Latest / Reformed Thinking / Refuting Papist Accusations against This Doctrine | John Calvin

Transcript

Refuting Papist Accusations against This Doctrine | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Sound of Reformed Thinking podcast intro welcome and hello
0:04
to you, our listener. This is the deep dive.
0:06
We're the place where we unpack significant topics, diving into
0:09
sources you share with us. Our whole mission is really to
0:12
pull out compelling knowledge, those surprising facts and
0:15
insights, but you know, without the overwhelm.
0:18
And today we've got a really rich set of materials to look
0:21
at. Yeah, today we're diving deep
0:24
into John Calvin's understanding of, well, justification by
0:27
faith. It's that incredible truth that
0:29
God declares us righteous not because of anything we've done
0:32
right, but purely through faith in Christ.
0:35
And we want to see how this, this cornerstone doctrine
0:37
reshapes everything we think we understand about living a life
0:40
of good works. Now, for many of this might
0:42
sound like, well, a pretty straightforward theological
0:44
point. But the sources shared with us,
0:45
they shine a light on some really fascinating and often
0:47
misunderstood aspects, things that kind of turn conventional
0:50
wisdom on its head. Absolutely.
0:52
I mean, the material really shows how a doctrine that's
0:55
often accused of sort of undermining human effort
0:58
actually works as the true catalyst for genuine righteous
1:01
living. We'll be looking at how Calvin
1:03
directly takes on these historical accusations, showing
1:06
how justification and holiness aren't really at odds.
1:08
In fact, they're bound together in a way that's, well, far more
1:11
motivating than any system based on human performance.
1:14
OK, let's unpack this then, our listener.
1:16
You're curious about getting knowledge quickly but also
1:18
thoroughly, right? Right.
1:19
You appreciate those aha moments where complex ideas just click.
1:24
So our deep dive today is going to try and show why this
1:27
specific theological idea, far from leading to say, spiritual
1:31
laziness, actually motivates a life of devotion and good deeds.
1:35
We're going to sort through those criticisms Calvin face and
1:37
look at his really compelling responses.
1:40
So let's maybe wind the clock back a few centuries.
1:43
Can you imagine the uproar when Calvin started really
1:45
emphasizing that salvation was fundamentally by faith alone?
1:49
The immediate reaction from critics was often hang on, if
1:51
good deeds don't save us, why bother doing them?
1:53
Isn't this just, you know, an open door to spiritual laziness,
1:56
maybe even sin? That was the core charge, wasn't
1:59
it? Oh, it's a fierce attack.
2:01
And Calvin? Well, he didn't mince words in
2:04
his reply. He flat out calls it a shameless
2:07
slander, just a totally baseless accusation.
2:09
His direct rebuttal is really clear.
2:11
He says he dreams neither of a faith devoid of good works, nor
2:15
of a justification that stands without them.
2:18
O what he's getting at is the question isn't if good works
2:21
happen in a believer's life. Of course they do.
2:23
It's where justification finds its grounding.
2:26
What's the source? What causes it?
2:28
He even pushes back a bit, suggesting that the very people
2:32
making these accusations, he suppose it zealots for good
2:35
works, ironically, sometimes infect the whole world with
2:38
their own foul lives. It's quite pointed.
2:39
Wow. Yeah.
2:40
While they act all concerned that faith is praised over
2:43
works, Calvin implies their own lives often don't match up.
2:46
He suggests that if his doctrine actually encouraged works, which
2:49
he believes it does, their objections would just evaporate.
2:52
So yeah, the issue isn't the presence of works, but their
2:55
role, their position in how a believer gets right with God.
2:58
OK, so if faith and good works must cleave together, as Calvin
3:02
puts it, how does he then explain that justification
3:06
itself is still located only in faith and not in our works?
3:10
That feels like a really fine line to walk.
3:12
It is, but it's absolutely crucial.
3:14
And to understand it, Calvin points us straight to Christ
3:17
himself. He explains that when we grasp
3:19
Christ's righteousness by faith, that's how we're reconciled to
3:22
God, declared innocent. We can't do that without also at
3:25
the same time grasping sanctification.
3:28
Think about all of this. God declares you righteous.
3:30
That's justification, your legal status, right?
3:33
But he doesn't just stop there. In the same moment, he starts
3:37
the process of making you holy, transforming your character,
3:40
your actions, that sanctification.
