13^th September 2010

 

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley

Lessons -- Psalm 14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners.(1 Tim 1:15 RSV)

These words are familiar and often used for the assurance of pardon. They take us to the heart of the Gospel: God's mercy for all in Christ. They echo the outgoing love of God for 'tax collectors and sinners' related in Jesus' parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin (Luke 15:1-10).

These words are largely unwelcome today. Our society prizes self- affirmation. Many in the Church regard talk of sin as dangerous. The complaints roll in: 'There's too much preaching on sin and grace.' 'We should be affirming the good in people, not highlighting their weaknesses.' As an advertisement for St Michael's in Saturday's press puts it, we should abandon the 'old faith' (emphasising sin and grace) and embrace the 'new faith' (centred on self-worth and self-affirmation) if we are to achieve 'a good sense of self'. Sadly, such thoughts are typical today.

This is not merely a 'point-of-difference' (as the advertisement says) between the old and the new. It is utter disdain for the Gospel of mercy and completely at odds with the joyous sense of self-worth experienced by Paul (in Timothy) and by those who welcomed the 'lost' (in Luke).

Of all people, the persecutor of Christians should have been barred from becoming Jesus' follower. Remarkably, he is converted and even 'appointed'
to Christ's 'service' to proclaim God's undeserved love to the nations. As a self-righteous 'sinner' who had unexpectedly experienced God's grace, he is 'called' to make known to 'fellow sinners' the breadth and depth of God's saving love in Christ. 'The greatness of sin is no bar to our acceptance by God, no, nor our being employed for him.' (M Henry, cited in T Oden, First and Second Timothy and Titus, p40.)

Paul, in continuity with Jesus, preaches the outgoing love of God for the
ungodly: to those who, like the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15) are so precious that God leaves no stone unturned to reconcile them to him.

In the light of this liberating word, why is it that in the Church today we baulk at talk of sin and grace? Why don't we think of ourselves and our generation as 'lost', like self-indulgent tax-collectors and sinners or
self- righteous proselytisers? Why is it that we rarely think of ourselves as 'beggars showing other beggars where to find food' (DT Niles) Could it be that we want God to help us to follow the Golden Rule and cope with life -- not 'salvation from sin'?

Focusing on sin to soften people up for grace is very destructive! Many people have been deeply scarred by hell-fire and damnation preachers or
guilt- producing priests who berated them for their wickedness and threatened eternal damnation -- whose message bore no resemblance to the Gospel of 'freedom from sin' and the joy of knowing God's mercy in Christ.

It is important to note that the Creeds never say that 'we believe in sin'
but 'we believe in the forgiveness of sins'. In fact, sin isn't mentioned until after the glory of God's self-giving love for the world in Christ is boldly and gladly affirmed.

The point is that we don't really know what 'sin' is apart from the unparalleled 'goodness of Christ' in giving himself for us in his whole life, death and resurrection. The order of things is significant! We only know that sin is serious because we have glimpsed the glory of God's holy- and-gracious love for us in Christ. It is only in knowing God's grace in him that we know our sins forgiven!

To know for oneself 'that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' is the ultimate freedom! We no longer have to kid ourselves. Nor do we have to wallow in despair. We are free to confess that we act as if we are the centre of the universe and the epitome of goodness. We are free to admit our inordinate self-love which is hostile to the will of God and the claim of our neighbours. We are free to acknowledge that whether we be religious or irreligious, moral or immoral we do not naturally love God or delight to do God's will -- as it has been done in Christ.

Even our highest aims, sincerest beliefs and most altruistic acts are distorted by sin! GB Shaw once wrote, 'All the wickedness on earth is done in the name of the seven deadly virtues.' (para Man and Superman, 1952,
p130.) This is not entirely true -- vice, too, destroys goodness -- but it does describe the fact that, though we can do much good, even our best actions are corrupted and distorted.

