We are all so concerned about what others think of us that we rarely speak frankly. Some may guard their mouths because they don't want to hurt others. For me, my frank talk used to come out under pressure. I would forbear and forbear and then forbear some more, then my frank talk would come exploding out. When it occurred this way, it was not only injurious to others, but people thought I was crazy. Well, I am a little crazy, maybe a lot, but over time I've come to speak frankly more often on the "front end," rather than letting it come out only when I'm frustrated.
There are three preachers who speak frankly every time that I hear them speak. They speak frankly even though their words cause many to criticize and even ostracize them. They speak courageously on the most important subject facing mankind--our relationship to God. Each of these three has faced criticism from the institutional church. But each speaks life-giving truth--truth that liberates and frees us to love.
Why does their preaching require courage? Because they proclaim two things without fail. First, each proclaims the perfection of the Law. Jesus didn't say, "be a good person;" "live a righteous life;" "strive for piety;" or even "treat others as you want to be treated." These axioms all belittle the law. Each of these sayings makes it appear that we can keep the law. (By the law, I mean any standard for being good.) Each of these sayings leads us to trust in ourselves. This is devastating. For persons tending to self-righteousness like me, I begin to think that I am keeping the law better than others. For persons tending to despair, like my wife, they begin to think that that are not keeping the law as well as others. Neither of these ideas leads to joy and peace, but rather to bondage.
Jesus' instruction about the law was that it was incapable of being kept. Jesus told us not to merely love our friends, but to "love our enemies." Jesus told us to "be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect." Jesus set a standard that no one can keep. This prevents people like me from being self-righteous. This prevents people like my wife from experiencing despair. It levels the playing field, which is liberating.
The second thing that each of these men proclaim is "one way love," as Zahl says, or grace. Grace is the most radical relational concept. Grace says that "we get what we don't deserve." Since we all fail under the standard of legal perfection, grace is the only answer. Grace says that God loves sinners. Jesus lived this out. He loved the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the lepers--those ostracized by the "church people" of his day. This is an infuriating concept to those, like me, who think they are "good people." It is maddening to think that going to church, teaching Sunday School, being kind to others, and "living a good life" have no merit before God. But it is also liberating--it is our only hope. For it is only when we know that the standard has already been satisfied, that we are freed from expectations. Expectations crush relationships.
What does the preaching of this law/grace dichotomy produce? Perhaps a simple question is the best illustration. How do you want to be loved? Do you want your parent's, or your spouse's, love for you to be conditioned upon your good conduct--upon what you can do for them? Of course not. We all long for "unconditional love." We want to be loved when we screw up, not just when we get things right. Think about those few relationships in life where you experience unconditional love. Does your heart not swoon before this type of love? This is the love of our Father/Creator--that while we were yet sinners, He died for us. This is the story told time, and time, again in the Holy Scriptures. This is the story of the Old Testament and the New Testament. This is the story of mankind's only hope.
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