"There is no sin, and there can be no sin on all the earth which the Lord will not forgive to the truly repentant!" F. Dostoevsky (click link below for full quote)
Tag: salvation
Bible Note #63: Zacchaeus #6–The Power of God’s Grace and Kindness
Zacchaeus had experienced that grace and kindness from his new Lord. Now, he was going to live by it in his own life.
Bible Note #61: Zacchaeus #5–Why Would Such a Man Want to See Jesus?
Zacchaeus acts like someone who was desperate to see Jesus. Why? Why would a hardnosed, money-grubbing guy like Zacchaeus be the least bit interested in someone like Jesus?
Bible Note #57: Zacchaeus #1–The Real Zacchaeus and That Terrible Children’s Song
Christians, especially American Christians, can be really good at sanitizing the gospels in order to make Jesus less offensive. We want a version of Jesus that doesn’t make us uncomfortable, one that fits with our American way of seeing things. The story of Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus is a case in point. One of the … Continue reading Bible Note #57: Zacchaeus #1–The Real Zacchaeus and That Terrible Children’s Song
Pastor Note #139: Learning to Live without Chains in Christ’s Victory
Here’s a truth that is very dear to me. When Jesus went to the cross, he did not merely take my guilt with him. He took my sin. He died not merely to gain forgiveness for me but to set me free from the power of sin. In his resurrection from death, he demonstrated not … Continue reading Pastor Note #139: Learning to Live without Chains in Christ’s Victory
Quote of Note #151: The Universal Need for Salvation and Healing
"Beloved, all of us--and I do mean all of us--desperately need healing. All of us are fragmented. All of us are broken. All of us have been diminished by what took place in the beginning in the Garden of Paradise. All of us need deliverance. All of us need to be loved. All of us … Continue reading Quote of Note #151: The Universal Need for Salvation and Healing
Quote of Note #140: My Resurrection
Lilac buds; photo by GAC "Thou wilt come to raise my body from the dust, and re-unite it to my soul, by a wonderful work of infinite power and love, greater than that which bounds the ocean's waters, ebbs and flows the tides, keeps the stars in their courses, and gives life to all creatures." … Continue reading Quote of Note #140: My Resurrection
Quote of Note #139: Christ’s Last Words for Us
Photo by GAC "Alas! it was also for me that Thou didst pray, 'Forgive them!' Forgive my soul whatever it has done against Thee! For me Thou didst cry: 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?' in order that I might never be forsaken, not in the hour of death, not in my … Continue reading Quote of Note #139: Christ’s Last Words for Us
Quote of Note #134: Leaving the Past Behind
Photo by GAC "[God] wants us first to acknowledge our full responsibility, without excuse or extenuation. Then he says in effect: 'Now put all that behind you; I will take responsibility for it' (and he can take responsibility for the evil we have done: as we have seen, he has provided in Christ the effective … Continue reading Quote of Note #134: Leaving the Past Behind
Quote of Note #124: Mercy and Grace for Us
Stained glass from North Presbyterian Church, Elmira, NY; photo by GAC "[Christ] does not get flustered and frustrated when we come to him for fresh forgiveness, for renewed pardon, with distress and need and emptiness. That's the whole point. It's what he came to heal. He went down into the horror of death and plunged … Continue reading Quote of Note #124: Mercy and Grace for Us
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 