This is what is meant by the Church's consistent acknowledgement that 'all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God'. Correctly understood, and despite abuse by preachers, the Christian doctrine of 'original or basic sin' doesn't mean that all people are monsters or equally bad. There is a difference between Stalin and Mother Theresa!

But it does mean, as Guthrie puts it, 'that although both Christians and others can do much good, no part of our being (body, mind, spirit) and nothing we do -- including very moral, heroic or religious acts -- is free from the corruption of sin'. (S Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, p 217.)

Note in today's readings that the Psalmist (Psalm 14) is a good, faithful man who knows his need of God's mercy. In Luke the Pharisees are good and faithful men. But, being appalled that Jesus dines with (immoral) sinners, they see no need for them to be 'saved' (from their virtue) -- and no obligation to seek to reconcile their (similarly) flawed brothers and sisters to God. In stark contrast, Paul (in Timothy) -- once an exemplary Pharisee himself -- now describes himself as 'the foremost of sinners'
(v15) who is impelled to preach the word of grace to all 'lost sheep'.
(Luke)

Virtue can't protect us against God's mercy. Indeed, it can blind us to the splendour of grace and the life of thanksgiving and a joyous sense of self-worth that springs from it.

Consider how Paul speaks about 'the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord' (four times in a few verses). He is astonished that he -- a paragon of virtue according to the law who had persecuted Christians -- 'received mercy'.
The whole passage expresses his exuberance and gratitude at being called to preach the transforming grace of God in Christ to the world. He is glad to be saved from pride at being virtuous! He is so astonished by God's 'patience' with him (v16) that he can't help but end with an unrestrained and joyful hymn of praise (v17).

The same joyous spirit is found in Luke when the 'lost' are found -- when God's love for ungodly 'tax collectors and sinners' (15:1,2) is experienced as 'grace beyond measure'. Great joy rings out throughout the cosmos -- 'friends and neighbours' (on earth) and 'angels' (in heaven) erupt with delight at news of the lost being found!

The joy of the Gospel -- for the religious/moral and the irreligious/immoral alike -- is that, in Christ, God is merciful to all sinners. All are precious to God whose grace-filled love gives us a 'good sense of self'.

Sadly, however, the need for all to experience God's grace may be lost on the 'virtuous' because, relying on their own faith and goodness, they separate themselves from the 'unvirtuous'. Those committed to good works, social justice, religious revival or moral purity are likely to forget that all of us have clay feet. They are not pleased when their 'virtuous'
sins are exposed.

We must never forget that 'all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God'. To remember this is not to be burdened by guilt or think of ourselves as worthless but to rejoice in the life-changing mercy of God.
It is to be wide-eyed to the varieties of deception to which we humans are drawn without closing our eyes to the miracle of grace.

When we are open to God's grace as embodied in Christ we are also open to the needs of our fellow-sinners to be 'found' in Christ. The miracle of grace is that, whether we are 'lost' in our vices or our virtues, God seeks us out. Neither self-righteousness nor self-indulgence discourages God from reconciling us to himself.

We often wonder why the Church seems to be losing its influence. Could it be that, without realising it, we have lost faith in the word of grace, become satisfied with our Christian virtues and neglected to say that, no matter how far they have strayed from paths of righteousness, the lost are precious God?

Whatever the causes of decline, the Church is called to follow Christ in going out to the lost. We should not be found in the company of the grumblers (Luke) but in the company of Paul who, having given up his claim to virtue as the 'foremost of sinners', takes pleasure in God's mercy and gladly preaches it to other lost souls.

In a world where so many people have become lost in either self-indulgent vices (freed from all restraint) or self-righteous virtues (harsh on dissident voices), we have a joyful obligation to preach the word of grace.

So may we rejoice in the Good News 'that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom you and I are the foremost'.

Prayer: Gracious Father, by whose mercy we are redeemed and made worthy, grant us ever to remember that our righteousness consists not in ourselves but in the merits of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.