Consequences, Judgement and Grace

For the last few weeks we have been exploring the freedom that is ours in Christ particularly focusing on St Paul’s understanding. And this week we collide inevitably with the issue of judgment and grace. (Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Proper 9 (14) 2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6:7-18; and Luke 10:1-12, 17-24.)

Now part of our difficulty in understanding what the Bible says about this is that because the Bible was not originally one book but rather a collection of sacred Scriptures written over many generations, in many styles, for many purposes and in many different situations, so there is not a single teaching, rather there are teachings (plural) about judgement, consequences and grace. So I will share with you where I think it leads but with the full acknowledgment that others may read it differently.

You may like to read what I wrote three years ago on this gospel and the Isaiah reading.

Lambs Among Wolves

Firstly, I would want to acknowledge that the Bible does contain a thread of the tradition which teaches a high personal and community standard of behaviour which the failure to follow leads to judgement and punishment - human and divine. And the Bible also has a strong thread that declares God’s grace. And it is with both of these aspects of the truth that Paul has been wrestling.

Secondly, wherever we have two equal truths that are incompatible we have paradox - and the holy mysteries are full of such paradoxes. We sell Scripture, and ultimately ourselves, short when we listen to only one of these threads.

One way of understanding the demands of both parts of our tradition is to understand that we live in a world of consequences: there are geographical consequences – if you build a village or a city on a fault line eventually there is likely to be an earthquake; there are genetic and biochemical consequences - if you have a certain genetic inheritance and/or environmental experiences you are more likely to develop certain diseases; there are legal consequences – if you do certain things in certain countries you are likely to get caught, charged and convicted accordingly; there are moral consequences – if we act in certain ways or fail to act we are likely to be convicted by our own beliefs and those of our neighbours and to feel the consequences of that; there are psychological consequences – effected by what is done to us and what we do to others we are likely to develop our character in certain ways and to feel certain emotions.  And Scripture suggests that we live in a world in which there are divine consequences – both here and now and later in a time of judgement. - for how we live.

Now Scripture also bears witness that consequences can be a bit random – the rain falls on the good and the bad for example. That is, not everything that happens can be read as righteous judgement or even personal consequences - some things just happen because of the consequences of living in a material universe.

And Scripture certainly teaches that God breaks into our life with grace. This we know to be evident in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus but also long before the time of Jesus. And even though the Old Testament has much about judgement and punishment it also has beautiful claims of grace and mercy which are completely undeserved but come because of God’s desire to be merciful even more than just.

I think that our three main readings this week all speak in some way of how these two threads interact.

Naaman suffered from leprosy not through his own fault but the vagaries of illness. He desired to be healed but wanted his own agency – to be asked to do something heroic and worthy of divine intervention. Instead he was asked to do what he found foolish and to be cured by grace. This seems to have confounded him as it was not how the universe as he understood it operated! How often do we find ourselves irritable and confounded by things that do not happen in ways we think they should? Even the goodness of God’s grace can disorientate us for there seems to be an aspect of our hearts and minds that wish to deserve our blessings rather than be dependent on grace?!

And in the gospel story this week we have the curious story of the seventy who are sent out, who do mighty works in the name of Jesus, and who come back fairly sure that those who did not recognise them will be punished (and which of us secretly is not sometimes at least a little pleased at the thought that those who not like us or recognise us will get there recompense!) and are generally very pleased with themselves for having cast out demons and other acts of power. But Jesus doesn’t seem overly impressed!  Yes consequences natural, social and divine will come to rest on those who do not heed the invitation of God but for you the faithful ones do not be puffed up with pride but simply be grateful that your name is in the book of life by God’s grace not by your cleverness or goodness. And Jesus brings this home by alluding to the confounding story of Lucifer, the angel of light, high in heaven, who was puffed up with pride and ambition and fell from heaven, from grace.

And dear old St Paul, as he draws his writing to the church as Galatia together says that, having argued so strongly for freedom from the law, don’t imagine for a minute that God is fooled or will be mocked for you shall reap what you sow. Paul does not seem to experience contradiction in teaching freedom, grace and consequence all in the same paragraph. And so it was in his life – he found perfect freedom in Christ, the freedom to give his life completely for others and the gospel as he understood it; and he lived a life much put upon by the consequences of whatever the mysterious thorn in his flesh was, and the knowledge that his life was under threat because the world was not yet God’s and many did not appreciate the gospel he served. Paul understood just and unjust consequences and he experienced grace and perfect freedom no matter what his particular situation was.

And so we live, as humanity always has, in a world in which there are consequences for what we do and do not do and we live in a world in which God is constantly reaching out to us with grace – with forgiveness, healing and delight.

So we are stirred up to love and serve others and to live in such as way that the earth and this generation and the next might reap the consequences of love. We need not be anxious for our immortal souls but only energised to live lives of love and purpose – sowing seeds that will produce the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. 

Even so, come Lord Jesus Christ come awaken us to grace and grant us courage for what must be endured.

This is my work based on all that I have read, heard and experienced. I am indebted to the wisdom of others.