Encountering God’s Amazing Grace
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, ESV) Literary editors claim that the phrase “free gift” is redundant. They say the idea of free is implicit in the definition of “gift” and so is unnecessary to mention. However, Paul […]
What Jonah Teaches Me About God and Myself
The book of Jonah teaches us a lot about the character and nature of God, and it also provides us a great opportunity to look in a mirror and examine our own character. I believe the book is a true and literal narrative, rather than a presentation of a metaphorical character named Jonah. He is […]
Why Is Faith a Necessary Response to Grace?
This is Question #2 in Mark Moore’s Faithful Faith: Reclaiming Faith from Culture and Tradition.
A Simple Definition of Grace? Yeah, About That…
We know grace is amazing, but what exactly is it? For starters, the Greek word translated “grace” is charis (it helps that the two words sound alike, doesn’t it?). Before Christians picked up charis and connected it to the gospel, the word was useful for describing the patron-client relationship (we’ll get to that in a […]
Learning a Grace-Filled Approach to Ministry: Gratitude
It’s a time of rants, cynicism, and reactionism. Our world needs to be introduced to grace. At the same time, our churches need to be reminded of grace. Are our ministries characterized by grace? How can we grow in grace in such a way that it leads everything from our staff meetings to Sunday morning […]
Tornados and Grace
In 2011, another tornado mowed into Joplin, MO, where Randy Gariss ministered at College Heights Christian Church. As a mile-wide F5 tornado, there were 161 fatalities and 7,000 homes destroyed. Gariss grieved with his beloved city in their unspeakable tragedy. Yet, in this excerpt from a recent interview, you will hear Gariss reflects on the […]
This Is How the Ancient World Received Grace, Part 1
To understand what follows, you’ll need to keep in mind that the ancient concept of “return gifting” is different from “gift returning” (something you do at Target on December 26). In Gospel Allegiance, Matthew Bates explains the ancient expectation of “return gifting,” and how it helps us better respond to grace. Here’s Bates: [In return-gifting], […]
The Best Illustration of the Gospel That I Know
The good news of the Gospel is that though I’m an impure person, I’m declared to be holy in Jesus Christ. Let me summarize this good news using the best illustration of the Gospel that I know of. Joseph Serna served four tours in Afghanistan in the Special Forces, receiving three purple hearts. In the […]
