This is the third post in a series about essential practices of Christian Leadership.
- Saved by Grace Through Faith, and Not by Works (February 8, 2022)
- Confession and Forgiveness. (February 15, 2022)
- The Holy Trinity
What if God is the problem? It’s a shocking thing to consider, but it is a way of understanding the history of salvation and the way in which we communicate the Gospel. In seminary, one of my preaching professors, Tom Rogers, used rhetoric fused with Lutheran theology to teach us how to preach. Good communication pulls people’s attention by focusing on a problem [Step 1]. Once you have people’s attention then you share with them the solution to their problem. And the solution to our most fundamental problem, human sin, death, and the devil, is nothing less than God’s Grace [Step 2]. Remember that if you only have the chance to talk about one thing with someone, talk about God’s Grace. It’s the one thing we’ve got to share, or at least the main thing. We also call this the Gospel. The third and final thing to include in a sermon, testimony, message, etc. is a practical application, a call to action, or a “so what” [step 3]. I used to think that the order mattered very much. I thought that a good sermon or message had to go in a certain set order: Problem>Grace>Application. While this is a very effective and clean way of structuring a message, it is not the only way, and one should be willing to take creative license.
It strikes me as fascinating that the number three is shared between our credal confession and effective communication. Some say that three is the magic number. Maybe. We can think of the creed as God’s message to us, a very long sermon spanning millennia.
[Step 1] Define the problem. We are the problem. Human beings sin and cause all manner of heartache and trouble for ourselves, others, and the world. God who created us deals with this problem in a lot of different ways, but one of the biggest ways was through the giving of the law. The law exists to bring some order in the midst of chaos. So in the Creed God the Father created everything out of love, but human beings cause all manner of problems. So is God responsible for creating such problematic creatures? God deals with the problem by making the law. The law is helpful, but not sufficient in dealing with sin. Sin persists and the people rebel against the law.
[Step 2] Offer the solution. God’s grace is the solution. As Christians we understand God’s grace revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God deals with the problem by becoming one with the problem. Jesus is the God-man who embodies God’s love and human frailty. Even though Jesus was without sin his whole life, on the cross he took on all of the sin of the world. Even to die on a cross was a shameful and sinful way to die and the person was deemed to be cursed. God takes on the curse through Jesus and suffers and dies. The problem of Works Righteousness is dealt with by God finally putting to rest the illusion that we get what we deserve. Jesus didn’t deserve to be treated like this. So we have very clear communication of Grace and God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for sinners.
[Step 3] Propose a course of action. What God calls us to do in the great sermon of time and history is to have faith. Faith is an active though non-violent way of living. Faith transcends the hardships of any given moment to set oneself on a path of living that is at the same time bizarre and beautiful. Only faith itself is basically impossible for humans to have either. It takes the Holy Spirit to stir up faith. You can’t have faith without the Holy Spirit.
So God’s grace permeates all persons of the trinity: Father creates, Son saves, and Spirit enlightens. God is always a God of grace. God also works through history and identifies with our problems to offer solutions and worthy courses of action. So when you draft a message, sermon, homily, witness, or testimony remember the three step process of communication: Problem>Solution>Application or if you prefer: Father>Son>Holy Spirit.
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