Had they been through too much? Would the weight of history filled with its destructive words and actions prove to be too excessive for the relationship? Had the bridge of a loving rapport been forever destroyed? Apparently not. Deep concern for his rebellious but repentant son's well-being drove the father to run and embrace him. Tears of joy unabashedly streamed down his own face as he gazed into what had once been a youthful defiant face. Today, those eyes were different. Today, a son was receiving something he had not deserved or earned. He was forgiven.
Sliding the DVD into the player, another father and son story roars to life on the screen. Would the weight of history filled with the son's deliberate alterations of his father's instructions prove to be too excessive for the relationship? Apparently not. Although the father had at one time demanded exact compliance to his instructions, now he allowed the son to reshape or even ignore his requests. Filled with pride and acceptance, the father joyfully embraced his son who had pursued a path of doing his own thing. Today, a son was receiving something he had not deserved or earned. He had full approval and acceptance.
At least to me, these dramas encapsulate both a similarity and an extreme divergence. Because the first story describes unmerited forgiveness and the second unmerited acceptance, both might be called narratives of grace. However, the conditions under which grace was extended could not have been more contrasting. In the first situation, the father's gift of forgiveness and acceptance was predicated upon the son's faithful response - namely, repentance. With the second story, the father's gift is given without regard to whether the son responded faithfully, a broad latitude of response was fully acceptable. To state this difference in another manner, there is a chasm between graciously forgiving what everyone acknowledges to be wrong and desires to correct, verses transforming the unacceptable into becoming a legitimate path to be ardently pursued.
Do not these two stories capture the two very different notions of grace that drive opposing approaches to worship and doctrine? Everyone agrees that grace involves receiving something we do not deserve. People generally acknowledge that in the New Testament grace includes gifts of the Spirit and salvation. But when the scriptures repeatedly speak of Christians being under grace, was the author also trying to communicate that God has enlarged the parameters of what he accepts from his people as being right? Has the unacceptable now become sanctioned?
To be sure, from the parable of the prodigal son to explanations regarding conversion, scripture is littered with God extending unmerited favor to those who respond to his offer./1 So my question is, where does the Bible teach or illustrate the second definition of grace? That is, where do we learn that God now blesses us to pursue paths and understandings which he formerly rejected? Does not God's word teach us the exact opposite message from this?/2
If the New Testament does not speak of the grace we have in Christ as nullifying a faithful response to God, then our doctrine as well as the forms of our worship and congregational structure are significant, though not the ground for our salvation. If these are significant to our God, what path ought we to walk? Should we deliberately ignore God's will to create our own paths so that the forgiveness of grace may abound?3 God forbid. We died to that way of living. Rather, as those who have been taken to serve God and righteousness, we should seek out what pleases our God.
Barry Newton, Copyright © 2005
1/ Luke 15:11-31; Romans 5:1-2; Titus 3:3-8; Ephesians 2:1-9
2/ 1 Timothy 4:15-16; 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 3:10-16; Titus 1:9; 2:1; 2 Timothy 1:13-14
3/ Romans 6:1-2
Other Articles Which Might Be of Interest
Grace Dictates Boundaries. It Does Not Empower Endless FreedomFor The Same Reason (Thoughts about being a restorationistic people. Why do we need the same message of grace as was first taught?)