Audio transcription
Eric Olson of Springfield, Missouri writes: “Pastor John, is the popularized idea of 'paying it ahead' nullifying grace? I simply learn a piece of your e-book Future Grace which I believe explains why I used to be sad with the entire 'paying it ahead' factor. It appears too straightforward to fall into the camp of human obedience quite than match previous grace or the concept of giving and receiving. Are you able to present us the Scriptures which may reveal our motives within the 'pay it ahead' phenomenon we see at this time?”
Defining phrases
Let me give just a little background first, as a result of I'm guessing a few of our listeners are fully unfamiliar with this concept. I used to be undoubtedly not conscious of the phenomenon he was speaking about so I needed to poke round a bit.
“We’re debtors to all males, if God has given us the reward which he’s keen to present to all who name upon him.”
So “pay it ahead” is an expression to explain the one who advantages from a superb deed who pays it again to others, as an alternative of the one who did the nice deed to him. So the idea may be very outdated. Nonetheless, in line with Wikipedia, the phrase could have been coined by Lili Hardy Hammond in 1916 in her e-book The Backyard of Delight. In 2000, there was a film known as “Pay It Ahead,” and the primary line of the film was, “When somebody does you a superb deed, don't pay it again, pay it ahead.” That's the concept.
There’s a “Pay It Ahead” basis. There’s a novel “Pay It Ahead”. It's Pay It Ahead Day, April thirtieth. Possibly that's why the query got here up not too long ago. Benjamin Franklin as soon as lent a person in want some cash, and he mentioned, “I don’t faux to present such a deed. I'll simply lend it to you. Whenever you meet one other sincere man in an identical predicament to your self, you need to repay me by lending him this quantity.” That's the purpose of paying it ahead.
Earlier than the face of God
Earlier than my biblical reflection, I’d say that on a horizontal degree, as a mind-set about spreading kindness, it appears fairly innocent and will do numerous good. However we’re Christians and we don't simply dwell on a horizontal degree.
We’re all the time coping with two instructions: horizontal and vertical. We dwell earlier than the face of God. So what does it imply in Scripture? What does the Scripture say concerning the method to ethics, paying off a debt from one particular person to return, to not that particular person, however to present to a different particular person. What does the Bible say about it?
I believe one of the simplest ways to deal with that is to get the large image of the biblical view of debt or obligation in its varied varieties. One is to pay it ahead within the Bible, however the different just isn’t. So right here is my definition of debt. A debt is an obligation or feeling in me to do some good for somebody that’s created, a debt is created by somebody doing a superb for me. I mentioned this very usually as a result of it can cowl all types of strains. I’ve 5 methods to legitimately get into debt:
1. Loans
Somebody lends you one thing or invests one thing with you. You might be obligated to pay them again.
“God has given me this magnificent treasure of the gospel. Due to this fact I’m the debtor of all, as a result of it’s meant for all.”
Within the parable of the abilities, Jesus mentioned to the person who did nothing with the expertise that his grasp lent him: “Then you need to have invested the cash with the bankers, and at my coming I ought to have obtained again what I gave you with curiosity” (Matthew 25 :27).
The person was indebted to the investor. Somebody provides you cash to deal with for him, it's his cash, however you owe him that cash with curiosity or some form of cost as a result of he gave it to you to deal with.
2. Staff' wages
Whenever you work a day, your employer owes you wages. “Don't step on an ox whereas it's treading grain. The laborer deserves his wages” (1 Timothy 5:18). So it’s proper if you’re an employer to really feel obligated to pay your staff.
3. Religious blessing
We’re indebted to others if they’ve given us non secular blessings. Romans 15:26-27 says, “Macedonia and Achaia had been happy to contribute to the poor among the many saints in Jerusalem. For they gladly did, and certainly they owe [there is the key word] he owes it to them. For if the Gentiles [the Macedonian Gentiles] they got here to share within the non secular blessings that got here from Jerusalem, they need to additionally minister to them in materials blessings.”
They ought to. He makes use of the phrase ought to. So he owes them. They need to. When non secular blessings come to you from somebody, you are feeling that you need to take part in assembly their wants, even bodily.
First Corinthians 9:11 says, “If we’ve sown non secular issues amongst you, is it an excessive amount of if we reap from you materials issues?” No, when we’ve sown, we must always reap from you. Or think about Galatians 6:6: “Let him who’s taught by the phrase share all good issues with him who teaches.” So lecturers needs to be supported by these they train. So there’s a form of propriety created by the sharing of non secular issues.
