Cheap Grace Or Costly Grace?

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. 'All for sin could not atone.' The world goes on in the same old way, and we are still sinners 'even in the best life' as Luther said. Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world's standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin. That was the heresy of the enthusiasts, the Anabaptists and their kind. Let the Christian beware of rebelling against the tree and boundless grace of God and desecrating it. Let him not attempt to erect a new religion of the letter by endeavoring to live a life of obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ! The world has been justified by grace. The Christian knows that, and takes it seriously. He knows he must not strive against indispensable grace. Therefore—let him live like the rest of the world! Of course he would like to go and do something extraordinary, and it does demand a good deal of self-restraint to refrain from the attempt and content himself with living as the world lives. Yet it is imperative for the Christian to achieve renunciation, to practice self-effacement, to distinguish his life from the life of the world. He must let grace be grace indeed, otherwise he will destroy the world's faith in the free gift of grace. Let the Christian rest content with his worldliness and with this renunciation of any higher standard than the world. He is doing it for the sake of the world rather than for the sake of grace. Let him be comforted and rest assured in his possession of this grace—for grace alone does everything. Instead of following Christ, let the Christian enjoy the consolations of his grace! That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sin departs. Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves.

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.

Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light' ...

...This grace was certainly not self-bestowed. It was the grace of Christ himself, now prevailing upon the disciple to leave all and follow him, now working in him that confession which to the world must sound like the ultimate blasphemy, now inviting Peter to the supreme fellowship of martyrdom for the Lord he had denied, and thereby forgiving him all his sins. In the life of Peter grace and discipleship are inseparable. He had received the grace which costs.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer Cost of Discipleship

I praise God for this man! Oh, how his conviction and astuteness has been a balm to my heart! What an encouragement he is in following wholeheartedly the Gospel of Grace, not of cheap grace, but grace which cost my Savior's life. I pray that the Lord would raise up more men and women like Bonhoeffer, for this generation. People willing to say "no matter what it costs me, no matter how people reject and malign me, no matter how unpopular I am, I must stand on the Cross! I must remember the truth! I must herald the Gospel in all it's costliness! For it cost my Savior HIS LIFE and now it will cost MY LIFE!" I pray I too will be such a one as he was, following Christ's word in total unadulterated obediance! Oh, to follow Christ, to believe His words, therein is life! And cheap grace....no that's not for me!!

Unfathomable Oceans of Grace

Robert Murray McCheyne

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus!" Hebrews 12:2

For every look at self--take ten looks at Christ! Live near to Jesus--and all things will appear little to you in comparison with eternal realities.How many millions of dazzling pearls and gems are at this moment hidden in the deep recesses of the ocean caves. Likewise, unfathomable oceans of grace are in Christ for you. Dive and dive again--you will never come to the bottom of these depths!When you gaze upon the sun--it makes everything else dark; when you taste honey--it makes everything else tasteless. Likewise, when your soul feeds on Jesus--it takes away the sweetness of all earthly things; praise, pleasure, fleshly lusts, all lose their sweetness. Keep a continued gaze! Run, looking unto Jesus. So will the world be crucified to you--and you unto the world!


It has been a hard week to say the least. I have truly been driven to cleve more to my Savior, this was a providential reminder to me today of where my heart should be. Often my focus is so earthly and my willingness to bend non-existent. Truly I must look toward Him and His glory so often that it drowns out even the momentary thought that another thing can satisfy as only He can and does.One thing our former pastor said once that pierced my heart-- "How come, within the storm, we are always so quick to doubt and loose faith? Did God's promises change?"

Just some food for thought.

Do Not Fear?

Lately I have been thinking on the issue of fear. And one of the most glaring facts I have discovered from scripture is that fear almost always denotes worship, either you worship and trust God or you don't. When you fear the Lord you follow His ways. When you fear anything else, those are the ways you go. It is clear that when you fear anything other than the Lord you are not following or trusting in Him alone.

Scrumptious!

Scrumptious!

Who Am I?

"Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptably woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army.
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!"

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer**

**Part of a Poem entitled "Who Am I?" Written while he was imprisoned in Tegal. Taken from Bonhoeffer By Eric Metaxes.

Spring Update

Drinking: Well I hope everyone already knows I LOVE Sonic and their soda's!!
Recovering: Maybe the reality is we never really will recover...this condition is permanent? :D
Reading: Well....sometimes I am reading Mortification of sin....but not very often lately....I haven't read much lately--I am a slacker I know.
Studying: Romans and it's rockin' my world again....as always!
Linking: http://www.sistercircles.com/ If you haven't read these books by Nancy Moser and Vonette Bright and you are a woman and a believer....YOU MUST READ THEM!!! All I can say is why didn't they write it sooner!
Watching: Were the Wild Things are---HORRIBLE DON'T RENT IT!!! And everything is illuminated, it was surprisingly good, heavy but powerful. Amazing what happens to your psyche when you don't stand up for what you believe and without Christ the lengths you will go in the end.
Listening: My son, Silas (yeah I will rat him out!) whining about not eating the rest of his dinner, needless to say he's been eating it for a LONG time. A really LONG time!


And here are some pictures from this spring....

Kace Picked all the tulips in the front of the house. It was sweet!

Date night really was just the yearly senior dinner. Silas is our great photographer!

This is what happens to a girl when she sleeps with her hair in a pony tail and then you take it our after the morning! :D

My ham! He sure doesn't look very much like the other kiddos, but he sure is cute!

Gresham and Kace after opening Gresham's birthday box from Pop Pop, Chickie and Nannie.

Using every blanket in their room and the living room they made a fort. They loved it!

And last but not least--Gresham's homemade chocolate Birthday cake, which he loved I might add!

Unfortunately there aren't any pictures of Silas, I know. He is usually busy at school while all the fun goes down at the house and we are busy taking pictures, but he is the photographer on a few of these so be impressed by his talent even if his face is absent! :)

Happy Resurrection Day!

Happy Resurrection day to you and yours from our family! I hope you are remembering the riches of his grace we inherited in Christ because of the action of Christ! I hope you rejoice in the love of Christ which led him to die that we too might share in His death, not that we would die, but that we would LIVE to Him! I hope you are trusting in the gospel today and everyday!

Many Blessings,
The Crazy Doug Fam!