hanks

Q30. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Why does God's power flourish best when we feel weak? If God's grace is "sufficient," what is it sufficient to do or accomplish in or through us? What are the practical limits of the sufficiency of grace? Once we recognize how truly weak we are, it is only then that we will start to depend on God’s power rather than our own strength. In our weakness we become more dependent on Him; relying on His power. In this evil world we will face injustices, and inequalities - on our own we are frequently helpless to remedy the effects of these on our lives. We suffer and if our prayers are not answered we may become embittered and self-pitying. On the other hand, we can allow these “thorns” to pin us closer to Christ, who gives us sufficient grace to be able to bear them with endurance and patience. Remembering what Jesus said: “My power is made perfect in weakness”, this should give us courage and hope. God’s grace is sufficient in all areas of need. The more we are yielded to Him, the greater will be His effectiveness in conforming us to Christ.

Q29. (2 Corinthians 12:7) Why do we often feel so weak in times of sickness or affliction? Why are we tempted to stop ministering to others when we are struggling? In times of sickness, we usually focus solely on our condition. Feeling sorry for ourselves and thinking that God has forgotten us or is neglecting us. It is very difficult for us to realize that God may have in mind to bring about some good through our struggles. God is sovereign and He may allow this sickness for a reason. Perhaps, our spiritual condition is more important than our physical condition. Then again, our sickness may draw us closer to Him as we pray more earnestly. As we approach the throne of grace for mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. It will humble us. We notice that in 2 Cor 12:7 (ESV) Paul mentions twice “to keep me from becoming conceited”. Also, it will also result in more and more grace to help us cope with our condition. We might be tempted, because of the debilitating effect our sickness has, to stop ministering to others. We are often not in a happy place and in this weakened position find it difficult to minister to others.

Q28. (Hebrews 4:16) Why is approaching God's holy throne in prayer intimidating to some people? Why do we sometimes fear judgment and condemnation when we approach God. In what ways is God's throne the place where He dispenses "mercy and grace"? In what ways is your home a place where grace is given out? Approaching God’s holy throne can easily become intimidating especially when we become aware of our own insignificance, our own sinfulness, our guilt, and our weaknesses in the face of such divine perfection and holiness. We may also fear judgment and condemnation knowing that God knows everything about us, even our very own thoughts. This exposes us to who we really are, making us feel uncomfortable and vulnerable - there is nowhere to hide. We forget that because of what Jesus had done on the cross we can boldly approach God in prayer, not on our own merit, but on His merit and His righteousness. We come to His throne of grace, by faith and receive forgiveness in mercy, and righteousness in grace. It is no longer a throne of judgment for us as believers. God may dispense mercy to sinners in misery or distress by being compassionate, and not giving us what we do deserve. On the other hand, He may dispense grace to us by giving us what we do not deserve. Mercy is His attitude of forgiveness, while grace is His attitude of blessing and benevolence. This is all done at the proper time or needed time - just when we need it. When we call on the name of the Lord in faith and approach the throne of God, He will hear and answer. Jesus wants to bless us from the endless resources of His grace. Hopefully, my home is considered a home of grace. It is an open house to those in need. We sometimes offer a place to stay, meals, a listening ear, or even recognition for who they are. Rom 12:13 tells us to “share with God's people who are in need. Practise hospitality”. I will always remember our dear friends David and Ruth who were the best example of hospitality, I have ever encountered. Every Sunday after church they would invite a couple over to their home for Sunday lunch. And what a meal it was! A truly gracious loving couple! Both are now home with the Lord.

