Luke: "What should we do then?"

A few days ago I watched a young man hang a plastic bag on my front door knob and then walk away. As I suspected: new church plant stuff. Independent Baptists this time, King-James-only variety. Inside the bag was this booklet containing John and Romans (KJV), and, at the end, "The Romans Road." I decided to read it.

But before we get into that, let's take a look at Luke's gospel—just for perspective. Let's begin in chapter 3 with John, the son of God's promise to Elizabeth and Zechariah.

⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

¹¹ John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

¹³ “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (NIV)

If you've been reading through the gospels with me this Lent you'll recognize these bolded questions as very similar to Bonhoeffer's "What then shall we do?" And John does not hesitate to give instructions, because what they are to do is to produce good fruit, fruit in keeping with repentance, or they'll be thrown into the fire. And what are they to do? Not pray. Not have faith. Not believe. Instead, share clothes and food with those who have none, stop cheating, stop extorting, stop bearing false witness, stop grasping wealth, stop seeking more money. Not our traditional plan of salvation.

"Doing" is a theme that appears throughout Luke's gospel, for Jesus as well as John.  Here's a sampling. There's the doing in the Sermon (6:27-49). There's the "Go and do likewise" of the Good Samaritan parable which Jesus told in response to the law expert's question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" And when the ruler asks the exact same question, the answer Jesus gives him is to keep the commandments and "sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." For John and Jesus, "doing" is directly related to inheriting eternal life, being saved, avoiding being thrown into the fire.

Now, back to "The Romans Road." There are many versions of this 'plan of salvation.' But here's the closing summary of the one that was included in the back of the booklet left on my door: 

You have come to the place in your life where you must make a decision. If you choose to accept the payment made by the Lord Jesus Christ for your sin, then you simply need to bow your head and pray. Tell Jesus, in your own words, that you are sorry for your sins and that you no longer want to remain spiritually separated from God. Ask Jesus to forgive you and save you from death and eternal punishment. Tell him you're willing to receive him as your Lord and Savior. Let him know you want to accept his gift of eternal life. And remember, Jesus Christ won't turn anyone away, no matter who you are or what you've done. He died so that you could know God as your heavenly Father.

"What should we do then?" 
"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

In Luke's gospel these questions are never answered with "The Romans Road" or any "plan of salvation" resembling it. Never. There are cries for mercy which are answered with healing and restoration and "your faith has made you well," but whenever these questions are asked, the answer always includes doing something, changing one's life, sacrificing, helping the poor. The answer is never "simply admit you're a sinner, accept my free gift of salvation, and invite me into your heart with a prayer." 

Here's one salvation story that is in Luke.

Not long after the sad story of the rich ruler, Jesus calls Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector, down from a tree. Zacchaeus stands and declares, "Look, Lord. Here and now I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 

No bowing his head and praying. No asking forgiveness. No asking Jesus into his heart. No 'thank you' for paying for my sins. No personal profession that Jesus is his Lord and Savior. No confession.

And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house." 

How's that for a plan?

I wish I had a nice closing to tie this up, but I don't. I'd like to resolve the tension. But if I have to choose between Luke's account of "What must I do?" and "The Romans Road," I'll choose Luke. Every time. I think I'll leave it at that. It's late.