Justification, part 1
February 27th 2007 12:56
A couple of days ago, I posted the link for an essay written by Kevin Rudd that was written about one of his intellectual heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Funnily enough, Herr Bonhoeffer is also one of my heroes. His life story aside, what he wrote about costly grace vs cheap grace in his book "The Cost of Discipleship." was absolutely brilliant.
The cut and thrust of cheap grace is that it is absolution with repentance. THat it is something with a price tag that is easily affordable. And it is the amongst the greatest enemies of the church. It is the kind of grace given whereby a man is told that his faults, his failings, his imperfections are not worth worrying about and so he is free to do anything. Costly grace (I am using Herr Bonhoeffer's term) however, is not so. It is forgiveness and justification fo the sinner. It is the grace that a man gives up his own self and life for, each and every day. It is what the christian life revolves around.
I am not saying that it has to be earned, for it cannot be earned. That is the point of it. But what is part of this forgiveness is the justification of those being forgiven. That a sinner is made into a saint. And this itself has its own consequences. No longer can the man remain the sinner and stay under grace, he is changed, he is justified. As he accepts the gift of freedom he also accepts the responsibilites of being free. He is no longer permitted to remain as a man trapped in sin, but has now been given the empowerment, and therefore the duty, of being a slave to righteousness.
This is by no means the finished essay on this topic. It is but the start of a series.
JZ
The cut and thrust of cheap grace is that it is absolution with repentance. THat it is something with a price tag that is easily affordable. And it is the amongst the greatest enemies of the church. It is the kind of grace given whereby a man is told that his faults, his failings, his imperfections are not worth worrying about and so he is free to do anything. Costly grace (I am using Herr Bonhoeffer's term) however, is not so. It is forgiveness and justification fo the sinner. It is the grace that a man gives up his own self and life for, each and every day. It is what the christian life revolves around.
I am not saying that it has to be earned, for it cannot be earned. That is the point of it. But what is part of this forgiveness is the justification of those being forgiven. That a sinner is made into a saint. And this itself has its own consequences. No longer can the man remain the sinner and stay under grace, he is changed, he is justified. As he accepts the gift of freedom he also accepts the responsibilites of being free. He is no longer permitted to remain as a man trapped in sin, but has now been given the empowerment, and therefore the duty, of being a slave to righteousness.
This is by no means the finished essay on this topic. It is but the start of a series.
JZ
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Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Sorry my mind is a little boggled with reading at the moment...I will have to go back and read Kevin Rudd`s article... I have read most of it and it is a fascinating read into someone that I knew little of before.
With regards to what you have started here....
Just so that I understand...two types of sinners? First the one who sins because he knows he will be forgiven and will not be strong enough to stand up to temptation....
Second one who sins, not out of choice, but out of the real reason that the first one has skipped across...that we are human but should not use this flaw within ourselves to be a weak human?
And the second sinner must accept that more temptation comes with the freer you find yourself of the first mans chains?
I just want to make sure I have understood you properly...interesting read JZ
ash
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
I might need to do this one again.....
You have a point, there are two types of sinners. Those that say sorry and thankyou and then live by that, and those that do not.
The problem has been for a long time that this distinction is either unseen or kept under the rug. Not a good thing.
As terrible as it is to admit, christianity is a funny kind of religion. It is very much black and white for everyone, with alot of different colours for each individual...
JZ
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Yeah I hear you on this one I am struggling with it myself...finding it difficult to believe that it is so cut and dried...there just seems to be so much to discover....
I see you have a new post up....heading over....
ash