"Remember what we contributed to our salvation? Nothing but our need. We came to Christ at a point when the lights came on and our sin was finally exposed. And all we had to do was realize it. This is the essence of repentance. No one ever comes to Christ for salvation who doesn’t see his or her own problem. And people never find themselves free from the entanglement of gospel debt if they don’t realize their own need. This is why pride sounds the death knell for our spiritual lives. It completely shuts off the airway, the avenue for God’s abundant grace to flow into our needy souls. When we operate out of the false gospel of pride, we are blind to our sin, blind to our need, and blind to the available solution. The Holy Spirit operates like a gentleman. He doesn’t force his way in. The problem is self-evident: we don’t ask for help when we are self-sufficient. And this is the great irony and tragedy of being human. We seem wired to desire control. I should know. Surgeons are all too typical in this regard! And when we are in the driver’s seat, the Holy Spirit slips quietly into the back."

Kraus, Harry (2012-08-14). Breathing Grace: What You Need More Than Your Next Breath (Kindle Locations 617-622).  . Kindle Edition.


"John Piper has explained sin as what we do when we are not satisfied with God.[ 5] We fall when we believe a false gospel, a lie that proclaims that satisfaction can be found outside of Christ and the treasure that he is. And so in our blind pride we turn away from the Niagara flow of God’s love and grace, and we wallow instead in the small water source we have built for ourselves. We are children content to splash in mud puddles when a fountain is available. But we don’t see the source of grace because the airway is obstructed. Grace won’t flow in where pride obstructs."

Kraus, Harry (2012-08-14). Breathing Grace: What You Need More Than Your Next Breath (Kindle Locations 631-635).  . Kindle Edition.

Blogs to return Monday