Bonhoeffer- Chapter
1 - Costly Grace. (Continued)
'But the call to
follow Jesus in the narrow way was hardly ever heard.'
My thoughts- This is
as TRUE today as it was back when this was written. To truly follow Jesus in the NARROW way isn't
something people want to hear, and certainly not do.
'Where were those
truths which impelled the early Church to institute the catechumenate,
((Catechumenate- 1. One who is being taught the principles of
Christianity. 2. One who is being
instructed in a subject at an elementary level.
Pasted
from <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/catechumen>
))
...which enabled a
strict watch to be kept over the frontier between the Church and the world, and
afforded adequate protection for costly grace? What had happened to all those
warnings of Luther's against preaching the gospel in such a manner as to make
men rest secure in their ungodly living? Was there ever a more terrible or
disastrous instance of the Christianizing of the world than this? What are
those three thousands Saxons put to death by Charlemagne compared with the
millions of spiritual corpses in our country to-day? With us it has been
abundantly proved that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children
unto the third and fourth generations. Cheap grace has turned out to be utterly
merciless to our Evangelical Church.
This cheap grace has
been no less disastrous to our own spiritual lives. Instead of opening up the
way to Christ it has closed it. Instead of calling us to follow Christ, it has
hardened us in our disobedience. Perhaps we had once heard the gracious call to
follow him, and had at this command even taken the first few steps along the
path of discipleship in the discipline of obedience, only to find ourselves
confronted by the word of cheap grace. Was that not merciless and hard? The
only effect that such a word could have on us was to bar our way to progress,
and seduce us to the mediocre level of the world, quenching the joy of
discipleship by telling us that we were following a way of our own choosing,
that we were spending our strength and disciplining ourselves in vain-- all of
which was not merely useless, but extremely dangerous. After all, we were told,
our salvation had already been accomplished by the grace of God. The smoking
flax was mercilessly extinguished. It was unkind to speak to men like this, for
such a cheap offer could only leave them bewildered and tempt them from the way
to which they had been called by Christ. Having laid hold on cheap grace, they
were barred for ever from the knowledge of costly grace. Deceived and weakened,
men felt that they were strong now that they were in possession of this cheap
grace -- whereas they had in fact lost the power to live the life of
discipleship and obedience. The word of cheap grace has been the ruin of more
Christians than any commandment of works.'
My thoughts--
'What had happened
to all those warnings of Luther's against preaching the gospel in such a manner
as to make men rest secure in their ungodly living?' -- They were obviously done away with, all
those warnings tossed away as proven by today's church mindset. Millions of people go to church secure in
their salvation as well as their ungodly living and they are deceived! Millions
of people who go to church live no differently than the ungodly. They have the same interests as those who
profess to not even believe in God. They have the same hobbies, the same way of
living so that you can't tell them apart and yet one professes to be a Disciple
of Jesus, a Follower of Jesus. How did this happen? Men became secure in their
ungodly living and grabbed a hold of cheap grace and now live by cheap grace
rather than have anything to do with costly grace.
'This cheap grace
has been no less disastrous to our own spiritual lives. Instead of opening up
the way to Christ it has closed it. ' - TRUTH.
'Instead of calling
us to follow Christ, it has hardened us in our disobedience.' - TRUTH.
'Perhaps we had once
heard the gracious call to follow him, and had at this command even taken the
first few steps along the path of discipleship in the discipline of obedience,
only to find ourselves confronted by the word of cheap grace.' - TRUTH.
Cheap grace- the
destroyer.
Before any of us
believe that we are immune to this, that we haven't been touched by cheap grace
we need to really think again. We are far from where we should be, aren't we?
Far from separate from the world, far from hating the world and worldly ways. Far,
far from denying our selves and picking up our cross. We have to be honest, to be anything other
than honest here is DECEPTION and CHRIST WILL NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH
DECEIVERS! Christ will not know us if we are liars, deceivers, among those who
are caught up in the trap of cheap grace.
'The only effect
that such a word could have on us was to bar our way to progress,' -TRUTH.
'...and seduce us to
the mediocre level of the world,' - TRUTH.
'...quenching the
joy of discipleship by telling us that we were following a way of our own
choosing, that we were spending our strength and disciplining ourselves in
vain-- all of which was not merely useless, but extremely dangerous.' - TRUTH.
'Disciplining
ourselves in vain' -- Cheap grace wants us to believe this! Cheap grace wants
us to believe that all we are doing is being done in vain when we choose to
take our Savior at His word and live life as He has told us He wants us to live
it. The words from HIS mouth were
these--
Mar_8:34 And when he had called the people unto him
with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
But cheap grace will
NOT let us take up any cross and it will not let us deny ourselves, so HOW can
we follow our Savior as He wants us too?
'Having laid hold on
cheap grace, they were barred for ever from the knowledge of costly grace.
Deceived and weakened, men felt that they were strong now that they were in
possession of this cheap grace -- whereas they had in fact lost the power to
live the life of discipleship and obedience. The word of cheap grace has been
the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works.' -- TRUTH.
'The word of cheap
grace has been the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works!' TRUTH!
Please, we have to
look at our lives, we have to examine ourselves --
2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the
faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus
Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
2Co 13:6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are
not reprobates.
2Co 13:7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not
that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest,
though we be as reprobates.
2Co 13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but
for the truth.
Examine ourselves.
Prove ourselves.
Know ourselves.
Do no evil - NOT
that we should appear approved- BUT that we should do that which is HONEST.
For we can do
NOTHING against the TRUTH, but for the TRUTH.
We have to choose,
and know that when we choose to be true followers of Christ that is will mean
sacrifice, it will mean NOT aligning with the world and its ways but separating
ourselves from them, it will mean denying ourselves and selfishness, and selfish
ways, and yes, it means picking up our cross.
And before you begin
to DESPAIR and ever hope to be a true follower of our Savior, you have to… WE
have to remember that it is HIS righteousness we cling to! It is HIS
forgiveness we cling to! Remember yesterday's study? We admit that we ARE
sinners and we repent, seeking forgiveness ALWAYS!
Please Lord, please,
help us LORD, SAVE us, TEACH us, LOVE US, KNOW US, FORGIVE US!
We long to be YOURS!
No comments:
Post a Comment