Thursday, August 04, 2011
THE Question
9Marks asks (while plugging a book):
Well, in my opinion it tells us that everybody knows the answer, but is afraid to actually say it. In other words, everybody knows that the correct response is "Of course, anything less is cheap grace," but they are afraid to say it because they know the such an answer would be unpopular with Joe and Jane Pewsitter. Either that, or it would mean we are all subject to discipline (which we ARE!) and such would once again not set well with the plate fillers of the world. And so, we pretend the question does not exist.
And yet, the purpose of such discipline is to fulfill grace, it is not antithetical to it.
But we do not want to face the sin in ourselves, and that most certainly means we cannot face the sin in another. But most sadly, that means we do not want to really be God's people. We want the cheap grace to be sure, but we want little or nothing to do with the real power that God offers us.
And we wonder why we lose the culture wars.
Should a Church Ever Discipline Someone Who Claims to Be Repentant?They got no response. Fascinating isn't it - no response. What does that tell us about so important a question?
Well, in my opinion it tells us that everybody knows the answer, but is afraid to actually say it. In other words, everybody knows that the correct response is "Of course, anything less is cheap grace," but they are afraid to say it because they know the such an answer would be unpopular with Joe and Jane Pewsitter. Either that, or it would mean we are all subject to discipline (which we ARE!) and such would once again not set well with the plate fillers of the world. And so, we pretend the question does not exist.
And yet, the purpose of such discipline is to fulfill grace, it is not antithetical to it.
But we do not want to face the sin in ourselves, and that most certainly means we cannot face the sin in another. But most sadly, that means we do not want to really be God's people. We want the cheap grace to be sure, but we want little or nothing to do with the real power that God offers us.
And we wonder why we lose the culture wars.
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