I’ve been reading in the book of Acts this week…

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the [Gentile] believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

– – –

[In Jerusalem, Peter said] “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

– Acts 15:1, 11 NIV

I think sometimes today’s Christians say or think much the same as the Christians from Judea:

“Unless you _____________, you cannot be saved.”

We forget that it is by grace that we are saved, through faith—not by works or any preexisting or “changed” condition (Eph. 2:8-9).  We impose “fill-in-the-blank” requirements for salvation, forgetting that Christ died for sinners – not the “saintly” (Rom. 5:8.)

Of course, once we have relationship with Jesus, then we must address the sin in our lives…continually (Romans, Galatians, I John, etc.)

So thankful God doesn’t require that
the way of Salvation be flipped…

…none would be saved, especially me.

Training Journal – 12/18/11:

• Current plan: 10K Training (week 1 in the bag!  Mileage: 21.42)
  
• Today’s session: Long Run – 8 mi
  
• Comments: Nice run.  Clear and crisp morning…peaceful outside.  Pacing plan was 11:28…I simply find it hard to run that slow.  Pacing was an average 9:56 using a 4:00/:30 run/walk, Galloway ratio.  I tried GU Chomps this morning and they were actually pretty good.
  

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  Psalm 23:1 NIV

funny how most proclaim the former and doubt the later…

…forgive me Lord

I bought a copy of a Da Jesus Book New Testament when we were in Hawaii earlier this year. Just noticed that they now have it on YouVersion, under the Hawai’i Pidgin language.

Here’s John 3:16:

“God wen get so plenny love an aloha fo da peopo inside da world, dat he wen send me, his one an ony Boy, so dat everybody dat trus me no get cut off from God, but get da real kine life dat stay to da max foeva.”