'grace' Tagged Posts
O Jerusalem Jerusalem
In a span of three chapters – Matthew 21-23 – we encounter a fascinating collection of Jesus’s personality and character traits. He first rides into Jerusalem like aristocracy on “Palm Sunday” (21:1-11). Quickly transitioning from king to combatant, He then rushes the temple and takes no prisoners with his homemade whip (21:12-17). The next morning, He curses at a fig tree which lacks fruit (21:18-22). When interrogated with difficult questions, Jesus displays incredible wisdom and composure with His answers (21:23-27;…
You Have No Idea
What does it mean to walk a mile in someone’s shoes? I’ve heard that phrase used all my life, but it’s one that still makes me stop and think each time I hear it used. “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” is a variation of the saying, “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” It is attributed to Native American tribes and from the 1895 poem by Mary T. Lathrap, Judge Softly, with its…
The Kid’s Table
As I was growing up my parents would always let me stay with my Nana on the last Wednesday night of November. She would pick me up for mid-week Bible class earlier that day and then afterwards, I would get to stay the night with her in anticipation of thanksgiving the next day. She would let me “help” her make the dressing and finish up some of the other dishes in preparation for the big family meal. One of the…
Faith and Works
Do you realize how often we give and receive contrasting pieces of wisdom? Several popular proverbs in our culture are diametrical. For example, some people say that “birds of a feather flock together,” but others claim that “opposites attract.” One saying contends that similarities bring people together, while the other alleges that differences bring people together. It has been said that “actions speak louder than words,” but it has also been said that “the pen is mightier than the sword.”…
False Security
Have you ever had to work a graveyard shift at your job before? Have you ever even heard of the phrase “graveyard shift”? Certain jobs like factories, hospitals, or other 24-hour establishments require people to be there all around the clock. Therefore, employees are given the “graveyard shift” in which they clock in sometime around midnight and clock out in the early hours of the morning. For many, this would be a nightmare to endure, but for some, this is…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT SALVATION CAN BE LOST?
The Bible indicates that salvation is received when one confesses his or her belief in Jesus as the risen Son of God (Mark 16:16; Romans 10:9-10), repents of the sins that he or she has committed (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 7:10), and submits to baptism so that he or she reenacts Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and, thereby, comes in contact with God’s grace through Christ’s blood which removes all sin (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Peter 3:18-22).…