Salvation is the most important subject that one can discuss. We even see the question raised three times in the New Testament, about what one must do in order to be saved. And unfortunately there is a lot of controversy about it in the religious realm. Notice that Paul discusses the matter in Ephesians 2:8ff when he states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, Not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (vv. 8-9). Naturally, we do not think of a gift as something we have to buy or earn, but as something that is free. Paul could not be more clear that God's gift of salvation is the doing of our Creator, not us. Thank God for the gift of salvation! It is available for us although we are far from deserving (Romans 3:23).
However, to assume that since salvation is free and made available to us by the grace of God, that therefore there is no responsibility on our part, is also unfortunate. To jump to the conclusion that salvation is free without any response on our part, completely goes against what God intended for us to learn--to respond to His grace when we receive it. God is concerned about hearts set on Him and serving in His kingdom. This entails more than stationary Christianity of course. There are passages in the Bible, which teach man’s response to salvation. The Bible is plain in its teaching that man must trust and obey to be saved. Grace is God’s provision---He gave man the path---and man must obey and travel that path (Heb 5:8-9; Matt 7:21-23; 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 5:29). In every example given in the New Testament of one becoming a Christian, upon their belief in God and willingness to live a new life in Christ, immersion in water occurred.
God, in His infinite wisdom and wonderful grace, gave man a plan whereby he must be saved. The things that man must do, alone and by themselves, will not cause the individual to merit or earn salvation (Romans 3:23). It is unfortunate that those who recognize baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), are often misunderstood as teaching salvation by works. Personally, I do not think we are saved by our works alone any more than I teach salvation by our faith alone. Without God’s grace, and Him extending His love and mercy to us, our faith and works would be meaningless. So yes, in that sense we are saved by the grace of God. I will even go as far as saying that we are saved by God's grace first and foremost.
So the best way I know how to explain it is that God and His love for us is the source of our salvation, not our good works. However, acceptance of His plan is required of us in order to receive the grace of God in salvation. If we are being honest, we cannot ignore this. For example, by John’s good grace, he can offer Karen a $100 bill. It would be impossible for that $100 to be in Karen’s possession without her accepting it. John cannot impose that $100 on her. She must receive it. If she chooses not to accept it, then the $100 will not be of benefit to her. In like manner, we still have to accept God’s grace and gift of salvation by rendering obedience (James 2:14-26). Thank God that through His grace, He has told us how to receive His gift of salvation in the form of both commands and examples.
God’s gift of the Promised Land to the Israelites was conditional upon them rendering obedience to His will. The same lies true for us if we hope to reach our Promised Land of Heaven. Thus, our plea is for all to accept the gift of salvation that God has so freely provided, and save yourselves from this perverse generation (Acts 2:40). Again, this is not to suggest that salvation is in any way our doing. It is not. Without God's blessing, we have nothing to which we can respond. But we also realize that God will not force salvation on us. It is up to us by our voluntary free will to accept it what He has given us. Does this mean that we have to be perfect and not be found guilty of ANY violation of God’s commands in order to be saved? I don’t believe that is the case. I believe God’s grace is more powerful than any of us can ever fathom, and far be it from my intention to limit such a powerful manifestation of His love for us! I don’t believe there is a soul that will be saved that is deserving of it (Romans 5:8-9). Therefore, I am all for allowing God to sort out for Himself who He will and will not save. But does His grace justify ignoring what God expects of us with regard to our obeying Him? God forbid (Romans 6:1)!
I don’t believe it is so much “do this or go to Hell!” Perhaps this approach to Scripture is at least in part, why we have failed miserably to be the unified people that God wants (John 17; I Corinthians 1:10). I do think as we mature as Christians however, we come to understand that without truly loving Jesus, we cannot be a part of His kingdom. And Jesus did say that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15).
I pray that every aspect of our lives will be a continuous demonstration of our gratitude for God’s gift of salvation. I hope we will forever be committed to growth in Christ Jesus. Some sense of balance is what I am hoping to provide here.
I would love to hear your thoughts on some of these things. How do we balance these two concepts that are seemingly so conflicting? Is there a better way to convey what God wants of us? Please share your thoughts as we all strive to grow in our relationship with God and in our walk with His son.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
I wonder if a lot of the confusion is semantical, especially concerning the word "works."
I heard about a preacher who said, "Jesus didn't pay it all, because we have to do our part." Wow. That's an absurd way of trying to cover one's bases. You don't want to suggest that we play no part in our salvation when we do, but you also don't want to lay it all before us!
Good thoughts.
I fear that we focus so much on the death of the flesh that we neglect the fact that life is the goal and focus, and that more importantly God Himself is the goal and focus.
Freedom is of no use to the man who remains in jail. Too much focus on baptism leaves him behind bars, even if the door has been opened.
We need to speak of life in Christ, we need to live in Christ. Salvation is not the end all, except that it is the end to death. Life is what Christ came to give us!
I wonder if this mindset can help us deal with this issue of obedience. Letting people know about life, and urging them to do what they need to do so they can move on to what God came to give us. Not a focus on sin, but a focus on life that simply includes death to sin as an obvious and necessary step.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
I hope this helps and doesn't confuse anyone.
Cris, thank you for stopping by and for your comments. I believe you are correct in that Christ and "life" should be the focus above all else. If that is where one's heart is, the concept of obedience should take care of itself. Good thoughts!
Post a Comment