Abundance of Grace
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Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lor... [read more]
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This has been a beautiful Fall in East Tennessee. The mountains have been absolutely gorgeous! So, I’ve changed the picture at the top of this page. I hope you enjoy it. You might be interested to know that I did nothing to the picture with any editing software. That’s just the way it looked when I took the picture.
add to discussionSo then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22) Paul now tells the Ephesians that they are now fellow-citizens with the Jews. Those who were without hope and without God, are no longer. They have been brought near. Th... [read more]
add to discussionTherefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands - remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law o... [read more]
add to discussionFor 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. 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) It has taken me much too long to post on this passage. I’ve had trouble, because I find this passage to be at the heart of what God has done for us. Therefore, I tend to run on about it and my writings become too long. I finally decided that I needed to just add a few comments to my original Su... [read more]
add to discussionBut God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Because we are all fallen descendants of Adam, we sin; and we deserve the wrath of God. But, God is merciful to his people. He does not deal ... [read more]
add to discussionAnd you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-2). Paul speaks of our being dead in our trespasses and sins. Death is the opposite of life; but what is life? Before they entered the Promised Land, Moses laid the entire covenant and law of God before the people of Israel. In doing so, he said, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God tha... [read more]
add to discussionI thought this quote from Timothy Keller’s Reason for God was interesting and informative. Skeptics believe that any exclusive claims to a superior knowledge of spiritual reality cannot be true. But this objection is itself a religious belief. It assumes God is unknowable, or that God is loving but not wrathful, or that God is an impersonal force rather than a person who speaks in Scripture. All of these are unprovable faith assumptions. In addition, their proponents believe they have a superior way to view things. They believe the world would be a better place if everyone dropped the... [read more]
add to discussionAs I look at several other blog sites, I see hundreds of people visiting each day. Now, I realize and freely admit that I am not agreat theologian with a wealth of knowledge to impart. I also admit that this is not a blog site which tackles current issues of doctrine and gets involved in the controversies. That is being done very well on other sites. I just wanted a place to post some of my class notes and handouts from the classes I teach. I hope that they are helpful to someone in this journey which we call the Christian life. Here’s my request. Could those of you reading this blog ... [read more]
add to discussionThe Westminster Theological Seminary bookstore has just announced that they are selling eight editions of the new ESV Study Bible. Their prices are great, with 43% off the hardcover edition, and 40% off all others. Follow these links to view each of the editions: Hardcover, Genuine Leather black, Genuine Leather burgundy, Bonded Leather black, Bonded Leather burgundy, TruTone black, TruTone brown, and Premium Calfskin Leather black. And, new economy shipping is only $3 per order. Now that’s a deal! I have been using the ESV for over three years, and I find it to be very readable. I u... [read more]
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