Saved by what?

     It seems, for years, that there has been a debate as to whether we're saved by grace or works.  It's everywhere.  But is this even a matter of dispute, or just a skirting of the real issue?  I believe the basis for this argument stems from the premise of "is God saving us" (grace), or, "are we saving ourselves" (works).  Since both words are used in scripture, the real questions are "what does each word mean, and if they are connected, how do they work together?  As I already stated, both words are found in scripture, so to throw one out would be a spiritual mistake.  I believe the Lord has a purpose for their uses, and it behooves us to understand His meaning and purpose for both.  Let's begin by examining each word individually.

     Grace, as defined by Webster's dictionary, is stated as "unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification".  I believe the key word here is "unmerited".  Perhaps the word "undeserving" could aptly be used here as well.  Either case, "divine assistance" is the driving force behind grace.  Let's examine a few scriptures, and see what we can determine about grace.  John 1:16 reads "For in the beginning was the Word, even the Son, who is made flesh, and sent unto us by the will of the Father. And as many as believe on his name shall receive of his fullness. And of his fullness have all we received, even immortality and eternal life, through his grace."  Acts 15:11 also states "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they."  Finally, from Romans 3:24 "Therefore being justified only by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;".  Obviously, there are an abundance of scriptures that make it very clear that we are saved by grace alone, through the mercy of Jesus Christ.  While I could add more references, suffice it to say that the point has been made.  We were lost through sin; we were helpless and could not save ourselves.  Christ had to come, and sacrifice himself so that we could be forgiven, and, by His grace, have the opportunity to receive eternal life.  End of discussion.

     So, where do works come in?  Well, simply put, belief is not enough.  WHAT?!!  You heard me.  To only believe in Jesus, as Delbert Smith once coined the term, is the "devil level".  If you recall, when Jesus cast the demons out of the man in the cemetery, those demons called the Lord by his name, acknowledging him, and asking him to cast them into the sea.  Those devils knew Jesus; better than any of us do.  But are they saved?  NO.  Because their WORKS betrayed them.  Let me, at this point, share with you an eternal truth:  You cannot keep a spiritual principle without expressing it temporally.  I cannot tell my wife I love her without expressing it temporally; by providing food, raiment, love, support, etc.  And this truth extends eternally.  For God so loved the world, that he expressed his love temporally-he GAVE his only begotten Son.  Consider the words of Jesus himself, given in Matthew 16:30 "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."  Or think about this statement considering Jesus himself from  Matthew 13:59 "And he did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief."  Amazing!  Even Jesus had works accounted unto him.  And in his hometown, he could do little, because of the unbelief of those who dwelt there.  And finally, from Revelation 20:12-13 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works."  Notice the word "every"; no getting around this point.  Now, I know the problem with the word "work"; it sounds as if what is being done is by our idea, our planning, and our labor.  It's not.  It's a natural response to the grace of God.  Kind of like when you have the opportunity to witness of Jesus, you don't do it because "you're supposed to"; you do it because you have such a relationship with him that any time you're presented with an opportunity, something inside you has to express itself.  Personally, I like to use the word "fruit" when talking of our response.  Read John 15 for a better understanding.  Either way, we are judged by our response to grace.

     So, why the hub-bub?  I'll impose my thought here, since this is my blog.  The reason a lot of Christians bristle at the thought of works is because many want to simply accept Jesus as their Savior, but not their King.  They want easy salvation.  But even as Jesus suffered for righteousness, so must we.  The "once saved, always saved" term is not scriptural.  Being saved, by grace, is the key that unlocked the door of our prison cell.  It is up to us to conduct ourselves in a manner that will not send us back.  Humanity wants free stuff, with no accountability.  Jesus didn't die to give us a free path.  He died so we could again have the opportunity to get back on the path, and there, show our loyalty to our Lord.  We do this through our works, or the fruit we bare.  This is the point made by the Apostle James in the second chapter of his epistle: "What profit is it, my brethren, for a man to say he hath faith, and hath not works? can faith save him? Yea, a man may say, I will show thee I have faith without works; but I say, show me thy faith without works, and I will show thee my faith by my works."  To put it simply, grace is the expression of God's love toward us, and works, or fruit is the expression of our love toward God, which is what we will be judged by.  You see, the two work together, for the salvation of man, and to the glory of God.  if we're ever to experience the Kingdom of God here, on earth, it must begin with our submission to the will of God in our lives.  As we are saved by grace, let us be diligent in bearing fruit meet for the Kingdom.  God bless.

