Salvation
is given by God. Can we all agree on that? I didn't earn it. I
don't deserve it. God would be perfectly just to judge me according
to my sins BUT because He is loving and merciful, He has made
salvation possible through the shed blood of His only Son. By
believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus and by accepting Him
as my Lord, I am saved (Romans 10:). End of story....
or is
it? You see, there are some people who believe that, while salvation
may be a free gift, we have to work to keep it. So even though some
call it a “free” gift, they still believe it comes with a
lifetime of conditions. We could be the most vile sinner ever and be
saved, right? But once we're saved, we'd better become sinless or we
will meet the same fate we faced before coming to Christ. Before I
even get into the Scripture, let me say that something about that
just doesn't sound right. Christ will forgive a wallowing pig but
will condemn a dirty sheep? Hmm.
In my
second
post of this series, I talked about the transforming nature of
salvation. When we become saved, we are a new creature. Our old
selves are passed away and we are born new of the Spirit. That is
the picture of salvation given in the Bible. If we believe that we
could lose our salvation, it makes salvation seem more of a status –
something that could change. It's like going to work for a new
company; as long as we work there, we enjoy the benefits of our
employment but we could be fired or we could leave and then we would
be the same person we were before. In this light, salvation isn't
transforming but, rather, is conditional.
Therefore
you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord
Jesus Christ to be revealed. He
will also keep you firm to the end,
so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Cor 1:7-8)
Wherefore
he is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come
unto God by him, seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them.
(Heb 7:25)
Being
confident of this very thing, that he
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ:
(Philippians 1:6)
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to
his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you, Who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.
(1Peter 1:3-5)
You
can see from these verses that the same God who saved us also keeps
us. We aren't kept by feeble works of the flesh any more than we
were saved by feeble works of the flesh. How can we possibly
reconcile the idea of losing our salvation with the idea that our
salvation is kept by the power of God? Is God able to save us but
not keep us?
Jesus
Himself often testified that He keeps those that the Father gives
Him.
And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every
one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting
life: and I will raise him up at the last day.... Whoso eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him
up at the last day. (John
6:39-40, 54)
The
flesh and blood in this passage is a reference to the crucifixion,
where Jesus give His life as an atonement for the sins of the world.
By “eating” His flesh and “drinking” His blood, Jesus says we
have eternal life and with that He makes another promise - “I
will raise him up at the last day.” There
is nothing about that verse that is ambiguous.
Our
salvation is not a “one and done.” The sacrifice of Jesus didn't
only forgive some of our sins – those committed before accepting
Him. His blood covers all of our sins, those we have committed and
those we will commit. This is expressed in several familiar passages
but I believe some people don't grasp what is being said. David
said, “mercy
will follow me all the days of my life”
(Psalm 23:6). John said, “For
of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace”
(John 1:16).
I
wasn't just forgiven once; I'm forgiven continuously. Every day is
new mercy. Every day is new grace. Every day God pours out new
blessings upon me, not because of my obedience but because of
Christ's obedience. Am I so vain that I think I can obey God in my
flesh? Is my opinion of Christ's sacrifice so small that I believe
His blood will not cover my next sin? Will I rob God of His glory by
claiming it is my works that keep my salvation and not Him? No, no,
and no!
Read
the entire series:
LOVE THIS!
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