How do we reconcile the seeming contradiction between salvation by grace, through faith, and the commandments to serve the Lord?
The difficulties disappear when we learn that acceptable works before the Lord are works done as a labor of love, rather then as an attempt to earn anything from Him.
Shortly after my conversion I discovered Ephesians 2:8-9 in the Bible. This is a blessed truth! An assurance that God offers me salvation in spite of my inability to earn it.
Sometime later I noticed the tenth verse of the same chapter, which tells me that the Lord has works for me to do; works prepared from eternity past. Such works are not to earn salvation, but they are a legitimate expression of the reality of having become a new creation in Christ.
The Apostle James blends the themes of grace and works together in the second chapter of his writings by stating: "...Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18).
Most extreme viewpoints lead to error. For instance, some today seem to believe that because salvation is of grace, it really doesn't matter how we live. Others seem to believe that we must fearfully labor for the Lord with the hope that we might be found worthy to escape the wrath to come. Both concepts are totally wrong!
The Lord desires to draw us close to Him and work in us both, to will, and to do of His good pleasure. In order for this to happen, we must daily spend time with Him- time in prayer and in His word, allowing the Holy Spirit to establish His will in our hearts and minds.
Whenever this begins to seem burdensome, I would encourage you to turn your thoughts to what He has done for you. John 3:16 is a good place to begin. And, as we meditate upon His tremendous love for us, we find that it's really not difficult to follow someone who cares for us that much.
Have you spent time with Him today? If not, then why not pause right now and thank Him for His unspeakable gift of salvation.
God Bless
Welcome!
My prayer is that you will find something here that will encourage you to love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. In this day of cheap grace and easy and crossless discipleship, I have a sense of urgency to challenge Christians to make their calling and election sure by examining their life in light of the teachings of God's eternal word.
These entries are not intended to be strictly of a devotional nature, rather, my burden is to issue a challenge, or a wake-up call, if you will, to a Church that is, at present, more closely aligned with the world than with the teachings of the Lord.
I invite you to contact me via email with questions or comments that you may have
web-rev@sbcglobal.net
God bless you as you seek and serve Him.
These entries are not intended to be strictly of a devotional nature, rather, my burden is to issue a challenge, or a wake-up call, if you will, to a Church that is, at present, more closely aligned with the world than with the teachings of the Lord.
I invite you to contact me via email with questions or comments that you may have
web-rev@sbcglobal.net
God bless you as you seek and serve Him.
