Tag: works
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Helping Others or Ourselves?
I have a good friend who is from the local community in South Africa near my home. He organizes a number of after school programs to create hope in the young people. He regularly tells me stores of how he receives cookie donations from older (insert the race which is economically better off) for his…
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Improving on Perfection
When you merge something with impurities into something pure, it brings corruption. In mathematics, we know a negative and a positive equals a negative. As broken and flawed humans, we cannot improve the work of Christ by something we do, say, feel, or think. Many times we are told the way to be a good…
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Not All Checklists Are Bad
I hate checklists for spiritual growth. They lead towards a works orientation and a focus on being performance-based. When a recent church service message started with a “Checklist for Spiritual Zeal” I was concerned. 6 commands from Ephesians 5 were restated as questions. Each one had an emphasis on not having a “hint” of such…
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Grace and Obedience are Friends
The relationship between grace and obedience can seem tenuous at times. An over-emphasis on grace with no thought to obedience can lead to antinomianism, hyper grace, or as some would say “free, cheap grace.” Focusing on rules and commands as a means to gain the favor of God can lead to rule keeping, law, and legalism.…
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On Absolutes and Change
When do actions which are tied to our faith become absolutes? Are there times when culture changes, we can accept or even embrace some of these changes in the church? Let me tell you what I observed recently. I was at a restaurant in the United States. Sitting at an outdoor patio was the young…