Meet the Apostle Paul—Part Nine
Long before Saul/Paul journeyed to Arabia to rethink his faith through the lens of King Jesus, the zealous Pharisee was well acquainted with the term we call “grace” (χάρις). The way Saul/Paul thought about the word may have been a bit different than we think about it today.
Believe it or not, the word grace has been a term where most professing Christians (including Biblical scholars) have assumed its meaning rather than thoroughly studied it. Unfortunately, we do this a lot. For example, it blew my mind in seminary when my Greek professor (Dr. Carroll Osburn…a dude from Arkansas[1]) explained to the class that “faith” was much broader than just “belief” (or cognitive assent). He explained that faith, as understood by the inspired authors of Scripture, meant belief but also trust in- and loyalty to- whatever thing a person had placed faith! In other words, faith is not just agreement.
Saul/Paul was raised in a world where “grace” often meant “gift” and a gift was rarely, if ever, a one-sided transaction. In the ancient Roman world, if someone accepted a gift, especially from someone of a higher social status, the recipient was honor bound to repay that gift with some level of loyalty to the gift giver.
The idea of a gift as a wholly one-sided event is a completely modern notion that would have been alien to Saul/Paul. British scholar John Barclay has, in my opinion, proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt with his massive tome Paul and the Gift.[2]
Missing this idea has produced serious problems for the church. Everyone from the moderate Lutheran martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the very conservative John MacArthur have rightly noted the prevailing western issue of “cheap grace” or “easy believe-ism” among professing Christians. Too many of those who claim to follow Jesus view their “faith” as “getting their ticket punched” or “buying a ‘get out of hell free’ card.” The person confesses “faith,” may submit to baptism, occasionally will attend church and might even tithe a little money. They tell themselves that they have prepared themselves for death. Paul would have disagreed.
The Apostle saw the ultimate gift as Jesus and the Father and Spirit as the ultimate gift givers. So, if one accepts “ultimate grace/ultimate gift,” then one is honor bound to be loyal to the one who gave such a gift. How much loyalty is called for given the magnitude of such a gift? One may call this what one likes, but it ain’t “cheap grace”!
Tune in next time.