are we to hold one another accountable?

We Presbyterians pride ourselves in focusing on God's grace, and a focus on grace when living in the middle of the Bible belt is certainly something to hold on to and lift up.

God's grace sustains me.

However, we often hold on to what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called cheap grace.....grace we heap on ourselves, grace that does not require confession before jumping head first into forgiveness, grace that maintains high expectations for God but little to no expectations for each other.

God's grace is not cheap. God's grace is given unconditionally and when recognized and enjoyed has power to turn our lives upside down for the sake of our very healing.

God's grace is not cheap. God's grace gives us courage to hold each other accountable, especially when we fail to love each other as Christ loved us.

Phillip D. Kenneson in his book, Life On The Vine, writes -

"Jesus did not come to bring a cheap peace, nor did Jesus come to turn a blind eye to deep-rooted problems or divisions."

Because God calls us to live in community with each other we are called to admonish/correct each other.

But hooooold on.....wait just a minute.....

before you and I start wagging our fingers at each other, or writing snippy emails or anonymous notes we must not forget that the manner in which we offer and receive admonition/correction makes all the difference in the world.

Our admonition if framed in the reigning culture of the day will be offered and received in an adversarial spirit. Current culture, Kenneson writes, is focused on the individual and the rights of the individual. Yet, we have been called to live as Christ's body....which means that we believe we are in this struggle together and that at another time and place the roles of admonisher and admonishee will need to be reversed.

The church is called to have courage to be healthy. The health of our community requires that we honestly, yet lovingly nudge each other in the right direction.

At such times we would do well to remember the words of Hebrews 12:11: "Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."