{"id":33355,"date":"2015-05-16T16:13:16","date_gmt":"2015-05-16T21:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=33355"},"modified":"2015-05-16T16:13:16","modified_gmt":"2015-05-16T21:13:16","slug":"review-adam-millers-grace-is-not-gods-backup-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2015\/05\/review-adam-millers-grace-is-not-gods-backup-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Adam Miller’s Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you are a student of the scriptures who reads 3-4 versions of the Bible simultaneously (at least one of which is in Hebrew or Greek) or you are so lackadaisical that scripture \u201cstudy\u201d means learning where the book of Romans is (hint: New Testament), you will want to read Adam Miller\u2019s insightful, thought-provoking and beautifully written \u201cparaphrase\u201d of Romans, Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan<\/em> arrived, I scanned the title, the bright pink color on the cover, and the subtitle before noticing Jana Riess\u2019 claim that Miller\u2019s work is \u201cbrave and beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brave?<\/em> I thought. What is \u201cbrave\u201d about a theological discussion of Paul\u2019s letter to the Roman saints?<\/em> Then I opened the book and stared in surprise. Having ordered the book solely on the basis of how much I enjoyed Miller\u2019s Letters to a Young Mormon<\/em>, I was caught off guard by the content: this book is a translation or a \u201cparaphrase\u201d (Miller\u2019s word) of Romans into contemporary English \u2013 quite literally. Chapter 1 of Miller\u2019s book is Romans 1, and small numbers in the right margin indicate which verses each paragraph corresponds to. Chapter 2 is Chapter 2, and etc. \u201cBrave\u201d suddenly seemed rather understated, and I considered substitute words, such as \u201caudacious\u201d or even \u201cimpudent\u201d\u2014but those uninformed, initial labels did not last through page one of the introduction.<\/p>\n

Why such an approach? In his introduction, Miller reveals his opinion that \u201cmodern translations\u201d tend to focus on the \u201cuncanny beauty\u201d of Paul\u2019s letter, but in so doing, they miss Paul\u2019s amazing ability to \u201clay bare the underlying logic of the gospel.\u201d In a picturesque metaphor, Miller explains, \u201cPaul\u2019s forest is always getting sacrificed for the sake of his trees\u201d as readers focus on specific verse or particular phrases. Freely admitting that \u201csome concern for details\u201d will be lost in the process, Miller sets his sights on a much different aim than a typical translation: he wants to \u201cilluminate the large-scale patterns that structure\u201d the book of Romans, especially Paul’s notion of grace.<\/p>\n

He does just that, and he does it with his own uncanny beauty.<\/p>\n

In readable diction and prose, Miller\u2019s introduction draws attention to our misunderstanding of grace and highlights Paul\u2019s saving answers. Many of us believe that grace will kick in at the last minute \u201cafter all we can do.\u201d We try our best to be strictly obedient to the laws and, when we fail, we hope a merciful God will smooth out our rough edges with little bit of grace. According to Miller\u2019s interpretation of Paul, that idea is a misunderstanding of grace, but the misunderstanding goes much deeper. We tend to extrapolate our incorrect individual notions of a God-of-the-gap\/ last-minute-grace and apply it to God\u2019s entire plan. This is sadly upside down; in Miller\u2019s straightforward words, \u201cGrace is not God\u2019s backup plan. Jesus is not plan B\u201d\u2013 quite the opposite, actually. According to Paul’s doctrine, we were never expected or able to obey the law perfectly; God gave us law to show us our weakness. Indeed, \u201cthe law is itself a grace,\u201d a grace that points toward Christ and toward God\u2019s \u201cunwavering fidelity to life\u201d and His \u201cunconditional\u201d \u201ccommitment to making things right.\u201d The law helps us realize our eternal need for grace. Miller argues that, according to Romans, it is \u201csin\u201d that \u201crecasts the law as a measure of our ability to get by without God\u2019s grace\u201d and alienates us from God in the process. Sin (not “sins”) selfishly tries to steal the show and make our lives and God’s plan about sin, not grace.<\/p>\n

The arguments make sense. Moreover, Miller\u2019s general public audience can make sense of the arguments because his writing style is clear and understandable. Instead of using technical terminology to frame the complex philosophical arguments (terminology that typically makes the logic utterly opaque to the non-scholar), Miller\u2019s strong metaphors and down-to-earth word choice grant access to casual readers.<\/p>\n

And that is just Miller\u2019s introduction to Paul\u2019s letter to the Romans. His paraphrase of the book is keen, necessary, and just as accessible as the introduction. Some readers may be only familiar with a few sections of Romans which are widely known and quoted, and yet, even in those sections, readers may find themselves bogged down with Paul\u2019s words and phrasing. Once they are bogged down, readers likely will lose track of the argument. Miller\u2019s words clarify complex ideas and murky (but beautiful) diction. For example, consider Romans 3:25-26 (KJV):<\/p>\n

\u201cWhom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;<\/p>\n

\u201cTo declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

While doubtless many of you brilliant Times and Seasons<\/em> readers understand these verses, some of us will find Miller\u2019s paraphrase quite helpful and enlightening:<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Jesus\u2019s own blood, God showed how far his mercy and unwavering fidelity are willing to go. He claimed Jesus as his own in order to show the length of his arm. God did it because, even today, even in this present world, he\u2019s intent on straightening out the lives of everyone willing to trust in Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

