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What do you think of when you hear the phrase, fall from grace? Many people instinctively assume that to fall from grace is to lose your salvation. But the Bible reminds us that once received, salvation can never be lost.

We asked Joe Duke some questions about grace and GraceWorks.

GraceWorks: Maybe we should start with an obvious question: What is grace?

Joe Duke: Grace is God’s favor on us that is undeserved. It’s God’s kindness and attention toward us. One author defines grace as one way love. I like that.

I’m wondering if it’s possible to construct a spiritual barometer, a way to measure the climate of our connection with God—climate influenced by the rising and falling pressures in life. The standard list of important Christian activities includes Bible study, prayer, sharing your faith, and fellowship with other Christians. These activities are necessary for connection with God and growth toward maturity. But as a list, I don’t find them particularly helpful in evaluating how I’m really doing.

I’m getting older. And so are you. And I have a theory: The older I get; the faster time goes. Call it a hunch or a sneaking suspicion. I’m not suggesting it’s related to the theory of relativity or grounded in a study from Harvard Medical School. Instead, I’ll attempt a less sophisticated explanation of the speed of life. Here’s how I picture it: When the ball reaches the top of the roof and begins rolling down the other side, it picks up speed. Like that ball, life goes faster and faster. Time flies.

Inside the DNA of the human soul resides a desire to live forever. Every human civilization has made plans for the afterlife. Where does that desire come from? It comes from God.

As a 13-year-old, I believed in Jesus for my salvation. I was saved by grace. Yes, I was in rebellion against God and separated from Him. But redemption was mine through faith alone in Christ alone.

My story wasn’t the dramatic, infamous kind. My testimony didn’t attract much attention. I never stole a neighbor’s bicycle, never smoked cigarettes, never shot anyone, and I cussed only when it was absolutely necessary.

But I was then and still am a sinful person. My sin put Jesus Christ on the cross. He took my sin, and the sin of every other person, on Himself and died as our substitute. He took our place. His grace is truly scandalous. We might even say absurd.