Q27. (John 10:27-30; Jude 24-25; Romans 8:38-39; 2 Timothy 4:18; Philippians 1:6; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Peter 5:10-11) Why do you think there are so many assurances of faith in the New Testament? What is your favourite promise of God's role in keeping you in Christ to the end? How does your favourite promise give you powerful assurance of salvation? I think many of us struggle with the assurance of our salvation. Satan wants to cast doubt in our mind, thereby preventing us from living a Christian life free of worry and doubt. Perhaps, over time we look for personal growth in the fruit of the Spirit, are we doing enough good works; are we obedient enough; have our sins been forgiven; have we repented them all - if we think not, we begin to doubt our salvation. This prevents us having a healthy relationship/fellowship with our Lord and Saviour. I feel that our assurance comes first and foremost through the Word, and that God wants us to be sure of our salvation, for this reason there are so many assurances of faith in the NT. The moment we trust our Lord Jesus Christ we can know on the authority of the Word that we have been saved. With time there will be evidences of the new life. My favourite promise is the double guarantee found in John 10:28-29, Jesus speaking: “… no-one can snatch them out of My hand … no-one can snatch them out of My Father's hand.” Wow! Praise the Lord! Not only is my salvation in the hand of Christ, but in my heavenly Father’s hand as well. That is no-one, absolutely no-one can threaten or stop me being saved. I cannot lose my salvation. This is a double assurance of safety - of me spending eternity with my Lord.

Q26. (1 Peter 1:4-5) How does our faith function alongside God's protection to keep us to the end? How does this show God's grace? God’s protection works together with our faith - we are kept by the power of God, and this through our faith in Christ. The moment we first trust our Saviour we are saved from the penalty of sin, and from then on we are saved from the power of sin as we allow Jesus to live His life through us. Finally, at the end we will be saved from the presence of sin as our bodies are changed and glorified. True believers are protected by God and given sustaining and persevering faith. It is the protection of omnipotent power and the perseverance of faith that go together. It is through faith that we are saved and kept. By His mercy we are redeemed, and it is the same grace that preserves our heavenly inheritance, also preserves us as heirs to enjoy it. Thanking You our Heavenly Father: Your grace is a blessing from above, A gift that we can never repay with love. It’s a power that is so divine, The greatest gift of all time.

Q26. (1 Peter 1:4-5) How does our faith function alongside God's protection to keep us to the end? How does this show God's grace? God’s protection works together with our faith - we are kept by the power of God, and this through our faith in Christ. The moment we first trust our Saviour we are saved from the penalty of sin, and from then on we are saved from the power of sin as we allow Jesus to live His life through us. Finally, at the end we will be saved from the presence of sin as our bodies are changed and glorified. True believers are protected by God and given sustaining and persevering faith. It is the protection of omnipotent power and the perseverance of faith that go together. It is through faith that we are saved and kept. By His mercy we are redeemed, and it is the same grace that preserves our heavenly inheritance, also preserves us as heirs to enjoy it. Thanking You our Heavenly Father: Your grace is a blessing from above, A gift that we can never repay with love. It’s a power that is so divine, The greatest gift of all time.

Q25. (John 16:8; 6:44; 6:65) Why is it impossible for people to come to Christ without God's action to convict, draw, and enable them to come? How does God's preparation illustrate His grace? We are unable to come to Christ on our own, without an initial work of God within us. Jesus Himself said “No-one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44a). He also went on to say “No-one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled him" (John 6:65b). This is because we are spiritually dead in our sins and trespasses, spiritual things are foolishness to us, and we cannot understand them (1 Cor 2:14). Being spiritually dead we don’t have the ability or strength to come to Jesus by ourselves. At the same time, we will never realize our guilt and our need of a Saviour, unless our heavenly Father first begins to work in our hearts. The Holy Spirit changes the hearts of those the Father had drawn – we are regenerated, born-again. God gives us new life within; makes us alive spiritually and gives us the ability to respond positively to accept Jesus. “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5). God’s preparation illustrates His grace since He is the One who first acted out of love, and sought to win us to Himself. We now have the choice of accepting the Lord Jesus or refusing Him. But we never would have had the desire in the first place if God had not spoken to our hearts.

Q24. (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-6) How does predestination function with God's grace? What is gracious about predestination? Why is His grace "glorious"? He predestined us to be holy and without blame before Him in love. This will only be completed when we are with Him in heaven, and when we also shall be like Jesus (1 John 3:2). God loves us even though we have rebelled against Him, yet God sent His only Son to die in our place, to rescue us from sin and death (Rom 5:8). While we were still sinners Christ laid down His life for the guilty (1 Pet 3:18). Predestination is a gracious act of God in which we were chosen to be adopted as His children. We deserved only His wrath but instead we received the unmerited favour of God - His gracious grace. Predestination means that our salvation is secure, since God chose us and by His grace we will persevere to the end. This can only be that we are predestined through His glorious GRACE.

