Tag Archives: Tchividjian

Seasons

In different seasons the Lord refreshes in different ways. In this recent season I’ve been thoughtfully challenged and encouraged by Tillian Tchividjian’s blog at The Gospel Coalition.

Here’s a sample:

The “what we need to do” portions of the Bible are good, perfect, and true–but apart from the “what Jesus has already done” portions of the Bible, we lack the power to do what we’re called to do. The good commands of God, in other words, do not have the power to engender what they command. They show us what a sanctified life looks like but they have no sanctifying power. Only the gospel has the power to move us forward. This is why the Bible never tells us what to do before first soaking our hearts and minds in what God in Christ has already done.

The fact is, that any obedience not grounded in or motivated by the gospel is unsustainable. No matter how hard you try, how radical you get, any engine smaller than the gospel that you’re depending on for power to obey will conk out in due time.

I’ve thought about this before, here. But it is a wonderful reminder… how I need, again and again, to bring my eyes back to my Savior in the gospel!

Cold Day Quote

Yep, couldn’t move my fingers so well after walking from my car to the church this morning. Cold! And those who experience real cold will undoubtedly laugh at me… but cold for Bellingham.

Can’t resist posting a quote from Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, this morning:

…The bottom line is this, Christian: because of Christ’s work on your behalf, God does not dwell on your sin the way you do. So, relax and rejoice…and you’ll actually start to get better. The irony, of course, is that it’s only when we stop obsessing over our own need to be holy and focus instead on the beauty of Christ’s holiness, that we actually become more holy!

It is his main point in a couple of excellently thoughtful posts on Christian ‘accountability.’ Read the whole thing here.

Rainy Day Quote

Well… it is actually not rainy, right now. But it has been… it is Bellingham, after all!

Two people today pointed me to this wonderful message from Tullian Tchividjian at the 2010 Desiring God National Conference. He clearly and with depth hits at an issue that resonates through my life… in being sold out to the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). He has some words for those (‘those’ can include me) who try to “balance” grace. So often people try to add some ‘law’ to grace… and so this is very refreshing:

…In my opinion it is a huge mistake to frame the issue as two ditches, one on each side. There aren’t two ways to fall off the Christian life. It’s one way, with two forms. The biggest lie about grace is that it is dangerous and therefore needs to be kept in check. The devil does not want us to believe in the radical nature of grace. The biggest lie he wants us to believe is that grace is dangerous, unruly, and that we need to balance it out with a healthy dose of law.

Believing this violates gospel advancement. This “Yes grace, but…” is the kind of disposition that keeps moralism swirling around in our hearts.

Wonderful truth.

And if you’re still wanting more, here’s an article adapted from his book, Surprised by Grace.

Ok… and I’m giving in… and just embedding the video, for your watching pleasure… rejoice in such a wondrous gospel!

 

Update (2016): This content has been removed from Desiring God, which saddens me. For the moment, it is still available here.