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Words From the Middle

At the intersection of Sacred and Profane

2017/06/25

Grace is not license

This post’s title is the answer to today’s sermons title. I still think you will get value from listening to one of both of them but I don’t mind spoilers now and then 🙂

In addition to the usual stuff, this week you also get a small example of how translation from one language to another can work, and one of the more dramatic examples of one sort of translation.

The “usual stuff” is a consideration of whether or not grace leads to license (see above for the short answer) and if it does not, why doesn’t it? One of the really significant reasons why is that grace is best understood as not being about the freedom from consequences, not being freedom from anything but rather a freedom to things. Paul is at great pains to help us see that in a mystical way we have been joined with Christ in his death and resurrection, through grace, and thus freed from the tyranny of sin. This freedom from sin is what frees us to become who we were meant to be and to do what we were meant to do.

(If you are wondering where I was last week, the explanation, which included grace! is below)

Knox Presbyterian Is grace license? (to download, right click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/wftm.media/wp-content/uploads/170625_Knox.mp3

 

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Is grace license? (to download, right click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/wftm.media/wp-content/uploads/170625_St_Marks.mp3

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

I was not preaching last Sunday as I was recuperating from knee surgery. I have had a few of these over the years so the operation itself is not surprising, what is surprising is how everything went. From the first appointment with Dr. Jones, my orthopedic surgeon, to the MRI took about 8 weeks (May 23); from the MRI to see Dr. Jones to review and confirm the need for more cartilage work fifteen days (June 7); received a call from the hospital five days later (June 12) to ask if I can come in Friday June 16!; got a call Friday morning to ask if I could come in early. It doesn’t get any better than that and it never occurred to me to pray for any of those things . . . . it’s all grace.

Article by Barry / Pentecost, Preaching, Sunday, Year A / grace, preaching, St. Paul Leave a Comment

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