4. Spreading the excellent news
We’re debtors to all folks. Right here's the pay-it-forward half. We’re debtors to all males, if God has given us the reward that he’s keen to present to all who name upon him by means of you.
“Whenever you change into the recipient from God of one thing that’s to profit all, you’re a debtor to all.”
Right here is Paul in Romans 1:14: “I’m a debtor to each Greeks and Barbarians, each sensible and silly. In different phrases, I’m everybody's debtor. “Due to this fact I wish to preach the gospel additionally to you who’re in Rome” (verse 15). So he means: God has given me, entrusted me with this magnificent treasure of the gospel. Due to this fact, I’m a debtor to all, as a result of the gospel is supposed for everybody and I’ve it.
Right here is an illustration of this idea: In 1975, Dan Fuller preached at my ordination and made it from this textual content and mentioned this. The textual content is 2 Kings 7. The Syrians surrounded Jerusalem. The embargo is such that Jerusalem is ravenous. Nobody can get any meals. They may all starve to demise. However then God intervenes and drives the Syrians away by making them hear one thing.
On the gate stand 4 lepers who resolve: “Look, we're going to die anyway. Let's go ask the mercy of the Syrians.” In order that they exit to the Syrian camp and it's empty, filled with meals. It's just like the gospel. It's like discovering the gospel, a treasure hidden in a discipline.
What are these lepers doing? Properly, they begin consuming. They pounce on it and eat it. However then they stopped and mentioned to themselves in verse 9, “We’re not doing proper. In different phrases, “We have now a debt right here. We have now a debt. We’re not doing it proper. Today is a day of excellent information. If we stay silent and wait till morning, punishment will overtake us. Now then, allow us to go and inform the king's family.” And in in the future the necessity of all was happy in Jerusalem.
The purpose is that while you change into a recipient from God of one thing that’s meant to profit all, you’re a debtor to all. That's Biblical Paying It Ahead.
5. We owe God perpetually
Right here's the final one – and it's the one Eric got here throughout Future Graceand it's actually important, so we’ve to cease it. We’re indebted to God for all his goodness to us. Sure, we do. We owe it to God. However this debt is totally distinctive. It will probably by no means be repaid. It ought to by no means be repaid. Any try at reimbursement is opposite to grace.
We’ll perpetually go deeper and deeper into debt. We’ll by no means get out of debt to God, and beauty implies that. Grace wouldn't be grace should you might repay it. God wouldn’t be adequate if his reward to us restricted his sources in order that they wanted to be replenished by recompense. They aren’t decreased.
That is what it means to be infinite. That is what it means to be God. When God provides, He’s no much less. Once we give, we’re by some means much less for it. He’s not. We dishonor God by making an attempt to repay him for his goodness to us.
Ask for extra
When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “However by the grace of God I’m what I’m, and his grace towards me was not in useless. Quite the opposite, I labored more durable than any of them, although it was not I, however the grace of God that was with me,” this verse implies that any try we make—that’s, any good deed we carry out—is completed by the grace of God, in order that our good works might by no means be a way of repaying grace as a result of they’re an expression of grace and subsequently convey us deeper into grace.
“We dishonor God by looking for to repay him for his goodness to us.”
One is deeply confused to suppose that good works in obedience to God are a recompense to God, when Paul says that these good works are an actual work of grace, not a recompense for grace.
The very last thing could be Psalm 116:12: “How shall I repay the Lord for all his advantages that he has given me? Properly, there’s the important thing query of retribution in relation to God. “How shall I repay the Lord for all his blessings to me?” And his reply is in verse 13, “I’ll carry up the cup of salvation.” At that time you ask, “What does that imply? Is it a cup that’s full and he toasts to God? Prefer it was a toast. I decide it up and roast it. Or is it an empty cup and he asks for an additional?” And the next sentence solutions the query: “I’ll carry up the cup of salvation and name on the title of the Lord.
So the reply to retribution to God is, ask for extra. If you wish to honor God for yesterday's grace, ask him for at this time's grace. By doing so, you categorical your determined want and show God's infinite resourcefulness. In case you pay it ahead as Paul did in Romans 1:14, know this: You aren’t paying God by paying others. You appeal to an increasing number of grace and accumulate an increasing number of treasures in heaven.
