The Focus Has Shifted

Tullian Tchividjian
2 Jun 2015
one comments
The Focus Has Shifted

A shift has taken place in the Evangelical church with regard to the way we think about the gospel and it’s far from simply an ivory tower conversation. This shift affects us on the ground of everyday life. In his book Paul: An Outline of His Theology, famed Dutch Theologian Herman Ridderbos (1909 – 2007) summarizes this shift which took place following Calvin and Luther. It was a sizable but subtle shift which turned the focus of “the gospel” from Christ’s external accomplishment to our internal appropriation: While in Calvin and Luther all the emphasis fell on the redemptive event […]

-Read More

Law, Grace and the Phone Store

Tullian Tchividjian
2 May 2015
no comments

When it comes to the raising of children, one-way love is both the easiest thing in the world and the hardest. How many of us have responded to the experience of becoming a parent for the first time by saying, “I finally understand how powerful and profound of a thing it is that God considers us His children!” The relationship we have with a baby, after all, is about as one-way as it gets. They need and we give, period. They have no illusions about their own power. The very idea that a baby might do something to deserve our […]

-Read More

Law, Grace and the Phone Store

The Fourth Man in the Fire

Tullian Tchividjian
1 Apr 2015
no comments
fourth man

My good friend Doyle Moore died on Sunday February 22nd, one hour after watching me preach on the Coral Ridge Live-stream from a hospital bed in Boston. Doyle was an elder at Coral Ridge, a Liberate board member, and one of my greatest encouragers. He had cancer. And he had been suffering with his cancer for years. I recently had the privilege of preaching at his memorial service. Another good friend, Dan Siedell, spoke as well. Like me, Dan had been on the receiving end of Doyle’s life giving joy and generosity. What Dan said was so moving to me […]

-Read More

Are Legalism And Lawlessness Opposites?

Tullian Tchividjian
3 Mar 2015
no comments

“Legalism in the church was a huge problem 7-10 years ago, but I honestly feel that the pendulum has swung in the other extreme full force, to a fault on the other side. Legalism and moralism is not the problem today; licentiousness is.” “It’s a mistake to say that every person needs to be rescued from legalism. I didn’t grow up in a legalistic church culture. I grew up in a liberal church culture where anything and everything was permitted. I didn’t need to be saved from legalism. I needed to be saved from lawlessness.” These are a couple of […]

-Read More

Nothing About You Is The Gospel… And That’s Good News

Tullian Tchividjian
3 Feb 2015
no comments
gospel

How often have you heard the gospel equated with a positive change in a believer’s life? “I used to __________, but then I met Jesus and now I’m ___________.” It may be unintentional, but we make a serious mistake when we reduce the good news to its results, such as patience, sobriety and compassion, in the lives of those who have heard it. These are beautiful developments, and belief in the gospel does produce such fruit. But the results should not be confused with the gospel itself. The gospel is not a means to an end; it is an end […]

-Read More

Meryl Streep Is Probably Exhausted

Tullian Tchividjian
30 Dec 2014
no comments

One of the things I say a lot is that everyone is exhausted. I think that’s true. It may be, though, that no one is quite as exhausted as José Micard Teixeira…or, maybe, Meryl Streep. Recently, a lengthy quotation attributed to Streep (but actually penned by Portuguese self-help author and life coach, Teixeira) started making the rounds on the internet. It’s a manifesto of sorts, announcing to the world a set of things he would no longer do. For instance, Teixeira says that he has “no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism, and demands of any nature. I lost the will […]

-Read More

New Devotional Emphasizes Grace

Tullian Tchividjian
no comments

Every year around this time, millions of people begin to contemplate what their New Year’s resolutions will be. However, according to Tullian Tchividjian, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale and the grandson of Evangelist Billy Graham,.people should think twice before making one. In his upcoming book, It Is Finished: 365 Days of Good News, Tchividjian’s message is that while we have good intentions of fixing ourselves when we make New Year’s resolutions, not only do we all wind up falling short when we break them, but we shouldn’t associate our worth and value to a resolution […]

-Read More

Portraits of Grace: Allison

Tullian Tchividjian
1 Nov 2014
no comments

What do you say to a person who truly believes he or she is unlovable? How do you provide comfort when one’s suffering is like nothing you’ve ever experienced? Life can be so hard. I, too, struggle. There are days when my story, the stories of people I know and those I don’t know wedge the tiniest cracks in my faith. But if I step away and view them through different eyes, I feel hopeful. It’s when I can see even the saddest experiences and stories through the eyes of God and his grace that my wobbly knees of faith […]

-Read More

portraits of grace

The Freedom of Becoming a Realist

Tullian Tchividjian
14 Oct 2014
no comments

Life, suffering, and failure have a way of transforming you from an idealist to a realist — from thinking that you’re strong to reminding you that you’re weak. When I was 25, I believed I could change the world. At 42, I have come to the realization that I cannot change my wife, my church or my kids, to say nothing of the world. Try as I might, I have not been able to manufacture outcomes the way I thought I could, either in my own life or other people’s. Unfulfilled dreams, ongoing relational tension, the loss of friendships, a […]

-Read More

Grace and Identity

Tullian Tchividjian
9 Sep 2014
no comments

A few years back I was driving one of my sons home from his basketball game and he was crying. He’s a great basketball player but had a less than stellar performance and he was, as a result, crushed. After doing my best to comfort him by listening to him and reminding him that his game was not nearly as bad as he thought it was, and that even the best basketball players in the world have an off game here and there, I asked him why he was so upset. He told me plainly, “Dad, I played terrible.” I […]

-Read More