Q23. (Romans 8:28-30; 1 Peter 1:1-2) I realize that this is a mystery, but how do you see God's foreknowledge working alongside His ability to predestine? If all this is by grace, how might faith and/or good works fit into this predestination? I don’t think it is God’s foreknowledge of our actions that saves us or condemns us. It is not God looking ahead of time and seeing if we accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord or not. To me God is sovereign and He chooses, in accordance with His pleasure and will (Eph 1:5), to save some. Most importantly this is not about who will believe or not. It is not based on something we do or will do, but on why some believe and others not. Some believe because they have been chosen, predestined according to God’s plan (Eph 1:11), and are saved. Since we are all sinners, all that we deserve is death (Rom 6:23). Yet in His love and mercy God saves some, those He saves receive grace and the unsaved receive justice – no one receives injustice. All those God predestined will be saved because they are the ones God the Father gives to His Son Jesus (John 6:37). This is all done by God’s grace, tons of grace! I can only speak from personal experience. The moment I was regenerated and received faith, I had to make the decision to trust in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I clearly remember this (1982). It took me quite a few moments to react. I’m forever grateful that I made the right decision. I mention this to emphasize that I was not dragged or forced to do this. Having been saved was the start of my long journey of doing good works by imitating our Lord Jesus. Gradually the fruit of the Spirit became more and more visible. Thank You Lord!

Q22. (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; James 2:17) How does the Spirit work in us after we are saved to form Christ in us? In what ways is this a process of "working out" our salvation? Why should you expect a person's life to change when they put their faith in Jesus? What is happening if there is no discernible change? The Holy Spirit works to change our mindset, so that we become more and more like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We have received the free gift of eternal life, and now He puts in us the wish and desire to do His will, but at the same time works in us the power to be able to carry out this desire. This is a process of working out our salvation in that together with our Lord we change our reliance on the world and its values, the flesh and its sinful desires, and the devil and his evil schemes. We need help to overcome our sinful, self-centred life we lived. We can expect an initial drastic change in our lives. We have become a new creation, old things have passed away, and all things have become new (2 Cor 5:17). We will notice the Holy Spirit transforming us into the likeness of Christ. There will be visible growth in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). If not we must question our salvation.

Q21. (Acts 18:27; Matthew 16:16-17; John 6:44) How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives to prepare us for salvation? In what sense is the Spirit's revelation important to faith? In what ways have you seen the Father "draw" people to Christ? What is the role of "free will" in salvation? The supernatural work of the Holy Spirit releases us from our bondage to sin, and brings us to Christ. The result is that we are regenerated (born again), that is raised from death to spiritual life. Jesus Himself said that no-one can see (John 3:3), and enter (John 3:5) the kingdom of God unless he is born again. We are made alive in order to understand and respond to the gospel message. I can clearly recall this happening to me in 1982. After years of going to church and the messages going into one ear and out by the other. All of a sudden I took notice and the gospel started to have meaning to me. A gift of grace, since I did nothing to change myself – the start of a long journey. I was so excited and willingly made the decisions to repent and put my faith in Christ Jesus; even these were a gift of God (Eph 2:8-9); created in me by regeneration. There must have been a change of heart, and this was not me being compelled to make a decision against my will. Much later I learned that I was one of the elect, who God chose to save before creation. This was mind boggling. I believe we all have free will to do whatever we desire, but God is sovereign and whatever He decrees will eventually come to pass. For instance, all the elect will eventually come to faith in Christ. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord! To me salvation is all together an act of God, not something we can do or earn. An act of grace that is neither earned nor deserved.

