In dialog with a friend, Kim Dickson, she did my work for me and brought up some passages that might seem to contradict grace. I am going to work through these one by one. However, before I do, I want to think through a bit of groundwork. First, as Christians, we believe the Bible. The […]
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10, […]
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15, 16, NKJV. This […]
The story of the prodigal son: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32&version=NIV As usual, I was thinking the other day about the prodigal son story, and I remembered a particular insight that I really wanted to share. As Henri Nouwen observes, we may identify with the younger prodigal son, or we may identify with the disapproving elder son, but God […]
The story of the prodigal son: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32&version=NIV Sometimes, did you know, other people get blessed instead of you? Sometimes other people much less deserving than you prosper and are honored. Sometimes, God likes to forgive and bless other people to whom you would rather see “justice” meted out. Sometimes God just will not do the […]
The story of the prodigal son: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32&version=NIV Henri Nouwen, in his marvelous little book “The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Meditation on Fathers, Brothers, and Sons”, makes the observation that if you look very closely at Rembrandt’s painting of the return of the prodigal son, there is something funny about the appearance of the […]
The story of the prodigal son: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32&version=NIV The free dictionary defines prodigal this way: 1. recklessly wasteful or extravagant, as in disposing of goods or money2. lavish in giving or yielding prodigal of compliments I think we get words like prodigious, product, productive, from the same root. We’ve heard the term ‘prodigal son’ so many […]
The story of the prodigal son: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32&version=NIV The son who wished the father would die, who only wanted his money, who left and squandered his whole inheritance, at last came to himself. That’s what it says, “he came to himself.” We tend to think that he squandered everything and then immediately came home, but notice […]
I’ve been waiting eagerly to get to the parable of the prodigal son, as it is the richest and most profound teaching about the father heart of God in all of scripture. Everything up to this point has been leading to this teaching. Let’s start by reading it: ==============================Then He said: “A certain man had […]
Reading Jesus’ parables, it seems God is always losing things! “Now all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” And He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, […]