Last night I was reading an involved exchange between friends concerning the damages of gossip. The point was raised that gossip was horrible, but gossip within the church can break people. I've seen gossip at work at my church, I think most of us have, and I agree with this assertion. Let's look at the theological issues at work here and see if fixing the theology rather than railing against the sin might have a better outcome.
The theology of gossip works something like this. Subconsciously or perhaps consciously, a person recognizes that they fall short of the perfection required by God for Salvation. Therefore, an accounting game ensues. If I can just point out the faults, foibles and frailties of all of my neighbors, perhaps my own sin will look less bad by comparison. It could also be a distraction tactic or slight of hand. People (or God) will not notice my short comings if they are focused on someone else's shortcomings.
The first problem here is there is a lack of separation into two Kingdoms. Civic righteousness is not in anyway quantifiable as righteousness before God. Is it possible for a non-Christian to do good deeds that warrant praise among men? Absolutely, Oprah has made a career of doing amazing things among men. The theology of Oprah is plainly not Christian. Oprah deserves praise and consideration as righteous among men. Oprah has no righteous standing with God based upon these deeds. The Two Kingdom motif flows quickly into the concept of Works righteousness. If our justification or sanctification is based upon any action of our own, we are gutting the sufficiency of the resurrection. Justification is an external, historical truth that we claim at Baptism. Sanctification begins at Baptism and increases throughout our lives by the work of the Holy Spirit through receiving Grace in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper and in the hearing of the Gospel preached correctly. Our works have nothing to do with righteousness. Our works are the result of our gratitude to Christ for His work. They are the natural outflow of a slave who has been claimed by a new master. The slave cannot change his standing with his master, he can only act in obedience. We are grateful to have this new and wonderful master who has given us everything He is and everything He owns. Therefore, we act and work in a manner that reflects His Glory.
The gossip does not see Salvation in terms of a theology of Grace.
The second problem is the itemization of sins in the various lists in the Bible. Let's use Romans 1:18-32 for an example. What was that last word in verse 29? So, basically, before we start pointing out where others sit on that list, perhaps we should notice the prominent place gossip occupies on the Romans sin list. Who among us survives Romans 1? Only the self righteous in their own minds, but not before God. Paul goes on to pick on the Jews in Romans 2, but that serves a particular purpose of demonstrating that the only possible outcome of the Law is death. Romans 3:10-12 levels all of us, leaving no one righteous before God. Gossips perform an unnecessary and redundant task. Gossip about me and my response is to attempt to teach you the Gospel. Gossip about my friends and family and I will show you the Gospel. Gossip about me and I will show you the Grace of God in my kindness towards you. And if I fail in these endeavors, I know that my righteousness is not measured in terms of my works. My righteousness is seen through Jesus Christ and, therefore, is measured as the true perfection required by God.
So, the next time you are the victim of Gossip at church, that is your opportunity to explain the Gospel! Practice now and be ready!
No comments:
Post a Comment