“Grace is an outrageously relational term.”
– Dr. Ed Khouri
“How is the indwelling Spirit not relational?” – David Crabtree
It would be wonderful to think that GRACE is revolutionary on its own. It certainly came over that way when first presented in the New Testament. Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit paved the way for the introduction of Grace. All believers in Jesus are made righteous without the need for Law. Radical? A Reformation? You bet! Grace ‘got up the noses’ of the religious folk, and still does!
Grace is intrinsically linked with the Lordship of Jesus. Grace cannot be Grace without Jesus having exclusive position and authority. In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the…
Going for a Grace Reformation? October 31, 2017, marked the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation. He started a Grace Revolution that we most certainly need to continue. The Apostle…
There is so much to say about Grace. Much more than will fit into one page or even into a website. However, it is helpful to put into succinct form…
Good question! The subject of Grace needs not to be turbulent, but when folks hold on to outdated religious views they will resist anything that challenges those views. The New Testament…
Those who have a strong doctrine of the grace of God are often called ‘Calvinists’; those who have a heavy emphasis on man’s ability to save himself by free will and good works are often called ‘Arminians’. The history is as follows. The Bible clearly has a strong doctrine of grace. The stories of Abraham (in which election, grace, faith-without-initial-good-works are all strongly emphasized), the teaching of Isaiah, the teaching of Jesus (especially as recorded by John’s Gospel), the teaching of Paul — all have a strong emphasis on the grace of God rather than the ability of men and women.
Guest writer: Don Milam. Last night I had an epiphany. I have been on a journey the last few months, ’til I reached this moment in time. I had to get here. It was important that I get here, though I had no clue where I was headed.
Unconditional Grace is so amazing! Well, it’s almost unconditional. We are required to believe in Jesus. After that, that’s it. God’s view of justice and forgiveness is so different to ours. We still want a justice that demands payment, or at least favour that is conditional to commitment. God just accepts us fully once we believe in His Son. That notion is so offensive, that humans have tried to add conditions ever since. Grace needs to be balanced, can’t have too much Grace. Grace by itself cannot be trusted. Why? Let’s explore these notions and perhaps we can begin to re-orient our belief system.
Indeed! You’ve got to love Paul the Apostle and is Gospel of Grace. Something happens to a person when they meet Jesus. Paul’s encounter on the Damascus road radically changed him from being a Christ-follower-chasing terrorist to one who followed Christ for the rest of his days. Miraculous! Paul encountered not only a fresh message but the real person of the message. Jesus became Paul’s Lord and the chief source of Paul’s entire message. The Gospel of Grace.
