The Christian faith has always faced two great distortions of the gospel: legalism and lawlessness. Legalism insists that you must earn God's love through strict obedience, turning faith into performance and God into a distant taskmaster. Lawlessness, on the other hand, twists grace into permission to sin, offering cheap affirmation without transformation. Both errors sound convincing, even biblical, but miss the heart of the gospel. Through the story of John Newton and the contrasting voices he might have heard—one of judgment, one of excuse, and one of grace—we’re reminded that neither rigid moralism nor permissive compromise can set us free. Only the gospel can.
Titus 2 tells us that grace not only saves but also trains us to say no to sin and yes to godliness as we await Christ’s return. Grace gives us a new identity, a new power, and a new purpose. It doesn’t demand change to earn love, nor does it eliminate the call to holiness—it changes us because we are already loved. Whether you’re weary from striving or numb from compromise, the good news is this: Jesus meets you with grace that transforms. And it’s my prayer that here at St Andrews, this grace—not the lie of legalism or the lure of lawlessness—will shape lives across the Canterbury Plains.
Galatians 3:1-3, 10-11, Jude 4, 18-21 & Titus 2:11-14
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