Monday, February 18, 2013
327 - God's Grace: This isn't about That
Spirituality
Column #327
February 19, 2013
Current in Carmel – Westfield – Noblesville – Fishers – Zionsville
“Quid pro quo” is a Latin idiom that means “this for that.”
Innocently it implies “I do a favor for you; you do a favor for me.” You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Tit for tat. Barter. Let’s make a deal. Value is traded for value.
In a sinister connotation, “quid pro quo” is a legal test determining whether bribery, blackmail or coercion was used to create iniquity or inflict injustice. It arises in workplace sexual harassment lawsuits, academic fraud (trading grades for favors, for example), disingenuous political schemes, and on and on.
For better and worse, the world is a “quid pro quo” place, and it trips up our Christian faith. We are prone to imagine, mistakenly, that we are trading favors with God, either by being faithful in order to get something we want (health, wealth, love, success, whatever), or trying to pay God back for the gifts He has bestowed. The first will leave us disappointed; the second will make us crazy. Either will ultimately direct our focus onto ourselves rather than onto Christ’s glory.
Our life in Christ is not a game with a score – two points for Him, three points for me, how much time is left, hey that wasn’t a foul …. God, you see, gives us what we need; not necessarily what we want (Matthew 6:8). His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). His righteousness is perfect, even when we do not understand (Psalm 19:7). Faith in God is about the unseen; worldly evidence is about the seen (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Still, we panic and beg to know whether “we are saved.” Our faith hangs in the balance. Quid pro quo.
Well, I’m an old sportswriter; let’s look at the scorebook.
Divine Jesus entered humanity in complete humility, served others, healed the sick, fed the hungry, died on the cross, defeated death, forgave our sins, restored mankind’s fellowship with God, expressed the infinite depth of divine love, assured our eternal life in the company of God in heaven, fulfilled the Old Covenant, instructed us – with His life and Gospel – on the New Covenant, sent the Holy Spirit as our comforter, promised to return in perfect judgment and justice, and said (John 14:6), “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”
There is simply nothing about that “quid” for which mankind has anything approaching a “quo.” Thank the Lord, we are stuck at the humble mercy of God’s infinite grace and peace.
We can’t really ask Him for anything more; He’s not going to give us anything less.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) really was a sportswriter, but this isn’t about that.
February 19, 2013
Current in Carmel – Westfield – Noblesville – Fishers – Zionsville
God’s Grace: This isn’t about That
By
Bob Walters“Quid pro quo” is a Latin idiom that means “this for that.”
Innocently it implies “I do a favor for you; you do a favor for me.” You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Tit for tat. Barter. Let’s make a deal. Value is traded for value.
In a sinister connotation, “quid pro quo” is a legal test determining whether bribery, blackmail or coercion was used to create iniquity or inflict injustice. It arises in workplace sexual harassment lawsuits, academic fraud (trading grades for favors, for example), disingenuous political schemes, and on and on.
For better and worse, the world is a “quid pro quo” place, and it trips up our Christian faith. We are prone to imagine, mistakenly, that we are trading favors with God, either by being faithful in order to get something we want (health, wealth, love, success, whatever), or trying to pay God back for the gifts He has bestowed. The first will leave us disappointed; the second will make us crazy. Either will ultimately direct our focus onto ourselves rather than onto Christ’s glory.
Our life in Christ is not a game with a score – two points for Him, three points for me, how much time is left, hey that wasn’t a foul …. God, you see, gives us what we need; not necessarily what we want (Matthew 6:8). His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). His righteousness is perfect, even when we do not understand (Psalm 19:7). Faith in God is about the unseen; worldly evidence is about the seen (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Still, we panic and beg to know whether “we are saved.” Our faith hangs in the balance. Quid pro quo.
Well, I’m an old sportswriter; let’s look at the scorebook.
Divine Jesus entered humanity in complete humility, served others, healed the sick, fed the hungry, died on the cross, defeated death, forgave our sins, restored mankind’s fellowship with God, expressed the infinite depth of divine love, assured our eternal life in the company of God in heaven, fulfilled the Old Covenant, instructed us – with His life and Gospel – on the New Covenant, sent the Holy Spirit as our comforter, promised to return in perfect judgment and justice, and said (John 14:6), “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”
There is simply nothing about that “quid” for which mankind has anything approaching a “quo.” Thank the Lord, we are stuck at the humble mercy of God’s infinite grace and peace.
We can’t really ask Him for anything more; He’s not going to give us anything less.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) really was a sportswriter, but this isn’t about that.
1 comments:
Yes! To stand up in service to the Divine, in ways one knows to be true to oneself. A greater risk than any in this financially consumeristic, insatiably distracted culture.Read more
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