Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Joe Carter Is A Jerk
Look, I didn't say it - JOE DID!
Well that and because the place this little confession leads him is sooooo good:
Even those that many of us think are leaning a little too strongly to the grace half of the saying become less graceful towards those that they deem ungracious. We're kinda funny that way, we can end up legalistic about not being legalistic.
The key, I think, is to remember that grace removes sin, conquers it, sends it away. Think about Christ's ministry for a minute. Did Jesus battle sin? No, save for the legalism of the established religious heirarchy. The prostitutes, publicans, and sinners around Christ were not chastised and admonsihed, shamed and marginalized, rather they were shown a different way, because Jesus knew they knew their own disgrace, all they needed was the opportunity to head in a different direction. The grace of Christ gave them that opportunity.
Which, by the way, is why the one sin Christ did battle was the legalism in the estqablished religious authority. You see that legalism made the path they offered no more inviting than the one the sinner was currently on. That legalism was not different enough to adequately reflect God's true nature, and therefore malaigned that name.
How often do we chastise the sin in others, or even ourselves, but fail to provide the alternative? Joe is right, hating sin is only half the equation. If we do not provide the path of and to grace, we are left sitting in our sin, now simply chastised for being there. If we do not ourselves take the path of grace we too are stuck in our sin, and we offer the world nothing.
Related Tags: grace, sin, chastisement, difference, Pharisee, Joe Carter
In almost every one of my relationships there comes a point when the other person—whether acquaintance, friend, or coworker—realizes that I’m kind of a jerk.Now, I must confess, I don't know Joe all that well, only met him 3-4 times, but I have yet to experience this epiphany. However, I'll take his word for it, since I don't think he is terribly unique in this.
Well that and because the place this little confession leads him is sooooo good:
For thirty years the Holy Spirit has been leading me to hate sin and I have responded, albeit modestly. As theologian R.C Sproul says, "Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself."I am quite tempted to go on a rant here because I do think Joe has neatly summarized the greatest problem with his particular brand of our faith, the Southern Baptist, but I think it best to keep this on the personal level. We all share this issue to one extent or another.
For me, gratitude comes easy, which is why it is easy to hate sin since it is rejection of ingratitude. What is more difficult is grace. Grace does not come naturally, which makes it easier for me to ignore the promptings of the Spirit in that direction.
We Christians often say we should, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." I've certainly made headway on half that cliché. For the sanctification of this jerk to progress, though, I need to start acting on the other half.
Even those that many of us think are leaning a little too strongly to the grace half of the saying become less graceful towards those that they deem ungracious. We're kinda funny that way, we can end up legalistic about not being legalistic.
The key, I think, is to remember that grace removes sin, conquers it, sends it away. Think about Christ's ministry for a minute. Did Jesus battle sin? No, save for the legalism of the established religious heirarchy. The prostitutes, publicans, and sinners around Christ were not chastised and admonsihed, shamed and marginalized, rather they were shown a different way, because Jesus knew they knew their own disgrace, all they needed was the opportunity to head in a different direction. The grace of Christ gave them that opportunity.
Which, by the way, is why the one sin Christ did battle was the legalism in the estqablished religious authority. You see that legalism made the path they offered no more inviting than the one the sinner was currently on. That legalism was not different enough to adequately reflect God's true nature, and therefore malaigned that name.
How often do we chastise the sin in others, or even ourselves, but fail to provide the alternative? Joe is right, hating sin is only half the equation. If we do not provide the path of and to grace, we are left sitting in our sin, now simply chastised for being there. If we do not ourselves take the path of grace we too are stuck in our sin, and we offer the world nothing.
Related Tags: grace, sin, chastisement, difference, Pharisee, Joe Carter
