Webster defines religion as “the service and worship of God.”  As followers of Jesus Christ, serving and worshiping God should be what characterizes our lives.  Paul once said, “For to me to live is Christ…”  That was his religion, and it should be ours too.  There are a lot of religious people in the world; […]

We have taken this week to examine the warnings given to us in Hebrews 12:15-17.  Read the passage one more time. Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV) 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 […]

There are many lessons to be learned from Hebrews 12:15-17.  So far this week, we have observed three of them, all of which teach us to avoid missing out on the grace of God.  Read the passage below and then consider another lesson we must learn from it. Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV) 15 See to it […]

We are taking a deep dive into Hebrews 12:15-17 this week and learning how to avoid missing out on the grace of God. Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV) 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become […]

This week, I am considering five important points found in Hebrews 12:15-17.   Here is the passage. Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV) 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually […]

This week, I want to consider five important points the Hebrews writer made in Hebrews 12:15-17.   Here is the passage. Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV) 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that […]

This week, we have been probing the great words of Paul in Ephesians 2:8.  We have seen that we are saved by grace rather than by meritorious works.  Our salvation is a gift from God and something that we should be thankful for every day.  As a result of how our salvation came to be, […]

Salvation is a gift given by God.  Paul teaches this clearly in Ephesians 2:8.  A gift is “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation” (Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary).  That is what God did for us.  He gave us the gift of salvation.  He did not do it for compensation, but out of […]

After pointing out that we are saved by grace through faith, Paul emphasizes that salvation is not of our own doing (Ephesians 2:8).  It is very important that we understand this, but what does Paul mean by it?  First, we need to understand what Paul is not teaching.  He is not teaching that there is […]

Paul teaches us that we have been saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). However, we have a part in our salvation, not because God needed our help, but because He desired effort on our part.  Sure, God could save us without any action taken on our part at all, but that was not God’s will.  Paul […]