3:42
The sources quote First Corinthians saying Christ has
3:44
given unto us for righteousness, wisdom, sanctification and
3:47
redemption. What that means is Christ
3:49
doesn't justify anyone who may doesn't also simultaneously
3:53
sanctify made holes. You can't separate them.
3:55
Exactly. He cannot be divided.
3:57
When you receive Christ by faith for your righteousness, you get
4:01
Him for your holiness too. It's not like picking items off
4:04
a menu. It's one complete package in
4:06
Christ. And this idea of an everlasting
4:09
and indissoluble bond, that's really the core of it, isn't it?
4:13
It suggests this isn't just abstract theology, but the
4:15
actual reality of being united with Christ.
4:18
Could you maybe elaborate a bit more on how this package deal
4:22
idea really refutes that charge of spiritual laziness?
4:25
How can these two things be distinct yet inseparable?
4:29
Absolutely righteousness being declared right and
4:32
sanctification being made holy. Although we can talk about them
4:34
separately, think about them distinctly, they're contained
4:37
inseparably in Christ himself. Calvin uses this idea that
4:40
Christ can't be broken into pieces.
4:42
You can't take a bit of him for justification.
4:44
Leave the sanctification part behind.
4:46
Think of maybe a fire. It gives off both light and
4:49
heat, right? You can talk about the light and
4:51
talk about the heat, but you can't actually separate them
4:53
from the fire itself. You don't get one without the
4:55
other from that single source. In the same way, God gives both
4:59
of these benefits, justification and sanctification, together at
5:03
the same time. When He gives us Christ through
5:05
faith. One never comes without the
5:08
other. And this helps us understand
5:09
that tricky phrase. We are justified not without
5:13
works, yet not through works. Our sharing in Christ which
5:16
justifies us includes the beginning of our holiness just
5:20
as much as it includes our legal right standing.
5:22
It really is like a complete package.
5:24
You receive Christ, and with Him comes both his declaration of
5:27
your righteousness and the beginning of your genuine
5:30
internal holiness. And that fundamentally knocks
5:32
down the idea that faith alone leads to laziness.
5:35
It means true saving faith, just by its very nature, has bring
5:39
about a real change in a person's life, in their actions.
5:42
The transformation starts with being united to Christ.
5:45
And from that union, a new way of living just flows out
5:48
necessarily. So the bottom line for you
5:50
listening today is this real faith isn't some passive belief
5:54
that just lets you off the hook. It's a living, dynamic thing
5:57
that has to blossom into a life of genuine holiness.
6:00
It's not about doing good things in order to get saved, but doing
6:03
good things because you are saved and now you're united with
6:06
Christ himself. OK, let's shift gears a bit to
6:09
the second major accusation Calvin dealt with.
6:12
This one argues that his doctrine kills the motivation
6:15
for good works because it removes the idea of merit.
6:17
You know, the hope of earning some kind of reward from God.
6:20
The thinking is pretty straightforward human
6:22
psychology, isn't it? If there's no reward to earn, no
6:25
pay off, why would anyone bother being good?
6:27
It sounds almost practical. Yeah, it's a really common
6:29
objection. You still hear echoes of it
6:30
today, and Calvin just flatly calls his accusation very false.
6:36
He argues that thinking people will only live right if there's
6:39
this hope of earning a reward shows a complete
6:42
misunderstanding of God and what true worship looks like.
6:45
He points out that if serving God is just about looking for
6:49
reward or, quote, hiring or selling their labor, then it's
6:53
of little profit. What value is that kind of
6:56
service to God? He really stresses that God
6:58
desires to be freely worshipped, freely loved.
7:01
God approves of a worshipper who serves him even when, as Kausen
7:05
puts it, all hope of receiving reward has been cut off.
7:09
So God wants volunteers, not mercenaries basically.
7:12
That's a good way to put it. He desires a willing heart, one
7:15
that responds out of love and gratitude, not one that's just,
7:18
you know, clocking in to get paid.
7:20
He's not looking for task completion for merit points.
7:22
He wants a genuine relationship that's rooted in affection and
7:25
adoration, not some kind of transaction where we're
7:27
constantly adding up our good deeds to see if we qualify for a
7:30
reward. Which leads us to a really
7:32
interesting question then. If earning a reward isn't the
7:35
driver, what does Calvin say are the real, the deep motivators
7:40
for living a holy life? What are these sharper spurs he
7:43
mentions? Because if you take away the
7:45
carrot and stick, what's left to motivate people?
