As All Hallow’s Eve and Reformation Day arrive, we remind ourselves again that our salvation comes totally and only from the Lord (Jonah 2:9). We are infinitely worse off than Jonah was when he was swallowed up by the great fish. Yet God stepped into our lives through the message of Jesus’ cross and empty tomb, and called us to come to him in faith. Amazing. Grace is nothing if not amazing.
The basic teaching of the protestant reformation has been condensed into five “solas,” based on a Latin word that means “only, or alone.” These five expressions provide a firm foundation for the church and remind us that it’s not about us. We need to stop looking in the mirror and look to Jesus and the biblical message of God’s gracious plan to bring glory to himself by saving those who commit their lives to Christ through faith. You can learn more about these foundational truths here and here.
- Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone—not human intellect, emotion, experience, or tradition—provides a reliable authority for all questions of human existence.
- Solus Christus. Christ alone—not any other religious teacher or teaching—can save us from our sins and enable us to live for God.
- Sola Gratia. Grace alone—not our own efforts or merits—is our only hope in this life and in the life to come.
- Sola Fide. Faith alone—nothing we or anyone else has done or can do—connects us to the grace of God.
- Soli Deo Gloria. God alone—not us, our church, or anything else—is worthy of glory and honor when it comes to our salvation.
This post focuses on Sola Gratia as we speak of the grace-journey of my friend and former GRTS colleague, Dr. Jeremy Grinnell. We’ve heard many wonderful stories that show us grace saves. Jeremy’s story shows us that grace keeps on saving—it restores!
A Grace-Journey
Jeremy Grinnell blew it. He’s not at all shy in telling us about the mess he made, and how he began to feel like Cain. But most of all he’s happy to tell us how God is restoring him to his family and ministry, giving him hope, and giving him a unique opportunity to bring hope to others who have blown it. Jeremy also has a lot to say about institutional dynamics and soul care—how to help people who’ve blown it without condoning their sin or condemning them to perpetual irrelevance.
• • • • • • •
I recently spoke with Jeremy about this book and all that he has learned about restorative grace. Go here to join our video conversation.
• • • • • • •
Jeremy’s book candidly tells of clinical depression and an emotional affair that led to a crime, a plea-bargain, and the end of his flourishing career as a professor of theology and a preaching pastor. It’s a sad, cautionary tale, to say the least. It’s also a story of God’s ongoing, restoring grace.
The book has three parts. Part One is “Throwing it All Away.” Here Jeremy tells about a self-destructive path he knew he was on, but didn’t know how to get off. Part Two is about “surviving the explosion,” dealing with the consequences of his self-destructive path. Part Three is about “Finding Newness” by starting over with hope for the future. There’s also an appendix on surviving the legal system.
This is a gripping book. Jeremy pulls no punches as he describes the depth of his sin and of the even deeper grace of God. I hope you read The Bellowing of Cain and view my conversation with Jeremy. Jeremy is planning a sequel that explores how people who’ve blown it can be embraced by the church and continue to contribute to its ministry.
What does the Bible say about grace after grace?
Jeremy Grinnell’s story is not unique. We all probably know others whose stories are similar to Jeremy’s. We read of such people in the Bible. The Scriptures mention several people who were restored by God’s amazing grace after a public fall into sin. One thinks of our first parents, Adam and Eve (Gen 3), and of their wayward son Cain (Gen 4). King David’s fall into sin and and restoration (2 Samuel 11-12; Ps 51; Ps 32) is second in prominence only to the Apostle Peter’s repeated missteps, the worst being his triple denial of Christ (Matt 16:21-23; 26:34-35, 69-75). John 21 shows us how the good shepherd Jesus went after his erring sheep Peter and secured Peter’s recommitment and restoration to ministry. Although it’s not clear that the apostle Paul’s rift with John Mark was due to sin (Acts 13:5, 13; 15:36-41), it is clear that Paul and Mark later renewed their ministry partnership, and that Paul subsequently endorsed Mark’s ministry (Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11). Finally, there’s the man in 2 Corinthians 2:1-11 whose sin Paul forgave and urged the Corinthians to forgive.
So, we have ample scriptural testimony to restorative grace, what I’m calling grace after grace. There’s no doubt that erring believers bring deep pain to themselves, their families, and their Christian associates. The Westminster Confession (1647; see the relevant section below) speaks frankly about this. Erring believers besmirch the gospel of Jesus and make such a mess that we might wish they’d just go away. But Jesus is known to go looking after wayward sheep (Matt 9:36; 18:10-14; Luke 15:4-6; John 10; cf. Ps 119:176; Jer 23:1-4; Ezek 34:1-12). Are we treating them like Jesus did?
Do you believe in grace after grace?
Jesus’ parables in Luke 15, culminating with the prodigal son, help us frame our thinking about grace after grace. My friend Jeremy Grinnell’s story, along with the similar stories of many other believers, compel us to put biblically sound thinking into biblically wise practice. I’ve previously posted here on the saints’ perseverance through waywardness.
