The Common Grace of Common Sense

When I was younger, my dad routinely called me out for bone-headed mistakes. Often, my hiccups and no-no’s wouldn’t come out in rebellion of the status quo. Few people would boast that my character exudes a rebel heart of uncommon mentality. I was an early 18th century United States without Thomas Paine. I didn’t possess a lick of common sense. I actively lacked it, most would say I was dying to possess of it.

This morning, when reading “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” by Eugene Peterson, I was blessed to read the following quote: 

“The way is plain—walk in it. Keeping the rules and obeying the commands is only common sense.”

In that moment, harkening back to the days of my youth without a shade of common sense, I thought, “Was I straying from the way of Christ when I didn’t realize that most doors are pushes and not pulls?” Also, are we sure the way of Christ is plain? I've always considered it like the yellow brick road or a trail of green grass in the middle of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, a far cry from anything "plain." 

But that wasn’t the point for Peterson. In his influential diatribe in Christian discipleship, the Montana clergyman was making clear that the Christian life is easier than we make it out to be. Much like N.T. Wright would say, experiencing life in Christ makes us “fully human.” We become what we were always supposed to be.

At this point, after getting over the stupidity of my initial question, I jotted down the title of this post in the margins—the common grace of common sense. Now, if you’re not aware of the theological topic, common grace might sound oft-putting or made up, but let me assure you that common grace is beautiful. To make it simple, common grace is all around it. The air we breathe, our love between friends, and the taste of great foods all come out of God’s common grace to us. 

No one is outside of God’s umbrella of common grace. Everyone is worthy of air, love, and great food. In addition, everyone is worthy of common sense. That might of sounded impossible to my younger self, but the truth remains clear. We make our decisions, guided by conscience and intellectual rigor, by the common grace of God, whether we realize it or not. The Christian possesses no more sense than the non-Christian.

What does this mean? Where am I going with this?

Battles of natural law, culture war, and objective truth lead to bumping heads faster than a handshake. Christians and non-Christians draw enemy lines in the sand long before a warm embrace. All this comes despite the fact that 99 percent of the decisions we make come from the same form God-given common sense. If anything, this should boast the connection between enemies and drive toward love, as Christ calls us to in Matthew 5. 

Christians should be greater known as the flag-bearers of sensical decision-making around the world, advocating and sharing in the beauties of common truths human rights and community, championing and living out the gospel of Christ, rather than the puritanical demagoguery fashioned to the marginal outposts of society. 

The people of God are the and should be known as the people of joy, happiness, and common sense, because when we embrace the fear of the LORD and walk in his glory, it’s the easiest decision a human could make. The way of Christ is plain, but it's beautiful, marvelous, and full of common sense.

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” Psalm 128:1