Tag: grace

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Bible Insights

Can an Actionless Faith Save You?

Faith Save You

Can an Actionless Faith Save You?

There are some people who try to earn their way into heaven. They do good and obey God’s commands—at least most of them anyway. They work hard their entire life to get God’s attention.

Surely when their time comes, God will throw open the doors to heaven.

With a wide smile and a gracious gesture he will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” But he could say, “Go away, I don’t know you.” They’re really not sure. They hope they’ve been good enough, but doubt lingers.

Others laugh at this approach. They say you can’t earn your way into heaven. Eternal life is a gift, given in grace and received by faith. They say a little prayer and figure it’s all good. They have their get-out-of-hell card.

Since heaven is a present, they continue living a life unchanged. They set God aside and live for themselves.

Is faith alone enough to save them? Maybe it is and maybe it’s not. James writes that it’s through our actions—that is, our good deeds—that we confirm our faith.

Yes, we are saved by God’s grace through our faith, but then we prove it by showing his love to others through our actions.

We need to have faith and then we need to do good deeds. Both are required.

[Matthew 25:19-23, Matthew 25:12, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 6:1-2, James 2:14-17]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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Christian Living

A Fresh Start

a fresh start

It’s Time to Plant, Water, Nurture, and Prune

A friend recently shared how much she was enjoying spring, of seeing flowers bloom and once dormant grass turn green. I connected with her joy, warmed by the thought of spring and the new life it represents. I was happy for her, but then I grew somber.

I have no green grass in my yard to celebrate: no new life, just the brown of dirt.

Though this gave me pause, it quickly reminded me of opportunity. My yard represents a blank canvas, a chance to create something new. It offers a fresh start.

Soon grass seed will be sown and after that, flowers and bushes and trees will make their appearance.

The brown of potential will give way to the color of life. My yard will come alive, and I expect it will one day look delightful.

I wonder if God considers us the same way, as people of potential, as soil awaiting transformation.

In God’s eyes our past is forgiven and forgotten, our present offers potential, and our future beckons with the hope of something wonderful and amazing to behold.

However, the outcome is not assured. Just as I need to plant and water to transform my dreary brown yard into a pleasant lawn, so too, we need to let God work in us: to plant and water, to nurture and grow, and, yes, to periodically prune.

Then we can grow, becoming much more than who we are today.

God offers us a new beginning. May we open ourselves to his design for us, accepting his plan for our lives. May we allow him to grow us into something new and wonderful to behold.

God offers us a fresh start, beginning today; don’t miss out.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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Bible Insights

Jude Warns Against Ungodly Men in the Church

Ungodly Men

The book of Jude in the Bible is a short letter that is tucked in the back, just before Revelation. Add to this the fact that it is a bit confusing with obscure references.

In addition, Jude meanders his way through his message with many distracting examples and illustrations.

Given all this, it is little wonder that the writing of Jude is largely ignored.

Removing Jude’s supporting text, his essential message is to watch out for ungodly people in the church. Their profile is that they…

  • pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord (v 4).
  • pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and heap abuse on celestial beings (v 8).
    slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them (v 10).
  • are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves (v 12).
  • are grumblers and fault finders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage (v 16).
  • are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit (v 19).

Do you know anyone who acts like this? Then watch out. Do you ever act like this? Then take corrective action.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is from Philemon and Jude, and today’s post is on Jude 1:3.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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Bible Insights

God’s Sovereignty Allows Him to be Benevolent

God's Sovereignty

God is sovereign; it is one of his characteristics. To be sovereign means to have supreme rank, power, and authority.

The word sovereign appears hundreds of times in the Bible (mostly in the Old Testament) and is usually used as a title for God or in addressing him, as in “Sovereign Lord.”

Many people object to the idea that God is sovereign; it offends them or causes fear. That may be because of a tendency to see sovereignty from a human perspective.

They assume that God’s sovereignty allows him to be malevolent. That is, he is just waiting for us to mess up and then he will do us harm—or give us grief just because he can. But that is not his nature.

God is good and just. His sovereignty actually allows him to be benevolent.  He wants to do good to us, to offer us good things we don’t deserve (grace) and to withhold punishment that we do deserve (mercy).

God’s sovereignty allows for benevolence; his love prohibits malevolence.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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Reviews of Books & Movies

Movie Review: Amazing Grace (2006)

Amazing Grace (2006).

Reviewed by Peter DeHaan

The movie Amazing Grace (2006) is a compelling and moving account of the efforts of William Wilberforce at social reform, specifically ending slave trade in the United Kingdom.

His fight for abolition was a life-long effort (and only fully realized three days before his death).

Taking on the full Parliament, Wilberforce at first stood alone, sacrificing his health and friendships for what he believed to be right.

Gradually picking up support, he and a small team slowly move the process forward, garnering the backing of many of the people, but making little inroads with the legislature.

It was through a cunning political ploy that the Slave Trade Act was passed in 1807.

This is an inspiring chronicle of what one man, committed to a cause, can accomplish over time and through perseverance.

What might comprise a mere paragraph in history texts is expanded in this film to add depth and color to the character of the man and the causes he believed in.

What the film makes clear is that his fight was neither quick nor painless; doing what is right seldom is.

Perhaps most meaningful is the vivid narrative of the horrors of how slaves were treated, disregarded, and exploited.

Sparing the audience from gratuitous scenes of slave torture and abuse, the dialogue suitably communicates the depths of inhumanity to which humanity had sunk.

[Read more reviews by Peter DeHaan of other faith-friendly videos and movies.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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Bible Insights

Are Grace and Mercy the Same Thing?

Are Grace and Mercy the Same Thing..

Are Grace and Mercy the Same Thing?

Are grace and mercy the same thing? That might seem so, since they are both good things that God gives us. However, in some respects they are opposites. Consider these simple definitions:

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.

Mercy is not getting what you do deserve.

For example, if I were to give you $100, that would be an example of grace.You didn’t deserve it, didn’t earn it, and I wasn’t obligated to give it to you. Grace is something that is freely given to people who don’t merit it.

On the other hand, if you hit my car, you would need to pay to have it fixed. Or I could forgive you; that would be mercy. You should rightly repair my car, but I willing choose to let you off the hook and not hold you accountable.

God shows us grace when he gives us good things that we didn’t earn and don’t deserve.

Also, God shows us mercy when he doesn’t hold us accountable for the wrong things we do.

Since it is through Jesus that we can receive both grace and mercy, you might consider them to be opposite sides of the same coin. So maybe they’re the same after all.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.