in the (deadly) arms of grace

This blog won't make much sense, unless you first watch the video (start at time marker 16:00, and you'll only need to spend 40 minutes or so).
http://thecity.org/message/jesus_is_grace

Judah Smith, again (see previous post)--still hammering away at the subject of 'grace', as he and many, many others see it in their own imagination.

What's the take away from this video?  Smith himself sums up Christianity this way: "Christianity starts in His [Jesus'] arms, ends in His arms, and is all about being in His arms" (time marker 52:13).  Sounds good.  But what, exactly, does that mean, "being in His arms"?  For, in the context of the entire video, Smith is really contrasting that abstract idea ("being in His arms"), with what Smith very obviously views as being a most noxious idea, that is, that one's own choices and lifestyle has anything whatsoever to do with whether or not one is accepted by God.  Of course, God accepts everyone--without exception, and without condition! Judah Smith insists.

In this video, Smith begins with a lengthy discussion involving the meaning of the word 'worth'.  He goes to great lengths to show that the tremendous 'worth' of human persons, in God's estimation, depends not upon anything possessed or produced by oneself, but upon the fact that every human being is made to bear the image of God.  Furthermore, Smith argues, God will stop at nothing, to restore His own image in every person.

That idea is nothing else than a thinly veiled allusion to Universalism: the idea that everyone is (or shall be) 'saved'.  Smith, in his teaching, in many ways insists that God accepts every person without exception or qualification.  Thus, such concepts as repentance, obedience, and faithfulness, have no place at all in Smith's--and a host of others like his--teaching.

This video reaches an emotional crescendo toward the conclusion of Smith's sermon, by focusing upon the return of the Prodigal Son, and his father's unquestioning acceptance of him.  The Prodigal was clearly a sinner.  He had made bad choices and caused many people, including himself, much pain.  But none of that seemed to matter to his father.  Rather, the only thing that mattered was that his son had come back home.  Smith interprets the father's acceptance of his son as meaning that the father: 1) cared nothing about what his son had done, up to the point of his returning home; and 2) that the father welcomed his son back home without any conditions whatsoever.

Smith's reasoning--and, therefore, his conclusion--related to the meaning of the Prodigal Son parable, is fatally flawed.  Firstly, Smith fails to acknowledge the father's willingness to part ways with his rebellious son.  The son could not have gotten very far from home or, possibly, could not have survived for very long, unless, the father had willingly handed over to his son his inheritance.  Could the father have known that his son would one day return?  Of course, not.  It seems apparent in the story, though, that that son was something of a troublemaker before he left home.  Perhaps, he was indolent and he wouldn't get out of bed to help out around the farm.  To be sure, he was grossly disrespectful to his father.  In that time period--most important, in the Jewish culture of that time period--disrespect to one's parents was anathema, worthy of stoning, in fact.  The young man's father doubtless wasn't happy about his son's decision to leave home; nevertheless, the father was willing that he should leave.

That idea militates against a currently popular heresy, that is, that God the Father will never allow--much less could He ever be willing--that any of his 'children' should leave 'home'.

But on to the second point.  Which is to say that, according to Smith, the Prodigal's father received his wayward son back into the household without any conditions.  It is not so.  The story itself asserts that the Prodigal altogether had a change of heart, while he was still in the pigpen.  He became willing to go back home and work as a hired servant.  He had been humbled in his mind, and was henceforth willing to show due respect to his father.  In other words, the Prodigal acknowledged his sins and he was willing to entirely turn away from those: which, by definition, is repentance.  That the father discerned his son's repentance, is not stated in the text but it is very clearly implied.  On that basis, then, the father embraced and honored his now-humbled son, a son who from that point forward would live amongst his own family members, lovingly, obediently, honorably, as one of them.

 God does not accept anyone who cleaves to sin.  God demands repentance.  His grace is the power and character of His own Spirit, which God readily gives to all who will obey Him (Acts 5:32).  We must be willing to obey and honor the Lord--who gives us His Spirit to enable us to live in such a way that is befitting the sons and daughters belonging to God's family.

Judah Smith titled his video, "Jesus is Grace".  He is, indeed.  But by completely misrepresenting what is meant by grace, Smith has terribly misrepresented who Jesus is--to the inestimable danger of many, many souls that shall be led astray by this artful communicator of devils' doctrines.