November 8, 2006
Dear Friend,
Do people really change? Some say, “Yes, they get worse.” Others answer, “No, we’re just stuck with who we are.” I answer, “Yes, people change – they get better!”
At the core of getting better is the Christian doctrine of grace. The doctrine of grace rejects the concept that people get better because of a long list of rules imposed upon them. It affirms that people get better because qualities of our gracious God infect and affect the human soul.
Reinhold Niebuhr, an American theologian and pastor, wrote: “Grace according to the gospel is freedom from the law and from the terrors of the unkempt law.” By this he meant grace does its best work in our soul by changing our internal inclinations and values. Rules only affect behaviors. Grace changes character.
Join me in seeking the grace of God that enriches, inspires and elevates the human soul.
“For sin will have no dominion over you,
since you are not under law but under grace.”
Romans 6:14
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Dr. Dave Collings
Lead Pastor
Christ Church
