Scripture Matters Podcast - Episode 6 (Chapter 5 "Amazing Grace")

This is our 6th episode of “Scripture Matters,” a podcast of the Watters Road Church of Christ. This podcast is featured on our Watters Road YouTube and Facebook pages along with ALL major podcast platforms. It will address some of the most pressing spiritual concerns of our church family.

Our first 13 episodes will focus on the question of the Christian’s assurance, using Jack Wilkie’s latest book, “You Are Saved,” as the study guide.

We encourage you to purchase this book on Amazon in paperback or Kindle format. If you struggle with feelings of uncertainty about your salvation, we genuinely believe this study will provide you with Scriptural insights to strengthen your faith in Christ’s incredible gift of salvation.

To purchase a paperback or Kindle version of Jack Wilkie's book: "You Are Saved" - click on the following link:

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/hIoEB6i

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Imagine standing in line to pay for something you've been saving up for all year long. You've counted the money, you've done the math in your head, you're sure you finally have enough. The cashier rings it up, and suddenly the total is more than you ever expected. Taxes, fees, costs you never saw coming, your stomach drops, and you realize in that very moment you are short. You tried your best, you saved everything you had, but it still isn't enough.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Now imagine someone stepping forward beside you. They reach into their pocket and pull out enough money to cover the rest of the cost. Then they just turn and walk away without saying a single word. You stand there and you're in total shock. Why did they do that? It wasn't because you earned it, it wasn't even because you deserved it. They did what they did simply because they just wanted to help you.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Now here's the question Is that what God's grace is like? Is grace simply God paying the difference when we've come up short? Do we do our part and then God fills in the gaps?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

You know, a lot of people think that is exactly how grace works. But according to scriptures, and as we know, scripture matters, the ideal completely misinterprets what the Bible tells us about grace.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Today we are going to discuss one of the most beautiful and one of the most misunderstood words in the entire Bible. We're talking about grace, what it really means, how it actually works, and why understanding grace is absolutely essential to you having assurance of your salvation.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

And folks, once you see it clearly, it may completely change how you think about your relationship with God.

Grace Sets Salvation Assurance

SPEAKER_01 2:33

So let's talk about it right here on Scripture Matters. This is Scripture Matters, a podcast produced and published in cooperation with the Waters Road Church of Christ. If you live in the Houston area and need a church home, Waters Road is the place where you belong. If you need more information about Waters Road, check out their website at www.wrcomc.org. Our thanks each week goes out to Richard 2 for the behind-the-scenes help in producing each episode, as well as to our wives and families for supporting us in this effort. And now let's get back to another episode of Scripture Matters. Once again, good folks, we welcome you back to Scripture Matters. I'm Jonathan Sanford, and I'm Cliff Thompson. And we are continuing our walk through the book by Jack Wilkie entitled You Are Saved, a Christian's Assurance. And today we've arrived at chapter five, in which he titled Amazing Grace. And Cliff, this chapter, man, it really gets to the heart of something that a lot of Christians struggle to understand.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

You know, it really does, Jonathan, because grace is one of the most used words in all of Christianity. You know, as a matter of fact, in the New Testament alone, the Greek word for grace is mentioned 128 times, and 97 of them by in the Pauline epistles. But just as you said, Jonathan, it may also be one of the most misunderstood words as well.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Yeah, and if we, folks, if we misunderstand grace, I promise you, we'll struggle with our assurance.

Amazing Grace And The BB Gun

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Because the way we define grace, it determines how secure we feel in our salvation.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Well, folks, before we get too far down in today's lesson, the today's episode of Scripture Matters, uh, before we dive any deeper, let me uh stop for a moment and ask a quick favor from anyone out there who is watching or listening to Scripture Matters. Listen, if you're enjoying these studies like Cliff and I are enjoying bringing them to you, please take a moment today to like this video, uh, share it, and make sure you are subscribing to this channel.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

You know, those those things are so simple, and it may seem very small to you, but they really do help people discover the program and join in on the conversation.

