Paul and the Power of Grace--John Barclay

In his transformative book, Paul and the Power of Grace, John Barclay's central argument is that grace (charis) in Paul is not merely a forgiving attitude but an unconditioned and incongruous gift [see below]—given without regard to the worth of the recipient, which fundamentally reorders the recipient's life and creates a new community. Each section starts with a key concept from Barclay, followed by questions and key passages to study.

Part 1: The Nature of Grace as an Incongruous Gift

Concept: Grace is unconditioned (given freely by God) and incongruous (given without matching the worth, status, or ethnicity of the recipient). It shatters all systems of worth.

1. Worth-Shattering Gift: Read Romans 5:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. How does Paul describe the recipients of God's grace in Christ? What does this tell us about God's criteria for giving His gift? How does this challenge natural human notions of "deserving"?

2. Grace vs. Karma: Compare the "logic" of grace in Ephesians 2:8-9 with any system of merit or "karma" (e.g., "you reap what you sow" in a strict, moral sense). How is the gift of salvation unconditioned? Why is it crucial that it is not a wage (Romans 4:4-5)?

Part 2: Grace is Not Cheap: The Demanding Call of the Gift

Concept: The gift is unconditioned but not unconditional. It expects a return—not to pay for the gift, but as a response shaped by the gift. The gift is eccentric, re-centering the life of the recipient around the Giver.

1. The Obligation of Grace: Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. What language does Paul use to describe the believer's obligation? How is this not a "payment" but a fitting response to the gift received?

2. New Creation, New Life: Study Romans 6:1-4 and 12:1-2. How does the incongruous gift (forgiveness of sin) logically lead to a transformed life? Why does Barclay argue that "grace alone" necessarily leads to "obedience alone"?

Part 3: Grace and the Law

Concept: Paul critiques the Law not as "bad" but as a system that can be misused to establish a congruous system of worth ("my obedience earns my status"). Grace in Christ ends the Law as a system of establishing covenant status (Romans 10:4), but fulfills its righteous requirement via the Spirit.

1. The Law's Purpose: Read Galatians 3:21-25 and Romans 7:7-12. What positive and negative roles does the Law play? How does the gift of grace in Christ change a person's relationship to the Law (see Romans 8:1-4)?

2. Two Systems of Worth: Contrast two ways of seeking "righteousness": one through "works of the law" (Romans 9:30-32) and one "through faith in Christ" (Philippians 3:7-9). How does the latter reflect the incongruous gift?

Part 4: Grace and Community

Concept: The incongruous gift creates a new, counter-cultural community where social norms of worth (Jew/Gentile, slave/free, male/female) are destabilized in Christ, yet real obligations of mutual love and support are intensified.

1. Breaking Social Barriers: How does the principle of the incongruous gift directly fuel Paul's argument for Jew-Gentile unity in Ephesians 2:11-22 and Galatians 3:28? What social hierarchies in your context does this same principle challenge?

2. The Economy of Grace: In 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, how does Paul use the "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" to motivate generous financial giving? How does this model a community living in response to the gift, rather than a community of transaction?

Part 5: Grace and Everyday Life

Concept: Living in response to the gift means a whole new orientation—away from self-centeredness ("in the flesh") and toward God and neighbor ("in the Spirit").

1. Working from the Gift: Read 1 Corinthians 15:10 and Philippians 2:12-13. How does Paul hold together divine grace and human effort? Does "work" here feel like earning or like a grateful response? How might this change how you view your "Christian duties"?

2. The Gift of Weakness: A key Barclay insight is that grace shines in human weakness. Study 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Why does Paul "boast" in his weaknesses? How does this exemplify the incongruity of God's power?

Synthesis & Reflection Questions

1. Personal: Where in your own life or mindset are you most tempted to revert to a "congruous" system of worth (feeling God accepts you more when you perform well, or judging others based on their performance)? How does the incongruous gift speak to that?

2. Communal: How would a church that truly understands itself as a community created by an incongruous gift look different from one that operates on implicit norms of spiritual achievement, cultural respectability, or social conformity?

3. Mission: How is the proclamation of the gospel enriched or clarified by understanding grace as an unconditioned, incongruous, and life-reordering gift? (See Titus 2:11-14 for a compact summary).

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Key Pauline Texts for Reference Throughout:

• Romans 3:21-28; 5:6-11; 6; 11:5-6

• Galatians 2:15-21

• Ephesians 2:1-10

• 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

• Philippians 3:2-11

These questions aim to move beyond a shallow "grace vs. law" debate and into the radical, disruptive, and demanding reality of God's gift in Christ as presented by Paul and illuminated by John Barclay.

