Husband, father, and Anglican priest living in the North Georgia Mountains. Sermons, reflections, and articles promoting the "Ancient Faith for Modern Times". Subscribe below to get the latest posts in your inbox.
Michael fights, but the victory does not rest upon Michael. We resist, but the victory does not rest upon our spiritual strength. The saints conquer “by the blood of the Lamb.” That is where our confidence rests. When temptation exposes our weakness, the blood of the Lamb has not changed.
Michael and his angels truly fight, but Revelation itself identifies the decisive ground of victory: the blood of the Lamb. Angelic warfare serves the victory of Christ; it does not supplement it. Michael is not a second savior standing alongside Jesus.
The second son warns us that religious language can become a shelter from obedience. We may know what faithful Christians are supposed to say. We may know how to speak about forgiveness, generosity, prayer, holiness, service, and love. The question is whether our lives are following our confession.
That is what grace does. It does not merely forgive the old life and leave us sitting where we were. It calls us into a new one. Christ calls before Matthew follows. Christ gives before Matthew proclaims. And the same Lord still calls sinners today.
Christ calls before Matthew follows. Christ gives before Matthew proclaims. The Church likewise cannot generate faithfulness from within herself.
Last week the problem was receiving mercy and refusing to extend it. This week the problem is receiving grace and then resenting God when he gives grace to somebody else. We are comfortable with grace until grace interferes with our accounting.