16-6-7 Lost Emphasis Upon Grace
Not only did the early church become harsher in their view of the
world; they likewise became graceless in their view of each other.
Hermans (Man. 4.3.6) wrote: “After the great and holy calling,
if a person be tempted by the devil and commit sin, he has one repentance;
but if he sin and repent repeatedly, [repentance] is unprofitable”.
This is in direct conflict with the Lord’s teaching about forgiving
the repentant sinner 490 times / day, i.e. without limit. Raymond
Brown comments: “In the first centuries it was ecclesiastical discipline
not to forgive the sins of adultery and apostasy”(1)
. Soon, the writings of the early church were linking salvation
with good deeds- whereas the New Testament clearly links salvation
with pure grace. Consider The Shepherd Of Hermas, 2.3.2:
“You are saved by not having broken away from the living God…
if he refrains from every evil lust, he will inherit eternal life”
(3.8.4). These graceless attitudes led to hypocrisy, as church leaders
had to live in denial of their own humanity and sinfulness. The
early Christian leaders such as Paul and Peter constantly alluded
to their own weaknesses of faith; and the Gospel records, transcripts
of the disciples’ own preaching, are shot through with reference
to their own weakness of faith and understanding. Tertullian even
went so far as to write that "The basis of salvation is fear".
This is such a very far cry from the spirit of the New Testament,
where John wrote of the perfect love which casts out fear, and the
Lord Himself continually comforted His flock: "Fear not".
The lost emphasis upon grace was reflective of how church leaders
personally felt no need for it. Sin became effectively defined as
crossing the line on a few public, visible issues. The de-emphasis
of personal sin and the sins of the heart, of which the Lord spoke
so powerfully, was especially seen in the early theologians of the
Eastern Roman empire. "Cyprian aside [their theology] precluded
the existence of sin among the baptized. Confession had little place
in their life or prayer. Confession played no part in their liturgies..."
(2). The obsession with fellowship / separation issues has marred
the true church. Yet it's evident that Paul and the earliest Christians
weren't so hung up about them- thus Paul can refer to non-Christian
Jews as his "brethren" (Acts 22:5). His grace-led spirit
was inclusive rather than exclusive.
And despite the unparalleled emphasis upon ‘grace’ in Christian
thinking of our age, it would appear we are heading the same way.
‘Sins’ involving adultery and divorce are often seen, in practice,
as unforgiveable. ‘One sin and you’re out’ became the rule of the
early apostate church, despite their theoretical understanding of
grace. And there is no lack of evidence that in our own beloved
community, leaders likewise have come to live in denial of their
own sins, misjudgments and inappropriacies.
Notes
(1) Raymond Brown, The Epistles of John (Garden City:
Doubleday, 1982) p. 238.
(2) Carl Volz, "Prayer in the early church", in Paul
Sponheim, ed. A Primer On Prayer (Philadelphia: Fortress,
1988). |
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