7:47
Right. And the sources layout quite a
7:49
few powerful motivations. These aren't external carrots.
7:52
They're internal drive that spring from our new identity in
7:55
Christ, what God has done. First, there's gratitude for
7:59
God's love. Calvin says it would be too
8:01
impious in gratitude not to love God back who first loved us.
8:05
It's just a fundamental response to receiving such an immense,
8:09
totally undeserved gift. Like if someone saved your life,
8:11
you wouldn't just shrug and walk away?
8:13
Exactly. Your natural response, if you're
8:15
honest, is a desire to live in a way that honors that sacrifice.
8:20
Second, the cleansing by Christ's blood.
8:23
Our consciences are cleansed from dead works, those things
8:25
done apart from faith, by Christ's blood, so that we
8:28
should serve the living God, Calvin argues.
8:30
It's just unthinkable, unholy, to contaminate ourselves again
8:34
after being cleansed by something so sacred.
8:36
The sheer cost of that cleansing should make us recoil from
8:38
casually stepping back into sin. It's a kind of moral revulsion
8:41
against defiling something so precious.
8:43
OK, what else? 3rd The purpose of deliverance.
8:46
We are delivered from sin's power, from our spiritual
8:49
enemies, specifically to serve him without fear and holiness
8:53
and righteousness before him all our days.
8:55
Our freedom isn't for self indulgence, it's for a higher
8:57
purpose, living for God and true liberty. 4th Freedom to
9:02
cultivate righteousness. We're freed from sin's
9:05
domination to cultivate righteousness with a free spirit
9:07
and to obey righteousness. Our old man was crucified, Paul
9:11
says, so that we may arise to newness of life.
9:14
This points to an internal shift where the desire to do right is
9:17
now active. It's empowered, it's not
9:19
constantly blocked by Sins rule. So it's not just don't do bad,
9:22
it's now you can do good. Precisely 5th Heavenly
9:26
aspiration. As people united with Christ in
9:29
his death and resurrection, we're called to seek the things
9:31
that are above living. Like pilgrims whose real home is
9:34
heaven, Our ultimate destination shapes our choices now, pointing
9:38
us toward eternal things, not just fleeting stuff. 6th grace's
9:42
appearance. Titus says the grace of the Lord
9:45
has appeared, and what does it do?
9:47
It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions
9:50
so we may live sober, holy and godly lives in this present age.
9:54
God's grace isn't just a past event, it's an active teacher in
9:57
our lives, empowering us to live differently.
9:59
That's powerful. Grace is a teacher.
10:01
Isn't it? 7th Identity is God's temple and
10:04
light. We are temples of the Holy
10:06
Spirit, Paul says, which it is unlawful to profane.
10:08
We are not darkness but light in the Lord, so we must walk as
10:11
children of light. Knowing who we are in Christ
10:14
carries this inherent responsibility to live
10:16
consistently with that identity reflecting his character. 8th
10:20
divine calling, simple but profound.
10:22
We have not been called to uncleanness but the holiness
10:25
because this is the will of God, our sanctification.
10:27
It's God's direct command and purpose for us.
10:30
OK, nearly there. There's a few more key ones. 9th
10:33
Love for others. We're urged to love one another
10:35
as God has loved us. Jesus said this is how people
10:38
will know we're his disciples. It's a visible mark of real
10:41
faith, showing God's character through US. 10th Mutual help.
10:45
As members of Christ's body, the church, we have a responsibility
10:48
to help each other, to build each other up.
10:50
We're not lone Rangers. We're interconnected. 11th
10:53
Sanctification and hope. John says those who have this
10:56
hope of seeing Christ as he is sanctify themselves because
10:58
their God is holy. Our hope for future glory fuels
11:02
present purity. We want to be like the one we
11:04
hope to be with. And 12th, perhaps overarching
11:06
many of these is Christ's example.
11:08
Christ himself is presented as the pattern we're called to
11:11
follow in his footsteps, to see his life as the model for true
11:13
humanity. Live for God.
11:15
Wow, that list is It's really something.