Never Far Away

     Proverbs 3:5 tells us "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."  I fear we trust too much in the arm of flesh, not only our own wisdom, but in those whom we trust, which includes those in high position.  I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but the times in which we live dictate that we must constantly seek the mind and will of God, if we are ever to survive these last days.  

     A few years ago, we had, at the branch I was attending, a visiting minister who spoke under, what he felt, was the power of the Spirit.  Let me say here that I am a believer in latter day prophets, and the gifts of the Spirit.  I don't believe these expressions have been done away with, as many denominations pronounce.  But, this particular message that was given disturbed me; not just because I didn't agree with all he stated, but that I had no witness of the Spirit that any of his words were from the Lord.  While several other priesthood confirmed the message, I was left in an unenviable position, because I had to state my concern over said message.  I found myself in the minority, opposite of those whom I knew and respected.  It weighed heavily upon me, and in a short time, caused me to begin to doubt my ability to recognize the Lord's Spirit.  

     At this juncture, I close my thoughts about the instance referred to above, because it was never concluded; the subject was just sort of, dropped.  But, the point of my testimony doesn't really involve the above stated problem, but rather, the situation of darkness that I allowed myself to fall into.  You see, I began to doubt, not only my ability to recognize the Spirit, but doubt the Lord's willingness to help me through my situation.  I actually took myself off the branch schedule for a time, and began to believe that I should not be trying to bring any ministry because of the state I found myself in.  As time went on, and my prayers seemingly unanswered, I began to be bitter toward the Lord.  

     At this time in my life, I was still working as the caretaker for our church campground, so I could set my problems aside and immerse myself in all of the chores that accompany such a position.  One particular morning, my mind wandered to the 49th chapter of Isaiah which reads: "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.  But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.  Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."  It appeared, to me, that perhaps I was selling the Lord short on his dedication.  

     As I pondered these verses, I set about to clean the A/C units in the cabins, which meant pull each out, and wash the unit properly.  They are large and heavy; really a job for 2, but when there's just you, you adapt.  On the outside of each cabin was a large, metal box, with louvers that allow for air flow to each unit.  The process was simple: pull off inside cover, unscrew the bolt that kept the unit in place, then pull it out and set it in the back of the truck.  But, after following these steps, the unit wouldn't move.  I tried the next, and the next, with no success.  I finally called a friend that was in the heating and cooling business, but he couldn't figure out the problem either.  After he left, I offered a prayer, asking for forgiveness, and a solution to my difficulty.  Nothing.  Just more frustration.  I began to complain to the Lord, but all I really did was condemn myself for lack of faith.  I was now convinced that the Lord had abandoned me.  I went into the second cabin and began to sweep the floor, figuring it was something I could accomplish without divine help.  I got so frustrated with the situation, that I began to weep.  I didn't know what to do with myself.  As I sat on one of the bunks, crying like a baby, a vagrant thought entered my mind: "look between the louvers".  What a silly thought!  I quickly dismissed it.  But again it came, only this time, it came with power.  "Look between the louvers".  I recognized this voice.  So, I walked outside and looked between the louvers.  I then saw one screw, that was easily accessible, holding the unit in place.  I then checked all the other cabins, only to find the same thing-one screw holding the unit in place.  (Note: I am in tears, even now, as I am typing this testimony, because the Spirit is confirming itself to me.)  My heart leaped within me.  I have not been forsaken.  The Lord had tested me, and came to me at my time of weakness.  I immediately went up to the house and shared the experience with my wife. 

     I'm not exactly sure why this testimony came to me, or the urging to place it on this blog.  Perhaps someone needs to be reminded that we are never too far that Jesus cannot reclaim us.  Sometimes the answer to our dilemma is just to be patient and believe.  II Chronicles 16:9 tells us "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."  Think about this.  With all of the duties that the Lord has in managing the ENTIRE universe, he still constantly is watching over his most valuable creation, us, hoping for a faith that would enable Him to show Himself strong to us, and bless us!  God doesn't take vacations, or sleep, or engage in any activity that would ever allow himself to be drawn away from us.  So, the next time you feel separated from God, ask yourself: Who moved?  He is always true and faithful to us.

     It is my desire, that as you read this, His Spirit would confirm the testimony, and call you to repentance.  His desire is that you would be brought back into His presence, to dwell with Him eternally.  And remember, we need not wait for death to take us to begin to experience this eternal life.  John 3:36 tell us "he who believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life."  The word "hath" is present tense.  God is actively seeking you.  Just look to Him and believe.  "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you" is the promise that He made.  May He be alive in you, that His light might be a testimony through you to others.  God bless.