Josh Benner

Tag: Grace

  • The gospel in Les Miserables

    Originally published as “Jesus in Les Miserables” on December 24, 2012 Caught. Jean Valjean had stolen silver from the Bishop and the local authorities had caught him red handed. On his own merits, there was nothing Valjean could do to rectify the situation. He didn’t have the money to pay for it. He was guilty. But…

  • Not exchanging the gospel for another to-do list.

    Many people in our society don’t understand the gospel because they don’t understand the cost of sin. We can do nothing to earn forgiveness because of our sin. The only hope humanity has is the grace of God, freely given to anyone who trusts in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many don’t understand that, don’t…

  • The Church: serving together in the Mission of God

    What this is saying is that we have one body but our body has many parts to it. In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul gives a fantastic illustration for the church. It functions like a human body. Everyone in the church is part of the body and has a purpose within the body. If…

  • Couldn’t God just forgive us? Why was the cross necessary?

    A person might look at the crucifixion, look at what the Lord did on the cross, and wonder “Why was that the only way? Why was that necessary? Couldn’t God simply forgive us?” No. This is an idea I’ve heard from Tim Keller before, and it’s an important idea on having a theology of forgiveness.…

  • Sexual abuse victim preaches gospel at sentencing

    It’s the best sermon I’ve heard in a long time. The truth and weight of her words were astounding. Rachael Denhollander was one of the many victims of former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. His abuse of Denhollander started in 2000 when she was 15. Today, Denhollander is a lawyer, and was the first of…