Random Thoughts

  Chapter 59: For by Grace You Are Saved By Faith without Works Is Dead “The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that salvation is a gift. Because we are lost, imperfect beings, we cannot earn salvation by our works. Paul famously wrote, “For by grace you are saved through faith. . . . It is a gift of God, not a result of works” (Eph. 2: 8–9). John 3:16 says that whoever believes in Jesus has everlasting life; it doesn’t say “whoever lives an exemplary life merits everlasting life.”  Christians are, of course, aware of these verses, yet they struggle with believing that it’s so simple. I’ve met many who are haunted by sins of the past or present. The message of the gospel is that we can do nothing to deserve salvation. We cannot earn God's favor. Salvation is a gift from God received by faith. God already loved us while we were lost in sin (Rom. 5: 8) before we believed (John 3: 16). It therefore makes no sense to think that our works ensure that God doesn't stop loving...

In our faith journeys, we each have moments of doubt, moments of clarity, and moments where we realize we were just wrong about something. When we find ourselves in these seasons of uncertainty, where we realize we don’t actually know what is true, we come to a point where we have to make a decision. Do I just ignore my concerns? Pretend everything is ok? Or do I do something about it? And if I decide to do something about it what does that mean?  How do I deal with these struggles? Deconstruction is the buzzword within Christianity right now. People are deconstructing from every aspect of Christianity, evangelicalism, fundamentalism, toxic church cultures, toxic leaders, and legalism.   But what is deconstruction? The word is an academic term for the systematic pulling apart of the belief system you were raised in. It’s what happens when the questions you’ve pushed down your whole life finally bubble over the surface, and you’re forced to stare honestly at your doubts. The in...