Homily for the First Sunday in Lent, 2022
Homily for the First Sunday in Lent
Receive Not the Grace of God in Vain (2 Cor. 6:1)
“Receive not the grace of God in vain” - Second Corinthians chapter six, verse 1. Someone has given you a very valuable gift, which you likely never could have gotten on your own. A new home – mortgage free. A huge pay increase. Perfect physical health. Your dream job. Now think what it would mean if you receive that gift in vain. You neglect or squander it so badly that it makes no difference in your life. If such a great loss is true for even the best material and earthly gifts, how much more of a loss when the gift is grace, and the giver is God?
I invite you to turn in your service booklet or Bible to today’s Epistle, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10. This epistle has been read in the Western Church on this Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, since at least the 11th century.[1] In today’s Collect, we prayed, “Give us grace.” In today’s Epistle we are told don’t receive that grace in vain. As we walk through text, we will consider three things. First, what is God’s grace? Second, what happens when we receive grace in vain? Finally, we will see how the answers to these questions help us prepare for the blessings of Lent.
Verse one: “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” First, what is God’s grace? Because our society is so consumeristic, we need to state that grace not a thing. It is not something to be possessed. Grace is, rather, how God operates in the human soul.[2] It is divine love and power working in our mind, will, and affections. Grace is how God saves us. It is no accident that perhaps the most well-known verse about grace is Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” Grace is God’s incomprehensible favor towards us. We do not, and cannot, earn this favor. Grace comes to us entirely by the merits and death of Christ.[3]
Second – what does it mean to receive grace in vain? To receive something in vain means to blunt its effects - to keep it from realizing its full potential. It is a precious gift that should be used but instead it remains sitting on a shelf or in a closet. Receiving grace in vain is also referred to as hindering grace (Gal. 5:7) or nullifying it (Gal. 2:21). In Ash Wednesday’s service, we heard it referred to as “abus[ing] the goodness of God.”[4] Later we will see some specific examples of receiving grace in vain.
The Apostle Paul has stated his appeal – do not receive grace in vain – how does he support it? In verse two, Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8, and then he emphasizes the immediacy of God’s favor and help. Now is the “time accepted” - that is, the “acceptable time” - now is the day of salvation. Salvation is past (we have been saved), present (we are being saved), and future (we will be saved). Paul’s “now is the day of salvation” emphasizes the ongoing, present aspect of our salvation. He reminds us that we must allow grace to operate in the present – right now. Receiving grace in vain means we are not cooperating with God, in this moment, with His purposes for our lives. Do not receive the grace of God in vain because now is the day of salvation.
In verse three, we see the second way Paul supports his appeal not to receive grace in vain. He informs the Corinthians that he has not placed any barriers in their way of making full use of God’s grace. “Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed.” In fact – verse four – he is able to approve or commend himself and his ministry. How can he do this? Because of what he has suffered. Beginning at the second half of verse four, he lists 10 hardships he has endured for the sake of the gospel. Notice the repetition of the word “in” – “in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults” (that is, riots).
Verse six marks a transition. It’s another list, but these begin with the word “by.” “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness.” These nine things are how God has enabled Paul to endure the sufferings of the preceding list. Notice that he goes from the “in” list to the “by” list without any interruption. Paul is not able to talk about his sufferings and trials without, in the very same breath, also talking about how God has sustained him throughout all of them. Paul is saying “I was able to live in all these things by His grace – so do not receive His grace in vain.”
Before we look at specific examples of how we receive grace in vain, we should first note that many Christians have a too-limited view of when grace operates in their lives. Grace is not confined to those times we are feeling especially devout or when something good has happened to us. We must always take into account our fallen natures. Our minds are so darkened, our wills so weakened, and our affections so disordered that we are not able to will or to do anything that is pleasing to God without the aid of His grace. Grace precedes, enables, and sustains any good thought, act, or feeling. This means that the times we receive grace in vain are more numerous than we think.