As this example illustrates, Miller\u2019s paraphrases of various verses bring insight and intelligibility, and they do so time and time again. Where Paul\u2019s language might be confusing or cloudy, Miller\u2019s words are straightforward and understandable. With paraphrase in mind, readers can return to their Bible study, more fully appreciating both the argument and Paul\u2019s language.<\/p>\n

Just like he promises, Miller keeps the \u201cforest\u201d at the forefront of Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan<\/em>. Nearly every paragraph\u2019s core is centered on his interpretation of Paul\u2019s doctrine of grace. This need to concentrate on grace occasionally causes Miller to \u201cparaphrase\u201d a little bit beyond what is actually written by Paul. Consider Romans 6:6-8 KJV:<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor he that is dead is freed from sin.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with:\u201d<\/p>\n

Compare that to Miller\u2019s paraphrase:<\/p>\n

\u201cOur old way of being human was crucified with Jesus. Our old bodies, our old habits, our old desires, died with him. His crucifixion cut the cord that bound us to sin. Now when sin creeps in and tries to claim us as its own, we\u2019re free to refuse. Even if we make mistakes, we\u2019re no longer slaves to sin, bound to heel at its back and call. We can put things right and move on and try again. People who are dead and buried aren\u2019t charged with crimes. They are beyond sin\u2019s jurisdiction. They belong to Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paraphrase by no means contradicts the KJV and the ideas certainly parallel the KJV, but a few readers may be uncomfortable with the \u201crelatively free hand\u201d with which Miller interprets Paul\u2019s letter to the Romans. These few people might feel the need to squabble about the sporadic paraphrased paragraph that seem to stretch beyond Paul\u2019s words; to bicker a bit about certain interpretations or to wince at Miller\u2019s updated examples and illustrations that cost him historical accuracy and grounding. But those few people would only be telling Adam Miller and the other readers of Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan<\/em> what Miller already admitted openly. He identifies the flaws of his approach long before anyone else gets the chance to, and in so doing, enhances his credibility and persuasiveness.<\/p>\n

Indeed, he is so credible and persuasive, so understandable and user-friendly that my only real concern is that some readers will be tempted to read Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan<\/em> instead of Romans, itself. Though Adam Miller is welcome to speak to that concern directly, I am guessing that he would kindly but firmly offer such readers the advice he gives in his introduction:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re gripped in any way by what I\u2019ve offered, don\u2019t stop here. Read Romans again and again. Read the KJV, the NSRV, the NIV. Read it in it as many translations as you can find. Work through them carefully. Compare them verse by verse. Follow all the footnotes. Read scholarly commentaries. Learn enough Greek to wade through Paul\u2019s own words. And then \u2013 most importantly \u2013 translate it yourself. When you do, do it better than I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have my doubts that any of us will write with the depth of insight, the powerful diction, and the piercing logic that Adam Miller brings to Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan<\/em>, but we can try. I hope we do try. I hope there are hundreds or even thousands of scriptural paraphrases written in the coming years, even if we, alone, are the sole readers of our paraphrases. I hope many of us seek to \u201cliken all scriptures unto [ourselves], that it might be for our profit and learning\u201d (1 Ne 19:23), and I hope we do so with the Miller-like study, contemplation, and stylish prose that the task deserves.<\/p>\n

Despite my initial misgivings, I actually hope that many such paraphrases are published and shared because it just may take a group effort to liken \u201call\u201d the scriptures unto ourselves and because, in Miller\u2019s capable hands, I have a better idea of what “likening” can be. It can be so much more than reading one\u2019s own name into a verse of scripture here and there, just as paraphrasing Romans can be so much more than a stylized re-hash of Paul\u2019s ancient letter. Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan<\/em> does its own work; it calls us to question our assumptions about grace and God, about sleeping through life and being rescued, and about insiders and outsiders and who God loves and what He has done for them; it invites us to see ourselves and others in the light of God\u2019s mercy, and it presses us to understand and appreciate the good news we think we already know. The work, itself, is a gracious gift.<\/p>\n

And that is why I hope Adam Miller continues writing \u201cbrave and beautiful\u201d paraphrases of difficult books of scripture. We readers understand that Romans is special (\u201c10,000 words of raw explanation\u201d), but many of us could use a bit of clarity and insight into Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hebrews, and Revelation (just to mention a few)–and because all of us \u201chave sinned, and come short of the glory of God\u201d (Romans 3:23 KJV).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*(CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; February 26,2015). Available at amazon.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you are a student of the scriptures who reads 3-4 versions of the Bible simultaneously (at least one of which is in Hebrew or Greek) or you are so lackadaisical that scripture \u201cstudy\u201d means learning where the book of Romans is (hint: New Testament), you will want to read Adam Miller\u2019s insightful, thought-provoking and beautifully written \u201cparaphrase\u201d of Romans, Grace Is Not God\u2019s Backup Plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-politics"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33355"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33360,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33355\/revisions\/33360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}