In my last post, Now what?, I set the premise of a person becoming a Christian. Let's say he believes his salvation is secure. He believes he is going to Heaven. Now what? Here, and on Facebook, I received answers that ranged from "If you've checked off the list, your done!" to referrals to I Corinthians 13.
First, our churches seem stuck in evangelism mode. The distinction between "saved" and "un-saved" seems lost on many churches. I hear so many sermons on the radio where the pastor is "preaching to the choir." Who is caring for, educating, encouraging, holding accountable those millions who are already "saved?" I want to make the distinction between "Faith by Works" and the "Works of Faith."
Christianity is simple, but complex. The ideas contained in Scripture are really simple. Living them out is complex. The church over-emphasizes the idea that we are not saved by our works to the point that, after we've accepted Christ, we excuse our bad behavior, believing that Christ has "got our back." Let me put it this way: A Calvinist, believing "once saved always saved" must exhibit evidence of salvation or else he wasn't ever truly saved. An Armenian, believing that one can lose his salvation, must exhibit evidence of salvation or else he will lose it. Either way, a Believer must exhibit evidence of salvation in his day-to-day life. He must "bear fruit."
First, our churches seem stuck in evangelism mode. The distinction between "saved" and "un-saved" seems lost on many churches. I hear so many sermons on the radio where the pastor is "preaching to the choir." Who is caring for, educating, encouraging, holding accountable those millions who are already "saved?" I want to make the distinction between "Faith by Works" and the "Works of Faith."
Christianity is simple, but complex. The ideas contained in Scripture are really simple. Living them out is complex. The church over-emphasizes the idea that we are not saved by our works to the point that, after we've accepted Christ, we excuse our bad behavior, believing that Christ has "got our back." Let me put it this way: A Calvinist, believing "once saved always saved" must exhibit evidence of salvation or else he wasn't ever truly saved. An Armenian, believing that one can lose his salvation, must exhibit evidence of salvation or else he will lose it. Either way, a Believer must exhibit evidence of salvation in his day-to-day life. He must "bear fruit."
The question is what does that evidence look like? What does the fruit look like? Again, the answer is simple and complex. Yes, we can look at I Corinthians 13. And we can also point to Matthew 22: 35-40. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." Simple! But digging deeper, what does it look like to love God and love my neighbor as myself on a day-to-day basis? Let's find out!
I love the idea of fruit. Plums, peaches, cherries, blueberries... definitely blueberries. Imagine how happy we'd make others with such.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in at Seedlings. Nice to see you again.
I am an athlete. I made a decision to want to race and be better at my sport. This desicion was not made to ensure my longevity and health, although oftentimes exercise and fitness result in longer healthier lives. Am I any greater of an athlete than the person that attempts to run their first 5K because I have finished an Ironman? Are the professionals of my sport better athletes than I because they dedicate their lives full-time to training? Their friuts are greater than mine. I would argue that it is the condition of my heart that makes the difference. I love my sport the same way a new athlete seeks for knowledge and loves their sport. We all want to grow, develop, and accomplish even greater things. The condition of my heart tells the truth through action.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be easy to call-out a couch potato that is 80 lbs overweight eating a bag of doritos calling himself an 'athlete'. What if this guy was exercising a few times a week to get in shape, would the condition of the heart would make him an athlete?
Is our Faith so different? Being a believer can be a label or a way of life. Our fruit will be evident if we seek Him long and hard enough. Thank God he can look at our hearts and I don't have to be the judge.