The Inequity of Divine Grace
By Lanny Smith
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“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ep.2:8-9). The Bible repeatedly declares that our salvation is based upon the “amazing grace” of God. Grace is God’s “unmerited favor” – it is a blessing bestowed that we did not earn or deserve. But, in order to bestow His grace, there was a great inequity involved! Furthermore, in order for us to receive God’s grace, there are yet more inequities involved. Have you ever thought about “The Inequity of Divine Grace?”
Let us begin by looking at the definition of inequity. An inequity is “an instance of injustice or unfairness” (Webster). Now I find that fascinating! In the world around us, we hear constant cries for “justice and equity” – and not without reason. The very existence of God implies moral values and absolutes; standards of conduct that, if violated, should bring swift and sure punishment. This is the very nature of justice. Since man is made in the image of God, it should not surprise us that man has a “sense of justice” deeply imbedded within. We want to see injustices made right! To this end, governments are formed among men, ideally with the intent to bring justice to an unjust and inequitable world (Rm.13:1-7). Of course, because all men are sinful, the ideal is far from fully achieved. But wait! There is even more to contemplate here. You see, God has shown to us that there is a time to accept inequity!
Yes, the very same God who is perfectly just is also merciful. He extends grace and mercy and kindness to the very creatures who have stepped in His heart in their reckless pursuit of sin. But the “dirty little secret” no one wants to talk about is that this kind of grace and mercy and kindness inevitably brings a number of inequities! Let me see if I can make this simple: granting forgiveness is an inequity! Allow me to elaborate...
The cross of Christ is the greatest inequity that has ever occurred! The sinless Son of God was falsely accused, falsely convicted, scourged, beaten, mocked, insulted, crucified, and pierced – all of which resulted in the unjust death of the most innocent man who ever lived. But without the shedding of His innocent blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin (Hb.9:22; cf. 1Pt.2:21-25). To put it bluntly, without this great inequity, we could not be saved!
The forgiveness of our debt of sin is also a great inequity. And let me be clear: the Bible does NOT teach that our debt of sin is “paid,” no matter how many preachers and commentaries say so. Indeed, if our debt was “paid” that would be justice! However, our debt of sin is not paid, but FORGIVEN (cf. Mt.6:12; 18:27) – ask any banker the difference! And forgiving a debt means that justice will NEVER be served on that debt; it will never be paid. That, by definition, is a gross inequity! Furthermore, EVERY TIME a sin is forgiven, there is yet another inequity. And the ONLY way to justify this inequity is through the inequity that was done to the Son of God! (cf. Rm.3:24-26)
The heavenly home granted to the forgiven is another inequity. If God was only concerned with justice and fairness, there could be no Heaven for us; justice would forbid it! Yet God in His mercy has provided not only the forgiveness of sin, but a Heavenly home (1Pt.1:3-5)! To allow undeserving sinners into Heaven is an inequity!
So, what can we learn from the facts noted above? 1. There are times when justice should be set aside for a greater good. When God forgives sin, justice is set aside for OUR greater good; and when we forgive our brother, justice is also set aside for HIS greater good (Mt.18:21-35). 2. Therefore, there are times when inequity is a good thing. When inequity is the result of grace, mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, it is good (Ep.2:4-8). 3. There is still a place for justice in this world! When people refuse to repent, there is no imperative for mercy (Lk.17:3-4; note, “IF he repents”).
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Elders
Leon Cort
Mark Craigwell
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Minister
Mark Craigwell
Assistant Minister
Denver Simmons
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Deacons
Raleigh Gallington
Anthony Johnson
Gregory Johnson
Carlfred Malcolm
Albert Martin, Jr.
Walter Maxwell
Richard Meuse
Barry Person
Jason Reid
James Wade, Sr.
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Sermon for Sunday, January 22, 2023
Title: The Knowledge of God, Part 2
Text: 2 Peter 1:2
Speaker: Mark Craigwell
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DON'T FORGET YOUR MASK!
Remember that masks are required at all of our in-person events, including services, classes, and meetings. Please also remember to bring your mask with you. We have a limited supply of masks available for those who do not have them.
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Here We Grow Again: Maya Blanco was baptized into Christ on Sunday, January 15, 2023. Maya is the daughter of Sis. Suyapa Garcia. Let us welcome our new sister in Christ!
