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For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)>
Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjack's wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, *The Cost of Discipleship*>
Grace is not simply God's charitable willingness to overlook our bits of bad behavior, as though he had decided to give us all a free pass. It is the power of God, the power of Jesus himself, at work in and through us, through the Spirit, to change us, transform us, and make us the people we were always meant to be.
N.T. Wright, *Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians*>
For the Church, though dispersed throughout the world even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: in one God, the Father Almighty, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all that is in them; and in one Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became flesh for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the plan of salvation. Having received this preaching and this faith, the Church, although scattered in all the world, diligently preserves it, as if dwelling in one house. And she believes these things everywhere alike, as if she had but one heart and one soul, and harmoniously preaches, teaches, and hands them down, as if she had but one mouth.
Irenaeus of Lyons, *Against Heresies*, Book I, Ch. 10 (c. 180 AD)>
If the gospel has not made itself troublesome to you, you may be sure that you do not really believe it, or that you have not yet got beyond the shadow of it. The man who believes the gospel, has a gospel that makes him troublesome to the world; and the more he believes it, the more troublesome he is.
George MacDonald, *Unspoken Sermons: The Gospel in the World*What would it look like to live today as if grace were both *free* and *costly* at the same time?
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Remember that following desire promises the attainment of that which you desire; and following aversion promises the avoidance of that to which you are averse. But he who cannot attain that which he desires is unfortunate; and he who falls into that which he would avoid is unhappy. If, then, you attempt to avoid only those things contrary to the natural use of your faculties, you will never fall into what you would avoid. But if you attempt to avoid sickness, death, or poverty, you will be unhappy.
Epictetus, *Enchiridion*, Ch. 2Overcast · 46°F · Humidity: 71% · Wind: ↘ 14 mph