Where do we find ourselves in the parable of the prodigal? We need to see ourselves first in the prodigal son himself. If we don’t get that, we will see ourselves in the angry older brother, not the forgiving father, and that’s a shame. If we see others as prodigals and not ourselves, we need to come to terms with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. I hope after reading that parable you’re more appreciative than ever of God’s amazingly free grace and sheer mercy offered to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
There’s no question in the Scriptures that God forgives his erring sheep when they return to the fold in repentance. There’s no question that we should echo and reflect that forgiveness in renewing our personal relationships with these formerly lost but now found sheep. But I want to take this one step further. Are we willing to wisely restore such sheep to the ministries for which they are gifted?
One of my most memorable and wise teachers took a “one and done” approach to this question. Should we ever fall into sin, he told us to send our ordination credential back to our denomination and never seek ministry again. That got our attention for sure, and I’m sure some of you are saying “amen” right now. I’m not, because I believe that the church must embody the grace after grace of God and follow the example of Jesus with Peter. To tell our formerly erring but now repentant brothers and sisters that they’re forgiven but now on the permanently unable to serve list is wrong. Putting such people on the shelf may make our lives and ministries neater and easier, but it will also truncate the testimony of the gospel. Life in this fallen, broken world is messy, but we’re not wise if we don’t even try to bring beauty and peace back into broken lives.
Taking the one and done view is easy. Taking the path to restoration view isn’t. This path requires us to provide wise counsel and careful oversight, just like the apostle Peter encouraged in 1 Peter 5:1-11. Professional Christian counseling is in order. Restoration can occur in a congregation of believers that welcomes and practices Paul’s instructions about mutual accountability in putting off vices and putting on virtues (Eph 4:17-5:21; Col 3:1-17). Overseeing a brother or sister’s restoration includes helping them identify and avoid areas of weakness (Romans 13:14). This is a spiritual battle; we can’t be naive about our enemy’s schemes (Eph 6:11-20). The process ought to include accountability partners for every step of the way. In this way our fellow believers may resume meaningful ministries that benefit the body of Christ and glorify the grace of God.
My pastor Joel Wayne at Chapel Pointe in Hudsonville Michigan is known for saying “God can save anybody from anything at any time.” Do we believe that? Do we believe that Christians who’ve blown it can be restored to serve in the areas of their giftedness?
Do you believe in grace after grace?
You can reach out to Jeremy Grinnell here. I hope you do.
• • • • • • •
Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) XVII.3
[True believers] may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their salvation, fall into grievous sins;1 and, for a time, continue therein;2 whereby they incur God’s displeasure,3 and grieve His Holy Spirit,4 come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts,5 have their hearts hardened,6 and their consciences wounded;7 hurt and scandalize others,8 and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.9
1 Matt 26:70, 72, 74
2 Ps 51, title and v. 14
3 Isa 64:5, 7, 9; 2 Sam 11:27
4 Eph 4:30
5 Ps 51:8, 10, 12; Rev 2:4; Song 5:2-4, 6
6 Isa 63:17; Mark 6:52; 16:14
7 Ps 32:3-4; 51:8
8 2 Sam 12:14
9 Ps 89:31-32; 1 Cor 11:32
David
Excellent reminder that God’s infinite grace compels us to extend grace to others. It is easier and therefore tempting to “punish” the wayward by not restoring them to their previous position.
Thanks Jerry, I don’t think that restoration necessarily means that folks will re-assume their previous positions, but I wouldn’t rule that out.
I found this conversation edifying. I was often very dismissive and judgmental of the stories of pastors who fell. But this was eye opening . Thank you. As an aside it all seems to begin with hubris.
Leslie, there are some real stinkers out there whose showy public ministries conceal their true personal darkness. We hear about them when it all hits the fan and we become judgmental.
There are a lot of stories that don’t match the above scenario. Good-hearted faithful Christians like Jeremy Grinnell who didn’t keep their guard up for a moment. Satan got his toe in the door.
We can’t throw such people out with the rubbish. Jesus didn’t.
What is the difference between Wesleyan and Methodist?
Good question. In the general sense, Wesleyans are Methodists just like Calvinists are Presbyterians or Reformed. John Wesley’s and John Calvin’s followers both founded various church movements based on their ideas.
Generally speaking, Wesleyans are part of the larger “methodist” movement. As I recall, Wesley’s followers were originally called methodists because they practiced spiritual disciplines seriously and methodically. Methodism began as a movement within the Church of England.
As a denomination, The Wesleyan Church traces its roots to the 1840’s when some methodist churches took a public stand against slavery and for women’s suffrage. The current denomination resulted from a merger with the Pilgrim Holiness Church in 1968.
Holiness is another distinctive teaching of John Wesley. He and his brother Charles began a group at Oxford called “The Holy Club” in 1729. Apparently, both “holy club” and “methodists” were terms coined by outsiders who were critical of the Wesleys’ movement.
Making any sense?
Aren’t Wesleyans more conservative than the United Methodists? Of course, the new Global Methodist are also conservative.
Overall the Wesleyans are probably more conservative than the UMC, but some individual UMC churches and pastors are conservative. “Conservative” applies to a lot of issues—we’re talking about theology.