#14: On grace, law, and gospel with Dan Price.

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The error of man’s involvement in religion is the same now as it’s ever been. That is, we want so desperately for our works and sacrifices for spiritual matters to count for something that we end up weaseling our way into a pretended redemption, one in which the onus is on mankind to make sure everything’s in order before “final justification” is granted. However, this isn’t the gospel. The gospel isn’t about how long and hard you can hold fast to Christ but about the eternal grip of Christ holding fast to you. This is the lifeblood of the good news, and, what’s more it’s the inspiration behind the ministry of Daniel Emery Price.

I was privileged to be able to have Dan Price join the show as a guest recently. Dan’s an ardent grace-addict, like myself, and I so appreciate his influence through the ministry Christ Hold Fast. I’ve been able to meet him a few times but it was an honor to have him on the show, and just talk about Jesus and his grace. In this lengthy conversation, we dive into the good news and what it really means. What is the gospel? What is faith? Have we misconstrued and misunderstood both? Dan also reminds us that the message of Jesus is the message that he holds fast to you even when you don’t hold fast to him. Dan also posits the question, “What if we preached to everyone as if they’re dying?”

Resources.

Home: How Heaven and the New Earth Satisfy Our Deepest Longings, Elyse Fitzpatrick

The Self-Donation of God: A Contemporary Lutheran approach to Christ and His Benefits, Jack Kilcrease

Commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther

Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis

The Genius of Luther’s Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church, Robert Kolb

On the Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther

The Spirituality of the Cross, Gene Edward Veith

On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation, Gerhard Forde

Where God Meets Man, Gerhard Forde

Grace: So Much More Than You Know and So Much Better Than You Think, Brad J. Gray

Sponsor.

This episode is brought to you by the Christian Standard Bible. Find out more by going to CSBible.com.

Notes.

Dan is the lead pastor of Trinity Church NWA in Bentonville, Arkansas. Besides being a full time pastor, though, Dan’s also busy running the widely-read Christ Hold Fast website, co-hosting the “40 Minutes in the Old Testament” and “30 Minutes in the New Testament” podcasts, and planning numerous events and conferences for the Christ Hold Fast collective. He’s also the author of the forthcoming book, Scandalous Stories: A Sort of Commentary on Parables. Be sure to read his blogs on the Christ Hold Fast and follow him on Twitter, @danemeryprice.

Credits.

Intro music: “West Coast” by Ryan Little, licensed under CC BY 4.0.