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], […]
See if You Can Catch the End Result of the Gospel
See if you can catch the end result, the ultimate purpose of the Gospel, according to these passages. Hint: Look for what the Gospel is meant “to bring about.” Romans 16:25-26 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of […]
Just What IS the Gospel?
Just what is the Gospel? It is possible to confuse Gospel-related concepts with the Gospel itself. I found this parable from Matthew Bates’s Gospel Allegiance helpful: It is not that the true gospel is entirely missing or that people are not entering salvation. Far from it. The gospel is still being preached with saving effect. […]
3 Dilemmas, 2 Discoveries, and 1 Desire: My Thoughts on Matthew Bates’s Gospel Allegiance
When you’re throwing a baseball, you’re not expected to pause and look down, studying the baseball’s texture, memorizing the train track curve of the threads, contemplating its shape and weight before throwing it. You just catch it and throw it. When it comes to words, however, we do well to pause and consider the terms […]
