THERE'S NO CONTRACT
30/12/22 07:53
A primitive and anxious God-relationship may take the form a ‘contract’ in which ‘I do this so that God will do that.’ Kids are often taught to ‘be good’ so that they will ‘go to heaven.’ As they get older some of them perceive that ‘being good’ is pleasing their mother – which is fine if Mum is a kind and joyful woman and not a control freak.’
Males on occasion may take years to kick the notion that Father is not like their father. Fortunately, I can say that I had decent parents. Mum had an excellent sense of humour and was able to take on board new ideas into her old age. But many parents as loving as they may be are the purveyors of embedded legalism.
EARNING EARNESTNESS
Unfortunately, ‘primitive godliness’ and the godliness of the elementary/primary school style Christian can take the form of earning God by good deeds. As one of these burdened souls said, ‘I hope I have done enough..’ Others have made a life out of ‘paying back Jesus for the cross’ and on top of that trying to get others to do what Jesus means them to do. There are many forms of Marthadom and less Mary’s sitting at the feet of Jesus than one might hope. The latter in their vocation multiply Christ’s spirit and life. The same cannot be said for the Martha martyrs.
CHRIST HAS EARNED YOU
You cannot earn salvation or a relationship with God since every attempt to do this is us falling for the futility of striving to be as gods knowing good and evil. The trouble with any kind of ‘earning effort’ is that one is never alive’.
New Birth is the start of your life in God and the start of the real you.. ‘On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you’ John 14.20 NIV. This is the start of seeing as Jesus sees, of seeing God and of separating Kingdom from religion.
Life as whole persons who are spiritual and fruitful is ours as we participate in God through the oneness given to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. As we could have noted, just as the wine and the bread of the Lord’s Table become us, so Jesus becomes us by incarnation with the result that Bill and Bonny are a manifestation of the Christ when they live by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. How do we do this? By agreeing with Jesus that He has made us participants in His life.
REBORN FROM RELIGION INTO CHRIST
‘Getting Godly’ by what you do is embedded in religious Christianity. Sadly this is the characteristic of the worker, rather than the son and the ‘wannabe entitled’ rather than the Irrigator of Spirit and Life.
For example, “The parishioner protested, “Do you mean to say that although I have been an elder for forty years, that does not count at all for my salvation?” Torrance replied, “It is not what we are or do, but what Christ alone has done and continues to do for us as our Lord and Saviour, that counts. It is by his grace alone that we are put in the right with God, and by his grace alone that we are saved, and live day by day as Christians.” Yet the parishioner still could not accept that his religious activity did not contribute to his salvation.” (1)
This is why radical grace can be confused with universalism (the binary) and real grace defined as cheap grace. Living from a formulated entitlement and contractual Christianity produces this kind of dualism in sincere people who have been sold the pup of the Christianised version of the knowledge of good and evil – which is that you make yourself godly by what you do.
Oneness with Christ does produce creativity, imagination, righteousness and the ability to love even silly people. But it’s the effect of Christ as us and not our down payment on our oneness with Christ.
(1) Radcliff, Alexandra S.. The Claim of Humanity in Christ: Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of T. F. and J. B. Torrance (Princeton Theological Monograph Series Book 222) (p. 4). Pickwick Publications, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.
