And then realize that, as we explored earlier this week in a discussion about total depravity, there is really no difference between you and Haggard or between myself and Haggard. We are all totally depraved with our sin extending to every aspect of our being. There but for the grace of God go I. There but for the grace of God go you. While I would not expect a reporter to approach me if I were to fall into similar sin, I can only imagine the pain of having to sit in front of my children, my wife, and answer questions about whether or not I have had sex with a man or admitting that I purchased illegal drugs. It's horrible. It's terrifying. That could be my wife, wondering how I could do this to her, wondering if she can ever trust me again, wondering if she can ever love me again. Those could be my kids, hearing the lurid details of dad's depravity. Those could be my kids, trying bravely not to cry as they walk into school on Monday morning, knowing that everyone knows, knowing that life will never be the same.Al Mohler makes a similar point about the gospel on today's Focus on the Family program (HT).
I went from wanting to know details, to feeling pity to feeling terror to pleading with God to continue to extend His grace to me that I would not fall. Jonathan Edwards, in his most famous sermon, spoke about God's sovereignty and how, at any given moment, it is only the sovereign grace of God that keeps Him from ending a person's life. Marsden writes, "The subject of the sermon is that at this very moment God is holding sinners in his hands, delaying the awful destruction that their rebellion deserves." Edwards said, "You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his price: and yet 'tis nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment: 'tis to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night...but that God's hand has held you up: there is no other reason to be given why you han't gone to hell since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship: yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you don't this very moment drop down into hell. Oh sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in." What is true of eternity, is equally true of the temporal. Just as nothing but God's hand keeps both Christian and non-Christian from death at any given moment, the same hand is all that restrains any of us from falling into sin as dreadful as Haggard's, or sin that is far worse.
Paul's exhortation of 1 Corinthians 10:12 has been much on my mind this weekend. "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." Oh, that God would keep me from relying more on my effort and less on His grace. I pray and beg and plead that His grace would continue to extended to me that I would take heed, that I would continue to fill my heart with His Words of life.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Finding the Gospel in the Midst of Scandal: Challies on Ted Haggard
Great words from Tim Challies. Read the whole post, but here's the heart of it:
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4 comments:
Hi Ben,
I agree, somewhat. What bothers me about this post is that Challies quotes the old saw, "there but for the grace of God go I" as if it is Scripture.
You can do a search, but it isn't there.
The implications of these sentiments is that we are all a mere spiders thread from being dropped from the grace of God into this very despicable pit of sin. It seems to me that we have skewed depravity a little bit if we think this is really true.
There is a sense in which all sins are equally a violation of God's law, but the scriptures themselves seem to take a much more indignant view of some sins than others. I don't really see the value in diminishing the heinousness of this particular sin by beating the rest of us up with the mantra 'there but for the grace of God...'
Obviously, we do depend on God's grace for all things, but something of the horror and warning of such examples is lost when we approach it this way, I think.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Don,
All I can say is that I couldn't possibly disagree with you more.
First of all, the fact that all of us are capable of any sin does not mean that God cannot hate some of them more. In fact, I think the whole message of Challies' comments is that some are worse, and he could commit the worst but for the grace of God.
Next, I don't think Challies or I said that the specific phrase is in Scripture. Rather, it is an inference drawn from the theology of the Bible. Surely you would not want to join the screaming hordes you've frequently criticized who demand chapter and verse for every conclusion we draw from Scripture.
At the end of the day, perhaps you merely have a more optimistic view of human nature than I do.
Hi Ben
It is possible that I have a more optimistic view of human nature, I don't know.
I just know that saying, "there but for the grace of God go I" has always bugged me. There is something wrong with it. I am reacting more to that than to everything else he said.
If the saying were true, then every individual without Christ would be in the gutter and live lifestyles of complete wretchedness. Yet we don't see that in everyone. You could call that the grace of God, I suppose, but it could just as easily be the curse of God, keeping men 'moral' by way of Social Compact or what have you, and blinding them to their need of a Saviour.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Don,
Even if you reject the concept of common grace, I don't think it's necessary to apply the implications of this statement to all unbelievers since Challies is speaking as a believer. He knows that there is nothing that keeps him from sin--any sin--is the grace of God, not something innately superior to his nature over Haggard's.
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