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THE SCIENCE OF GRACE #4
TAX AND LICENSE - EXTRA
Many historians consider it to be a turning point of World War II; it certainly was one of the sweeping political decisions of the 20th century. And it all came down to the use of a garden hose.
In mid- to late-1940, England was standing virtually alone against Adolf Hitler’s vast armies. Much of Europe had fallen. France had capitulated and was now being ruled by the collaborating Vichy government. So far the Union Jack had survived, with the pivotal “Battle of Britain” going England’s way in the skies over London and Berlin.
But as the Axis aggression began to spread across the globe – Greece, Africa, Russia – prime minister Winston Churchill knew full well that England’s cash reserves were nearly depleted. For years Number Ten Downing Street had essentially had a credit balance with Washington, D.C., based on trading reserves. But it was nearly to the point that the account was cleaned out. There was no more money to continue the war.
It’s fascinating, these 60-plus years later, to read Churchill’s letters to President Roosevelt. They’re all entitled “Former Naval Person to President,” and contain poignant explanations for the needs of England, and its determination to resist the dark tyranny of the swastika “to the last man standing on our shores.”
America, of course – and there was fierce debate on all sides of this; just go to the Internet and take a look – was trying to hold on to its precarious position of neutrality, of staying a “non-belligerent” nation. But we were sending rifles to Great Britain, hundreds of thousands of them. Bombs. Airplanes. Tanks. Churchill was wanting to borrow 50 or 60 destroyers, and the telegrams went back and forth on that. FDR tried to exact a promise that, should Hitler gain control of the U.K., England would send the entire British fleet to North American waters. Well, that was a good idea, but Churchill knew that if he announced such a contingency ahead of time, the effect on British morale would be disastrous.
Right after the 1940 election, where Roosevelt won his fourth term, he announced a new proposal. America was going to “eliminate the dollar sign” from its aid to England. Instead, he wanted Congress to approve what he called a “Lend Lease” program. The best defense of America, he pointed out, was for England to stay strong too. Furthermore, some of the very weapons Churchill desperately needed were the same kinds of tanks and bombs and destroyers America used in its own arsenals anyway. Why not simply let England use them in active defense – in other worse, lease them – instead of having military ships rot in our own shipyards?
Then FDR described it with this “fireside chat” imagery. “Suppose my neighbor’s home is on fire,” he said, “and I have a garden hose 500 feet away. If he connects my hose up to his hydrant, he can put out his fire. Do I need to say to him, ‘Now, look, neighbor, I paid $15 for that hose; give me $15 right now for it’? No, I simply want my hose back when his crisis is over. If part of the hose is ruined in the blaze, he and I can work that out when the time comes.”
And you know, on that basis, something like $50 billion of military hardware went out under this “no dollar sign” arrangement. It wasn’t exactly a gift, but it was the next best thing.
Needless to say, the concept was fiercely debated in the House and Senate of the United States Congress. And there’s an equally animated discussion going on all over the globe here in this 21st century about God’s own “Lend Lease” program with His children regarding salvation. Do we pay for the promise of eternal life? Or have the dollar signs been removed? What is OUR part to play in the Calvary transaction? When the war is over, is St. Peter at the gate going to present us with the tab we’ve run up in this endless war with Lucifer?
There’s a Latin expression that Christians use, especially in the Protestant tradition. Here it is: Sola Fide. It essentially means “salvation by faith alone” – and it is often amended to read: “Salvation by GRACE alone, through faith alone.” In fact, I like this expression: “Justification through grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, nothing else being necessary.”
We’re borrowing in this radio series, THE SCIENCE OF GRACE, from a powerful journal that came out in late 2003 from my friends at the Adventist Review, official magazine of my own denomination. And what a wonderful expression to find in the lead article, written by President Jan Paulsen, this ringing truth: “Salvation is ENTIRELY of grace.” God’s gift of eternal life is not a subsidy situation; it is not a scholarship where we put in part, it is not even a “Lend Lease” where we must give back something at the end of the day. It is a gift all the way, from first to last, at the inception of the relationship, on every day throughout, and also at its glorious culmination.
Have you ever known someone who won a free car? Someone in my own Camarillo Adventist Church scored a freebie a year ago – and it was a biggie. Somehow, through a grocery store chain drawing, they actually won a fully loaded van. Pretty good one, too, from what I hear. But you can bet one thing for sure: the minute they were handed the keys, guess who paid the tax, license, and registration? Guess who bought that first $45 tank of gas? Guess who had to get insurance for it and start paying for oil changes every 3000 miles? You got it. And that free van turned out to have quite a lengthy sticker price for the lucky “winner.”
This magazine article by Jan Paulsen includes a cute anecdote shared by a Paul Francisco, who tells about a nine-year-old kid who went to church with his family for a Communion service. At this particular church, the tradition of the deacons was to bring the bread and the wine right to your pew and serve you. Tradition #2 was that small children generally weren’t served; this sacrament was reserved more for the adults. But this boy’s mommy had given him a dime to put in the plate, which he had dutifully done earlier in the service. Now, when the little cups of grape juice came alone, he reached right out and helped himself. Yes sirree. When his mom tried to stop him – “Pssst! You’re too young; you can’t take Communion yet” – he shot right back: “Why not? I paid for it.” He wanted a dime’s worth of eternal life right this minute.
But you know, friend, the powerful reality is this: grace is God’s full and free gift to us, and it is the ENTIRE purchase price of our salvation. It is the full and complete BASIS of our justification. We cannot contribute anything whatsoever to this free car; we can’t even purchase an extra set of floor mats or the little evergreen air freshener tree from the Toyota dealership after our kind benefactor pays for a tuneup and the new tires.
Now, how does that translate into the life we live every day? Shouldn’t a believer go to church? Absolutely. The Bible teaches the importance of this. In gratitude, and because we want to worship, and because we desire to strengthen the Body of Christ, we should certainly go to church. Every single Friday, here on the Voice of Prophecy, we try to encourage you to turn OFF your radio and get down the street to church. But friend, the number of times we ever attend church, whether it be zero or fifty-two times a year times threescore years and ten – for a grand total of 3,640 – does not count toward our salvation.
You and I might pay tithe and keep the commandments our entire lives. The Bible teaches that we should. It will bring us a happier life; it will make for a better community; it will be an example to others; it will honor God’s kingdom and further its aims. But will it be a part of your purchase price to get a mansion? No.
You and I might give out cups of cold water and visit prisoners, feed hungry orphans and clothe the homeless. Matthew 25 tells us this is all-important; in fact, as God demonstrates to a watching universe that faithful Christians respond naturally and gratefully to the invitation to live this way, judgment is pronounced in favor of those who perform these Christlike acts of charity and love. But were the Salvation Army good deeds the basis of their salvation, or was it the grace relationship with Jesus that made the difference?
You can see immediately the “trickiness” of this debate. Which came first, the chicken of relationship, or the “egg” of obedience? But friend, all that we do in response to the gift of grace is exactly that: a response. It is not the gift itself. We call obedience and faithful living the “fruit,” not the “root” of our salvation.
Some of us recently waded clear through the important “JDDJ” – the Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification.” And it was heartening to see that our friends in the Catholic faith are earnestly endeavoring with Protestants to find common expression of this powerful Christian truth: that salvation is entirely and completely and fully and eternally of one thing: grace. And that all we put in are our many and varied and heartfelt expressions: “Thank You, Jesus.”
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