Tag Archive | common grace

It Rains on the Just and the Unjust

Sep7

It is a trending comment among Christians:

Nonbelievers are going to act like nonbelievers.

As a caution against judgmental attitudes, this is helpful. It is also a good reminder that our goal is not to force superficial behavior but to influence spiritual transformation. As one theologian put it, we should not be concerned about a hole in the wall when the entire building is going up in flames!

I am wondering, though, if we are using this statement more and more as an excuse for passivity. Could we be defending our reluctance to be “salt” in our communities? We might hear comments such as these:

Laws can’t change the human heart, so don’t get involved.
You can’t legislate morality, so don’t speak up.
If you aren’t teaching the plan of salvation, then your priorities are messed up.

Physical Laws and Spiritual Laws

Perhaps we have forgotten that Scriptural directives are not rules that God made up so that Christians could demonstrate their loyalty to Him and develop character. Jesus noted that the rain falls on both the just and the unjust.¹ Because we are physical beings, the laws of matter and energy affect each one of us, whether we are believers or not. And because we are spiritual beings, each of us is also subject to spiritual and moral laws, whether we are believers or not.

nonbelievers

After all, as Warren Smith and John Stonestreet point out, “God does not inhabit our world. We inhabit His world.”²

Speaking Truth in Love

When others can benefit, we want to share relevant spiritual principles, just as we naturally would share physical ones. It is not pointless. It is kindness.

In Chuck Colson’s words, we are not imposing our beliefs; we are proposing a better way.³

If it is loving to warn our friends that the hot stove will burn them, then it is also loving to warn them that pornography will do the same. If we should tell teenagers that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of lung cancer, then shouldn’t we also tell them that cohabiting before marriage increases the risk of divorce?

nonbelievers

If we want to understand the physical laws of gravity so that we can gain from its force without being injured, then we will want to understand the moral laws of sexual behavior for the same reason. If we can recognize that severing an arm or a leg is a loss, then we can also acknowledge that severing a father or a mother from a child is a loss.

divorce-156444_640

Creating Platforms for the Gospel

We show compassion when we share these “common graces.” And even more importantly, we create effective bridges for sharing “saving grace.”

Jesus took the time to wash the feet of Judas, although that did not cleanse his soul.

nonbelievers

Jesus healed people of physical disease, although that did not give them eternal life. Many of His acts of mercy were temporal blessings. However, each kindness was motivated by love, designed to point to God and to create desire for Him.

By actively engaging in our culture, we can share God’s common grace with gentleness and generosity, seeking always to pave the way for the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you,
Tami

 

 

 

 

¹Matthew 5:45
²Restoring all Things: God’s Audacious Plan to Change the World Through Everyday People. Baker. 2015. page 21.
³http://www.breakpoint.org/component/blog/entry/12/27228
*last photo by FreeBibleImages.org

Looking for a great book?

Dec13

I just finished reading a fantastic book: The Grace Effect by Larry Taunton. 51RBZkntu6L__SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_ This book had been recommended by Eric Metaxas on a Breakpoint commentary, so I expected to find some intellectual vigor, and I was not disappointed. But I also found something that I had not expected: a story that repeatedly touched my heart.

The book begins with the author’s fascinating discusssion with the late Christopher Hitchens, one of the famed New Atheists. Hitchens’ central claim was that the world is better served by atheism than by Christianity. Larry Taunton, who both debated and befriended Hitchens, recognized that the beautiful, kind, and moral  things that Hitchens valued were benefits of the very Christianity that he derided. Through the influence of Christianity, Hitchens enjoyed the gifts of “common grace.”

After trying to explain the amazing concept of grace to Hitchens, Larry searched for a current illustration that would be meaningful to Hitchens. Without realizing it initially, Larry then witnessed a powerful demonstration of “the grace effect” in his own life as he and his wife went through the difficult process of adopting a young girl from Ukraine. Vividly painted before his own eyes was the dramatic clash between the dark products of an atheistic worldview and the colorful gifts of a Christ-informed worldview. Near the end of the book, Hitchens meets Larry’s adopted daughter and is surprised by what he sees.

Biblical grace is much more than forgiveness: “grace” refers to every good gift from God. I marveled as I was reminded that even the most basic of “common graces,” such as simple kindness and civility—such as the willingness to wait one’s turn in a line at McDonald’s—are influences of Christianity.

Every good thing that we enjoy or value is a gift from God—whether we acknowledge the Giver or not.