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Dorothy Carpenter Wells Scholarship Benefit Concert: Saturday, March 25th, 6 p.m. at King’s Church of Christ in Brooklyn. There is no charge for admission, but a love offering will be collected during the event for the benefit of the scholarship fund. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook as well.
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MLK Day Breakfast: Kudos to the Youth & Family Ministry for hosting an outstanding Martin Luther King Day Breakfast, which included not only a delicious breakfast, but a screening of King Boston’s 2021 MLK documentary (produced by Beyond Measure Productions), and presentations by our youth, including Shamar Morris's original poem, He Had a Dream, which is reprinted below.
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He Had a Dream
By Shamar Morris
He had a dream in this world of wicked schemes
He believed the we could truly be the home of the brave and the free
He had a dream that we would all be seen equally
They tried to silence his thoughts by throwing him in a cage to rot
But he was freed because he had a dream.
Dreamed of a world where there is something to fulfill
While living in a world where it’s designed to kill
In spite of turning the hopelessness to hope and homelessness to home
The hatred was louder than their plead of psalm.
Although he isn’t here his dream is always near and the name Martin Luther King Jr. lives on everywhere.
For those who hated him he loved because he believed in the power above.
For all he used was love because love was the only thing he knew.
Though the consequences were already drew he still fought for me and you.
He wasn’t corrupted by the wicked schemes
And he fought for what he believed by any means
Martin Luther King Jr. your name lives on today
Martin Luther King Jr. you even have your own holiday
January 16 is the day we remember your name.
You were assassinated but it wasn’t in vain.
You cared for us as we do you.
Thanks to your dream there’s a tomorrow.
Thanks for your dream there is you.
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Thank you for your continued patience as we familiarize ourselves with the new platform and research possible alternative solutions for communicating via text with the congregation. In the meantime, if you need to subscribe or re-subscribe to receive text blasts, please text the keyword CCROXBURY to 855-908-6614. Please note that the sign-up link on our website no longer works.
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We will continue to offer two Sunday morning worship services to accommodate in-person attendees
The first service begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until approximately 9:45 a.m.; the second service begins at 11:00 a.m. The auditorium is sanitized between services. The weekly 10:30 a.m. devotional/adult Bible class will continue as scheduled. The usual sign-up rules and COVID protocols remain in effect. When you access the online sign-up form, you will be required to specify which service you would like to attend. Once capacity has been reached for a particular time slot, the form will no longer accept new registrations for that time slot. We will continue to livestream the 11:00 service on our YouTube channel, and we encourage members to utilize e-giving, even when attending in person.
PLEASE NOTE: THE LINK BELOW IS FOR NEXT WEEK'S SERVICE
In-Person Worship Sign-up
Please also note that there is a new registration link each week.
E-giving link
Livestream link
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Don't Miss Out! Scroll On... |
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Don't Miss Out! Please scroll through the entire e-bulletin each week to be certain not to miss any important announcements or links. Many items are repeated each week, but there are also new announcements that you'll miss if you don't scroll through the entire bulletin.
See the following sections for new/updated announcements.
- News & Notes (above)
- Dorothy Carpenter Wells Scholarship Benefit Concert
- Bedford Street CoC Singles' Valentine Banquet
- 2023 Caribbean Lectureship
- Community Outreach
- Thanksgiving Outreach Survey
- Worship & Class Schedule - Links to Services & Classes; link to worship attendance registration form for next week.
- Latest on COVID-19
- Vaccine available for ages 6 months and up. Booster shots available for J&J, Moderna, and Pfizer. Walk in appointments available at many clinics.
- Ladies Take Note
- 4th Sunday Ladies' Class Worksheet download
- SALISI Weekly Conference Call
- Kent County CoC Ladies' Day
- Sister to Sister Ladies' Day Retreat
Please keep us updated: Please keep us apprised of any changes to your address, phone number and email address so that we can maintain an accurate database of member information. Please notify Sis Nagarajah at [email protected] or Sis Gallington at [email protected] of any changes to your contact information.
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Our January Community Outreach will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023 beginning at 10 a.m. at the church building to prepare 100 bags of groceries for distribution to families in the community. All are welcome to participate. Masks required of all participants. |
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The Department of Public Health continues to urge all who are eligible to be vaccinated and/or boosted to do so, as vaccination is currently the best medical defense against the potentially deadly effects of COVID and its variants.