11:17
What's truly revolutionary here for you listening is how it
11:20
completely dismantles that myth that faith makes you passive or
11:23
lazy. Instead, it shows that genuine
11:26
saving faith doesn't just get you a not guilty verdict, it
11:29
actually ignites this radical, heartfelt desire to live for
11:32
God, not out of drudgery or trying to earn points, but out
11:35
of this overwhelming grateful response to who you now are in
11:38
Him. It completely flips the script
11:40
on motivation. It really does, and you see this
11:42
in the Apostles own writings. The sources point out they
11:45
derive their most powerful exhortations not from merit, but
11:48
from the fact that our salvation stands upon no merit of ours,
11:51
but solely upon God's mercy. Think about Paul in Romans 12
11:55
pleading with believers by the mercies of God to offer their
11:58
lives as living sacrifices. The motivation is God's prior
12:02
mercy. A huge reason for action is
12:04
simply that God may be glorified in us.
12:07
Just remembering God's benefits, his unearned kindness, Calvin
12:10
says That alone should be enough to stress to do good.
12:14
God loves a cheerful giver, right?
12:16
He forbids giving grudgingly or of necessity.
12:19
This stands in such sharp contrast to what Calvin calls
12:22
the slavish and coerced observances of the law that come
12:25
from focusing on merit. Calvin is crystal clear actions
12:29
done just for personal gain or out of fear of punishment.
12:32
They're of little profit to God. What truly matters.
12:35
The heart that freely, joyfully responds to God's grace.
12:37
Not one dragging itself along worried about earning favor.
12:40
It's a total shift from living for something to living from
12:43
something. But OK, let's tackle that verse
12:45
that trips people up. That phrase God will render to
12:49
every man according to his works.
12:51
Doesn't that sound exactly like we're being judged or rewarded
12:54
based on merit? How does Calvin, Mr. Grace alone
12:58
handle that verse without undermining his whole point?
13:01
It really seems to imply our works matter in some kind of
13:04
final accounting. That's a critical question, and
13:07
Calvin definitely engages with it.
13:09
He acknowledges the verse absolutely, but he denies it's
13:12
the only motivation or even the main 1.
13:15
And crucially, he argues, it doesn't support the idea of
13:19
merit in the way his opponents meant it, as in our works
13:22
earning God's favor or contributing to our salvation
13:24
status. He argues that this principle of
13:27
God rendering according to works is something you can only
13:30
properly understand and benefit from after you first grasp that
13:33
justification is entirely by Christ's merit received through
13:37
faith alone. The sources stated plainly, no
13:40
men can be fed for the pursuit of holiness save those who have
13:42
first imbibed at this doctrine. There's a sequence here.
13:45
You have to get the foundation of free grace right first.
13:48
So get justification by faith straight first, then you can
13:51
understand the role of works. Yes, if you start with works as
13:55
the basis for your relationship with God, you actually lose the
13:58
true heart level motivation for doing good.
14:02
It just becomes a cold transaction trying to meet a
14:04
quota. Calvin interprets rendering
14:07
according to works not as earning salvation but as God's
14:10
just ordering of things, where even the good deeds of
14:12
believers, which themselves flow from His grace, are acknowledged
14:15
by Him. In a sense, they're rewarded,
14:18
but it's the reward of grace recognizing the fruit of grace,
14:21
not payment for services rendered.
14:23
It's not a wage earned that makes God indebted to us.
14:26
It's more like a father delighting in his child's first
14:28
steps, which the Father himself enabled.
14:30
He even uses Psalm 130.4. But with you there is
14:34
forgiveness, that you may be feared.
14:37
This fascinating. It shows that even the proper
14:39
fear of God, which some might see as a meritorious act or just
14:41
a natural response to power, is actually grounded in pardon and
14:44
forgiveness. So fear comes because of
14:46
forgiveness, not to get forgiveness.
14:48
Exactly. It springs from God's mercy, not
14:51
from our attempts to earn favor or desperately avoid punishment.
14:55
So even something as basic as reverence for God is a response
14:58
to his freely given mercy, not something we generate to try and
15:01
win Him over. It's a fear born out of awe,
15:04
love and gratitude, not cowering terror or slavish obligation.
15:08
OK, let's pivot to another really serious charge.
15:11
Calvin had to deal with the idea that preaching free forgiveness
15:14
of sins basically gives people a license to sin.
15:17
It seems like a somewhat logical conclusion for some, doesn't it?
