Author: STEVE
To: John (in part) and to Bob (in part)
What a remarkable thing we have going here. Where else can you do such interactive reading? Here we get to ask the author questions, receive answers, and compose our own thoughts for a responsive audience. Truly a blessing, this “church” of ours. And God continues to delight, “for wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there I am also.”
John:
I’m anxious to see your next piece. When you say there are some gray areas you have been struggling with, my eyes light up. I think, maybe here’s an opportunity to offer something of value that might turn that gray into more bright colors for your psychedelic life. Your honesty and openness, my friend, give me much hope.
In my last letter, I hit a mark by mistake. When you shared the UFO experience, I thought you were implying that I might be gullible in believing all this Bible stuff. Using offense as my best defense, I tried to turn it on you by suggesting your biblical hesitancy could be prompted by deception in other venues. I did not realize this was your own critical self-assessment.
I therefore repeat my concern for you. What will you trust as worthy guide in your understanding and faith in God? (Please note for the record, your Honor, that understanding and faith are completely different levels of engagement with God.) Do I seem to you a man deceived, or do you sense a man blessed with a sure foundation? (Note: foundation does not mean a completed house.) Does Luke’s account of the disciples in Acts seem like men deceived, or men firmly grounded in their faith?
In the future, will you simply be intrigued and intellectually stimulated by your reading of the Bible, or will you find faith-building wisdom? Will you hear God call to you through your reading, as he calls to you through the people and events in your life? Or will you dispassionately analyze it from the safe distance of an editorial and historical critic? (Sorry, the tone of this challenge might be a little harsh.) Granted, it might be possible to critique and be personally moved. But, if you generally don’t trust it as a reliable source, you ain’t goin’ to be much moved.
Bob:
What a joy and privilege to begin unfolding “grace!” Your questions will help that unfolding, as I’m sure John’s will also. I’ll try to be as specific as possible in answering your questions.
You ask, “Why would God bestow any gift, whether it is salvation or any earthly blessing, in such a seemingly arbitrary manner as the concept of grace seems to imply?”
The question needs to be broken into parts, because there is an important distinction between salvation and earthly blessing.
Salvation is offered to all. God’s call to John, Bob, and Steve has come in different ways. But, there is nothing arbitrary about the call.
The salvation part of grace is best understood in Jesus’ parable about the workers in the field. Those that start working at the beginning, middle, and end of the day are all blessed with the same wages. (If I have time, I’ll look up the reference for you.) On the surface, the manager of the field appears unfair. But the point of the parable is that God, full of grace, offers salvation to all. The parable of the prodigal son also seems to convey unfairness. But the point of that parable is that God (the father in the parable) is as delighted to offer reunion (salvation) to the wandering son as to the son who never left.
On now to earthly blessings. The tendency is to equate different amounts of earthly blessings with “arbitrary,” and then “arbitrary” with “unfair.” Another parable comes to mind that best illustrates grace in this context. That is the parable of the five, two, and one talent. The recipients of the five and two “invest” their blessings wisely, doubling the blessing. The recipient of the one talent, bemoaning his little gift, does nothing with it, and even that little is then taken back from him. The point here is that God gives us different amounts of earthly blessings, and his expectations vary with those different gifts. Will we use what he gives us wisely, or will we whine for more?
In one of our jail discussions on this topic, one guy from an impoverished background astutely noted, “God knew what I could handle. When I had some fast money in my hands, I used it for unhealthy purposes. I would be worse off if I was rich. Besides, I now have a gift (of salvation) better than any earthly blessing.” When I talked with him, I did not get the sense of a deluded, rationalizing man. I saw a genuinely happy man.
There is another reason God doesn’t give us the same amount or same type of blessings. I believe he doesn’t want us to be self-contained. He wants us to complement each other. Biblical references to different parts of the body working together come to mind.
