I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Grace
Dr. R.C. Sproul, a famous radio preacher, was assigned an Old Testament class of 250 freshmen. In his syllabus he clearly set forth the course requirements. There would be three small papers due by noon on September 30, October 30 and November 30. They were to be finished and on his desk by noon unless the student was physically confined to the hospital or a there was a death in the family. If they didn't submit it in time, they would receive a failing grade.
When September 30th rolled around and the first paper was due 225 students turned their papers in on time and 25 were late. These 25 were scared to death and with abject humility appealed to Professor Sproul, “Please don’t give us an 'F!'"
The begged for grace, wanting an extension.
"OK," the professor relented, "I'll let it go this time. But remember, on October 30 the next paper is due. Don't be late."
"We won't, Professor. Promise!"
October 30th arrived and only 200 papers were turned in on time. Fifty students came to class in terror. They pled with him with abundant excuses about it being midterm and homecoming. "Give us one more chance," they begged.
"OK. Just one more chance."
The class broke out into song, “We love you, Prof. Sproul, O yes we do.” Dr. Sproul claims that for the next thirty days he was the most popular professor on campus. But then November 30th came. This time only about 150 papers were turned in on time and a hundred students came into class without the paper, and this time without that much fear.
“Where are your papers?” Dr. Sproul demanded.
“Hey, Prof, don’t worry about it. We’ll get them done in a couple of days," came the relaxed response.
The professor took out the grading book, “Johnson, where's your paper."
"I don't have it, sir."
"F.”
“Greenwood—I don't have yours either. F.”
Professor Sproul describes the response as "unmitigated fury."
“That’s not fair!” Greenwood claimed.
"I don’t ever want to be thought of as unfair or unjust. You want justice?”
“Yes!”
"You were late last time, too. ‘F’ for that one. Anyone else want justice?”
“No!”
Dr. Sproul wrapped up his story saying that by the third time, they not only assumed grace, they demanded it. They assumed he was obligated to be merciful. They had become accustomed to grace.
Ours is a history of grace.
God is so gracious to us that we take it for granted. The question we love to ask is “Why do bad things happen to me?” The question don’t want to face is this, 'Why has God been so kind to me?'”
Grace is a tough subject, because we end up expecting it for ourselves, and resenting it greatly when other people get it. C.S. Lewis wrote what many consider his greatest book, Mere Christianity, based on the fact that we resent when other people receive grace for their sins, and how we expect grace for our “Mistakes.”
Speeding ticket are a great example. I was speaking to a group of youth once on the topic of grace, and decided “wrongly” to use speeding tickets as a conversation starter for people receiving grace.
The overwhelming majority of teens, instead of grasping the concept of grace were deeply offended that someone would receive mercy. That’s not fair that the cop would let some people off, he should let them all off, or let no one off!
We resent grace when other people get it!
Paul’s Epistle lesson today, from Galatians 3, is all about the topic of grace. In fact, 5 of the 6 chapters in the epistle to the Galatians are firmly dedicated to the topic of the relationship between law and grace, and why we now need grace.
We have to keep before us, teaches Paul, the distinction of law and Gospel. But even after we become a Christian, after we are justified by faith, the law still has a significant influence upon us.
Which brings us to the question before us this morning, asked in v. 19 right before the epistle lesson begins, which Paul answers for us:
What purpose then does the law serve? (for us who are Christians)
The Apostle Paul here describes the law as a guardian or a tutor, or even a schoolmaster says the KJV, from which the Christian has been set free; yet, at the same time, he views the law as "holy and just and good." He affirms that only "the doers of the law will be justified," yet declares that all who are in Christ have "died to the law." Paul describes the law as both "spiritual" and "the power of sin."
And this is why so much is written about Paul’s teachings in this chapter of Galatians. Paul's seemingly conflicting statements on the law should be understood in the light that the law plays more than one role in its relationship to us, which is why Paul sounds different when he is writing to the Corinthians and to the Galatians. So it would be helpful here to review the problems of each city.
The Corinthians understood grace, and abused it much as the students in Dr. Sproul’s class. They said that, since they were under grace, they could do anything they wanted. NO MORE LAW! Paul rebukes them for abandoning the commandments of God, and living as bad as or worse than the pagans.
