Violent Grace

Thoughts from my reading in Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy by Paul David Tripp.

Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Psalm 51:8

Do you ever think of grace as violent? Have you ever had a bone broken by God? Is our tendency to think of grace in syrupy terms, all warm and cozy? So how does grace operate when we are getting too comfy with sin?

As sinners we all become way too comfortable with our sin. The thought that once bothered becomes an action that no longer plagues our conscience. The word that troubled us the first time it was uttered now is accompanied by others that are worse. The marriage that was once a picture of biblical love has now become a relationship of cold-war detente. Commitment to work degenerates into doing as little as we can for as much pay as we can negotiate. A commitment to a devotional life becomes perfunctory and empty duty, more like getting our ticket punched for heaven than enjoying communion with our Lord. Minor, unexpressed irritation, which once troubled our hearts, is now fully expressed anger that is easily rationalized away. Sin is like the unnoticed drips of water that silently destroy the foundation of a house.

It's the violent, uncomfortable grace that God uses to pull us away from our sin. It brings pain. We realize something must be done; the ache points to something deeper going on. It can't be ignored any longer. We can rejoice in the pain that pushed us toward healing.

So God's grace isn't always comfortable because he isn't primarily working on our comfort; he's working on our character. With violent grace he will crush us because he loves us and is committed to our restoration, deliverance, and refinement. And that is something worth celebrating.

The celebration comes after the healing. We look back and can thank God. We are thankful for the conviction from the Holy Spirit. We are thankful for the people God put on our back. We are so thankful God didn't leave us in our comfortable, pitiful state.

Here is a question from the meditation:

Have you allowed yourself to become comfortable with something that God does not want to have bring you comfort?

What comes to mind for me is that I don't do well at resolving conflict. While it doesn't bring comfort, I try to avoid the discomfort of tearing open wounds. I ignore and forget about things that need resolve and suffer the consequences in other ways.

Dear Lord, thank you for not leaving me in my sinful comfort. Thank you for the people and things you use in my life to break the bones that result in change in my life.

Philip
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