Dear Church Family,
Last Thursday I wrote that I would use a friend’s book to “unpack the difference God’s grace must make in our lives as the people of God.” I like to keep my promises, so we will dig into “When Grace Comes Home” written by Terry Johnson who pastors in Savannah, Georgia. I first met Terry as he came into Central Georgia Presbytery when I was in Macon over thirty years ago. God gave him a sharp theological mind combined with a passion for the holiness of God that shows the power of the Gospel in a transformed life. Terry writes with the goal of “practical divinity.” I remain indebted to him for this point because it led me to teach that all true theology must be practical because it is the study of the living God.
The first difference that grace made in Terry’s life came when it transformed “a self-centered, pew-sitting spectator into a worshiper of God. When I first wrestled with the high doctrines of God’s sovereignty and man’s depravity and reconciled myself to the Bible’s teaching, I was overcome with awe.” God became more than the “Ultimate Helper” who in the Bible gave tips on “self-image, anger, decision-making, fear, relationships, finances, etc.” Terry learned that God “was far beyond the little boxes I had created for Him…It made me bow in adoration before the God whom I was made to glorify.” After a quick study of Romans 9-11 he noted, “The sovereign, electing love of God leads Paul to praise God for His wisdom, His knowledge, and His incomprehensibility. This is a God who is bigger than Paul. He will not fit into and Paul-sized box.”
A sober reading of Ephesians 1-3 calls God’s people to express heart-felt adoration of Him. In it Paul marvels at the richness of God’s grace that He gives to those who are dead in their sin. Terry adds, “Only when I truly understand the depth of my own depravity, my utter helplessness, and the sovereign, initiating love of God, can I understand the immensity of the grace of God…The greater man’s need, the greater must be God’s grace.” As we understand grace better, we get a fuller grasp the depth of God’s love for us. Please read these chapters and be filled with reverent awe!
Terry loves the deep hymns of the faith. Isaac Watts knew the grace of God when he penned “At the Cross.” One verse asks a question and gives an answer that should move us to worship:
“Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity grace unknown! And love beyond degree!”
The hymn closes with a call to worship:
“But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe.
Here, Lord, I give my self away; ‘Tis all that I can do.”
Terry sums up this call to worship with profound words. As you realize “that He is sovereign over your eternity, and when you realize the greatness of His mercy and grace, you will begin to long for genuine worship, worship that prostates you and exalts God…Your soul will crave and demand worship that is God-centered, that is filled with high praise and lowly confession, and characterized by a spirit of reverence and awe for the almighty Trinity.” May we be worshipers who are in awe of the God whose grace has been shown to His called people!
With great hope,
Pastor Gillikin