Q20. (Ephesians 2:8-9) How does the idea of earning salvation by being good enough for God distort the essential gospel? With that scenario, what is the need for the cross? How does it affect a sense of self-righteousness? Of pride? Of looking down on others rather than loving them? Why is this kind of works-righteousness so ingrained in people? How does an understanding of salvation by grace change this picture? The gospel teaches us that our salvation is not based on good works, and that we cannot earn or merit it. Good examples are: Rom 3:20; 4:4-5; 11:5-6; Gal 2:16; 3:11; Eph 2:9, but there are many more. We distort the gospel if we believe that it is good people who go to heaven. Rather it is sinners who have been saved by God's grace who will spend eternity with Him. Good works do not earn salvation, they are the result of salvation. We cannot save ourselves by good works, since all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags in God’s sight (Isa 64:6). So, we need a Saviour, we need the cross. It is through the redemptive work of Christ Jesus on the cross that God reckons us righteous by an act of amazing grace. This is a righteousness that saves and comes directly from God the Father through divine grace. Not a self-righteousness that comes from our own deeds. Today we are wary of anything that is free or at a cheap price. The more expensive an item is the better it must be; think of cosmetic and perfume manufacturers who exploit this idea. So, it is with us, we would rather trust our own righteous deeds than the free gift God offers us. The moment we add works of any kind salvation it is no longer by grace (Rom 11:6). Saved by works is open to abuse, resulting in boasting and prideful behaviour, even considering others inferior to ourselves. Work-righteousness dilutes the reason for the death of Christ. We know that the reason He died was because there was no other way by which guilty sinners could be saved. Salvation by grace is not based on a human standard of righteousness but only on the absolute perfection of God. Only the righteousness of divine perfection can meet this standard. In grace God gives His own righteousness to us who receive Jesus Christ as Saviour. And it is when we are in Christ that we are clothed in His righteousness.

Q19. (Ephesians 2:8) From what have we been rescued by God's grace? How has God personally rescued you from your situation before Christ? What did God's favour have to do with your salvation? God’s grace has rescued us from the power of sin over us, from being slaves to our sinful nature, and from spiritual death. Being dead in our transgressions and sins, we live a life as if God does not exist, and walk according to the leaders of this world. We live this life of deceit, immorality, ungodliness, selfishness, violence, and rebellion; our only concerned is to satisfy our fleshly desires and appetites. We are on our way to spend eternity away from God. The bottom line is that we have been rescued from spending eternity in hell. Only by being united with Christ can we be seen as righteous in God’s sight. It is through His powerful creative work that we are rescued, made spiritually alive, have been raised up, and are seated with Christ. We are totally unworthy of receiving this gift of salvation, and it is given only on the basis of the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This gift of eternal life is given only through faith in Christ; even this faith is given by grace, a gift of God so that it is all God’s work, and no one can boast. God’s favour has everything to do with my salvation. It is totally only a gift of grace, a free gift, and there is nothing I did or could do to earn this gift. It is grace that is neither earned nor deserved, and definitely not as a result of any ability, effort, or service on my part. Remembering that we deserve nothing but God’s wrath, I can only humbly respond with gratitude, praise, and joy, hoping to bring glory to my Heavenly Father.

Q18. (Romans 3:24; John 1:29; Mark 10:45; Isaiah 53) In what sense is Jesus a sacrifice for our sins? Why is He punished for our sins instead of us? Why is He called the Lamb of God? God had taught the Jewish nation to slay a lamb and to sprinkle its blood as a sacrifice for their sins. The lamb was killed as a substitute and its blood shed so that sins might be forgiven. But in OT times this did not remove sin, it only pointed to the true Lamb of God who would come and actually take away sin. John the Baptist recognised Jesus as this true Lamb of God (John 1:29). It is because of God’s great love for us, not wishing any to die as the penalty for our sins (Rom 6:23), that Jesus came to die and bear the sins of the world. The most popular verse in the Bible explains it so well. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The sins of the world were removed when Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice.

