There is no doubt the New Testament
delivers a robust message of grace. There is also no doubt the New
Testament warns against packaging grace in a message of entitlement. This
mistake begins with a misunderstanding of the angelic message to the shepherds –
“Peace on earth, good will toward men.” It reaches its most aberrant distortion
in the twin questions, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” and
“Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Thus, many churches promote grace as a harbor for imagined carnal spirituality. After all, that is what the customer wants; and he wants it so he can feel
shrewd in getting a good deal or offended when the contents of the package do
not fulfill his expectations.
Many Christians have forgotten or do not want to
remember, in our consumer culture, the foundation on which the truth of grace
is built. Grace is neither a product nor a package. It has nothing to do with
the entitlement one claims when he has bought a commodity. It is, instead, the
result of one of the most scorned of God's offered gifts. When that gift is presented,
grace will predictably be rejected or distorted; or it will become an atmosphere of
exuberant praise and an incentive to purity in those who receive it.
That most scorned of God's gifts is – mercy.
In his allegory, The Holy War, John Bunyan described the counsel of Diabolus to citizens of the
fallen city of Mansoul.
My shield is unbelief, or calling into question…all
the sayings that speak of the judgment that Shaddai has appointed for wicked
men…. If he speaks of mercy, care not for it….
Another part…of my…armor is a… prayerless spirit
that scorns to cry for mercy, let the danger be ever so great.
Note: This quote from The Holy War is found near the end of Chapter Three. If you find Bunyan's seventeenth century English difficult you might especially enjoy Ethel Barrett's paraphrase in text or recorded narrative.
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