A last point I would like to make on “arbitrary.” We tend to want to think of God’s gifts being dispensed according to some rational basis. In our capitalistic way of looking at life, we gravitate toward: the better you are, the more you get. Good works (or good aspirations) at least provide an objective measure for dispensing gifts. My reply: that is counter to grace. None of these gifts, salvation or material blessings, are deserved or have been earned. (But, yes, we can multiply our earthly blessings, financial or otherwise, through wise investments that God expects us to make.)
God is not arbitrary, he is generous. He gives us more than we deserve. (Who are we to question how generous he chooses to be to each person, particularly when he offers the ultimate gift, union with him, to all?)
You imply, “If God is the one who bestows undeserved grace, doesn’t it seem like his hand is distributing undeserved negative experiences in life too?”
Bob, you could probably phrase this better than I have. I was trying to tie together your questions about Bob Kerrey why bad things happen to people. Here’s my best shot at an answer tonight.
[Note: Something that should have been stated earlier in these exchanges is that Steve goes to our local city jail each Friday and conducts a voluntary Bible class. He has been doing this for years]
First, a quick reply to the co-worker who wondered about grace in the life of an abused child. I think I met such a child, now grown. Here’s a response from an inmate, bearing many physical scars (and likely deeper psychological scars). He said, “I was bitter and angry when I came to jail. It didn’t seem fair that I should be locked up for 20 years after all the things I’ve been through. I’ve made some mistakes, but I’ve never hurt anybody. But lots have hurt me. But thanks to God, my attitude has changed. I’ve met some good guys in here that helped me. Maybe God wants me in here to help others.” Here’s a man that has experienced grace, with a depth of gratitude we’ll never know.
Who knows how and when God will dispense his grace? It does not seem fair that a child should suffer the free will choice of a parent, who departs from God’s ways to become a violent alcoholic. But we don’t have the same long view or vantage point as God. He will reach out to that child in some way later in their life. Even in the event of premature death, God could call that child to reunion with him.
Obviously, this example provides no comfort or explanation for the parent grieving the loss of a child, or a Bob Kerrey grieving the loss of his innocence. I will try not to sound too ivory tower, thus minimizing their pain.
Bad things could happen in our lives for a number of reasons. Some could be the “natural,” the child simply got sick. Others could be evil-induced, “I got in with a bad crowd.” Sometimes, we make choices that result in painful consequences. And yes, at times, God could allow bad things to happen to us as a way to bring us back to himself.
But in all of these situations, God’s grace could abound. Often, we interpret these negative experiences as bad, when, in fact, God can turn them to good – by his grace. Job, in the Old Testament suffered terrible losses. (John, you’ll be surprised at what pearls of wisdom you might find in the O.T., particularly if you read it figuratively.) God never explained why, but said in effect, trust me. Job’s faith grew.
Paul suffered through some form of torment, and repeatedly asked God for relief. The relief was never granted. Paul trusted that God’s strength would show up best in Paul’s weakness. Paul understood that God needed a humble servant, dependent on God, to convey his message to others. Down through the ages, Paul’s sufferings and writings have provided inspiration for many.
Jesus suffered personal rejection and physical abuse. By grace, God turned it into a source of hope for millions of Christians.
So what about Bob Kerrey? Yes, there appeared to be a chain of people and events that led him to a wicked deed and a loss of his cherished peace and warmth in church. Perhaps you could say he had no control over these, just as I was implying you had no control over the chain of events leading to God’s calling to you. Even if he had no control over these events, God can turn the negative into good.
Think of Kerrey’s returning peace and depth of gratitude, when he accepts God’s forgiveness (which perhaps he has already accepted). The grace bestowed on him will far surpass what we will ever know, never having experienced the horrors of war. In time, maybe Kerrey will allow God to use him as a source of healing for others suffering through similar guilt.
Don’t Wriggle Off the Hook
Bob, I will gladly travel as far down the path of grace as you and John want to go. But I hope at some future time you will answer my question, “Who is Jesus is for you. If not Savior (Steve) or Example (John), what is this in-between Jesus for you personally (not theologically)?
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