* "Grace is incongruous" is not a direct quotation from the Bible but is a powerful theological summary of a core biblical theme. It describes how God's grace operates in a way that is contrary to human expectations, logic, and systems of merit.

1. It is Opposite of "Deserved" (The Heart of Incongruity)

Human justice operates on the principle of congruence: good is rewarded, evil is punished. Grace shatters this.

• Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Grace is given not to the righteous, but to the unrighteous. This is fundamentally incongruous—love is shown to enemies, not just friends.

• Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved... not by works, so that no one can boast." Grace is given to the spiritually dead, not the spiritually striving. It is a gift, not a wage (Romans 4:4-5).

2. It Favors the "Unlikely" and Reverses Worldly Status

God's grace consistently bypasses the "qualified" and empowers the weak, the outsider, and the broken.

• 1 Corinthians 1:26-29: "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong... so that no one may boast before him." This choice is incongruous with worldly notions of capability and honor.

• The biblical narratives are full of examples: Jacob the deceiver, Rahab the prostitute, David the youngest son, Mary the humble virgin, Peter the denier, Paul the persecutor. Grace elevates the least likely candidates.

3. It Overwhelms and Transforms Great Sin

The logic of human justice says greater sin deserves greater punishment. The logic of grace says that where sin increased, grace increased all the more.

• Romans 5:20: "Where sin increased, grace increased all the more." This is mathematically and morally incongruous. Grace is not merely a balancing force; it is an overwhelming, super-abounding force that triumphs over the greatest debt of sin.

• Luke 7:36-50: The story of the sinful woman anointing Jesus' feet. Jesus declares, "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." The one who receives the most incongruous grace (forgiven much) responds with the most profound love.

4. It is Costly to God, But Free to Us

The incongruity is also seen in the economics of grace. It was infinitely costly for God (the death of His Son), yet it is offered to us completely free.

• 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." The exchange is incongruous: the Rich becomes poor to make the poor rich.

5. It Creates a New, Incongruous Ethic for Recipients

Because we have received incongruous grace, we are called to extend incongruous grace to others.

• Matthew 5:44-45: "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." This command only makes sense in light of God's incongruous love for us when we were His enemies (Romans 5:10).

• The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35): A servant is forgiven an astronomical, unpayable debt (incongruous grace) but then refuses to forgive a small debt owed to him. The story's shock value lies in the incongruity between the massive grace received and the petty grace withheld.

In Summary:

To say "grace is incongruous" means that God's unmerited favor is given in a way that:

• Defies human logic (given to sinners, not saints).

• Reverses human hierarchies (favors the weak and lowly).

• Exceeds human measures (overwhelms the greatest sin).

• Inverts economic sense (costly to God, free to us).

• Demands a correspondingly incongruous response from its recipients (love for enemies, forgiveness without limit).

The ultimate demonstration of this incongruous grace is the cross: where the sinless Son of God bears the punishment of the guilty, so that the guilty might receive the righteousness of the sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the beautiful, shocking, and life-altering scandal at the very heart of the Christian gospel.

The difference between unconditioned and unconditional: While often used interchangeably, unconditional means "without any conditions or limits," like unconditional love or acceptance. Unconditioned, however, has two main uses: in psychology/biology, it refers to innate, learned-free reflexes (like a baby crying), and in theology, it's distinguished from unconditional, meaning something given freely (unconditioned) but expecting a changed life (not unconditional in the sense of no consequences). 

Unconditional (Adjective)

• Meaning: Not subject to any conditions, limitations, or restrictions; absolute.
• Examples:
  • Unconditional love: Love given freely, no matter what.
  • Unconditional acceptance: Accepting someone fully, flaws and all.
  • Unconditional offer (university): Acceptance without needing further requirements. 

Unconditioned (Adjective)

• Meaning 1 (Psychology/Biology): Not established by conditioning or learning; innate, a reflex.
  • Example: An unconditioned reflex (like blinking when something flies at your eye) is natural, not learned.
• Meaning 2 (Theology/Philosophy): Given freely without prior merit or requirement (unconditioned), but may still have expected outcomes (not the same as unconditional in the modern sense of "no expectations").
  • Eg: Grace given to all people (unconditioned) but expected to inspire a transformed life (not unconditional in the sense of no response needed).

Key Difference Summarized

• Unconditional: Focuses on the absence of requirements for something to be given (e.g., love, acceptance).
• Unconditioned: Focuses on being innate/unlearned (reflex) or, in nuanced theological talks, something given freely despite no prior merit, but still expecting a response.