Word of the Week - Salvation
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8
The essence of the Christian faith, or any faith for that matter, is the end game and where we spend eternity. Salvation in and through Christ is the end game for Christians and as believers it is a primary focus and motivation to know and follow Christ. Our eternal destiny is a big deal since we are all going to transition from life on earth to somewhere else after our physical death, which is inevitable for all of us. There are a few things that are certain and no one can deny, and one of those is the fact that we are all going to die, it is just a matter of time. This is not a popular topic but it is a reality that we must all face in the journey of life. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born and a time to die” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 That being said, the “Great News” of Jesus Christ is that He came to earth lived, was crucified by death on a cross and rose again with the primary mission of bringing Salvation to all. What is amazing is that He did all of the hard work and sacrificed all for us, we simply have to believe and receive the “free gift” of Salvation. This is the gospel message, the Good News of our Christian faith.
The biggest challenge we face in this process is ourselves and our way of thinking. Since we live in a world where we work to produce to earn our keep, and justify ourselves, we tend to believe that God works in a similar way. This is even how many religions characterize Salvation, if your good works outweigh your sin then you will be accepted and have your reward. On the contrary, Jesus makes it very clear throughout His Word that our Salvation is about one thing, the person of Jesus and what He did on the cross. We can never be good enough or do enough good works to earn acceptance by God, it is simply not possible because we are sinful and human. The amazing news of our faith is that we don’t have to be good enough, we simply have to accept and receive what Christ did for us on the cross and fully believe by faith and we will have eternal life. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
So what about good works? As Christians aren’t we supposed to be salt and light to the world and produce fruit of the spirit? Yes, but this fruit is not produced by us it is produced by Christ at work within us. The fruit and good works of a believer are simply a biproduct of believing and knowing Christ. So the work of a believer is to pursue and know Christ through an abiding relationship and He takes care of the rest. “I am the vine and you are the branches, if you abide in me I will abide and you and you will produce much fruit but apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 The really cool thing is that the more we get to know the person of Christ the more we want to love Him by following His commands and loving others. So our motivation to do good works is born out of love and gratitude and not driven by fear. Finally, when we trust God by believing in Jesus and become true followers of Christ, we are not just saved but we are fully justified and adopted as co-heirs with Christ. So we are actually part of God’s family and have access to the same powers and privileges of Christ. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by Him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:14-17. I know this is very hard to believe but it is what God’s word tells us.
So let’s rejoice in our Salvation and walk in the fullness of God’s spirit as sons and daughters of the living God justified freely by our faith through the blood of the lamb of Christ. This is truly good news that should embolden us as we begin 2019.
-Duane