Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,cometh to Me,’ says Christ, ‘I will in no wise cast out’ (John6:37). But we must come to Him; and when we repent of oursins, we must believe that He accepts and pardons us. Faithis the gift of God, but the power to exercise it is ours.”Simple TruthSeveral of us young ministerial interns were standingaround talking at a pastors’ retreat at Camp Au Sable manyyears ago. Newly graduated from the Seminary, we weresharing our deep theological knowledge with each other.After a while, we were all called back to our meeting. JimDanforth, one of the experienced pastors had stood therelistening quietly to us as we talked. He said as we were dispersing,“Guys, I never went to the Seminary, and I don’tunderstand all the things you have been talking about. I justTransforming GraceIn some circles today, grace has become a scary word. Thatis primarily because of the abuse of the word. It has come tobe seen by some as an excuse for lawless living—living withoutboundaries. But true grace is transforming grace, it is thepower to live a life of discipleship to Jesus.Ivan Blazen’s class on Romans was another place where Ilearned about grace. It seemed like the entire first two weeksof the class he simply took us from one passage to anotherthat spoke of God’s great gift, and he would punctuate thestudy by saying, “When I think what God has done for methrough the gift of His Son, it takes my breath away.”I don’t believe that anyone who grasps what Jesus did onthe cross for him or her can help but be transformed into afollower, someone who is being transformed by that amazinggrace. Conversely, I don’t think that someone who istied up in knots trying to earn their salvation through theirgood actions can have joy or peace. They, above all people,are miserable.I don’t believe that anyone who grasps what Jesus did on the cross for himor her can help but be transformed into a follower, someone who isbeing transformed by that amazing grace.want to say that I stand with H.M.S. Richards Sr. who quotedthese words: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bibletells me so.’”While the subject of our salvation through the grace of Godis profound enough to spur our study throughout eternity,it is also easy enough that someone can understand it rightnow. When Paul and Silas were asked by the jailer, “Whatmust I do to be saved?” they replied, “Believe on the LordJesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30, 31). And theBible says they believed and were immediately baptized.At a camp meeting not too long ago, a preacher spoke onthe topic of God’s free gift of grace. He explained it well.Later in the day, a church member stopped me and told mewhat an impact the message had on her. She told me of thenights she had lay awake worrying that there might be someunremembered and therefore unconfessed sin in her life thatwould cause her to lose her salvation if she died during thenight. She told me that now she felt freed from an immenseburden. But then, she added that she was angry that no onehad explained this to her before. We need to be telling thestory that, as the song says, “Burdens are lifted at Calvary.”Today, I am not perfect, but Jesus is. And as I abide inHim, He is transforming me from day to day. My job is tocooperate, and let Him finish the good work He has begun.Kenneth Denslow is the president of the Illinois <strong>Conference</strong>.16 | Ma r c h 2 0 0 8 • L a k e U n i o n H e r a l d T h e L a k e U n i o n He r a l d i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e .
That saved a wretch like me...Diane ThurberA Turning Pointb y G a r y T h u r b e rHave you ever messed up royally, and then someone you hurt responded not how you deserved to betreated but rather with kindness and trust? I experienced this kind of unreasonable grace when I was a16-year-old sophomore at Mount Pisgah Academy, and I can tell you it had a profound affect on me.It was a great year for me. I was no longer a freshman; Ihad my driver’s license, and I was fairly confident I knewmost everything I needed to know about life! A new deanarrived that year, Bill Wolcott, and even though he wasnice enough, I felt sorry for him, since I knew many ofthe boys would take advantage of his lack of experience. Iwas asked to be an RA (resident assistant) that year, andlooked forward to the challenge.I thought of myself as a cooperative student who reallytried to be a good citizen. It is amazing, however, howquickly one can turn their life upside-down with a fewpoor choices and a substantial dose of rationalization. ForVi s i t w w w. L a k e Un i o n He r a l d . o r g L a k e U n i o n H e r a l d • Ma r c h 2 0 0 8 | 17
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