Grace is not the beginning of the Christian life — it is the Christian life.
Today starts a 20-day journey into the freedom, clarity, and power of grace.
Good morning. Today’s bible verse is 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
For many believers, the Christian life feels more burdensome than intended. They love God deeply yet live with a quiet fear that they are not doing enough. They measure their standing with God by their performance. They look to their emotions or their ability to keep rules they were never meant to carry.
But this is not the life God designed for members of the Body of Christ.
Paul reveals a different way: a life established in grace, shaped by the Spirit, and made possible by Christ’s finished work. In this life, salvation comes by grace through faith alone. Sanctification is also by grace alone. Here, our old nature is crucified with Christ, and our new nature is created in righteousness and true holiness. We walk by faith, not by law, fear, or obligation.
This new series—Living by Grace: Paul’s Pattern for the Christian Life — will explore what it means to live as members of the Body of Christ in this present age of grace. Over the next 20 days, we will walk through:
Part 1: Foundations of Grace
Salvation by grace alone, justification by faith, peace with God, and our standing in grace.
Part 2: The Old Nature vs. the New
Understanding the old man, the new man, the struggle within, and the freedom of “no condemnation.”
Part 3: Walking by the Spirit
The law of the Spirit of life, the fruit of the Spirit, sowing to the Spirit, and walking worthy of the Lord.
Part 4: Living Out Grace
Putting off the old man, putting on the new, letting the Word dwell richly, and living the Christ life as members of His Body.
My prayer is simple:
That you will breathe again.
That you will rest in Christ.
That you will live in the freedom of grace.
That you will realize the joy of walking by the Spirit, not the flesh.
And that you will see the Christian life the way Paul describes it: not as a burden to carry, but as a gift to receive.
Welcome to Living by Grace: Paul’s Pattern for the Christian Life.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 1 Co 11:1.
Meditation:
Father, thank you for the grace that is ours by faith in the gospel of grace, and so, let’s walk this journey together.
Reflection Question:
What do you have to lose and what can you gain?