Quid pro quo

God if you would please let me win the lottery, I promise to give a bunch of money to you! God if you would please let the Auburn Tigers win I promise I will never miss a Sunday. God if you would please and fill in the blank with whatever then I will. Am I the only one who has ever prayed these types of prayers? God, if then prayers? Here is the thing, they are “biblical.” Well, kind of and kind of has to be very loosely defined. John 15:7 says, If you remain in Me and My words (rhema) remain in you, (then) ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. Sooo, it is right to ask God to do something, kinda like a favor? Sadly, I can’t speak for you, but not only do my prayers not always get answered how I want them, I know that I won’t fulfill my end of the deal. Now, God is willing and able to hear our requests. However, we have to be careful here and not let our relationship with God become transactional. And who wants that?

In our scripture reading from 2 Corinthians, Paul is raising money. I mentioned this a few weeks ago. There was a famine in the land so he is urging two churches to collect money. He is doing this focusing on God’s grace, as he should. In verse 8 Paul tells about how God is able to make all grace abound to you. Paul then follows his claim about God’s great grace resulting in greater graciousness quoting from our other scripture reading in Psalm 112:9. All is good so far. Now, I am assuming here, but since God was the primary subject of the sentence in v8 we naturally read God as the subject of the quote in v. 9. So, God “scattered abroad, gave to the poor, abides forever.” In this context the quote confirms Paul’s description of God as gracious. However, the subject of the quote in the context of Psalm 112 is the person who fears God and delights in God’s commands, who is thus gracious, merciful, and righteous. So, does Paul misquote the scripture?!?

I will say, some scholars believe Paul intended the subject of the quote in his context to be the Corinthian who contributed to the collection. However, here is my problem with this. It seems to me that Paul is saying that God is incredibly gracious, but in order to receive this wonderful grace, you yourself should be generous, or gracious! But, if that is the case, it sounds awfully like a Quid pro quo agreement to me. It makes following God a transaction. Let’s dig a little bit here.

The psalmist uses the “blessed or happy person” language (v. 1), just like in Psalm 1. The psalmist opens with a call to praise and then makes the overarching statement about the godly. The godly person has been so transformed by God’s grace that he’s marked by God-centered holiness and biblical happiness. This person greatly delights in his commandments. The family will be ok. Wealth and riches are there and his righteousness endures forever. All is well, including times of bad news. His heart is steady. He is all good! Then it concludes with that reference to the wicked who’s ways will perish. Good guy v Bad guy and the good guy does well. It is almost as if God is saying, do good and I will be good to you!

Is this whole thing transactional?

It can seem that way. Sadly, part of what I don’t like about stewardship messages is that passages like these can be misinterpreted that way. Give to God and good things happen to you. Give to God and your seed will multiply and increase the harvest. Give to God and your offspring will be mighty. So, give to God right?!? But, where is the grace? Furthermore, if this whole thing was built on what I do then why would I need God anyway?

But, the focus of these passages isn’t on what I can do. The focus on both of these passages really is on what God provides. God is able to make all grace abound to you. He supplies seek to the sower and bread for food. He multiplies those that seek for sowing and increase the harvest. You will be enriched! The same could be said for our Psalm. The offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house. Light dawns in the darkness

A central tenet of our faith is known as sola gratia. It means our salvation is by God’s loving grace alone. But, as I told my class at Huntsville Bible College, this can get tricky. There is the call to believe. Our Psalter tells us to fear the Lord and take delight in scripture. These sound like things I have to do? So, how is it that salvation is by grace alone if there is stuff I have to do? Let's draw this out further, why do we come to worship? If we aren’t required to do anything then why are we here? Salvation is by grace alone and God knows my heart right?

Sadly, the answer is yes. God knows our hearts and knows how sinful we really are. God knows the stuff that we hide away. Yet, despite God’s knowledge of all that stuff. God still loves us and loves us unconditionally. God loves us despite of ourselves. Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us, is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Works righteousness is cheap grace because, if we can do the good works to make ourselves righteous, we don’t need God to bestow grace on us.

Maybe, just maybe, the Psalmist is implying a responsive worship to God’s grace. Maybe, just maybe, the psalmist recognizes how God continues to give and take care of us despite ourselves. So, maybe we should worship and revere the Lord. Maybe we should worship and study the scriptures. Maybe, just maybe, we should be generous and give as a response to God’s grace.

I think that is what Paul is trying to tell us in the first place. Paul is raising money from these two churches and I imagine they tensed up when he started talking about money. I mean I would! However, Paul wasn’t just talking about giving and generosity. Throughout this passage, he is talking about worship. There is a reference to good work. There is an overflowing of many thanksgivings to God. There is service that glorifies God. There is confession of the gospel. There is prayer. And there is generosity because all of these are ways we worship.

God gives us way more than we ever give God credit for. Today’s passages are not a list of rewards, but more a resume for God. Look at what God can do? God is able to make all grace abound to you. God supplies everything we need. God is gracious to us in every way. Therefore, we should respond to that grace with thanksgiving and worship!

Friends, God does not require us to do anything, including giving. God is sovereign and sufficient in all things. God doesn’t even need us. However, God does want us and wants a relationship with us. God is not interested in a quid pro quo relationship. God only loves me if I can sing. God only loves me if I am serving the church. God only loves me if…. No, God loves you and just wants a relationship with you. Period the end. Through his grace and his grace alone is that relationship possible. We respond to that relationship through worship. And, giving is A way to worship God for his loving grace

So, today, may you see and experience God’s grace. May that grace transform you and cause you to worship him.

Grace and Peace.