Grace and Works

My recent readings have ranged widely, from New Age (Quantum Healing), a Christian psychotherapist (The Road Less Travelled), through spiritual disciplines (Practicing Peace and Celebration of Discipline). The New Age book with a twisted pseudo-scientific slant inevitably leads down the path of mystic meditation with the promise of possible physical healing, but totalling ignores the problem of sin. The psychiatrist presents some excellent insights into what makes us tick (or sometimes 'toc'), the pre-eminence of love, the importance of grace and the nature of evil. The Disciplines present excellent material on spiritual growth principles.

But the one common theme to lesser or greater extent, was the emphasis on what "I" can do: shades of "works" versus "grace". We must be constantly aware in our striving toward spiritual maturity and growth (and I'm sure the above Christian authors would agree) that our starting point must always be the "grace" God has shown us through Christ's redemption. Our lifetime journey of growth is always one of discovering what God has provided, of appropriating by faith God's gifts to be constantly being transformed toward His likeness.


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Rom.12:2 "Don't be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of your minds"
Mt.16:25 "Whoever will save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it"
Ac.15:11 "Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved"
Eph.4:15 "...we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head"
He.6:1 "Go on past the elementary...go on to maturity...not building on dead works for repentance..."
Eph.6:13-18 "Put on the whole armour ... truth ... righteousness ... gospel of peace ... faith ... salvation ... the Spirit ... word of God ... prayer"

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