15:21
If forgiveness is free for me, why not just keep sinning and
15:23
keep getting forgiven? It sounds like a potential
15:25
loophole. Calvin skewers this as the most
15:29
worthless of slanders, and again, it just shows a
15:32
fundamental misunderstanding of what free really means.
15:35
Here he counters it by drilling down on the incredible value,
15:38
the immense worth of this free forgiveness.
15:41
Yes, it's a free gift to us, but he insists it was dearly bought
15:45
by Christ at the cost of his most sacred blood.
15:49
This blood, he says, was the ransom of sufficient worth to
15:52
satisfy God's judgement. No other payment could possibly
15:55
do. Nothing else would suffice.
15:57
So it's absolutely crucial to get this.
15:59
Free for the receiver doesn't mean cheap for the giver,
16:02
especially when the giver is God and the price is his Son.
16:05
The cost was literally infinite, paid entirely by Christ.
16:09
Calling it free describes our experience of receiving it, not
16:12
the cost involved in providing it.
16:13
Right. It's not free like a cheap
16:15
trinket, but free like an incredibly valuable inheritance
16:18
you didn't earn. That really does make you pause
16:20
thinking about the actual currency use for that
16:22
forgiveness. So how does that immense, almost
16:25
unimaginable cost translate into a deterrent?
16:28
How does realizing the price pay stop someone from just taking
16:31
advantage of it? That's the core of Calvin's
16:33
counter argument. When a person truly grasps this,
16:36
when they internalize that their forgiveness necessitated the
16:39
shedding of Christ's innocent, infinitely precious blood, they
16:43
become or should become acutely aware that, as Calvin puts it,
16:47
they cannot do anything to prevent the shedding of his most
16:49
sacred blood as often as they sin.
16:52
Now he doesn't mean re crucifying Christ literally, but
16:54
understanding that every willful sin is a profound offence
16:57
against the very sacrifice that bought their pardon in the 1st
17:00
place. The foulness of human sin, the
17:03
sources say, can never be cleansed except by the fountain
17:06
of this purest blood. End Quote.
17:09
Hearing these truths, Calvin argues, should instill a far
17:12
greater dread of sin than being told you can somehow wipe the
17:15
slate clean yourself by the sprinkling of good works or some
17:18
other minor act of penance. So the sheer gravity of the
17:21
solution highlights the gravity of the.
17:22
Problem precisely. And then the question gets
17:25
posed, How can people who have been purified by that blood even
17:29
contemplate, once purified, willingly choosing to wallow
17:32
once more in the mire? Doing so would be disturbing and
17:36
corrupting the purity of that incredibly precious fountain.
17:39
Calvin's almost saying Look, if you truly get the infinite price
17:42
Christ paid, deliberately returning to sin should feel
17:45
like like spitting on a masterpiece that someone died to
17:48
give you. It's an unthinkable act of
17:50
contempt for something sacred and infinitely costly.
17:53
It's a profound disrespect to return to the very filth that
17:56
requires such an ultimate cleansing.
17:58
It shifts your whole view of sin.
17:59
It's not just breaking a rule, it's an act that cheapens the
18:02
sacrifice made for you. It really redefines sin, doesn't
18:05
it? Moving it from just a
18:06
transactional error that needs balancing out with good deeds to
18:10
seeing it as this deep defilement against holiness
18:12
itself, something that demanded an unrepeatable infinite price.
18:16
Yes, exactly, and this understanding is pulls apart
18:19
from his opponents, who the sources say effectively cheapen
18:22
the forgiveness of sins. How?
18:25
By believing God can be appeased by wretched satisfactions.
18:28
Human efforts, which Calvin graphically compares to Dung.
18:31
He insists the guilt of sin is too heavy to be atoned for by
18:34
such light trifles. Remission, forgiveness is the
18:38
prerogative of Christ's blood alone.
18:40
Nothing else qualifies. And similarly, true
18:43
righteousness before God is too precious to be matched by any
18:46
compensation of works. To get it back, or rather to
18:49
receive it in the first place, we must take refuge in God's
18:52
mercy alone. His whole point is that
18:54
believing you can patch things up with God through your own
18:56
small efforts actually diminishes both the seriousness
18:59
of sin and the incredible glory of God's forgiveness in Christ.
19:03
It makes God's justice seem easily bought off, and our sins
19:06
seem like no big deal. Only the pure, perfect,
19:09
infinitely valuable blood of Christ could possibly atone for
19:12
the offense of sin against an infinite, holy God.
