It seems we have two versions of Christianity taught in our churches today. We believe in the unconditional love of God. The other seeks to add various caveats and exception clauses, making our salvation a transactional exchange, dependent on various actions we take rather than solely on what Christ has done for us.
Until we agree on which version of the Christian gospel we believe in, I fear we are destined to continue into an endless day of tennis match-style debates over issues such as sexuality . This is what I said at General Synod last month. And that is why I tabled my amendment to Prayers of love and faith debateasking the House of Bishops to clarify which version it believes.
A question of salvation?
This amendment sought to name the central issue around which we are so divided. Namely, whether or not sex outside of marriage is a matter of credibility (Anglican word) or salvation (Evangelical word).
John Stevens laid out one side of the argument in his recent opinion piece; let me briefly introduce the other one.
I want to start with Jesus, our living word of God, and focus on his final hours with us. Clinging in agony to the rough wood to which he was nailed, he lovingly reassured the man who was dying next to him, saying to him: “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23 , 43).
Repentance is important, but it is not the condition on which our salvation depends
We know almost nothing about this man – his criminal lifestyle, his family life or even his love life. We do know, however, that he admitted to doing something he deserved to die for. Did he repent of it? No, but he recognized who Jesus was and asked to be with him – a request that Jesus immediately granted.
scandalous grace
You see, unconditional love is just that – Unconditional. The power of the Christian Gospel (and its fundamental difference from all other faiths) lies in the fact that it is above all that which God made for us and never on what we do for God. It is ‘Amazing Grace‘ – totally extravagant, sumptuously generous. We don’t deserve it, we can never earn it, and we must never put limits or exclusions on it.
Jesus knew that this seemed unfair to these godly, religious people who had dedicated their lives to being good. He told parable after parable about it just to drive the point home, like the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32), or last minute winemakers (Matthew 20: 1-16).
His entire life was dedicated to reaching out to those who had been rejected by the religious leaders of their day and showing kindness and compassion. His entire ministry embodied the love of God, challenging those bound by fear by the law and encouraging them to reinterpret what they knew through the lens of unconditional love.
This same challenge remains true today.
No warnings
But what about repentance? Isn’t this essential to our salvation? Well, I want to share some good news. No it is not. God’s unconditional love is that radical. This is so illogical. This is so unfair – especially if you are a winemaker who has worked in the vineyard all day.
Of course, repentance is important. This is something we do when we are so overwhelmed by love that we want to change, so that we can become more of the source of that love. This, however, is not the condition on which our salvation rests. We see this in Jesus’ act of abundant grace as he died on the cross. We know this because of His proclamation in John 3:15: “that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” No warnings. It’s simply what God does for us.
We have two versions of Christianity taught in our churches today.
Discerning whether or not something is a sin worth repenting of is another matter. The bottom line, however, is that if repentance is not a matter of salvation, Christians can agree to disagree about what is or is not sin without causing such ruptures in the Church.
A good example of this is the issue of sexual relations between two loving adults of the same sex in a committed relationship. Personally, I believe this is something God wants to bless and celebrate; others don’t. We will probably never agree on this, but if it is not a question of salvation, we should be able to agree to disagree and move forward.
Ultimately, trying to scare people into accepting so-called “good news” out of fear of eternal judgment is not the way of Jesus. The Gospel has never been anything but unconditional love. This is what the Church must preach. The world needs abundant grace more than ever.
