Pretension Busters: Bailouts

www.despair.com --"Increasing success by lowering expectations" (so much like the Old Adam and the Old Eve)

Arrogance cannot be avoided or true hope be present

unless the judgment of condemnation is feared in every work

--Martin Luther

(Heidelberg Disputations, Thesis 11)

For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Mark 4:25

Understanding the divine plan as some sort of "economy," has let Christians view God's work of salvation in Jesus Christ as a "bail out" of humanity because our sin was so bad. This divine economic plan consisted of myriad "transactions" between humanity and God where merit was exchanged for blessing or favor. Merit was awarded to those who appropriately "thank, praise, serve, and obey" God. Blessing was the extension of God's good will for this mortal life and an eternal life with God. On the occasion when "thanks, praise, serve, and obey" happened to be in short supply, there were "sacrifices" or rituals by which merit could be earned. Eventually, humanity's "merit debt" became so great only an infinitely meritorious sacrifice would be sufficient. Hence, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross: God's "bail out" of the merit economy.

The "merit" economy is extremely useful to religion and the institutional church. It's usefulness is responsible for its flourishing through the centuries. But... no matter how useful to the financial well-being of religious institutions (are there any that are really too big to fail?), the merit economy is simply not biblical nor is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross God's "bail out" of humanity.

Eternal life has never been a reward for the meritorious but only a gift of faith in Christ. Jesus has always and only been the way, the truth, and the life--no one gets to the Father but through him. God didn't call Jesus off the bench for his faltering all-stars. Jesus the Christ is no (T)oxic (A)sset (R)ecovery (P)rogram no matter how many times it's claimed that he covers (TARP)s our sins. Read John, chapter 1: "In the beginning was the Word...," Ephesians, chapters 1 & 3: "He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ..." & "..to enlighten everyone about God's secret plan--a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things." and Colossians 1: "...the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints."

Jesus' words in Mark--to him who has, more will be given; to him who has not, even that will be taken--just will not make sense if what one has is "merit" or "righteousness" or "works"--they do not fit the divine meritocracy. They only make sense when Jesus is not talking about a quantity of anything but a quality--that is, whether or not one "has" Jesus. If one "has" Jesus then more, much more, will be given (even the "merit" so previously longed for), but if one does not "have" Jesus, then all one has is personal merit and that is nothing, really nothing and even that nothing will be taken away.

My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:2-3