“It is perplexing, indeed downright frightening, that some who are justified in God’s grace for nothing, who have been undeservedly made partakers of His goodness, rebel fiercely at the thought that those presently less fortunate will one day also be reconciled to God.”
– Cecil J. Blay, “Become Wide.”
It is not without consequences what we believe. Hard lessons make hard hearts. But the Bible speaks quite differently. We should not “receive the grace of God in vain,” Paul writes to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 6:1). We should do something with this grace, respectively it may do something with us. Grace educates. Grace aligns the heart with God’s work. This may be seen in a lifestyle pleasing to God.
Grace causes a new start
When we are gifted with grace, we may live out the grace we have received. Grace is something that wants to keep flowing. Just as God has reconciled Himself to the world, this may work in us and through us. We may become more like Christ (2 Cor. 3:17-18). It won’t make us flawless, but it can recalibrate our thinking, our expectations, our priorities, and everything that makes us human.
This recalibration is a process. We may be directed to His riches (Rom 12:1-2). It is quite logical if this is then also visible to the outside world. Thus grows the fruit of the Spirit, which becomes visible as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-discipline (Gal 5:22). This is the result.
No religious piety
This effect is not to be understood as religious piety. On the contrary, it has something to do with our vocation, but nothing to do with a particular religious feeling or, say, religious rituals. It does not manifest itself in the amount of hours prayed daily, nor in the attendance of religious services. We may fulfill our holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:1). Then we will implement what we have been called to do.
Those who live out grace will receive grace “not in vain” but bear fruit. So no performance, no merit, no conformity to religious customs, but growth-promoting behavior -. we realign our lives. In the final analysis, it is about reflecting exactly what we ourselves have received, to all the people around us.
Today is a day of salvation
The context in which Paul writes is significant. We are talking here about the letter to the Corinthians. Between the two verses mentioned at the beginning of the 6. and of the In chapter 7 Paul speaks to the believers in Corinth. The apostle writes so that something can move in this church. The purpose of his words is to change and improve. They should be aware – because of the grace given – that today is a day of salvation. It is not “the” day of salvation, as if it were the only day, but the Greek speaks of “a” day of salvation, which does not exclude other days. The focus in the text is therefore not on the fact that salvation is only possible today, as is often hastily claimed. (This is a narrow interpretation and not the theme of the section). The focus in the text is that it is about salvation. It is the imprint of our time that we should exploit. We are to take advantage of the opportunity (Eph. 5:15-16).
So Paul sees two things here:
- We have been blessed with grace and salvation
- Today we have the opportunity to live that out and put it into practice.
Far become inside
It’s a very simple directive. We should not be fixated on ourselves, but we should “become wide.” We should “live” in the best sense, and that includes living in a spiritual sense.
The word for “become wide” (gr. platuno) we still find in Matthew 23:5, where Jesus says of (some) scribes and Pharisees that they value externals: “for they widen (gr. platuno) their thinking sign belts and enlarge the tassels …”. So becoming wide, if we think about it vividly, has something to do with “widening.” Now when Paul speaks of “becoming broad” in 2 Corinthians, he wants the Corinthians to broaden their spiritual horizons. They should make room in their heart, they should open their heart wide.
“Our mouth has been opened to you, O Corinthians; has your heart also been enlarged? You are not straitened in us, but you are straitened in your innermost being! In return (as to children I speak) you also become wide!”
2Cor 6:11-13
It seems as if the Corinthians were trapped in an obdurate and narrow view of the world and faith. I have known this myself, and I see it all the time in “strict believer” circles. A narrow view of God’s grace that has no place for others, that excludes rather than confines, has no future.
Those who proclaim a message of threat instead of a message of joy fail to recognize the power of God’s grace. Let us learn to give God’s activity the space it deserves. In doing so, we honor God. Let us become wide within. Opposites are called know-it-allism, sectarianism, exclusivity in faith: there are many ways in which one can be constricted in one’s innermost being.
How faith works
Faith, Paul writes to the Galatians, is made effective through love:
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything, but only faith working through love.”
Gal 5:6
Circumcision and uncircumcision are typical religious signs. They are not to be devalued and have their own place. However, insofar as our position in Christ is concerned, these things do not matter. We can learn something from this in general. Those who are “in Christ” will live out their faith. Faith works through concretely lived love. Becoming wide on the inside is what is concretely lived on the outside.
Deepening
- “Becoming wide is a process of letting go of all self-righteousness.” Discuss.
- Is differentiation from other people and opinions important to you? Reflect.
- Leaving other people and opinions standing can seem threatening to some. Why?
- “Love is strong enough to love even those who think differently from us; therefore, for the sake of love, we need not reveal the truth.” This quote comes from Richard Imberg. Discuss.
