I'm glad I'm saved by grace and not by works. I'm glad my salvation is secure in Christ despite the number of times I have to repent in a day. I'm glad it's in the repentance that I am saved, and not in my own perfection for if my salvation had depended on my ability to not be faulted, then I might as well give up on my salvation.
If I were to have my thoughts of today played on the big screen for all to see and if every sinful thought carried a penalty, I might as well be jailed for life. Not that I thought of committing big crimes but the number of small thoughts and acts that were of my sinful selfish motivations and human nature would have added up without me even realising the sins I've been committing.
So, thank you Jesus for the free gift of salvation. I repent of my inability to keep a straight clean record. Your righteousness is beyond me, for I am born a sinner. I am righteous only by your death and resurrection, and the blood you shed for me. Just help me to be a better person for your name sake and for the reputation of your kingdom! Thank you that I've got you. How do people do life without you? What a burden they would carry! Thank you for delivering me from that burden. I love you.
9 comments:
You are very correct in that we are saved by grace, for nothing that we can do is sufficient to salvation. But do not forget that works are necessary to show our faith! James 2:18 says "show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." Then verse 20 goes on to say that "faith without works is dead". Works can't save us alone, but it is our good works that show our faith!
Hi patience. I agree. That's another point in another post of mine.
How often do we allow ourselves to just sit under the shadow of the Almighty and relish in the fact that we are saved by grace alone without needing to feel guilty for our innate sinfulness of our human nature, which we cannot totally get rid off until we are in heaven?
How often do we feel the guilt and need to run around like Martha so that God will be pleased with us instead of knowing that He already is just as we are.
I believe a true revelation of that will change our hearts towards good works which reveals our faith but even then we are still human and will remain sinful till we die. I believe there's no perfection on earth that is attainable. Earthly life is in a state of constant degeneration and will always be marred by sin and imperfections no matter how good we may have become.
I do not think grace is suffucient - works and an earnest desire to lead a holy life are also important. They may beinsufficient, but the are important.
We try and we fail, but if we do not try, I do not believe we recieve the grace of foregiveness.
Besides, I am sure you are not that sinful. Be careful not to fall into the trap of believing that you are not ever worthy. After all, God Himself says in 1 Timothy 4:4 "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected"
Being a bit of a drama queen today?
Richard, Haha... that depends on what you consider dramatic. :o) Being a drama queen isn't quite me, or so I think!!
Well, ok, I haven't done anything against the law of our system and society, and it'll probably not warrant jailing me at all in the standards of our world today but in God's perfect standard, I fail everyday so I have to repent daily. Isn't every sin a sin, no matter how big or small? So therefore I cannot, hard as I try, in my own effort be sinless.
I agree God made everything good and nothing is to be rejected but that doesn't take away the fact that man in our own choice, choose to sin and have to suffer that consequences - ie. marred from our own sinful nature. But, of course, GOd did not make us with a sinful nature, he made us good and perfect. I call our sinful nature the generational sin passed down from generation to generation. We've got no choice in the matter.
I also think, if a person claims to be a christian but have not changed an iota in their character, then my question would be, "Did they ever repent and receive salvation in the first place?" rather than "Can they lose their salvation?". Salvation can be a process and sometimes, that process has not quite yet complete. Sometimes it the process happens instantly in a person, and receives salvation and begins the process of transformation.
Amen. God's grace & faithfulness makes life meaningful.
Hello small s! Nice to hear from you! Have been slack with reading blogs but just finished tax returns so hopefully got plenty of time now!
I have been pondering this for a while because I don't know how to answer. Clearly, this is another of those places we disagree (or maybe we agree but express it differently).
For me, repentance is not sufficient. One also requires a sincere confession of the faith one desires to espouse as well as baptism. In fact, in my faith tradition, baptism is very important for the cleansing of sin.
As to the notion that one is saved … hmmm … while I would like to believe that I am, I believe I have to wait until I am dead to know. For me, salvation is only attained by leading a life that is worthy of God - not just because I joined "The Jesus Club". (of course, all this is going to lead back to a long discussion we had several posts ago).
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," – Matt 28:19
(apologies if this was posted multiple times, but blogger kept dying).
Richard, didn't mean to take so long to answer but time seems to pass in a blink of an eye.
There are things that I see as events that help us identify where a person is at in their faith. Things like baptism of water, baptism of the holy spirit, the confession of one's faith, the change in a person's character and focus in ife. When you see those things, it's like the person is saying as publicly as they can that they are believe in Christ and are disciples of Christ. So they are important milestones in a Christian's walk.
But, are they crucial to one's salvation? That's where the thought of someone who repents a minute before he dies comes to mind. He wouldn't have had the time to do baptism so does that mean he won't be saved? To me, the verse that says All that call on His name will be saved (Romans somewhere... no bible with me now) means all will be saved. And I think that is God's perogative to know who has truly repented and who hasn't. Also, the thief on the cross next to Jesus, who repented
just before he died, comes to mind too. He wouldn't have had time for water baptism but yet Jesus said, he'll be with him in paradise.
Therefore I believe some salvations are easier to determine then others (but still, ultimately, only God can know the hearts of men) coz some are pretty obvious and some we just won't know till we get to heaven. But, the cruz of salvation I believe is true repentance and the grace of God alone. Transformation is a lifelong process, and is not the determining factor for salvation, which is given there and then when we believe in Jesus.
I think where we differ is where I differentiate the two processes- Salvation and Transformation, whereas you see the two as one and the same?
Anyway, it's good to know where you stand. I always enjoy knowing a person's worldview.
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