SPEAKER_01 5:24

Yeah, Cliff, and as always, if if you are out there, folks, and you know someone who is struggling with questions uh about assurance, about their own salvation or understanding the gospel clearly, folks, this might be uh the very best episode to share with them.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Please, folks, don't keep the good news to yourself. I mean, this might be the very thing that helps someone truly understand God's will for their life.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

Amen to that, Cliff. And listen, uh, as we get into our first segment here on Scripture Matters, uh, Wilkie, if you've read this chapter, you know good folks. He opens this chapter in a way that most Christians will immediately recognize. And what he does, he points to one of the most beloved hymns ever written. And it is the title of this chapter, chapter five, uh, of You Are Saved. It's called Amazing Grace. And listen, folks, he he focuses on the verse that says this, and I will quote this for you. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Now, think about those words. Millions upon millions of Christians have sung those words for generations, but I have to wonder how many people could actually stop and explain what that grace actually means.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

You know, Jonathan, that's a great question. Amazing Grace is one of those songs almost everyone recognizes. You hear it in churches, you hear it in funerals, and you know you even hear it in movies. But sometimes familiarity can create the illusion of understanding. We know the song and we feel the emotion. Yet if someone asked us to define grace clearly, many Christians would hesitate.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

And that's exactly, Cliff, where Wilkie begins this chapter. He says that many Christians appreciate grace emotionally, but have never really stopped to think about how grace actually works. So to help this, he tells a story from a childhood that illustrates how many people think grace operates.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Yeah, when Wilkie was a kid, he had his heart set on buying a BB gun. Now, hey Jonathan, I have to ask before we go on any further. When you were little, did you ever have a BB gun?

SPEAKER_01 8:26

I sure did. You remember the movie A Christmas Story? Oh, yes. I had that carbon action red rider BB gun. That was the very first BB gun I got as a kid. Later on, I was fortunate enough to get a pellet gun. Uh and the squirrels and the birds in West Jasper, Alabama didn't like me very much.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Oh, they better take cover. But I had a 1962 Han Super Repeater CO2-powered BB gun. I still have it today. I just love that thing. You know, Wilkie says that he spent the entire summer saving money. He did chores, he saved his birthday money, even holding on to whatever type of allowance he could even manage. And eventually he had saved up to what he believed was enough money to buy that BB gun. He saved a whole$50.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

So I love this. He says that then he and his dad drive to the best store ever, Kmart. Now I can say that because I worked there, right? Uh so they drive to Kmart. They grab the BB gun off the shelf, they pick up a container of BBs. You can't forget that little element, right? And they head to the checkout counter. And you can just, man, you can just imagine the excitement uh that he must have felt in this moment. All summer he had been waiting for this very moment.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

But after the cashier rings everything up, the total comes out to about$57. Suddenly, Wilkie realizes something that every kid eventually learns the hard way. He forgot about sales tax.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Oh, that old sales tax. So he's standing there at the counter, right? With$50 in his hand, which I know I was in Jack's shoes. I remember what as a kid holding$50 seemed like a lot of money, right? Sitting there,$50 in his hand, and the total is$57. And he realizes I don't have enough. So the excitement of that moment quickly disappears when he realizes he's come up short.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

He says his heart sank. And he started putting the money back into his wallet, prepared to leave without the BB gun he had spent all summer long trying to save for.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

Oh, but then his dear old dad. His father quietly steps in, his dad reaches down into his pocket and pays the extra$7 needed to complete the BB gun purchase.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

And you know, at first, that seems like a perfect illustration for grace, doesn't it? Absolutely. A child comes up short and the father steps in to cover the difference.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

And if you ask, just honestly, ask many Christians to explain grace, that's often the picture that they have in mind. We try our very best to obey God, but when we inevitably fall short, well, grace steps in and makes up the difference.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

In that way of thinking, our obedience is like the$50 in Wilkie's pocket. And Grace is the extra$7 needed to finish the purchase.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

He says, and I quote, contrary to a common belief, this is decidedly not, again, decidedly not how grace works.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

And that's surprising because the illustration actually matches how many Christians subconsciously picture salvation. They think of it almost like a shared effort. We do our best, and God's grace fills in the gap.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

But Cliff, if that's the way that salvation works, then Christians will constantly wonder something. Did I do enough? Did I obey well enough?

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Did I fall short again? You know, Jonathan, and that kind of thinking can quietly produce anxiety in the Christian's life. You start thinking, if grace only fills the gap, then how big is that gap?

