A PERSPECTIVE: GRACE, FAITH, WORKS, TRAVAIL, OBEDIENCE, REPENTANCE
TERMS THAT STAND IN CONTRAST BUT NOT IN CONTRADICTION A CHALLENGE FROM FRIENDS I had four separate conversations with friends that caused me to have concern with some of the doctrinal trends that have been developing in the church over recent years. One friend was telling me that, under the New Covenant, Christians do not have to repent. Grace has brought forgiveness and a believer does not have to “repent” of sins. A second friend was telling me that the terms “obey” and “obedience” were part of the Old Testament Law, and therefore, not appropriate for the New Testament Christian. A third friend expressed concern over my sermon entitled “The Blessing is On the Other side of Obedience” and that this message undermined faith. On a fourth occasion a friend expressed a mild disapproval at my teaching on “travail and labor in Intercession.” His implication was that travail seemed to suggest “works” rather than faith. The error in my friends’ approaches is that their positions rested on one...