whatever “sins” those couples commit. God will punish me, not merely for the things I do wrong, but for the things I did not prevent others from doing wrong.
There is a certain logic and rationality to this position. After all, if the goal is to usher in the kingdom of God and to make the world a better place, then it stands to reason that we must squash sin wherever it manifests, both within ourselves and in others. If we fail in this task, the kingdom of God is delayed all the more, the world remains a cesspool, and God is displeased that his plan is not moving forward. We will therefore be held accountable for our part in the failure of God’s plan to advance.
There are a number of problems with this way of thinking, not the least of which is the hubris that God’s plan depends upon us. It doesn’t. It never did. God’s plan relied and relies upon Christ. It relies on his obedience, his sacrifice, his cross. It is by grace that the kingdom is ushered in. It is by forgiveness that sin is ultimately dealt with. It is by sacrifice on the cross that victory is achieved.
In this, there is no logic or rationality. It’s nonsense. One does not win by losing. One does not gain by sacrifice. Where’s the accountability for our actions? Where do our choices for good or for ill matter? It doesn’t make sense that I can be this sinful person and yet be loved, accepted, and embraced by the One without sin. It doesn’t follow.
And yet, that is the truth. “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.”
Grace is the operative norm of the universe. It is only by God’s grace that we have any hope of salvation. If the legalists were right and it depended upon our slavish avoidance of any and all sin, we would be doomed. We simply cannot live up to that standard. As many have already pointed out, our aforementioned county clerk is herself thrice divorced. She does not live up to the standard she sets for others or herself. None of us could.
But we do not have to. Jesus spells out the plan of salvation to Nicodemus in that famous passage from John 3, a passage so many have memorized and yet so few fully understand. “For God so loved…” God loves humanity. He loves creation. Because of his love, he seeks to save those that he loves, so he acts. He sends his son incarnate. He goes to the cross to be lifted up and die. He rises again on the third day. He does it all for us. It is not earned. It is not merited. We do not deserve this gift, and yet it is given anyway. Not because we’re so wonderful, holy, and sinless, but because God chooses to give the gift of salvation. It’s his call. His choice. It is his decision to save you.
And no, it does not make sense. What goes around comes around. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. We’re told time again by the wisdom of the world that such grace does not and cannot exist. But, as Paul writes, it’s not by the wisdom of the world that we will be saved. It will be by the power of God, a power made manifest in weakness, a power seen most keenly in a dying man on a cross.
Thank God for the foolishness of grace. For though it and only through it, we have life and salvation. Amen.
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