Scandalous Grace: A Book for Tired Christians Seeking Rest

by Preston M. Sprinkle

One incident that gives me tons of confidence as a Christian is when Peter denies Jesus three times. Peter has been hanging out with Jesus, being mentored by the Creator of the universe. Then someone asks him if he has been with Jesus, and Peter denies that he even knows Him. “Hey, weren’t you hanging out with this man from Nazareth?” “No, sir, I wasn’t. I don’t even know the man.” Can you imagine if you said this about your wife? “Are you married to Christine?” “Christine? Who’s Christine? I’ve never heard of the woman.” Now, I get how scary this could be—Jesus is being hauled off by the authorities and a big, burly soldier with a club asks if you are part of His clan. But according to Matthew, the people who question Peter aren’t much of a threat. They aren’t soldiers or government authorities, police officers or jailers. The people who ask Peter if he was with Jesus are two slave girls and some random people looking on (Matt. 26:69–75). None of them are carrying clubs. But Peter’s denial of Jesus isn’t the end of their relationship. It’s only the beginning. Because Peter’s commitment to Jesus isn’t sustained by Peter. Peter remains committed to Jesus because Jesus is steadily committed to Peter. Just before Peter denies his Lord, Jesus promises to never let him go: “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:32). If it weren’t for grace, Peter would be finished. The same is true for you. Your Bible-reading plan, prayer life, and baptized New Year’s res...