What's So Amazing About Grace?

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I rejected the church for a time because I found so little grace there. I returned because I found grace nowhere else. a b c d Blake, John (January 3, 1998). "Today's Church Needs Grace: Religious Right's Behavior Viewed". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p.3D . Retrieved August 14, 2015.

No flesh can obey God’s Law and be justified, declared righteous, in God’s sight. It is true that “the doers of the Law shall be justified” (Rom. 2:13), but nobody can do what the Law demands! This inability is one way that men know they are sinners. When they try to obey the Law, they fail miserably and need to cry out for God’s mercy. Neither Jew nor Gentile can obey God’s Law; therefore God must save sinners by some other means. 11 To sum up: the concept of grace in the New Testament, while including all the Hebraic and classical Greek meanings, is infinitely and uniquely heightened by its association with the Saviour. The lavish gift of God in the person of His Son is the particularly New Testament meaning of grace. This is why it is quite true to say that charis is a word that has been raised to a higher level and filled with new meaning by our Lord Jesus Christ. His self-sacrifice is grace itself (II Cor. 8:9). This grace is absolutely free (Rom. 6:14; 5:15; Eph. 2:8), and it is that which conquers sin both in its penalty and its power (Rom. 5:12-21; 6:1-23). When that grace which was revealed in Christ is received by the believer, it then governs spiritual life by compounding favor upon favor. It equips, strengthens, and controls all phases of his life (II Cor. 8:6; Col. 4:6; II Thess. 2:16; II Tim. 2:1). Consequently, the Christian gives thanks ( charis) to God for the riches of grace in His unspeakable gift (II Cor. 9:15). Throughout the New Testament, then, the predominant thought is the grace of God in Christ which redeems us, governs us, and gives us everlasting consolation and good hope. 8 So Who Needs Grace? Jesus' fierce denunciations of the Pharisees show how seriously He viewed the toxic threat of legalism. Its dangers are elusive In the final analysis, when compared to the absolute holiness of God, we all fall far short of His holiness and stand as wretched sinners who are separated from God, spiritually dead and without life (Eph. 2:1, 5), and under the condemnation of the moral Law of God. This moral Law (which we have so foolishly removed from the walls of our schools) reveals all the world guilty as sinners (Rom. 3:19), as separated from God, and in need of reconciliation and redemption (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Col. 1:20-22). Regarding his previous and wretched spiritual condition, Newton said, “I was capable of anything. I had not the least fear of God before my eyes.… I not only sinned myself, but made it my study to tempt and seduce others.” 3 Surely, being redeemed out of such a wretched spiritual state, as the hymn described it, helped Newton see and appreciate the matchless grace of God. Later he wrote, “I needed someone to stand between me and a holy God who must punish my sins and blasphemies. I needed an Almighty Savior who would step in and take my sins away.… I saw that Christ took my punishment so that I might be pardoned.” 4Buchanan, John (October 11, 2000). "Summer Reading". The Christian Century. Chicago. 117 (27): 987 . Retrieved August 10, 2015. Robert was a country boy, who couldn’t stand working in a tight space in the midst of urban chaos - and he soon quit his job, before three months were out. Now I am trying in my own small way to pipe the tune of grace. I do so because I know, more surely than I know anything, that any pang of healing or forgiveness or goodness I have ever felt comes solely from the grace of God. I yearn for the church to become a nourishing culture of that grace.

Heartrending and convicting read. Mostly it tells stories of grace from all over the world and throughout history, with some thoughts on the church at the end. Highly recommend.