All Massachusetts residents ages 6-months and up are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and many facilities have walk-in hours. Booster shots are available for the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines at many pharmacies and health care facilities. Use the link below if you need assistance scheduling an appointment or locating a facility.
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Click here or anywhere in the announcement above for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). |
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Remote & In-Person
Class/Meeting Schedule
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Wednesday Night In-Person & Dial-In Bible Study
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in-person and via freeconferencecall.com.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
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Women's Saturday Prayer Meeting
Join us for prayer on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. via freeconferencecall.com
NOTE NEW PHONE NUMBER
Dial-in: 945-218-0112; Access code 3730930#
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REMINDER: Please remember to mute your phone or computer when joining any of the above conference calls to avoid interrupting the class or service you are entering, particularly if you are joining the call after the event has started. |
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The Couples' Ministry meets via Zoom the second and third Fridays of the month at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
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Our January Women's Class will be held on Sunday, January 22,2023 at 5:00 p.m. at the church building, and via Free Conference Call for those who cannot attend in person.
Dial in: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
Or, join the class online at
Presenter: Sis. Pam Alexander
Topic: Psalm 51
Please pick up a worksheet from the table in the foyer or click here to download.
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Please note that the dial-in number for this conference call has changed. The new number is 945-218-0112. The access code remains the same, 3730930. |
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2023 Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion: Our 2023 trip is scheduled for Thursday, September 14th through Friday, September 15th to see a production of “Moses” at the Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 14th. The cost for bus, hotel, dinner and show is as follows:
- $340/person for quad occupancy (families)
- $358/person for triple occupancy (families)
- $393/person for double occupancy
- $514 for single occupancy
- $830/couple for grand king room
Sign up is open now and a $75 deposit is required by to hold a spot. The number is limited by bus capacity and hotel availability. If you have not already done so, please get your deposit in ASAP to secure your spot so we can finalize the theater seating. Seats can only be assigned for purchased tickets.
Payments can be made via our e-giving link at:
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Our December Men's Class will be held on Sunday, January 22nd at 5:00 p.m. at the church building.
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Click here to download full-sized flier.
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No announcements at this time. |
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Young Adult Ministry (YAM) |
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Date of next meeting will be announced. |
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Monthly Ministry Meeting
1st Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m.
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Meetings & Events
1/1 - Youth Ministry Meeting, 2:00 p.m.
1/2 - Ministers/Elders/Deacons Meeting, 7 p.m. via Zoom
1/6 - Friends and Family Bowling Outing, hosted by Youth & Family Ministry, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (details above under News & Notes)
1/7 - Finance Ministry Meetings, 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. via Zoom
1/8 - Deacons' Meeting, following 11 a.m. service @church building
1/14 - Publications & Communications Ministry Meeting, 9 a.m. via Zoom
1/22 - Men's and Women's Classes, 5 p.m. @church building
1/28 - Community Outreach, 10 a.m.
Masks are required for all in-person events
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Ministry Meetings - Please contact your ministry coordinator for remote meeting schedules.
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- Sunday New Converts' Class, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Bible Class (children) Sundays at 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Adult Devotional/Bible Study, 10:20am @church building
- Sunday Worship Service 8:30 and 11:00 am in person and 11:00 a.m. via livestream on YouTube. See above for details.
- Men's/Women's Classes, 5pm (4th Sunday of the month); @church building;
- Youth & Family Ministry (1st Sunday of the month at 2pm)
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Mature in Heart Women's Prayer (Tuesdays @ 10:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Prayer Meeting (Tuesdays @ 7pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesdays @ 6:30pm) in person and VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week New Converts' Class (Wednesdays @ 7pm) @church building
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Healing Hearts (Thursdays @6:15pm) VIA ZOOM
- Couple's Ministry (2nd & 3rd Fridays @ 7 pm)
- Women's Prayer (Saturdays 9:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (Connection info above)
- Ministers/Elders/Deacons Wives Meeting, (3rd Saturday @10 am) @church building
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Bro. John Kurpiel, minister for the Lawrence congregation, hosts an international radio program, “Soul Food,” on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11AM until 3PM. The program airs on Ignite Radio Broadcast via Mixlr, an interactive internet radio platform. Use the link below to tune in to listen, or to participate in the conversation. Always free to listen. https://mixlr.com/ignite-radio-broadcast.
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Church of Christ in Roxbury
81 Walnut Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-442-5826
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