In every world religion besides Christianity, you have to do something to have “salvation” or “eternal life.” And many of those religions are growing more quickly than Christianity, because they make more sense. Grace is free! We don’t deserve grace! So it’s difficult to accept.
Brennan Manning says, “Put bluntly, the American church today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice. We say we believe that the fundamental structure of reality is grace, not works–but our lives refute our faith. By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived.”
He goes on to say, “Jesus comes not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace. As we glance up, we are astonished to find the eyes of Jesus open with wonder, deep with understanding, and gentle with compassion. This is the God of the gospel of grace.”
…Grace assures you that everything has been taken care of. There is no sin too big that Jesus did not die for on the cross.
All of us are in desperate need of God’s grace.
(Source: Zach Zehnder, Red Letter Challenge, pp. 23-24)
#redletterchallenge #rlc #forgiving #grace
Farewell to Shadowlands 