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37 illustrations — Quotes from Lewis, Stott, Bonhoeffer, and other theologians
"This is eternal security: nothing in all creation—not tribulation, not antichrist, not the wrath to come—can separate believers from Christ's love. We are sealed until redemption's day. The love that chose us before time will hold us through time into eternity." — Charles Ryrie.
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"To Him be glory in the CHURCH—the Body of Christ is where God's abundance flows. Through sacraments, through community, through service, God does immeasurably more. The Church is not limitation but location of divine abundance. Expect more; the Spirit is at work." — Pope Francis.
"Grace is liberation—freedom from sin AND from oppressive structures. The poor receive grace not because they are morally better but because God's grace goes to those with nothing. 'Not of works' means the powerful cannot buy salvation; it comes freely...
"The poor imagine bread; God gives banquet. They ask for justice; He gives kingdom. Liberation exceeds revolution—immeasurably more. The power at work among base communities accomplishes beyond their dreams. God's abundance includes and exceeds our justice work." — Gustavo Gutiérrez.
"Grace has a name: Jesus Christ. He is not merely the messenger of grace but grace itself embodied. We are saved by grace—which means we are saved by Christ. Faith receives not an abstract gift but a living Person. In...
"Grace goes before us, awakening us to our need. Grace enables the faith by which we receive salvation. Grace sustains us after we believe. All is grace—but grace that invites response. We contribute nothing except the 'yes' that grace itself enables." — John Wesley.
"We imagine restoration; God is doing new creation—immeasurably more! The power at work is resurrection power; the result is renewed cosmos. We ask for healing; He gives new bodies. We imagine heaven; He gives heaven and earth united. Always more." — N.T.
"The church imagines peace; God creates reconciled community exceeding our dreams. We ask for faithfulness; He gives witness beyond our courage. The power at work among us together exceeds what any individual could imagine. Communal life overflows." — Stanley Hauerwas.
Amazing grace! You can't earn it, buy it, or deserve it—you can only RECEIVE it! Open your heart right now and let grace flood in! The same grace that saved you empowers you. Grace isn't just for salvation; it's for LIVING!" — David Wilkerson.
"The POWER at work within you is RESURRECTION POWER! The same Spirit that raised Christ! Ask for healing; expect MIRACLES! Dream of breakthrough; receive REVIVAL! God is the God of IMMEASURABLY MORE! There is ALWAYS more in His presence!" — Bill Johnson.
"Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and nothing we can do to make God love us less. It is gift—pure, unearned, undeserved. We cannot boast because we contributed nothing. We can only...
"Grace saves us INTO something: the new creation already begun in Christ. We are saved by grace through faith—not for private salvation but for participation in God's renewal of all things. Grace rescues and recruits; we become agents of the kingdom." — N.T.
"The gospel exceeds! We ask for forgiveness; God gives righteousness. We imagine acceptance; He gives sonship. We hope for mercy; He gives inheritance. Immeasurably more—this is grace upon grace. God's giving always exceeds our receiving." — Martin Luther. Lutheran: gospel overflow.
"Sola gratia—grace alone. Not grace plus works, not grace plus merit, not grace plus anything. Even the faith by which we receive grace is itself a gift: 'and that not of yourselves.' From first to last, salvation is God's work,...
"Our mission strategies are too small! God does immeasurably more than we plan, more than we expect, more than we imagine possible. The power at work in mission exceeds our programs. Expect God to surprise; He is doing more than we know." — Lesslie Newbigin.
"More than we imagine—including justice we cannot yet envision. God's shalom exceeds our best social programs; His kingdom surpasses our progressive dreams. The power at work is for transformation beyond our categories. Imagine justice; God does immeasurably more." — Walter Brueggemann.
"God can do EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY, ABOVE all you ask or think! Your biggest prayer is TOO SMALL! Your wildest dream is TOO TAME! The POWER at work in you is SUPERNATURAL! Expect MORE! Believe for MORE! God is the God of OVERFLOW!" — T.D.
"The disinherited imagine survival; God gives flourishing. We ask for endurance; He gives victory. The oppressed cannot imagine full liberation; God does immeasurably more. The power at work has brought us this far; it will take us further than we dream." — Howard Thurman.
"In Christ Jesus our Lord—all abundance is Christological. The power at work is resurrection power; the glory is Christ's glory. We imagine salvation; God gives Christ Himself, immeasurably more. He is the fullness beyond our asking." — Karl Barth. Christocentric: Christ as fullness.
"Immeasurably more—now and forever! In this age, God exceeds our expectations; in the age to come, abundantly more. Glory in the church throughout all generations—this spans ages, dispensations, eternity. What begins now overflows forever." — Warren Wiersbe. Dispensational: eternal abundance.
"Salvation is God's gift—entirely, completely. Yet Orthodoxy speaks of synergy: not that we add to grace, but that grace transforms us into participants. We are saved by grace through faith—faith that is itself grace's gift, making us co-workers with God." — Kallistos Ware.
"'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' includes signs and wonders, healing and deliverance. The same power that raised Christ from the dead works in you. This is kingdom power for kingdom ministry—supernatural strength for supernatural work." — John Wimber.
"Grace is entirely God's gift—the Council of Trent affirmed this clearly. Yet grace invites our cooperation; it transforms us from within, enabling the good works that flow from salvation. We are saved by grace, and grace makes us capable of love." — Pope Benedict XVI.
"True faith—the faith through which grace saves—bears fruit. It creates a community of transformed people living differently. We are saved by grace, not works; but saving grace always produces the works of love, peace, and mutual aid." — Menno Simons.