Q17. (Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:17-19) In what sense have we been redeemed from slavery? What slavery have we been freed from? What was the price of our manumission or freedom? In what sense are we free? In what sense are we still slaves? Christ redeemed us by dying in our place, enduring the dreadful wrath of God against sin. He paid a ransom; a ransom price which satisfied our holy and just Heavenly Father. His death on the cross was the payment for our sin, a payment that secured our release from the bondage of Satan and sin. Once we come to Christ in repentance and receive forgiveness for sin, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit who comes to live within us. We have been freed from our slavery to sin. The price of our freedom was His precious blood. We are free in the sense that we are no longer bound to the penalty and power of sin. It is by His power that we are able to resist sinning and become slaves of righteousness. But now instead of slaves to sin we become slaves to righteousness, and from now on we experience complete peace and true freedom. Out of gratitude to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ we humbly serve Him.

Q16. (Romans 3:22-23; Romans 5:12-14; Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9) Is humankind basically "good" because of the image of God in us? Or basically evil because of deceitful hearts and our corrupt nature ("flesh") that is "bent to sinning"? Psalm 12:2-3 answers the question: “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no-one who does good, not even one”. Although we were made in the image of God, this image has been mostly corrupted by our inherited sin, and there is now no-one who does good. Even our best efforts are still infected with sin, so much so that our righteousness is but filthy rags compared to God’s infinite righteousness. Our deceitful hearts and desperately wicked nature shows that we are basically evil, and we deserve only God’s wrath (Eph 2:3). Our hearts often deceive us, by leading us astray to rebel, to disobey, to sin, and to demand things we don’t need; leading to great sorrow by giving us false keys to happiness. Even to not fully understanding our own heart. We are dead in our sins (Eph 2:1). Fortunately, because of God’s great love for us we are made new creations in His likeness through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:17). We repent and put our trust in Him - are forgiven and receive eternal life. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Q15. (Luke 18:18-27) How does the story of the rich young ruler show the impossibility of salvation without a miracle of God? Why does Jesus use a rich and outwardly righteous man to make this point? Where does grace show through? We know that salvation is not inherited, and it is not gained by doing good works. James teaches us that we must keep all the law, all God’s commandments, perfectly to gain entrance to His kingdom, eternal life (James 2:10). To break one part of the law is to be guilty of all. God does not allow us to keep the laws we like, and break others. By breaking just one law, we are sinners. So, by our own efforts we cannot be saved, it is only by the miracle of divine grace that we can be saved, only by grace can our hearts of stone be changed to repent and accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. Jewish people believed that riches was a sign of God’s blessing (Deu 28:1-8). So, they would ask the question if rich Jews aren’t saved who can be? That is why Jesus used the rich man to show 'what is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). He did not rule out all wealthy people from salvation, but wanted us to note that God can do the impossible. He can by grace take a greedy, materialistic person, and remove his love for possessions and substitute it for true love of the Lord. More grace! Grace upon grace.

Q14. (Luke 23:39-43) How does the story of the thief on the cross illustrate salvation by faith? How does it show the triumph of grace over sin to those who don't deserve it? This story of the thief on the cross teaches us that salvation is by grace through faith alone. The thief is transformed by the Holy Spirit from a blasphemer to the understanding that Jesus is the Messiah. This is a massive transformation. All of a sudden the thief becomes very aware of God and the fear of God. He openly admits his own sin, and recognises Jesus for who He is. Jesus is no ordinary man, He has the power to forgive sins, and is the thief’s only hope. He knows that he is in urgent need of mercy and grace, nothing else can save him. He is about to die, so, he decides to throw himself at Jesus’ mercy, and turns in true repentance to Jesus for forgiveness. "Lord, remember me. Have mercy upon me." In the same way, when we as a sinner realise that we are lost, that we are helpless, that we are hopeless, and that we are hell-bound; there is only one thing left for us to do and that is to repent and put our faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour. Once we come to the fear of God, His wrath, and our sinfulness, the only thing left for us to do is to repent and put our faith in Jesus. This is all the result of the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit on our dark heart. Salvation is so clearly by grace through faith, and not of works. Faith alone in Christ alone - nothing more, nothing less. The gospel is so simple, and that is what offends us because it does away with our pride and power. The Cross affords no possibility of pride in earning salvation, and no potential for power in manipulating one's way into the kingdom. This thief was guilty and all he deserved was death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). A classic example of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness - grace that is neither earned nor deserved.

