The following paragraph impressed me as one that could be slipped into any book on Christian living. In fact, any such book that doesn’t contain the principle of this paragraph is probably way off-track.
We must recognize that before Jesus ever offers ethics, he offers grace. If we don’t see that . . . we will use the Sermon on the Mount as a hammer, a means of forcing ourselves or others to act in a way we never could act without the grace of the Holy Spirit. This legalism is the natural inclination of our hearts. We want law, not gospel. We want deeds, not creeds. We want the demands of the law—even if it’s just so we can disobey them. But the good news of the gospel includes the fact that grace always comes before the demands of the kingdom. Jesus is not telling us what is required to earn blessing. He’s telling us what to do in light of the fact that we are already blessed! “The gifts of love always precede the demands of love.”
—Aaron Armstrong, Awaiting a Savior (Cruciform Press, 2011), 65–66.
Cruciform Press publishes one new book each month, and offers subscriptions in print or ebook formats for a very reasonable price. Books may also be purchased individually. For more information, visit www.cruciformpress.com.
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