Quote of the Week - God's Free Gift of Faith

Ah, Sovereign Lord! The doctrine of eternal punishment terrifies, but the doctrine of unconditional election shatters. We thought we were the masters of our own fate; we supposed that we could be saved whenever we pleased. But now we find - and our hearts confirm the Bible's teaching in this - that unless You act to save us, we will be lost. We are trapped in ourselves until you set us free. We are the willing victims of our own insane animosity to You. We claim to seek You even when we are hiding from You, and we pretend to desire Your truth even when we are devising ways of suppressing it. If You change us, we will live. If You abandon us to our free will, we will perish.

Father, grant that those of us who are Christians may never detract from Your glory by supposing that our faith is anything other than Your free gift. And grant that those who do not yet know You may recognize their true position - under Your judgement and at Your mercy - and may realize the urgency of seeking Your grace. To the glory of Jesus, amen.

David Clotfelter, Sinners in the Hands of a Good God: Reconciling Divine Judgement and Mercy