Cheap Grace

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a famous German Christian theologian and pastor who was executed by the Nazis at the end of WWII, is extremely well known in Christian circles for his phrase, "cheap Grace."  By this he means that many are ready to accept God's Grace of salvation by faith in Christ, but are reluctant to change anything about the way they live their lives.  

This practice of religious hypocrisy was common even in Christ's day.  Matthew tells the story of Christ clearing the temple in Jerusalem.  

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there.  He over turned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written, he said to them, "my house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" (Matt 21:12-13.)  

The retailers and traders of Christ's day were happy to come under the shelter of God's temple as long as they could continue their profitable trading.  They weren't about to change anything in their lives in response to what God had done for them.  "Cheap Grace."

Mathew follows the story of Christ disrupting the temple, with this story.  

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.  Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,"May you never bear fruit again!"  Immediately the tree withered.  (Matt 21:18-19.)

The footnote to this passage in the NIV Bible, explains it this way:  "Why did Jesus curse the tree?  This was not a thoughtless, angry act, but an acted-out parable.  Jesus was showing his anger at religion without substance.  Just as the fig tree looked good from a distance but was fruitless on close examination, so the temple looked impressive at first glance, but its sacrifices and other activities were hollow because they were not done to worship God sincerely."

Apparently, Christ can recognize "cheap Grace" easily and acts swiftly

So how do we avoid "cheap Grace" in our own lives?  Richard Stearns, the former CEO of World Vision, a Christian organization that tries to meet the needs of the worlds' poorest and neediest people, tells this story.  Overwhelmed by the magnitude of trying to meet the needs of the destitute throughout the world, he consulted the pastor of his church.  The pastor recognized what Stearns was struggling with and said this:  "Well, don't fail to do something, just because you can't do everything."

"Don't fail to do something, just because you can't do everything."  We can do that.  We can accept God's Grace that comes to us in Christ and then go out and do "something."  And by changing our lives in order to do "something" we avoid "cheap Grace."