I was finishing up Joseph Ratzinger's Introduction to Christianity and it came to the part in the Apostles' Creed about how Jesus will "come again to judge the living and the dead."
“Salvation comes "through the fire," an ordeal everyone must undergo. No matter who you are, you will, in the end, face the music”
I think perhaps there might need to be some proportionality considered here first and woven into the proposition, before making such a broad statement. Does a young child of five dying of cancer “face the music” (?) or those with severe (ASD) (?) As we hear or read those words of Paul, clearly inspired by The Spirit, He is transforming our hearts and minds towards the revelation of who God is in Christ and what he has done for us. An acknowledgement of our responsibility is integral, but it will never be enough, nor will it ever supersede his Grace – “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” – Romans 5:20
I would think it will be like the story of how during Harry Truman's 1948 "Whistle Stop" presidential campaign, a supporter in Iowa yelled "Give 'em Hell Harry". Truman shot back, "I don't give 'em Hell, I just tell the truth and they think it's Hell".
Grace is generally misconstrued as being somewhat equivalent to forgiveness and mercy. The “Christian” definition of grace, from the Evangelical perspective, is God’s unmerited favor, or getting what you don’t deserve, or God’s benevolence on the undeserving. When you understand how these definitions were constructed, by seeing how grace is used in scriptural text, you understand that these definitions are contextual. Grace, regardless of its context, however, is still grace. Allow me to give an example.
Jesus was full of grace. If grace is God’s benevolence on the undeserving, is that implying that Jesus was the most undeserving of us all? Of course not. The grace that Jesus was full of is grace used in a different context. But grace, in any context, is still grace. Unless you know the intrinsic meaning of grace, it will appear to be something different in each context in which it is found.
We get all our definitions from the contexts in which they are found. To construct a definition, you must first understand the text. To understand the text, you must first understand the meaning of the words, their definitions. Theologians have been chasing their tails in this way from the beginning, and we are the collateral damage. This need not be.
What definition of grace would you construct from the context of where sin abounds, grace much more abounds? (Romans 5:20) And what could possibly make sense of one thinking that continuing in sin would be a good strategy to get grace to abound? (Romans 6:1) If your theology cannot answer these questions, maybe it is time to re-examine.
What is the solution? A word inherits its meaning from the things that it represents; that is its intrinsic meaning. Like Adam named the animals in the garden (Genesis 2), words represent things, and in the case of grace, it represents one thing. When you see that one thing, you will see how it makes sense in all the contexts wherein it is found.
Grace is exclusive to the kingdom of heaven. If you have not seen the kingdom of heaven, you will not be able to see the thing grace represents, and it will continue to elude you. I could tell you what it is, but you are not ready to hear. It will conflict with your current “essential doctrines” and push you into cognitive dissonance. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you. When you see the kingdom, look for grace. Faith will soon follow. You will see sin in a new light, and righteousness. John 15 elaborates on the kingdom of heaven. I suggest you start there.
“I attempt to hold together two theological commitments that sit in tension. First, a hopeful eschatology where God, in the end, is "all in all." Second, a fierce prophetic conviction that what we do here on earth matters and that God will judge the evils, injustices, and oppressions at work in the world.”
Beautifully expressed as usual. I’m teaching an adult class on Christian Universalism and looking for ways to express the fact that it does not preclude judgement. This will help alongside George MacDonald’s famous sermon, The Refining Fire.”
“Salvation comes "through the fire," an ordeal everyone must undergo. No matter who you are, you will, in the end, face the music”
I think perhaps there might need to be some proportionality considered here first and woven into the proposition, before making such a broad statement. Does a young child of five dying of cancer “face the music” (?) or those with severe (ASD) (?) As we hear or read those words of Paul, clearly inspired by The Spirit, He is transforming our hearts and minds towards the revelation of who God is in Christ and what he has done for us. An acknowledgement of our responsibility is integral, but it will never be enough, nor will it ever supersede his Grace – “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” – Romans 5:20
I would think it will be like the story of how during Harry Truman's 1948 "Whistle Stop" presidential campaign, a supporter in Iowa yelled "Give 'em Hell Harry". Truman shot back, "I don't give 'em Hell, I just tell the truth and they think it's Hell".
Grace is generally misconstrued as being somewhat equivalent to forgiveness and mercy. The “Christian” definition of grace, from the Evangelical perspective, is God’s unmerited favor, or getting what you don’t deserve, or God’s benevolence on the undeserving. When you understand how these definitions were constructed, by seeing how grace is used in scriptural text, you understand that these definitions are contextual. Grace, regardless of its context, however, is still grace. Allow me to give an example.
Jesus was full of grace. If grace is God’s benevolence on the undeserving, is that implying that Jesus was the most undeserving of us all? Of course not. The grace that Jesus was full of is grace used in a different context. But grace, in any context, is still grace. Unless you know the intrinsic meaning of grace, it will appear to be something different in each context in which it is found.
We get all our definitions from the contexts in which they are found. To construct a definition, you must first understand the text. To understand the text, you must first understand the meaning of the words, their definitions. Theologians have been chasing their tails in this way from the beginning, and we are the collateral damage. This need not be.
What definition of grace would you construct from the context of where sin abounds, grace much more abounds? (Romans 5:20) And what could possibly make sense of one thinking that continuing in sin would be a good strategy to get grace to abound? (Romans 6:1) If your theology cannot answer these questions, maybe it is time to re-examine.
What is the solution? A word inherits its meaning from the things that it represents; that is its intrinsic meaning. Like Adam named the animals in the garden (Genesis 2), words represent things, and in the case of grace, it represents one thing. When you see that one thing, you will see how it makes sense in all the contexts wherein it is found.
Grace is exclusive to the kingdom of heaven. If you have not seen the kingdom of heaven, you will not be able to see the thing grace represents, and it will continue to elude you. I could tell you what it is, but you are not ready to hear. It will conflict with your current “essential doctrines” and push you into cognitive dissonance. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you. When you see the kingdom, look for grace. Faith will soon follow. You will see sin in a new light, and righteousness. John 15 elaborates on the kingdom of heaven. I suggest you start there.
“I attempt to hold together two theological commitments that sit in tension. First, a hopeful eschatology where God, in the end, is "all in all." Second, a fierce prophetic conviction that what we do here on earth matters and that God will judge the evils, injustices, and oppressions at work in the world.”
I hold these in tension as well.
Beautifully expressed as usual. I’m teaching an adult class on Christian Universalism and looking for ways to express the fact that it does not preclude judgement. This will help alongside George MacDonald’s famous sermon, The Refining Fire.”
Very well done, Richard. Thank you
Beautiful. Brings to mind Ratzinger's writing on "living _for_".