19:15
So this view simultaneously elevates how serious sin is
19:18
while massively exalting God's boundless mercy and the absolute
19:21
sufficiency of what Christ did. So let's try and pull this all
19:24
together after this deep dive into justification,
19:27
sanctification, good works, the cost of sin, what does this
19:31
whole conversation really teach us about God Himself, about His
19:34
nature, his character, and how we're actually meant to relate
19:36
to Him. Well, it reveals quite a few
19:38
deeply interconnected things about God and His desires for
19:40
us. First, His desire to be freely
19:43
worshipped and freely loved. He's not interested in coerced
19:46
service or worship done only for reward.
19:48
He values a response from the heart, genuine love, and
19:51
gratitude. Second, His own glory is
19:53
presented as a fundamental reason for everything, including
19:56
our actions, our lives, our good works.
19:58
Our very existence should ultimately point to His
20:01
worthiness and honor, not because He needs it, but because
20:03
He deserves it. Third, His mercy is shown to be
20:06
the absolute bedrock of our relationship with Him.
20:08
It's the sole basis for our forgiveness.
20:10
Without His freely given mercy initiated by Him, we'd have no
20:13
hope of standing before a perfectly holy God. 4th Related
20:17
to that is His initiating love. He loved us first wasn't a
20:21
response to anything lovely in us, but purely from His own
20:23
gracious character. And that initiating love
20:25
naturally calls for our love in response.
20:27
And 5th, His clear desire for believers is that they pursue
20:30
holiness and righteousness. Sanctification isn't just a
20:33
possible side effect of redemption, it's an integral
20:35
part of it. This shows God's work in us as
20:37
comprehensive. He makes us write legally, and
20:41
He begins to make us write practically, transforming us to
20:44
reflect His character. And that connects directly to
20:47
how we worship Him, right? It's far more than just Sunday
20:50
morning songs or prayers. Oh absolutely.
20:52
Our worship should flow from this understanding.
20:55
It should be free, cheerful, motivated by love and immense
20:59
gratitude, not by trying to earn points or motivated by fear of
21:02
punishment based on performance. True worship is founded on
21:06
acknowledging His incredible mercy and forgiveness.
21:09
Without grasping that, Calvin would say, you can't truly honor
21:12
God. And worship definitely includes
21:14
living a life of holiness and righteousness because that life
21:17
flows directly and necessarily from being justified and in
21:20
orderly transformed by His Spirit, our changed life becomes
21:24
an act of worship. Ultimately, everything we do
21:26
should aim at glorifying God. That becomes the natural, joyful
21:30
response to His initiating love and the amazing work He's done
21:33
for us in Christ. The most powerful drivers for
21:35
genuine holiness, and therefore for true worship, come from
21:38
grasping God's honored mercy and the profound change Christ
21:41
brings about, not from any lingering hope that we can
21:43
somehow earn our way into His favor.
21:45
It's really a worship that engages the whole person.
21:47
Understand the truth in your head, responding with love in
21:50
your heart, and then expressing it through your actions, your
21:52
hands. It's a complete spiritual
21:54
reality. So wrapping this up for you, our
21:56
listener, think about this, this doctrine justification by faith
22:01
alone. It's far from being some kind of
22:03
theological excuse for doing nothing.
22:05
It's not a loophole actually provides the deepest, most
22:08
spirit empowered reasons for living a life that's fully
22:11
devoted to God. It completely shifts the
22:13
motivation, doesn't it, from trying to earn something from
22:16
God to wanting to live for God out of sheer grateful adoration.
22:20
And that really brings up a challenging question for
22:22
reflection. How might really understanding
22:26
the huge blood bought cost of your own forgiveness change how
22:29
you look at sin day-to-day? How might it change your
22:31
motivation to live a holy life? Yeah, and maybe take it a step
22:34
further. How does this deep truth about
22:36
God's mercy, about Christ's finished work on the cross shape
22:40
how you understand what true freedom in Christ looks like?
22:42
A freedom that doesn't lead to license or carelessness, but
22:45
actually leads to joyful obedience and a life that really
22:48
mirrors the incredible grace you've received.
22:50
Lots to think about there. We really hope this deep dive
22:54
has given you plenty to reflect on.
22:56
Thank you so much for joining us on the deep dive.
22:58
Until next time, keep seeking truth and keep digging deeper.