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Yeah, and that's the issue, Cliff, that Wilkie wants to address in this chapter, because if we again, if we misunderstand grace, we may never fully appreciate what Christ actually accomplished for us.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Okay, Jonathan, that raises a question that we need to wrestle with, and we're going to come up next, I'm sure. If grace isn't simply God stepping in to pay the difference when we fall short, then what exactly does grace do?

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Well, here's the thought. Wilkie says that the BB gun story actually reflects a very common misunderstanding about grace. Many people out there imagine salvation working like a kind of shared payment plan between us and God. We bring what we can. What is that? Our obedience, our effort, our attempts to live faithfully. And inevitably, when we fall short, grace fills in the remaining gaps. The Wilkie, once again, he says, listen carefully, folks, that's not what Scripture teaches.

Romans Says Grace Is Free

SPEAKER_00 14:24

That's so right, Jonathan. Because when you think about that model, it still puts the burden of salvation primarily on the individual. It suggests that salvation is partly earned by human effort, and grace simply supplements whatever we're lacking. But the New Testament consistently presents grace in a completely different way. Grace isn't supplement to human merit, grace is the foundation of salvation itself.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

And that, my friends, is where Wilkie turns us to the book of Romans. Because the Apostle Paul addresses this very issue. Paul begins by describing the universal condition of humanity. Romans chapter three and verse twenty-three says, For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Now, friends, that statement alone completely levels the playing field.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Folks, please understand that Paul here isn't describing a small group of partially sinful people. No, on the contrary, he's describing everyone. Now, everyone who has ever lived besides Jesus has fallen short of the glory of God, which means no one approaches God with a resume of righteousness that earns salvation.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

You're exactly right, Cliff. And then after that uh very statement, the apostle Paul makes, I think, anyway, one of the most important declarations uh within the entire book of Romans. Romans 3 24 says, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Folks, I hope you're following along with us with your Bibles. And if you do, if you are, I would recommend circling that word freely because freely is extremely important here because it tells us something about the nature of justification. If something is given freely, it cannot be simultaneously something that was earned. Those two ideas are truly mutually exclusive, they cancel each other out.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

Yeah. And that uh cliff leads Paul directly into an illustration that Wilkie highlights in this chapter. Romans chapter 4 and verse 4. Romans 4, 4 says, Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

Jonathan, this is Paul using a very simple example. If you work a job all week and you receive a paycheck on Friday, that paycheck isn't grace, it's your wages. Your employer owes you that paycheck because you have actually worn earned it.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Yeah, you're exactly right, Cliff. But then Paul isn't done, is he? He continues in the very next verse, verse 5, Romans 4, 5, he says, However, Pauline word, right? However, to the one who does not work, but trust God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

And Jonathan, that statement is incredibly powerful. Paul said, God justifies the ungodly. Now, not the almost perfect, not the nearly righteous, not the people who come close enough that grace filled the remaining gap. Folks, he justifies the ungodly.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Which means, listen, salvation, it's not built on a system where again we pay most of the price, and God comes along and contributes the remainder. Instead, grace begins at a much deeper level. Grace addresses the fact that we never had the ability to pay the debt whatsoever at all.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Exactly. If salvation worked the way the BB gun story suggests, then Christians would constantly be trying to measure how close they've gotten to God's standard. But Paul's message in Roman removes that entire framework. Grace is not the last few dollars needed to finish the purchase. Grace, folks, that is the entire payment.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

And when that truth begins to sink in, it completely changes how we understand salvation. Because instead of us asking, well, did I do enough? The question then becomes, what has Christ already done?

SPEAKER_00 19:59

And Jonathan, that leads us to the next point Wilkie develops in this chapter. If grace is not simply filling in the gap between our efforts and God's standard, then we really need to understand what Christ actually accomplished for us. And that's where Paul takes this conversation to next in Romans.