The Galatians, on the other hand, were those who believed in works salvation. Like the older brother in the Prodigal Son Parable, they resented grace as “getting in easy” and demanded obedience to the law.
So, when Paul asks the rhetorical question of what purpose the law serves, he answers it by saying that in terms of the history of redemption, it was to be the schoolmaster to drive people to Christ.
Before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith that would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Now the image of the schoolmaster might be a little misleading to us today. When we think of a schoolmaster we usually think of a Teacher. But in the ancient world you had two people, you had the teacher and you had what was called the pedagog, which is the word that Paul uses here. The job of the petagog was discipline of the students.
He was the one with the long stick, like a verger, and if someone was falling asleep during church, he would get rapped upside the head by the schoolmaster. He was a disciplinarian meant not so much to teach facts, but to show us how we are to live and act and speak. Picture Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady for those who have a long memory.
So when Paul says that the law is the schoolmaster, he is saying that it is the purpose of the law to show up our shortcomings and sins. And by showing us our sin, it shows us our need for a Savior.
It is probably no accident that two of the greatest leaders of the Reformation, Luther and Calvin, were both deeply trained students in secular law before they embarked on a career of theology.
They were students of the law, and they had a keen eye for the Old Testament law and they saw what the law was trying to show them; their own inadequacy. Luther especially was driven almost to insanity by realizing how short he came from the law.
In striving for holiness, in trying to live as holy a life as a monk that he could, he saw greater and greater every day his own unholiness, and how far short of the mark he was.
As we focus on Christ, and his holiness, it only shows us more and more our unworthiness. Paul the apostle says in one of his earliest letters, in 1 Corinthians 15:9, "I am the least of the apostles." Then in Eph. 3:8, written some years later, he said, "(I am) less than the least of all saints." And finally, at the end of his life, he wrote to St. Timothy, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief," Paul had a progression, while becoming more holy in sanctification of feeling less and less holy as he looked to Christ.
We like to evaluate our performance by looking at those around us. Well I'm better than that guy, or I'm not as nasty as she is.
And when we look at our own performance this false light, we create a different and false standard.
The Problems of the Corinthians and the Galatians were not ended then, but both have sprung up again and again throughout church history as two Heresies known as antinomianism and legalism. Antinomianism is the belief, like the Corinthians, that there is no Law of God applicable to us today. Legalism is the belief, like the Galatians, that we can earn our salvation by keeping the law, or that we actually, of our own effort and ability, can keep the law!
Both of these share at their roots the undermining of the holiness of God. They are Heresies because they are blasphemy against God. Well at least I got your attention now. That word always seems to get people’s attention.
For antinomianism, the blasphemy is that it makes it seem as if God is not bothered by our lack of Holiness. As if our bodies and souls, which are to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, are not affected when we constantly bring into them that which is not Holy. On the Contrary, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:15
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! And in verse 19
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
God does not abide sin. In the Book of Revelation, after Christ pronounces the first of the three “Behold I come quickly”s, He says:
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
That certainly doesn’t sound like the law is of no significance.
This passage is also a nice segue into the other heresy of Legalism.
This heresy is what Christ accused the Pharisees of, and the main issue over which the Reformation was fought. Yes, Christ says “Blessed are those who do His Commandments.”
On the Other Hand, of our own it is not only impossible to do them, but the claim to be able to be “holy” of our own effort is a slap in the face of true Holiness. When people teach perfectionism, that Christians can live without sin, they either end up showing what little they know about what true holiness is, by dumbing down the law so that they are able to actually achieve it, or they blaspheme God by saying that their Holiness is the equivalent of God’s Holiness.
The law is a mirror, showing us ourselves, and how far short of God’s holiness we really are.
The law can’t save you; but what it can do is drive you to see the need of grace rather than works,
the law reveals God’s perfection and your imperfection,
the Law, when preached, should awaken people to their need of the Grace, which, like the students, we are so familiar with, we can very easily take for granted.
As we come to the table this morning remember that grace is exactly what God offers us today, through his word, and through the Sacrament.
We remember he offers us himself, his blood shed for us. Receive it today, knowing that, while we don’t deserve it for who we are, or what we have done, God loves us enough to share it with us.
