The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation is right around the corner (October 31st). As we reflect on this momentous occasion, it's worth asking "What would a "grace-alone" church look like today?" Carl Trueman wrote an article for The Gospel Coalition (tgc.org) looking to answer this very question. We don't have room to include all ten of his points (even if we look at them over two weeks), but here are some key excerpts. He says that a grace-alone church...1. Takes sin seriously Grace is not simply a sentiment or attitude in God. It is God's concrete response to human sin. This means a proper understanding of grace depends on a prior, proper understanding of sin and the human predicament. If we attend church to feel good about ourselves or to learn some tips on how to live better, we are missing the point. Such attitudes indicate that we see the human problem as one of human psychology or a lack of real knowledge. We fail to see where the real issue lies. Until we see sin as the problem, we won't understand the nature of God's prescribed solution. No grace-filled church will be unclear about the problem grace is meant to address.2. Takes Christ seriously If sin is the problem, grace is not simply God's benevolent decision to ignore it and pretend the fall never happened. Grace in the Bible, and among the greatest exponents of grace in the history of theology, is embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is God's action to deal with sin, in Christ and in the application of Christ to the individual by the Holy Spirit. A grace-alone church will not just talk about grace; she will talk about Christ. If we speak of grace without speaking the name of Christ, we are not speaking biblically of grace. In the Bible, grace is so intimately connected to Christ that Christless talk is graceless talk.3. Takes corporate worship seriously For the Reformers - as for the early church and medieval fathers - the gathering of the visible church was important. In fact, we can say it was the most important thing for them. Certainly, it was so important for the medievals largely because of their high sacramentalism, something the Reformers rejected. But even so, the Reformers believed that the church is God's creation, and that it is the place where grace is found through the proclamation of God's Word and the administration of the sacraments. We live in an age in which church is often regarded as an optional add-on to the Christian faith, or as a place we go to learn the Bible, to make some good friends - a context for social interaction. A church that takes grace alone seriously knows that while all those things may be true, the primary reason we go to church is to receive God's grace through the Word and sacraments. It is with the gathering of saints on the Lord's Day that we receive what we need, strengthening us to go about our daily callings for the rest of the week.
