The Greek word for grace is charis, and there’s no question of its importance in biblical theology. Charis appears 116 times in the New Testament. There’s a lot about grace in Scripture because it’s the message of Jesus. Grace means favor. It means acceptance. It means giving. Grace is free in the sense that something done or given in grace is done so without expecting to receive anything in return. Grace isn’t dependent on the way it’s received, the moral goodness of the one receiving it, or even that person’s ability to rightly … [Read more...]
Sometimes We Just Need to Ask for a Do Over
At last Sunday’s GrammyAwards, one of the world’s most popular singers stopped mid-song and asked for a do over. Adele, who won numerous awards throughout the night, sang a tribute song for a fellow musician and things did not go the way they were supposed to. She did not stomp off stage in a rage. She did not blame the orchestra. She did not point a finger toward the technical crew. She simply owned up to the fact that she botched the song and asked if she could start over again. And there was something about what she did that was … [Read more...]
You Can Own Your Sin Because Jesus Bore Your Sin
In Tolkein’s classic The Fellowship of the Ring, the Lady of the Woods, Galadriel, says to Frodo the Hobbit: “You are a ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a ring of power is to be alone. This task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will.” The statement stands in the shadow of Jesus for the Christian. Jesus, who prayed in the garden that if there was a way, some other way, than for Jesus to bear the weight of sin, then let it be so. But the answer came back from the Father to the Son. This is a task … [Read more...]