Do you ever wonder if you’re getting into heaven by accident or, at least, not by your own merit but somebody else’s? Congratulations are in order if you realize it is Jesus’ merits that get you into heaven. Not yours on anybody else’s. So relax, all is done. There’s no hurry in grace. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8-9, ESV)…
Today it has been exactly 500 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg church. He did not know his actions would change history but they did. Luther just wanted to remind people of what faith was all about and what it was not. He wanted to get people back to the basics: we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Luther nailed it. There’s still nothing else that saves us. The power…
Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel prize in literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” I’ve been touched by the faith-filled lyrics of Bob Dylan. He might not be the most typical Christian but he is a powerful example of the power of God’s grace. With the words of C.I. Scofield “Grace is not looking for good men whom it may approve, for it is not grace but mere justice to approve goodness. [Rather]…
It has been news to me that still, 2000 years after Jesus walked on this green earth, people don’t know the difference between religion and faith. Actually, I am shocked to realize again and again that people still think Christianity is about following rules instead of following Christ. Is this news to you? Boy, do I have good news for you! For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually…
I never thought that I would be blogging about President Obama giving eulogy. But life does surprise us, doesn’t it? And this one was a very pleasant surprise. I truly liked what President Obama said in eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney last Friday in Charleston, South Carolina. Who would have thought that Obama’s theology echoes Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Or St. Paul? For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift…
How knowledgeable are you about grace? Grace is not complicated. Grace is simple yet powerful. There are four essential things you need to know about grace. Here’s grace 101 for you. First of all, we are saved by grace through faith. God’s grace is a free gift to us. All we need to do is to turn to God in repentance and ask to receive grace upon grace. Everything is ready for us. There’s nothing for us to do but…