Peace With God And Standing

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Yeah, as we get into segment three, Paul has established something very, very essential in the book of Romans. Every person, as we've said, has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And justification comes freely by God's grace through Christ Jesus. But Paul doesn't stop there. He continues building the argument in Romans chapter 5. In Romans chapter 5 and verse 1, let me quote this for you. It says, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that phrase right there, think about it. Peace with God. Folks, that's something that Wilkie spends time emphasizing quite a bit in this chapter.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

That he does. And Jonathan, this is a very important phrase as well. So let's slow down and let's think about this for just a moment. When Paul says we have peace with God, he's describing something far deeper than simply feeling better about ourselves. Peace with God means the conflict created by sin has been resolved. Humanity is separated from God because of sin. But through Christ, that hostility. Is removed. Remember, Romans 5.10 teaches us that those that are outside of Christ Jesus are enemies of God. But those that are in Christ Jesus have that relationship restored.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

And that restoration, you need to know, it isn't something that depends on our ability to maintain a perfect record after our conversion. That's one of the fears that Wilkie addresses quite clearly in this chapter. And there are a lot of Christians who live with the idea that salvation begins with grace, but after that point, they are responsible for keeping themselves saved.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Right. And that can create a tremendous amount of anxiety in the Christian life. If someone believes their standing with God depends on their ability to maintain near perfect obedience, then every mistake begins to feel spiritually catastrophic. A single failure suddenly raises the question, have I lost my salvation?

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Yeah, folks, but but Paul, while he continues explaining the work of grace, in Romans chapter 5 and verse number two, Paul says, Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace with which we stand. Notice the language here, folks. We stand in grace.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

That standing in grace, that's a very stable image. You know, Paul isn't describing grace as something fragile or very temporary. No, he's not. He's describing it as the environment in which the Christian now lives. The believer stands in grace the way someone stands on solid ground. It's not something that disappears the moment we stumble.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

No, and that idea becomes even clearer as Paul continues throughout this chapter. You get to Romans chapter 5 and verse 8, and it says this But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

SPEAKER_00 24:35

And Jonathan, that verse tells us something profound about the timing of grace. We're talking about the timing of grace here. Christ did not wait until humanity had improved enough to deserve redemption. It was the expression of God's love towards those who could not save themselves.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

And then, Cliff, Paul takes the argument one step further here in Romans. You go to Romans chapter 5 and verse 9. We're just going verse by verse here for a moment. Paul says, Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Folks, I hope you're following along with us because that phrase, much more, that's another one of those circle phrases that you need to be circling in your Bible because it's very, very important. Paul is saying that if God reconciled us to himself while we were still sinners, folks, how much more confident should we be now that Christ has already accomplished the work of redemption? The cross wasn't temporary, folks. It was a decisive victory over sinned.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Amen. And that right there leads Wilkie to one of the most encouraging conclusions in this chapter. Grace is not simply God helping us try harder. Grace is God providing the complete solution to the problem of our sin.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

Exactly. Grace doesn't merely improve our chances of salvation, grace secures a possibility of salvation because the work that needed to be done was accomplished. And it was accomplished by Christ.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

And you know, Cliff, I truly hope that whether somebody is watching this or listening to it, I hope that everybody out there understands by this point in our journey through this wonderful book, that the assurance of the Christian life, ultimately, folks, it rests on what Christ has done, not, listen, not on the fluctuating performance of us as believers.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

And that realization begins to change how we look at the Christian life completely. Because if grace truly is the foundation of salvation, and it is, then it should reshape the way we think about obedience, reshape the way we think about faithfulness and our daily walk with God. And there's where Wilkie takes the discussion to next.

Does Grace Make Obedience Optional

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Yeah, and that brings us to segment four. A very big question. Think about this with me, Cliff, and everybody out there watching or listening. Whenever grace is emphasized the way that Paul describes it uh throughout really the whole book of Romans, then a very predictable question usually follows. If salvation is truly grounded in grace and not in our ability to maintain a perfect record, does that mean that obedience no longer matters? Or to put it in another way, does grace encourage us as people to sin?

SPEAKER_00 28:23

That's exactly the question Paul anticipates in Romans chapter six. After explaining the abundance of grace in chapter five, Paul immediately asked the question some people might raise. Romans chapter six and verse one says, What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

SPEAKER_01 28:43

And what I love, Cliff, is how Paul answers that question so quickly.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

Oh, he certainly does, Jonathan. The very next verse says, By no means, how can we who died to sin still live in it? Paul's answer is emphatic. Grace is not permission to sin. Grace is the power that changes our relationship with sin.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

And folks, that's an important distinction. Sometimes people hear a strong emphasis on grace and assume that we are just somehow minimizing obedience. I've heard that so many times over the years. But Paul doesn't weaken obedience whatsoever. Instead, what Paul does is he explains why obedience flows naturally from a life that has been transformed by grace.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

Exactly, Jonathan. Paul goes on into Romans chapter six to describe baptism as a moment when the believer participates in the death and resurrection of Christ. Folks, I hope you're following with us. Romans chapter six and verse four. Romans six, four says, We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. That phrase, newness of life, that's another one of those circle phrases, folks. It's key. Grace did not simply forgive sin, grace creates a new direction for our lives.

