Did the witers of the New Testament get their picture of Jesus right?

EXPLORING CHRISTIANITY - EYEWITNESS

THE BIBLE
Can we trust a book written 2000 years ago?

EYEWITNESS
Did the writers of the New Testament get their picture of Jesus right?

GOD - MAN
Is Jesus really God?

RESURRECTION
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

RELIGIONS
With so many religions, why Christianity?

SUFFERING
If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?

TRINITY
Understanding the Trinity.

SCIENCE
The complementary nature of Science & Christianity.

FORGIVENESS
What it is and why it matters?

GUIDANCE
How does God guide?

REPENTANCE
What it is and why you can't get to heaven without it.

BORN AGAIN
What does it mean to be converted and born again?

SAVING FAITH
The kind of faith that will get you to heaven

ASSURANCE
Can I know for sure that I am going to heaven?

TRUTH
What is truth and does it matter?

MORALITY
Does it matter how we live? A Christian view of morality.

THE CHURCH
God's vision for his family, the Church. A call to the churches of the new millennium.

PURPOSE
How can I find a great purpose for living?

IDENTITY
Who am I; Finding my true identity as a human being and as a child of God.

SELF-ESTEEM
How can I feel good about my self? The Christian basis for proper sel-esteem.

LIFE AFTER DEATHChristianity's Hope & Challenge.

THE CROSS
Why did Jesus Die? What the Bible says about the Cross.

Grace
The importance of grace in the New Testament.

The source of Grace

Though the New Testament writers can describe ordinary people as ministers or stewards of God’s grace (Ephesians 4:29; 1 Peter 4:10), and Paul can speak of generous giving as an “act of grace” (2 Corinthians 8:6), the ultimate source of grace is always God the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. As James says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…” (1:17). Paul’s favourite greeting is “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (e.g. Romans 1:7—he adds “mercy” to the list in his letters to Timothy, as does John in his second letter). God is “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10). His throne is “the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). A literal translation of Ephesians 1:6 is: “to the praise of [God’s] glorious grace, with which he graced us in the Beloved [Jesus]”. Paul can use the words “Jesus Christ” and “grace” almost interchangeably. Writing to Timothy he speaks of the appearance of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:16), whereas to Titus he says, “the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people” (Titus 2:11). In Galatians 2:20 he can say, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”, whereas in 1 Corinthians 15:10 he says, “not I, but the grace of God that was with me”.

The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29) and is listed together with God and Jesus as the source of grace in Revelation 1:4. It is the Holy Spirit in our lives who ministers God’s grace to us and makes our experience of it a reality.

Christian social commentator Os Guinness, in The Dust of Death writes:

To know God as Creator is significance, to know Him in revelation is clarity of knowledge, to know Him as personal is fulfilment, to know Him in character is order and values, to know Him in grace is freedom, love, joy, peace and adoration.