The Scandalous Fall into Grace

It seems like whenever I flip on a newscast, there is another big-name scandal to report: politicians with hidden mistresses and love children, leaders misappropriating funds, powerful people behaving badly. Recently, a reporter described one such debacle as "the most dramatic fall from grace in recent history."

"... fall from grace." Fall from Grace? The phrase stuck in my mind. It's a common idiom that has skipped unnoticed past my ears many times.

"... fall from grace." The words rolled around in my brain.  I know it has come to mean one who has fallen out of favor, lost esteem, done something so reprehensible as to become an outcast.

But this is wrong. Completely wrong. This is a lie.

Grace does mean favor, but not favor based on merit. It's a free gift, lavished on us with good will. It's not based on our performance, but upon the Will that is good and desires to give it.

Grace by definition cannot be earned, and therefore cannot be lost through bad behavior. It is extended while we are reprehensible enemies of God. Unmerited mercy combined with generous restoration-- this is Grace. It means we don't get what we deserve but instead are given good gifts.

Where does this leave our smarmy politicians? It means that they can't fall from Grace by their terrible behavior. In fact, the terrible behavior puts them in prime position to fall into Grace.

What a scandal.

We don't like the sound of that. We want them to fall. Hard. Our whole lives are based on having our good behavior outweigh the bad. If we are good enough, we earn position on earth--  even in heaven. These miscreants should not be given grace.

But, as it turns out, this good-enough belief disqualifies us from grace. When I looked up the origin of "fall from grace", I found this:

"You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law (read: being good); you have fallen away from grace." Galatians 5:4(NLT)

We really don't like this. No pulling up by boot straps. No earning approval or hierarchy of goodness.  Grace is for the wretched.

Grace is the humiliation of mankind, and the leveler of superiority. It destroys worth based on comparison to other people. Accepting Grace means that we put off ever trying to be good enough, put off earning gold stars. If we continue to good-work our way through life, we are fallen from grace.

We don't like this at all, not until we find ourselves fast falling and in desperate need of a lifeline. Only when we are wretched do we understand Grace.

This is the scandalous love of God: He took our place in shame and guilt and wretchedness, died the death that we deserve, and rose again to make Grace available.

Because of Him, when we fall, we can fall into Grace.