BELIEF: Hard work!

As believers, we all stand by grace answering the hardest call…”believe and be-living!”

What we experience when moving away from grace is not liberty, but the bonds of legality, whether formally or practically.  (Yes, licentiousness is a form of legalism.)  Where we are not overcome by the abundance of His life-giving love…we are apt to be found attempting to build ourselves up into His image.

Idolatry is banished only in the light of God’s glory beheld in the face of Jesus Christ.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you!

GRACE: Living with it!

Here’s another good program at the White Horse Inn.  Mike Horton interviews Elyse Fitzpatrick regarding her new book.  However, the conversation is not merely about the “new book” but more so about the nature of the Gospel as it bears upon our life…the whole of it, to include the struggle to trust in our approval in Christ alone (and not ourselves) and our failures in sin.

The program:  Give Them Grace

GOSPEL: Moral Living or More on Him

Came across this quote a week ago or so:

“We do tend to reduce the Gospel to moral living and the American way of life. Even those of us in the church act as if God is powerless and we have to do everything for Him.  The early church knew a supernatural God who didn’t always do things the way they thought He ought to.  Maybe we should look to and rely more on Him and less on ourselves.”

GRACE: Totally, Beginning to End

1)   “If we have all become Christians in this way, can our progress be according to any other principle or power than our beginning?”

2)   “Since we take from the gospel whenever we add to it, therefore, let us be satisfied with its overflowing fullness.”

Wonderful. Total grace for total sinners!

God is salvationing from beginning to end.

Go here for the rest of the story by Brannan.