Whatever we may mean by 'Christian growth,' it is ultimately this: less faith in me, more faith in God.

You see, the secret of the gospel is that we become more spiritually mature when we focus less on what we need to do for God and focus more on all that God has already done for us. The irony of the gospel is that we actually perform better as we grow in our understanding that our relationship with God is based on Christ's performance for us, not our performance for him.

The gospel is good news to those who know they don't measure up. It's offensive to those who think they do.

Grace is thickly counter-intuitive. It feels risky and unfair. It's dangerous and disorderly. It wrestles control out of our hands. It is wild and unsettling. It turns everything that makes sense to us upside-down and inside-out.

Spiritual growth is marked by a growing realization of just how much grace you need.

Grace is unconditional acceptance given to an undeserving person by an unobligated giver.

In the Old Testament, we are continually told that our good works are not enough, that God has made a provision. This provision is pointed to at every place in the Old Testament.