Grace Alone

History and the people that make it are often complex. Constantine ruled over the Roman Empire in the early fourth century. Being the first Christian with major political power, his mark on the Church still runs deep. After he declared his new faith, he then decriminalized Christian practices and ended the period of Christian persecution. This allowed the Church to exit the shadows and enter into the popular culture. Thus, the institutional church was established.

So, what’s the problem? Well… although no one can see someone’s true heart, it turns out that his conversion experience likely had little to do with spirituality, and more to do with gaining power and control. If you know the history of the Church, this isn’t all that surprising. Constantine saw the multitudes of individual congregations and strategically thought that it could be a powerful alliance if all the self-professed Christians united.

To unite Christians together, he convened the Council of Nicaea. Essentially, he locked Christian leaders in a room until they came up with a common statement of belief. This gathering produced what is known as the Nicene Creed. To a large degree, he succeeded in unifying many Christian groups and congregations throughout the Roman Empire. One of the drawbacks, however, was focusing the Church on doctrine. Belonging to the Church stemmed from theological purity, as opposed to a lifestyle that modeled Jesus.

As a Lutherpalian, I love our theology. I love how we think about the Sacraments and how we Worship. I love how we understand community and how we interpret the Bible. But, my friends, our beliefs will not save us. Intellectual purity does not exist. Creeds will not save us. To be clear, our actions will not save us either. If Jesus is our target, then we will fall short. We are often quick to claim Jesus as our Savior, but we rarely think about what Jesus is saving us from. Perhaps it’s our arrogance. Or maybe it’s our incessant need to unify at the expense of exclusion.

Once we accept grace, a gift freely given by God, we will come to know what truly unifies us as Christians. We have a God whose love is unconditional. The moment we unify around anything other than love, is the same moment that we take a step away from God. What unifies us is love, the love we share for creation, the love we share for one another, and the love we share for this life. St. Paul said it best, “We may have the gift of prophecy, understand all knowledge, and have the faith to move mountains, but we have nothing, if we do not have love” (1 Cor. 13:2).

Forgiven and set free,

Pastor Lucas

Photo by Trac Vu