Sept. 20, 2020
Discover YOUR LIFE IN CHRIST
Scripture reading: 1 Peter 1:13-25
1. God does not cheapen His grace by making it conditional on our actions.
2. God does not cheapen His grace by compromising His standards.
“Justification refers to God’s declaration that someone is determined to be righteous in His sight. This justification is a one-time act whereby God declares a sinner like you and me to be not only not guilty, but perfectly righteous before His high bar of justice.” ~ Erik Raymond (The Gospel Coalition)
“Sanctification, on the other hand, is the continual process of being made more holy. It is the progressive conformity of the one who has been justified into the image of their Savior through the work of the Holy Spirit.” ~Erik Raymond (The Gospel Coalition)
Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 32 – Q&A 86
Q: Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works?
A: Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, so that he may be praised through us, so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ. (Romans 6:1-2, 11; 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:1-2)
“This is the rhythm of Christian living. Having been redeemed, we are freed to live a life of glad obedience. This is our true joy. Having been loved so well, our delight is to love in return. We are not loved because we obey; we obey because we are loved: ‘knowing that you were ransomed’” (Gospel Transformation Bible)
Have feedback for Steve? An insight into this week’s Bible passage? Let him know.