C.S. Lewis: Forgiveness

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

Good News For Sinners Like Us

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

Look at how Paul describes us in this passage: “weak” “ungodly” and “sinners.” These are certainly not flattering descriptions. But, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that, apart from God’s grace, these are indeed accurate descriptions.

Contrary to what Western culture and our narcissism might tell us, we aren't awesome. But there is a sweet freedom in discovering that we no longer have to try to pretend that we are. 

The scandalous gospel of grace says that, in Christ, God loves us anyway. He sees us as we truly are. He sees our pride, lust, greed, and apathy. We are perfectly and piercingly known, yet loved in Christ. That is liberating news! That tells us that we are free from having to impress God or anyone else and can simply rest in the finished work of Christ on our behalf.

While we were sinners, Christ died for us. It doesn't get much better than that.

He didn't come for those who had already cleaned up their act. He didn't come for perfect people. He came for the sick, the wicked, the desperate, and the poor in spirit. He came for real people with messy issues. He came and died for real sinners like us. That’s good news.

J. Gresham Machen: Christ Will Do Everything or Nothing

"If Christ provides only a part of our salvation, leaving us to provide the rest, then we are still hopeless under the load of sin. For no matter how small the gap which must be bridged before salvation can be attained, the awakened conscience sees clearly that our wretched attempt at goodness is insufficient even to bridge that gap. 

The guilty soul enters again into the hopeless reckoning with God, to determine whether we have really done our part. And thus we groan again under the old bondage of the law. 

Such an attempt to piece out the work of Christ by our own merit, Paul saw clearly, is the very essence of unbelief; Christ will do everything or nothing, and the only hope is to throw ourselves unreservedly on His mercy and trust Him for all."

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A Picture of Grace

Now this is a testimony worth sharing. Christ is exalted, man is minimized, and grace is proclaimed.



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Richard Ganz: The Holiness of God

This is good stuff. It's a much-needed message. 

I'm convinced that the more we understand of God's holiness, the more we will begin to comprehend the depth of our sin and our subsequent need for his grace. Which, in turn, will lead us to deeper and sweeter worship.

Scotty Smith: Redemptive Discontent

Here's a beautiful prayer from Scotty Smith:

"Lord Jesus, We ask you to renew and intensify our inner craving for you. Make us so faint that unless you hydrate our hearts with the gospel, and feed us with the bread of grace we will surely perish...

Give us redemptive discontent until our hearts rest again in you. Give us the gift of unrelenting gospel desperation."

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Jared Wilson: Joy Amidst Pain

“Because the gospel is true, then, even when we aren’t happy we can know the deeper joy because of the circumstances of God’s goodness and love” 

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A Reminder

Jack Miller once said: "Cheer up; you’re a lot worse off than you think you are, but in Jesus you’re far more loved than you ever could have imagined."

The bad news is bad (we aren't awesome and we have stirred the wrath of a holy God); but the good news of grace is really good. It's so good that we can never, in this life, fully comprehend it.

God knows who we really are. He sees past our fake smiles and knows our deepest secrets, insecurities, shame, remorse, guilt, pride, and idolatry. Yet, in Christ, he loves us anyway.

He loves us not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of who he is and what he has done.

Jesus lived a sinless life, died in our place bearing our sins, credited to us his righteousness, and adopted us into his family. We are now, in Christ, beloved sons and daughters of God - despite our brokenness and mess.

This is the scandalous gospel of grace. This is truly good news.

Our sin runs deep, but God’s grace runs deeper.

Our love for God ebbs and flows, but his love for us, in Christ, never fails. 
It is unwavering.
It is sure. 

The Explicit Gospel (Free Audio Book This Month)

This month's free ChristianAudio.com download is Matt Chandler's the Explicit Gospel.

Here's the link. Enjoy!