Galatians

If you are a reader of this blog, first of all, thanks!  Second of all, get ready to learn about Galatians.  I just started Tim Keller’s study on Galatians with some girls here.  I’ve done it before, but I am loving doing it again!  I am just continually struck by the truth of the Gospel.  We need Jesus, nothing else.  And I’m so thankful for that. 

Don’t worry I’ll still be sharing antidotes of my daily life and Spanish learning here in Costa Rica.  But this is a lot of what is on my heart these days.

Here’s a quote from the beginning of the study, just to give you a little taste…

“The gospel is the way that anything is renewed and transformed by Christ — whether a heart, a relationship, a church, or a community. All our problems come from a lack of orientation to the gospel. Put positively, the gospel transforms our hearts, our thinking and our approach to absolutely everything.

The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous.  So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.”