Justified By His Grace

"This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:6-7)

Yesterday morning's lessons, and our rector's sermon that followed, were wonderful source material for today's meditation!

The first lesson, 2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:10, 13-15, tells us what happened after King David sent Uriah the Hittite to his death, and took Bathsheba as his wife. God wasn't the slightest bit amused, and sent his prophet Nathan to deliver the message of his anger. 

The second lesson, Galatians 2:15-21, tells us about the difference between Jews and Christians, between the law and faith, between actions and grace. "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing."

What do these two lessons have in common? The answer is justification, explained by Father Bob as "right (or righteous) relationships." David's desire for Bathsheba wasn't, in itself, a sin. But the way he acted on his desire clearly was. Sending Uriah to his death wasn't what anyone might call a right relationship, so his relationship with Bathsheba couldn't possibly be a right relationship either. It was what our legal system calls "fruit of the poison tree." As a result of all this, David's previous right relationship with God was ended. God "put away" David's sin -- an incredibly generous thing to do -- but the relationship was never the same again.

Paul's letter to the Galatians tells us that before Jesus Christ, Jews considered themselves to be justified --in right relationships with God and their fellow man -- if they followed God's law. The more carefully they followed the law, in all its complexity, the more justified they were. They were righteous through deeds. But after Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, everything changed. We could no longer be justified by deeds along, but by faith in God and by receiving God's grace. It was as if we suddenly became fully alive.

I was struck by the coincidence (or maybe not a coincidence) that these lessons, and this sermon, were shared on a Sunday that two infants were baptized, that celebrated Fathers' Day, and that was one day after Flag Day. When we baptize someone, we "receive them into the Household of God." No better place to be! This puts the person in a good relationship with God and with the entire Christian community. On Fathers' Day we celebrate family relationships, especially the relationship between a father and his children. And on Flag Day we celebrate the relationship between a people and their country.

Being justified, having right relationships, requires effort. Having a right relationship with God calls for faith which, at difficult times in our lives, can be a challenge. Having a right relationship with our fellow man calls for giving as well as taking, active listening, compassion and love. Having right relationships within a family calls for respect, understanding, a willingness to work through the hard parts and, in the case of children, discipline as well as love. And having a right relationship with our country calls for personal participation as well as visible patriotism.

It is my hope that we all, being justified by His grace, may have these kinds of right relationships.