No, of course not. How could one possibly be too focused on God’s undeserved favor toward us? How could one be too committed to showing grace to repentant believers? Under what circumstances could grace lead one astray?
The question needs to be addressed, however, because it is often the case that we are not focused on God’s law as we ought to be, because we fail to show grace to the unrepentant by not bringing to bear God’s law, because we can be led astray in a hundred ways grounded in failing to see the grace in God’s law.
Consider the recent controversy over Alistair Begg’s bad counsel to a grandmother asking if she should attend her sexually confused grandchild’s faux wedding. The advice itself has been wisely rejected by many. Pastor Begg then sought to answer his critics in a widely disseminated sermon at the church where he serves. There he did poorly again. One of the arguments he made was that when it came to close calls, he’d rather “err on the side of grace.”
Trouble is, from two directions you cannot err on the side of grace. Not, “should not” but “can not.” If it’s error it’s not grace. If it’s grace, it’s not error. The advice wasn’t grace at all, but judgment. It was judgment on the grandmother in that it encouraged her to do wrong. It was judgment on the grandchild as it failed to call him to repentance. It was judgment toward all those on the other side of the issue, as we were characterized as unloving, elder brother of the prodigal, fundamentalist meanies.
It’s a good thing to want to choose the gracious thing to do. It’s a bad thing to pit the gracious thing against the right thing, as the right thing is always the gracious thing. Churches, for instance, that refuse to discipline unrepentant, unfaithful spouses are not being gracious to the unfaithful one, but are being cruel to them, not to mention the victims of the infidelity, the innocent spouse and children. This isn’t the triumph of grace but its destruction.
Remember that Jesus said that all the law and the prophets are wrapped up in the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:40). Our call to love God and our neighbor looks exactly like obedience to God’s law. Anything else isn’t humble graciousness but is prideful foolishness. Who knows better than God what the right thing to do is? Where do we find His will but in His law?
Law and grace are both good things. The sharp division between them is sometimes good, sometimes not. Yes, sharp division as we consider how we have peace with God, that we are saved by grace alone. Without this division we destroy grace. No, deep overlap as we consider what we are called to do in a given situation. Without this unity we make God’s law a bad thing rather than the blessing, and the path to blessing that it is.
Dr. Sproul, in witnessing family, friend or whoever, should hell be introduced in the initial conversation?
JR, what do you think your earthly father(SR)would say to Alister on this matter?
Probably nothing. Not that he wouldn’t disagree but he wouldn’t feel it was his place to correct him. I suspect he would have been happy to answer the grandmother’s question but not happy to confront Alistair over it. That’s my guess.