It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

I wasn't a bad person who needed to become good...I was DEAD and needed to be brought to life! (Ephesians 2:1-10)

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee and I'll forgive Thy great big one on me.

We can never sink so far that God's grace will not reach us. At the same time, grace does not leave us there. It raises us to new heights.

Tell me how on God's green earth we can dare offer salvation to a dying world when we're so busy shooting our own wounded.

Let anyone among you who is without sin, be the first to throw a stone at her. JESUS, JOHN 8:7

The only hope I have is the salvation You've given me through Jesus. And the only way I can be with You is to die.

Without Christ, the world was a joyless place and any place where he remains unknown and unaccepted is a joyless place. Everything has changed since Christ's birth yet everything remains to be changed as people come to receive the child in faith.

Christ is indeed presented to all, but God opens the eyes of the elect alone, and enables them by faith to seek after him.

Thus, to have a proper understanding of the gospel, we must recognise that we need to lean entirely upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his mercy alone as our only hope of salvation.

If we read the Bible asking first, 'What would Jesus do?' instead of asking 'What has Jesus done?' we'll miss the good news that alone can set us free.