SPEAKER_01 30:32

And folks, that's something Wilkie highlights so very clearly in this chapter. Folks, grace is not meant to produce complacency. No, grace produces gratitude. And when someone out there truly understands what Christ has done for them, the natural response is not indifference. No, no, no. It's devotion.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

Jonathan, that's spot on, my friend. When grace is misunderstood, people sometimes imagine it as a kind of a spiritual safety net, something that allows them to live however they want while assuming forgiveness would always be waiting. But that isn't how the New Testament describes a Christian life. Grace doesn't make sin attractive. Folks, grace revealed just how costly sin truly is.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

That's so very true because every time we talk about grace, listen, we've got to remember where grace was purchased. Think about it. Where was it purchased? I think you know that, folks, it was purchased at the cross. The forgiveness that we enjoy came at the cost of Christ's suffering and his sacrifice.

SPEAKER_00 32:01

And when that truth settles into the heart of a believer, it produces something much deeper than obligation. Folks, it produces love. And that love causes the Christian not to pursue obedience because they're trying to earn salvation. They pursue obedience because they have already been rescued by the grace of God. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

And you know, that leads us uh to a very, I think, a very important shift in perspective. Instead of us asking, well, listen, how little obedience can I really get away with? No, the Christian begins asking, How can I honor the one who saved me?

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Exactly, Jonathan. Grace doesn't weaken obedience, grace transformed the motivation behind one's obedience. The Christian life is no longer driven by fear of failure, it becomes driven by gratitude for the redemption that we have.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

And that brings us to one of the most powerful conclusions that Wilkie draws in this entire chapter. If grace truly changes our relationship with sin, then grace also changes the way we think about our standing before God. And that's where this discussion really begins to move forward toward one of the most encouraging truths that's really found in the entire gospel message.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

Wow, Jonathan. But, Jonathan, we have one final segment that I have really been looking forward for us to talk about. And that's our fifth segment where we're going to talk about why grace truly is amazing.

Why Grace Is Truly Amazing

SPEAKER_01 34:14

That's right. This is segment five. And when you step back, folks, let's just pause for a moment. When you step back and look at everything that the Apostle Paul has been explaining in Romans chapter four, five, and six, and forward, also combined with everything that Jack Wilkie highlights here in chapter five, then I think you can really begin to see why grace is described as truly amazing. Listen, grace isn't simply God overlooking our sin. I hope you know that. Grace is God solving the problem of sin.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Yeah, Jonathan. The reason grace is so astonishing is because it comforts the deepest problem humanity has ever faced. The problem isn't simply that people make mistakes, the problem is that sin separates humanity from God, and no human effort could ever fully repair that separation. Grace is amazing because it addresses a problem humanity could never solve on its own.

SPEAKER_01 35:35

And here's the greatest truth of all the solution came through Jesus Christ. No, no human, no amount of human achievement could ever do what Christ made possible. No amount of moral improvement, but only through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 35:58

And that's why the gospel never centers on what we have accomplished, it always centers on what Christ has accomplished. When Paul speaks about grace, folks, he continually directs our attention back to the cross because the cross is where grace became visible.

SPEAKER_01 36:19

And that, folks, that brings us back to the hymn, the beautiful hymn that opened up this chapter. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Those words resonate with Christians everywhere. I think because they capture something within us that's deeply personal. Grace means that we have been rescued from something we could never escape from on our own.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

And when someone truly grasps that reality, Jonathan, it totally reshapes the entire Christian life. The believer no longer lives in constant fear that one mistake will undo everything that they've tried to do so far. Instead, the believer lives with confidence that salvation rests on the finished work of Christ Jesus. That confidence doesn't produce arrogance now. No. With the full knowledge that Christ has done in our lives, folks, it produces humility. It produces gratitude.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

And here's why. Because when we understand grace correctly, then we begin to recognize that everything that we have spiritually is a gift from Almighty God. Think about it. Our forgiveness, our reconciliation, our hope of eternal life. All of that flows from the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00 38:06

And that's why grace never diminishes obedience. Grace deepens obedience. Amen. The Christian life becomes a response of love to the one who has already secured our redemption. We don't purchase faithfulness in order to earn salvation. We pursue faithfulness because salvation has already been made possible through Christ Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

And good folks, that realization changes everything. Grace removes the constant anxiety of trying to merit and earn God's favor. And in its place, it creates something that is far stronger. A life that is built on gratitude, trust, and most importantly, devotion to Christ. And maybe you know, as I stop to think about it tonight, maybe the real question that every Christian should ask is this Do I really believe that the grace of God is strong enough to save someone like me?

