Lately, I've heard fellow Christians echoing different metaphors, whether in social media or in person. Some of these metaphors are comforting (at least initially) but I think still not quite the whole story. I'd like to review several of these sayings and provide my thoughts on why I think they're incomplete.
Metaphor #1 - "The Church isn't a warehouse for saints; it's a hospital for sinners."
The first time I heard this, it was a great epiphany. As churchgoers we're not supposed to just congregate and pat ourselves on the back, we're supposed to come in and recognize our brokenness. However, this metaphor, for me, is still incomplete. First, a warehouse is a place where things are stored. Therefore, if there are saints among us, we shouldn't be storing them at all. We should be equipping them and sending them back out into the world. Second, a hospital is not a place where sick people come to stay forever. A hospital is supposed to be a place where sick people come for healing and then go back out into the world. However, the metaphor still falls short. It implies that sinners come, but never goes further with the thought. It doesn't imply that sinners can be restored and it certainly doesn't imply that we, as restored people, are to go back into the world, sharing our restored state with others. I'd like to suggest an alternative metaphor to replace the warehouse/hospital image - a locker room.
What happens in a locker room? First, it's a place where people are equipped to go out on the field. It is a place of training, coaching, and equipping. It is a place of preparation. At some point, everyone who has ever gone into a locker room has entered for the very first time. A child, who has never played basketball before, will step into the gym to learn the basics of basketball. That child may not hold perfection and he may not have been successful in his previous attempts, but the gym is where he will get his first instructions - his coaching if you will - on playing basketball. Change the sports analogy if you're not a basketball fan - football, softball, baseball, soccer, etc. The locker room is where you enter; you change out of your ordinary clothes and put on the equipment and uniform needed to play the game.
A locker room is even more than a place of equipment storage. It's also the place where the coach presents the strategies that the team will utilize against their opponents. The rules of the game are discussed. Strength conditioning equipment is used. Injuries are dealt with. It's even a place of refreshment - water fountains, snack machines, showers. Do you see how much more is involved with a locker room?
Shouldn't our churches be a place where we learn how to follow Christ as well as learn strategies that will help us deal with our opponent? Shouldn't churches be a place where we can come back and deal with our wounds, be healed and sent back out again? Shouldn't our churches be a place of restoration and refreshment? Therefore, a church isn't a warehouse to store things and it's not a hospital for an indefinite stay, it's a place where we are to be trained, equipped, and sent out to the field. It's also a place where we can be restored, refreshed and ready to play again.
Metaphor #2 - "There but for the grace of God go I."
Wow! I'm not even sure where to start. At first, it sounds good. It sounds comforting. Nevertheless, isn't this the prayer of the Pharisee? "Oh God thank you that I'm not like that tax collector?" (Luke 18:10-14) It also implies that somehow if God were to lift His grace, I'd suddenly fall into a state of more brokenness than I already might be in. Of course, I'm not saying that I'm okay without His grace. That's not my point. What I'm trying to say is that His grace would never stop. He extends His love always because He is love. How could He do anything but be a loving, merciful God? However, even more distressing is that this statement implies the other person is incapable of receiving or experiencing His grace. That means that I'm judging the other person when I say this. When we have accepted Jesus and we receive His forgiveness, Paul says we die to Christ. (Romans 6:5-7) That means our old broken and sinful selves are dead and gone. In Christ, we are born new and clothed in His love. So let's not take the Pharisaical attitude. Remember the Pharisees not only denied that Jesus was the Christ, but insisted that He be crucified for blasphemy.
Metaphor #3 - "I'm just a sinner saved by grace."
This is similar to #2. If I'm saved then, according to Paul, I'm no longer a sinner but a saint. If I keep referring to myself as a sinner, even though now I'm saved, then I'm just putting on my old sin clothing. I become what I behold. So if I keep seeing myself in the mirror as a sinner, I will continue to sin. This cycle continues to keep me in a mindset of fear and doubt where I have to constantly live in fear of sin and doubt and not that I'm washed clean. I don't think this is how Jesus wants us to live. He wants us to be free and we can't be free if we continually carry that "old man" baggage around. Additionally, if I keep saying that we're nothing but sinners, it says that what Jesus did at the cross isn't sufficient for me.
Why do statements like these continue to exist? I think it's because most of us want to be comfortable in our faults. We don't want to see us the way that God sees us. Have you ever asked God, "How do you see me?" Additionally, I think that many of us don't want to get rid of our sin and mistakes. It's what makes us human, we say. Nevertheless, Paul constantly reminded his churches that they are to be more than what they were. We worship and serve a perfect God who is bigger than our sin. He's also bigger than our storms. Therefore, we should cry out to our storms and tell them that our God is bigger than they are.
What's the answer to these metaphors? I think it boils down to one simple concept - identity. Who are we in Christ?
~~Ken
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