Pages: 78-88: This is the final chapter besides the conclusion.
I love the opening of this chapter:
In the 1930s, German church leaders defended Adolf Hitler as a leader who didn’t smoke or drink, encouraged women to dress modestly, and opposed pornography. Alcorn writes: If that’s your checklist, Hitler was a swell guy.
Alcorn says that “nothing’s colder than dead, legalistic, orthodoxy.”
Isn’t that true though. But we do need to focus on truth, don’t we? It is such a difficult balance. Towards the end of the chapter Alcorn writes: “Truth hates sin, grace loves sinners.” I find that very well put and if we can combine this paradox in our lives and be full of grace and truth, I think we will live like Christ. Grace should never give us a license for sin and truth should never give us a license for legalism.
A good quote:
- “If we minimize grace, the world sees no hope for salvation. If we minimize truth, the world sees no need for salvation. To show the world Jesus, we must offer unabridged grace and truth, emphasizing both, apologizing for neither. The Colossian church ‘understood God’s grace in all its truth’” Col 1:6). (page 87)
In a few weeks I will begin blogging on another short book by Randy Alcorn called “The Treasure Principle.” This deals with giving.
Please comment on this book and have a blessed week!
Steve Rhodes blog 
I also like the statement that says “truth hates sin but grace loves the sinner” but still can’t quite get the picture of how to carry that out. QUESTION—when sin is ignored is that “grace” or if sin is confronted is that “legalistic”? He talks about cold, dead, legalistic orthodoxy, but if the “Gospel” is being taught and preached it can not ever be that. Jesus example I think was{is} just to tell the truth and if it hurts that can be a good thing for the one sinning, it can bring him{her} back to walking with Him again. Walking with God is more important than anything else we could do or accomplish. It’s a gift! As for hitler, he was a very good “deceiver”, and who do we know in the Bible that does such things? Thats why the Christian can never let down his gaurd, must always be alert, as we are able anyway, and when we are no longer able we have brothers and sisters to come along side us and help out. Amen? God bless
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Hi Cam, thanks for your comments. I agree, Hitler was a very good deceiver and we all may know people who are that way, but hopefully not that evil. I think when sin is ignored that really isn’t grace. When sin is ignored that means we are not really helping them by helping them overcome the sin. We are allowing them to continue in the sin. It should never be legalism to confront sin unless we are confronting a sin that really isn’t a sin or making someone live under a set of rules that are not in the Bible. I think that legalism would be very rule based and also ignoring the fact that we are ultimately saved by grace. We are saved by grace, though we are called to live in good works (Eph 2:10). I agree, the Gospel should never be legalistic. The Truth should be grace. Thanks for your comments.