Q13. (Luke 15:11-31) What does the Parable of the Prodigal Son teach us about God? About repentance? About grace? We learn about God as a loving Heavenly Father who is also gracious, wise, compassionate, kind, and patient. He will not force His will on us, but will give us opportunities to respond to His love. He gives us the freedom to make choices, but of course not the consequences. He waits patiently for us to come to our senses. This teaches us that God will accept us as sinners wholeheartedly when we repent, acknowledging our sin, and seeking pardon. We receive full forgiveness and restoration – grace that is truly undeserved and unmerited! He will support us and encourage us as we grow in Christ, and surrender our will to His. I think of all the angels in heaven that are rejoicing when an unbeliever repents and turns to God.

Q12. (Matthew 18:21-35) In what way does the king show grace in this parable. How does the forgiven servant withhold grace? Can we call ourselves Jesus' disciples if we withhold grace according to Matthew 18:35 and Matthew 6:12-15? The king shows grace in the forgiving of an immense debt owed by one of his servants. He knew that this was such a huge debt and the servant would never be able to repay it. But when he saw that the servant promised to pay if given the chance, as well as the repentant attitude shown, he forgave the servant the entire amount. We see the king taking pity on the servant, cancelling the debt, and setting him free; a massive display of grace. This same forgiven servant was owed a much smaller amount by a fellow servant. Even after pleading for an extension, he was still thrown into prison. Instead of forgiving him, as he had been forgiven, he demanded payment in full, thereby withholding any grace. As a disciple of Jesus, we have had all our sins forgiven, how can we therefore be unwilling to forgive those who wrong us? Having received grace in the form of forgiveness, we will want to pass it on to others; if not then we have not been united with Christ and cannot be called a Jesus disciple.

Q11. (Luke 10:25-37) Why do you think Jesus sets up the hero of the parable as a Samaritan? How does the Samaritan show undeserved favour? In your community, who are the "neighbours" that are resented? In what ways can you and/or your Christian community show God's grace to them? In this parable the hero is a despised Samaritan - people who have been for centuries the enemies of the Jews. Jesus wants to highlight who is a true neighbour. The one who shows compassion and mercy to others; the one who goes the extra mile to serve others; the one who even includes the despised. The Samaritan shows underserved favour by the actions he takes. Using strips of his own clothing; pouring his wine on the wounds to clean them; using his olive oil as a healing balm; placing the man on a donkey and booking him into an inn; paying the innkeeper for up to 3 weeks until he returns insuring that the man recovers; and finally promising to return and paying any outstanding expenses. Underserved grace indeed! In our community the neighbours who are resented are the poor, the down and out, the widows, those who have no status and are looked down upon. The ultimate Neighbour was Jesus, whose compassion contrasted with the Jewish religious leaders who had no compassion on those who would die in their sin. He has blessed me abundantly and as a Christian I should emulate Him by loving my neighbour, having mercy, and showing compassion as needed. God has brought to my attention the self-centred selfish life I live, and that I need to start putting other people’s needs before my own. In this passage He has taught me that I should be a neighbour to anyone I meet who has a need that I can satisfy.

Q10. (John 3:16) How does John 3:16 display "favour that is neither earned nor deserved" without using the word 'grace'? What is the relationship between grace and giving? What motivates the gift in this verse? How does this relate to grace? God’s supernatural love is expressed in the giving of His most precious gift – His one and only Son. This gift demonstrates His grace, and is clearly shown to us by this sacrifice of Jesus. A grace that is shown through His love for mankind, to sinful people who don’t deserve it, and Him not wanting any to perish. By this sovereign grace we now have the gift of eternal life! – a gift, a grace that is given generously! The motivation for this gift is God’s love for us, a love that Jesus revealed to us by His death on the cross for our sins, and this while we were still sinners – a grace that is neither earned nor deserved. There can be no greater love than this. Jesus proves His infinite grace towards us by taking upon Himself all our sins, past, present, future, and transferring His righteousness upon ourselves.