For examples, let’s look at the first three expressions of grace in verse six - pureness, knowledge, and longsuffering – that it, patience. One - God gives us the grace of purity. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”[5] But when we permit our heart to be tainted by impure sights and thoughts then we have received the grace of God in vain. Two - God gives us the grace of knowledge. “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.”[6] But when we do not walk in His ways, and turn aside from the light He gives us, then we have received grace in vain. Finally, God gives us the grace of patience. “I therefore…urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”[7] But when we indulge our anger and frustration and this hurts others, then we have received the grace of God in vain. That nudge you sense in that moment towards generosity, patience, or helpfulness? That’s Him. In fact, any good thought, act, or affection is the result of grace. How will you receive it? There are six more expressions of grace that follow in verses six and seven for which you can make your own applications. We may receive grace in vain more frequently than we realize, and the confession of “Lord, forgive me for receiving your grace in vain” should be said far more often than it is.
The last three verses (eight, nine, and ten) mark the final section of the text. You will notice nine couplets, beginning with “honor and dishonor, evil report and good report, deceivers yet true.” Many of these paradoxes represent what Paul’s critics have said of him and, at the same time – the other part of the paradox - the affirmation that God is nonetheless still working in his life and ministry. Whether God’s grace is working in our lives cannot be judged solely by outward circumstances. Others may misunderstand or criticize us, we may labor in obscurity, and we may feel alone in our deepest struggles, yet God is still present. And where He is present, there is His grace. Notice that final paradox - “having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” This can only be spoken by someone who says, “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”[8]
Now let’s summarize the text and connect it to Lent. Paul begins by urging the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain. He has not placed any barriers in the way of this message or his ministry. He reminds them that today is the day of salvation. Receiving God’s grace daily is how God currently saves us. As proof of his authentic ministry and message, he reminds them of his sufferings for the sake of the Gospel. And then, without missing a beat, he lists all the ways God’s grace has sustained him through all his trials.
We have been talking about Lent and the traditional Lenten disciplines (prayer, fasting, and almsgiving) since the Weekly Mission email of February 9th. But perhaps it all seems unnecessary, or artificial, or just too Anglican for you. So let’s simplify it, and remove it from Anglicanism entirely for the moment. Here’s what evangelical author Dallas Willard said: “A discipline for the spiritual life is…nothing but an activity undertaken to bring us into more effective cooperation with Christ and his kingdom.”[9] In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord taught His disciples about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. None of them are ends in themselves. Rather, they are always to be practiced in relation to the Father. When you pray, pray to your Father in secret.[10] When you fast, fast to your Father in secret.[11] Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where your Father is.[12] One of the Opening Sentences for Morning Prayer during Lent is “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”[13] We observe Lent because we know what God wants for us - that we be conformed to the image of His Son – the Son who said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”[14] If we allow it, Lent shines a spotlight on our selfishness, pride, and love of comfort – all the things that draw us away from the Father. Lent can reveal the parts of our lives not entirely surrendered to Him. But if we do not thwart His grace, He gives us the gift of repentance. He gives us a new and contrite heart.[15] We find grace that is always timely, restorative, and above all that we can ask or think. Even if you stumble and do not practice all the disciplines as you planned, that is not a failure. Just read to the end of the Epistle: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”[16]
[1] Massey H. Shepherd, Jr., The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary (1950), pg. 125-126.
[2] Francis J. Hall, Theological Outlines (1933), pg. 239.
[3] The Book of Common Prayer (1928), pg. 81.
[4] The Book of Common Prayer (1662), pg. 356.
[5] Matt. 5:8.
[6] Ps. 25:4, ESV.
[7] Eph. 4:1a, 2, ESV.
[8] Gal.6:14b, ESV.
[9] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (1988), pg. 156.
[10] Matt. 6:6, ESV.
[11] Matt. 6:18, ESV.
[12] Matt. 6:20, ESV.
[13] The Book of Common Prayer (1928), pg. 4.
[14] Jn. 4:34b, ESV.
[15] The Book of Common Prayer (1928), pg. 124.
[16] 2 Cor. 12:9b, ESV.