This is the second in a series of blogs on Salvation as a part of the Armor of God.
The Bible describes how we are saved, and it is very clear; we are saved by grace! Yet many Christians lose sight of this truth and practice something entirely different, thinking they are saved by works. Apparently, this has been an issue since the early church began. I have pondered why this is on several occasions but when I was meditating on a passage in Philippians, I received some clarity on the matter.
In Philippians 3:1 we are told, “For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, …”, and verses 9-11 state, “… I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”
There is nothing that we have, or could obtain, or could give up, that will save us. There is nothing that we do, or could do, or not do, that will save us. What saves us is our complete dependence, in faith, on who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us by suffering while here on earth, by dying on the cross for our sins, and then rising from the dead. His resurrection from the dead demonstrates His mighty power and is the hope for our resurrection from the dead, and to be with Him forever.
Once we acknowledge that we are sinners, and then accept what Jesus Christ did for us, WE ARE SAVED AND WE ARE FORGIVEN! This knowledge and acceptance of God’s salvation prompts us to repent; to change our actions and behaviors in response to the gratitude we have for what He did for us. We should willingly die to self not letting our selfish desires control us anymore. We should willingly obey God’s word and the leading of His Spirit within us because we want to honor Him; not because we think that these actions on our part will save us. With this attitude of gratitude, we are then associated with Him. When we suffer persecution because we follow Him then we are associated with His suffering and His sacrifice. As a result, because of our faith in Him we will be exalted with Him at the resurrection from the dead.
As I considered the passage in Philippians, I thought of several examples that help explain what an attitude of gratitude means. Parents try to teach their children what they should or should not do. For example, we try to teach our children not to steal. A child will be confronted with the desire to steal and their actions are generally based on one of the following behaviors.
Behavior One: As a child we respect and appreciate our parents and believe what they tell us, that stealing in wrong. Initially, our convictions about stealing are based on our parents' convictions. Over time this belief turns into our own conviction and forms our value system against stealing. We truly believe it is wrong and we don't steal. In essence, we are associated with our parents' convictions, but we act on our own, because we behave this way whether or not our parents are present.
Behavior Two: In spite of what a child was taught by their parents (or society/peer groups), they may justify that stealing is okay. In other words, their value system justifies stealing. However, out of respect for their parents (not wanting to disappoint or embarrass them), they don't steal. So outwardly they obey what their parents tried to teach them about stealing, but inwardly their value system does not support their actions and it does not lead to a convictional belief against stealing. They are obeying only because they think that their restraint from stealing will make them acceptable to their parents.
Extending Behavior Two to society as a whole, people will not steal out of fear of prosecution; not wanting to get caught and spend time in prison. So outwardly they obey what society/peer groups try to teach them about stealing, but inwardly their value system does not support their actions and it does not lead to a convictional belief against stealing. They are obeying only because they are afraid of the consequence. In essence, the motivation is that they believe they will be acceptable to society/peer groups because they don't steal.
Behavior Three: In spite of what a child was taught by their parents or society/peer groups, they may justify that stealing is okay. In other words, their value system justifies stealing, and they have no respect for parents, societal laws, or peer group standards and expectations. They may have a fear of prosecution, so they steal when they think they can get away with it. These people do not even respect God and what He did for them through Jesus Christ. They are not seeking His salvation but living according to their own beliefs.
Many people who go to church demonstrate Behavior Two above. They may be Christians, and they may have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. But they are not repentant, and their faith is not grounded in convictions based on the word of God. Their convictions are based on the belief that their actions will save them. They are not using the helmet of salvation that the Lord provides, and they will falter when attacked because their reasoning and situational awareness of the battle is not based on God’s word.
Behavior One above is the desired attitude of gratitude we should strive for in our relationship with Jesus Christ; where His truth becomes the convictions that we live by. The knowledge of God’s grace and unmerited favor toward us to save us, is the helmet that protects our thoughts from being crushed and despairing when we face a world that appears successful and daunting. We can be shaken by the circumstances we face but not stirred away in our situational awareness as believers in Jesus Christ. The knowledge of our salvation keeps us centered in our faith and gives us the confidence to stand with conviction as a child of God.
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All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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