Q9. According to Bonhoeffer, what attitudes cheapen the understanding of grace in Christians? Does "costly grace" mean we have to work for it? What is costly about grace? In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer mentions that grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, and grace without Jesus Christ, all cheapen the understanding of true grace. And goes on to define cheap grace as the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, and communion without confession. It’s like having our bread buttered on both sides; we make a profession of faith and are saved. We think God’s grace is enough to cover all our sins so we carry on living as usual – thinking we are locked in to Jesus and have free will to do what we want. There is no need to live in total obedience to our Lord Jesus. Jesus is our Saviour but not the Lord of our life. A type of self-righteousness. However, true salvation involves us becoming a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Everything will change - old ways of thinking, old habits, and evil thoughts will change as we become more and more like Jesus Christ. We have a new mindset, and we learn to walk in the light. I think of Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You”. I would not call it work; we do it out of gratitude once we recognise the magnitude of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us. Costly grace is responding to the call of Jesus Christ and living in total obedience to Him. Jesus is now Lord of our life; He is our Saviour and Master and we submit to Him in all things. Submitting to Him will be our heart’s desire and our practice. We willingly want to be inwardly transformed by Him, to exchange our sinfulness for His holiness, to surrender our bondage to sin, and to change our destiny from eternal death to eternal life. Of course, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price, costing Him His life, and our Heavenly Father the death of His One and only Son.

Is there good in humankind? Are humans basically good or basically bad? Or both? What are some of the ways a "deceitful heart" shows up in our lives and motivations? If the heart is the innermost person, how does a "deceitful heart" corrupt us in a pervasive way? Jesus Himself said “No-one is good - except God alone” (Luke 18:19). All of mankind live in a state of depravity and have turned from righteousness to sin. We are all born sinners with a sinful, selfish nature, who fall short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23). Psalm 14:2-3 says it all: “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one”. We might be capable of doing some good things, like being kind to others or even caring for the needy, but even these things have sinful motives behind them. “… All our righteous acts are like filthy rags …” (Isa 64:6). Our hearts are so deceptive, and in our corrupt and fallen state may even be more wicked than we are aware of. One of the ways we could be deceived is by believing that being a good person will get us into heaven. Since no-one is good, and that we are all sinners, as well as the fact that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) - there is no way we are going to heaven by our own means. Our hearts deceive us and we falsely believe that a good person is able to earn their way into heaven. However, the gospel teaches us that we can never be good enough to get to heaven - the only way is through Jesus Christ our Lord (John 14:6). We repent of our sins and place our faith and trust in Him. Even though in Christ we are a new creation, we still have to distrust our hearts because of the remnants of our old flesh that still cling to us and deceive us. We are still subject to our carnal desires. Jesus Himself said in Mat 15:19 “for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, thefts, false witness, slander” (Mat 15:19). As James mentions “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:14).

Q7. (Ephesians 2:1-3) What do these verses teach us about humankind's fallen nature? What motivates our actions before we come to Christ? Which of these motivations might be conscious? Which might be unconscious? Humankind without Christ is spiritually dead, living as if God does not exist, and the cause of this death are our transgressions and sins. We are totally corrupt and immoral, obedient to the god of this age (Satan), walking according to the ideology of the world – a world of deceit, immorality, ungodliness, selfishness, violence, and rebellion – living in total disobedience to God. Being energized by Satan we willingly defy, dishonour, and disobey our Lord. Being dead means that on our own there is no way we can come to repentance and faith in Christ. We need the Holy Spirit to melt the hardness of our hearts, to be made alive to spiritual things; we need to hear the Word proclaimed, we need mercy and grace. "How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?" (Rom 10:14). Unless God works in our hearts to make the proclamation of the gospel effective, there will be no genuine saving response. Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (John 6:44). All of God’s elect on hearing the Word, will eventually make the conscious decision to put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Of course, not everyone else who hears the gospel message will respond. In actual fact few respond – “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Mat 7:14). But fortunately, there will be some who will consciously respond to come to Christ, and be saved. I feel God will give everyone the opportunity to make a conscious decision about coming to Christ. He is patient, full of grace and compassion. He does not want any to perish so He purposely extends the time of grace. Hereby giving us the chance to come to repentance and be saved (2 Pet 3:9). There is no need for any to perish (John 3:16).