SPEAKER_00 39:29

And that's the question grace forces every believer to face. Because the moment we truly believe the cross was sufficient, then the Christian life stops being a desperate attempt to earn God's approval. It becomes a life lived in gratitude for salvation that was already secured on that cross. And that, my friends, is why we can confidently say that grace is truly amazing.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

All right, everybody, take a deep breath with us because this has been an amazing journey here today. Chapter 5, all about God's amazing grace. And I hope and pray that our discussion about this amazing grace has helped you. Maybe you've never truly understood grace before now. We hope that it has helped you to understand the grace made possible through Jesus Christ just a little bit better. Well, that's going to bring us to the end of our discussion here on this, our sixth episode of Scripture Matters discussion of chapter five, Amazing Grace from Jack Wilkie's book, You Are Saved, a Christian's Assurance. But I got to turn it back over to my dear friend, my brother in Christ, Cliff Thompson. Cliff, before we close up today's episode, I listen, I want to give you the opportunity, any final thoughts that you have on this amazing chapter.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

Thank you, Jonathan, for the opportunity. You know, when people hear the words amazing grace, they often think of the melody first. But what makes grace amazing isn't the song, it's the reality behind the words. Grace means the debt of sin that separated us from God was paid in full through Jesus Christ. Not partially paid, not mostly paid, folks, it was paid in full. And when someone truly understands that it was paid in full, it changes the way they see the cross. And it changes the way they live their Christian life.

SPEAKER_01 42:04

And think about it. Maybe, just maybe, that's why this hymn has endured for generation upon generation. Because every Christian who has come to understand the grace of God knows something very deep within their heart. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. And when you realize what Christ has done for you, those words they stop just being mere lyrics in a songbook. They become your testimonies. Wow, Cliff. I just I know that uh this is something you and I were excited to share with the people out there, and I'm just so grateful they got to share this with you today.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Man, what so powerful. You sing the song. We sing it most Sundays, or never thought about it the way that Jack laid it out. This was absolutely wonderful. Thank you, Johnson. Appreciate it very much for what you said.

SPEAKER_01 43:13

Yeah, the next time we sing Amazing Grace, uh, I'm gonna sing it a little differently. Yes, sir. I'll understand it just a bit better. Well, folks, listen up. As we close up this episode of Scripture Matters, once again, do us a big favor. If you've not yet liked this episode, if you've not yet shared today's episode, please do so. Listen. As we think about this subject, how many folks do you know out there who truly do not understand God's amazing grace? I'll never forget when I was baptized in the Jesus Christ. The first time that I caught myself committing a sin, I thought, man, I have blown it. I'm done for all that effort to go and be baptized in the Jesus Christ. Christ, I didn't even make it a full day until I'd recognized I had already committed a sin in my life, and I thought, man, I've just messed it up. All that for nothing. Thankfully, a few years later, there was a Bible class taught at the Midway Church of Christ by a brother that I love so dearly who taught me about grace and it changed my life. No, it didn't cause me to think, oh, now I have a license to go out and sin. No. It made me appreciate even more what Christ has done for us. Listen, if you don't uh yet have if you've not yet shared this episode with somebody, do it now because you may be the vessel that helps someone else know even better about God's amazing grace. Again, like, share, and subscribe if you're not already doing so. We appreciate you so much for allowing us to come into your home for just a few moments here today. And we look forward to seeing you on our next episode of Scripture Matters. Goodbye, everybody. Thanks for spending part of your day with us on the Scripture Matters Podcast. We'll be back with a new conversation every Friday at 3.30 p.m. on YouTube, Facebook, and all major podcast platforms. Until then, may the word guide you and your week. And as always, remember Scripture Matters.