Hansen, Brant (2015). Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-0-529-12386-2. the proof of spiritual maturity is not how 'pure' you are but awareness of your impurity. That very awareness opens the door to grace. The author summarizes Karen Blixen's short story " Babette's Feast", which was adapted into a 1987 Danish film. The story is set in a fishing village where the inhabitants avoid all pleasure for religious reasons. [22] Two sisters take in Babette, a Parisian refugee who becomes their personal chef, but they allow her to make only simple, bland meals. Years pass; Babette wins a lottery and spends her winnings on a delicious banquet for the villagers, who agree to eat but not enjoy the food. [23] A banquet guest recognizes Babette as a former world-renowned chef and identifies her gift to undeserving and initially unwilling recipients as grace. [24] In another chapter Yancey similarly summarizes Gabriel García Márquez's novel Love in the Time of Cholera. [25] Yancey writes about his friendship with prominent pastor Mel White (pictured, 1995). But most often, those who have never gone to the depths of sin like Newton think they do not need as much of the grace of God as did Newton or some notorious criminal. If we fail to see ourselves as wretched sinners, grace will not be so amazing and awesome. As Lutzer so appropriately put it regarding people who do not see their need of grace,

Yancey was inspired to write What's So Amazing About Grace? after President Bill Clinton asked him, "Why do Christians hate so much?" [1] Although Yancey initially intended to call the book What's So Amazing About Grace: and Why Don't Christians Show More of It?, Zondervan, its publisher, objected to this title despite the author's contention that he wrote the book to communicate the belief that grace is one of the best quality Christians, like himself, have to offer but are not necessarily identified with it. [2] The book was successful at secular and Christian stores, selling more than 15million copies by 2006 and becoming Yancey's best-known book. In it, Yancey coined the phrase "scandal of grace", referring to the idea that God forgives some of the worst people, citing the conversion of Paul the Apostle.

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Philip Yancey, an American journalist [3] based in Colorado, [4] was inspired to write a book about grace in Christianity when he went to the White House to interview President Bill Clinton. Clinton, a Southern Baptist from birth, told him, "I've been in politics long enough to expect criticism and hostility. But I was unprepared for the hatred I get from Christians. Why do Christians hate so much?" [1] Yancey later said that, although there are many reasons for Evangelical Christians to disapprove of Clinton's policies and lifestyle, hating him was not a valid option for Christians. [1] At last I understood: in the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy. Putting Faith in Doubt: The Editors Interview Philip Yancey". U.S. Catholic. Skokie, Illinois. 66 (2): 18. February 1, 2001 . Retrieved August 10, 2015. He tells them of ordinary people like them - and me - who accomplished the Miraculous in unnoticed, though life-affirming little ways - even without a mainstream religion.

Crime and a State of Grace". South Wales Evening Post. Swansea. July 28, 2006. p.32 . Retrieved June 22, 2015. This book has honestly changed my perspective on Christianity, religion, politics and my own relationship with Jesus. a b "The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals: Landmark Titles that Changed the Way We Think, Talk, Witness, Worship, and Live". Christianity Today. Carol Stream, Illinois. October 6, 2006 . Retrieved July 31, 2015. In What's So Amazing About Grace?, Yancey discusses grace, calling it "our last best word". [19] The book's thesis is that, although people crave grace and it is centrally important to the gospel, many local churches ignore grace in their quest to exterminate immorality. Yancey uses the word "ungrace" to describe actions that fail to demonstrate grace. [7] According to the author, the greatest gift the Christian Church can give the world is grace, but the church sometimes offers ungrace instead. [20] Yancey writes that there are secular analogues to most Christian activities benefiting the world, such as social justice work and community service, but that "grace is theological; it comes from God. It's one thing the church can offer that isn't found anywhere else". [2] He describes his experiences attempting to make grace part of the way he lived and not just part of his theology. Yancey quotes Christian counselor David Seamands: "The two major causes of most emotional problems among Evangelical Christians are these: the failure to understand, receive and live out God's unconditional grace and forgiveness; and the failure to give out that unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace to other people". [19] the church must be reminded that it is not the master or servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool.” Rev. Dr. Martin King, Jr.CONVERSION FOR ME WAS NOT A DAMASCUS ROAD EXPERIENCE. I SLOWLY MOVED TO AN INTELLECTUAL ACCEPTANCE OF WHAT MY INTUITION HAD ALWAYS KNOWN.