A Thought on Humility

A sign you're growing in grace: Given the choice, you'd rather God use you anonymously than friends celebrate you publicly (Scotty Smith).

Irony of Ironies: Saving Grace Costs You Your Life

Today, we discussed John the Baptist's forceful call to repentance. It seems today that repentance is all too often neglected in many pulpits/churches. It got me to thinking of a well known, but oft neglected statement by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Consider these penetrating words:

Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine...no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin....Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance....Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has....Such grace is costly...because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life....Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him....The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship).

The Law Can't Save-But Grace Does!

Mormons, Muslims, and moralistic atheists all share the belief that law can perfect us, but Christians don't. Christians know that the law can't save us; what we need is a Savior. We need a Savior because every one of us has already demonstrated that we don't respond well to rules (Rom 3:23). We've been given a perfect law (Rom 7:12) but none of us--no, not one--has obeyed it (Rom 3:10)....In light of our dismal record, it should be obvious that our salvation and the salvation of our children must come from someone else. This person has to give us something other than more rules to obey. But what else is there? There is grace. And what he brings us is simply that--grace....Our salvation (and our kids' as well) is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Grace alone (Elyse Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson, Give Them Grace, 16-17).

Balm For Our Performance Based Souls

Do you ever feel like you are not doing enough, whether it be in the church, your family, your spiritual devotions? Furthermore, what you are doing you aren't doing well? Join the club. Its for that reason, I need these words from Jerry Bridges today. Maybe you do as well.

My observation of Christendom is that most of us tend to base our relationship with God on our performance instead of on His grace. If we’ve performed well—whatever ‘well’ is in our opinion—then we expect God to bless us. If we haven’t done so well, our expectations are reduced accordingly. In this sense, we live by works, rather than by grace. We are saved by grace, but we are living by the ‘sweat’ of our own performance. Moreover, we are always challenging ourselves and one another to ‘try harder’. We seem to believe success in the Christian life is basically up to us; our commitment, our discipline, and our zeal, with some help from God along the way. The realization that my daily relationship with God is based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is very freeing and joyous experience. But it is not meant to be a one-time experience; the truth needs to be reaffirmed daily (Transforming Grace).

Grace and our Mediator, Jesus Christ.

As we begin this new week, let us remember our constant need for grace. But let us remember as well that the New Testament always links grace with the person and work of the Mediator, the God-Man Jesus Christ. "Grace...came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17; c.f. 1 Pet 1:10). "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 2:1).Grace abounded...so that, as sin reigns in death, grace also might reign through righteousness (Jesus' obedience to death) to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom 5:20f.). It is in union with the person of Jesus, crucified, risen, and ascended, and by virtue of His atonement, that men know grace, and it is faith in Christ--belief of the "message of the cross" (1 Cor 1:18), and trust in the risen Christ--that is the means by which we enter into it.

Let's walk in this grace this week. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Col 3:16).