The Spirit makes us alive in Christ, and then he begins the gradual, though inexorable, work of sanctification in our lives. That is clear. But it can get complicated.

A broken brain is one possible complication. What if someone has a psychiatric diagnosis or peculiar brain pathology? That will add a wrinkle to the process of sanctification. Or what if someone’s past is marked by the sins of parents? What if the word father has been corrupted by the acts of a father? It is hard to grow in grace when you wince every time you hear that God is your Father. And if life in Christ is characterized by faith and trust, how do you trust when you believe that God allowed horrible things to happen to…

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Scripture is both shocking and ordinary, which is what we would expect from a book that is of divine origin.

It is shocking; it takes us to places that no human mind could conceive.

It is ordinary; it reveals miracles in everyday life that seem very human and common.

And both of these are on display when the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians about power in weakness (2 Corinthians 12).

Who would have thought that the power of God would be best displayed in human weakness? After seeing some dramatic healings in the New Testament we might be anticipating that the power of God would look . . . more powerful. Every worship service would be an all-out love-fest, and the watching wo…

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