The Big Picture

A Christmas and New Year Greeting in Grace

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate this Christmas and step into a new year, my heart rejoices in the riches of His grace wherein we stand, being justified freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom.3:24).

Beloved friends, let us remember that we are complete in Him (Col.2:10)—not by works of our own, but by the finished work of the cross. This truth anchors us as we walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, holding fast the faithful word, and abounding in thanksgiving.

May the love of Christ constrain us, the hope of glory sustain us, and the fellowship of the mystery strengthen us in every good word and work. The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (2Thess.3:3).

As we look ahead, let us rest in the assurance that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

Amen.

✨ Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all my dear friends! May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be your strength and joy in the days to come.

A New Heart versus a New Man

Ezekiel 36:25-27 declares: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

This passage belongs to Israel’s prophetic program. It is not addressed to the Body of Christ, but to the nation of Israel under the covenants and promises given to them. To understand it rightly divided, we must place it in its proper context.

Israel’s Prophetic Doctrine

The promise of sprinkling clean water is covenantal language tied to Israel’s purification. Under the Mosaic law, ceremonial washings were required for uncleanness (Num.19:17-19). Ezekiel’s prophecy points forward to a national cleansing when God will purify Israel from idolatry and prepare them to enter the kingdom.

This promise is directly echoed in the preaching of John the Baptist and Peter. John preached “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4), and Peter declared at Pentecost: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). In Israel’s program, water baptism was not symbolic but required for forgiveness, in line with Ezekiel’s prophecy of cleansing. It was the outward act of repentance and purification, preparing the nation to enter the promised kingdom.

Reconciliation, Forgiveness, and Justification: Guarding the Line of Truth

One of the greatest dangers in our day is the subtle fabrication of truth. A teaching may sound sincere, even biblical, yet it stretches beyond Paul’s doctrine and blurs the line between reconciliation, forgiveness, and justification. Our task is to keep our nose in the Book, rightly dividing the Word of truth, so that we can discern between what God has said and what man imagines.

Recently, in an online discussion, several of these skewed views were aired and openly debated. They reveal how easily believers can be swayed into fabricating truth — either through sincere ignorance of their Bible or through blatant negligence toward the truth. In either case, the result is the same: misinterpretation of Scripture or outright rejection of doctrine in favour of something else. Let’s look at these views and compare them to Paul’s grace doctrine, and then debunk them simply by applying Scripture in its correct context.

Fabrication 1: “You don’t need forgiveness.”

They claim that since God is not imputing sin today, forgiveness is unnecessary. They reason that if sin is not charged, then forgiveness is redundant. This view arises from a shallow reading of 2Cor.5:19 and a failure to compare Scripture with Scripture.

Understanding Romans 8:26‑27 and Paul’s Pattern for Prayer Today

Prayer is often misunderstood among believers who rightly divide the Scriptures. Many sense that prayer under grace feels different from the prayer promises given to Israel, yet they struggle to explain why. Romans 8:26‑27 opens the door to this understanding, and Paul’s epistles provide the full framework for how prayer functions in this present dispensation. This study brings the entire picture together—what prayer is, what it is not, what God promises, what He does not promise, and how the Spirit intercedes for us when we “know not what we should pray for as we ought.”

The Spirit’s Intercession: What Romans 8:26‑27 Actually Teaches

Paul begins with an honest admission: “For we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26). This is not a rebuke but a description of the normal Christian experience under grace. Our knowledge is limited, our perspective is partial, and our understanding is often incomplete. Yet God has made provision for this weakness: “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” These groanings are not a prayer language, nor are they sounds we produce. Paul says they “cannot be uttered,” meaning they are silent, internal, and divine. “He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). This is the foundation of prayer under grace: we pray honestly, and the Spirit silently shapes and aligns our requests with God’s will, not with our limited understanding.

As an example of God working in us, Philippians 2:13 reminds us, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” This verse beautifully illustrates how God energizes and directs our desires and actions according to His perfect will.

Why Prayer Under Grace Is Different from Israel’s Kingdom Prayer

How Grace Transforms Faith in Daily Life

Understanding the Foundation of Grace

Faith can only be understood correctly when it is placed upon the foundation of grace, because in this present dispensation God is not relating to humanity through the demands of the law or the measurement of human performance, but through the completed work of Christ. Grace is God’s initiative, His provision, and His finished accomplishment on behalf of the believer. It is the divine groundwork laid before any human response is possible. Scripture affirms this clearly when it says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Grace provides the gift long before faith reaches out to receive it, and this order is essential for understanding how the believer stands, grows, and operates in the Christian life.

Defining Faith as a Response to Truth

Faith, in its biblical sense, is not a force generated by human willpower nor a feeling that fluctuates with emotion. It is the settled persuasion that what God has spoken is true simply because God has spoken it. Scripture teaches that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17), showing that faith is born from truth, shaped by truth, and strengthened by truth. Under grace, faith does not attempt to convince God to act, nor does it strive to earn what God has already provided. Instead, faith responds to the truth of what Christ has accomplished, trusting that His finished work is sufficient and complete.

Contrasting Law and Grace to Clarify Faith’s Role

Why Believers Doubt: Assurance, Grace, and the Authority of Paul’s Doctrine

Doubt is one of the most common struggles among sincere believers, and it often appears precisely in those who genuinely trust Christ. When someone says, “I believe Him to be the Lord and Savior of my soul, yet I still doubt my salvation,” the issue is never the finished work of Christ—it is always the battle between the renewed spirit and the unrenewed mind. Under grace, salvation is not measured by feelings, sensations, or visible signs. Paul teaches that we are saved by believing the gospel of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-4), and he never ties assurance to emotional experiences or physical manifestations. Instead, he anchors it entirely in the objective truth of Christ’s finished work. Doubt does not mean a person is unsaved; it simply reveals that the flesh is still active (Gal 5:17) and the mind still needs renewal (Rom 12:2).

Many believers assume that the absence of dramatic transformation means nothing has happened. But Paul teaches that the moment we believe, God performs a spiritual operation that is invisible to the senses: we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13), justified by faith (Rom 5:1), forgiven of all trespasses (Col 2:13), and made complete in Christ (Col 2:10). None of these realities produce physical sensations. The transformation the Holy Spirit works in us is internal and progressive, not outward or instant. The flesh remains unchanged (Rom 7:18), which is why a believer may “feel the same” even though everything has changed spiritually. Growth comes through doctrine, not emotion; through renewing the mind (Rom 12:2), not through waiting for signs; through walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16), not through outward measures.

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A Christmas and New Year Greeting in Grace