As parents, teachers, elders, pastors, and as those in authority, we tend to fall into one of two errors as we seek to guide those who have been placed under our authority. One error is to be far too easily pleased. The other is to become impossible to please. For the former, not only is the glass always half full, but it is reckoned to be completely full because it is half full. For the latter, the glass is always considered to be completely empty because it is always half empty. Both of these approaches are destructive forms of leadership.
And apart from the work of the Spirit in our lives, we tend to fall into one of these two errors. But the work of grace sees what needs to be done, and also sees, in wisdom, what has been done. And the attitude that accompanies this wisdom is that of being extraordinarily easy to please, and extraordinarily difficult to satisfy. This is how our Father God is with us, and this is how we should be with one another. We don’t want to be easy to please and easy to satisfy. Neither do we want to be impossible to please and impossible to satisfy. The former type of parent produces well-boiled noodles. The latter gives us neurotic dry twigs, ready to snap.
To you as a congregation, how does this apply? God is extremely pleased with you, and with how far you have come. Is He satisfied? Not even close. We are still on pilgrimage, and are not yet conformed to the image of Christ.
This is quite wonderful. I am disappointed that these threads don’t get more discussion, because they are full of much needed wisdom.
When there is agreement, there is usually little discussion.
Well,I seem to remember a great deal of discussion around the concept of grace. You for example, happen to be “impossible to please and impossible to satisfy.” And than you like to shriek about all the “well-boiled noodles” and “neurotic dry twigs, ready to snap.”
There is nothing quite like people pointing fingers of condemnation at you while at the same time accusing you of having a totally flawed perception of grace.
I think you likely have an experiential understanding of grace, but your earlier description of grace was completely mistaken. Since I doubt you will accept that, please ask your spiritual leaders about grace.
With all due respect, an experiential understanding of grace, is the only kind of grace there is.
Yes, there is only experiential grace (look, I agreed with you 😉), but, as to understanding grace, there is experiential understanding and there is theological understanding of grace. In other words, one can experience grace, but still be unable to explain it theologically. On the other hand, one can know what grace is defined to be, yet never experience it oneself. It seems clear that you consider the latter to be true for me.
” It seems clear that you consider the latter to be true for me.”
I never said that, but I am flat out saying there is no such thing as non-experiential grace. That’s like a blind man trying to explain the colors of the sunset.
That wasn’t a quote, but you have “begged” me “to re-examine your understanding of grace is because you strike me as someone who has received very little grace ….” Admittedly, you did not say that I have a theological understanding of grace. Regardless, it is quite clear what you think about me as to my own experience in receiving grace.
“Regardless, it is quite clear what you think about me as to my own experience in receiving grace.”
Well it is not personal,it is not directed only at you. It is not a statement of someone’s worth or value. People who haven’t received enough grace, just tend to hold their own selves in condemnation,which spills out onto others.
“Well it is not personal,it is not directed only at you.”Of course, I believe you likely would say the same to others, but, in this case, it was directed to me specifically, meaning it was personal.
Could you tell me what experiential grace is? How would one know that one has received it, and how would one know that it was not simply an emotional experience?
I added “experiential” originally as “experiental understanding of grace”, contrasting it with “theological understanding of grace”, thinking this would help ME to distinguish experiencing grace from having a head knowledge of grace. I think there is only one form of grace, and it is always experiential in the sense that it is experienced when one party gives grace to another. Experiencing grace is different from knowing the dictionary definition of grace. A person may have experienced grace but be unable to explain it in words, as ME appears to have demonstrated on another post. I believe one can know God… Read more »
Super helpful in such few words. Thanks brother. Romans 15 immediately came to mind, though I had never previously thought in such terms as you have written here. [14] I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. [15] But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God [16] to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that… Read more »