Re: A vacuous and dangerous argument
Submitted by GCF on July 10 2001 02:35:47
In reply to A vacuous and dangerous argument submitted by Forgiven on July 8 2001 03:37:10
|
>>>If someone is truly committed to Christ.... then in the end they will both do God's will and end up with God for eternity. >>But the only proof that they are really committed to Christ is that they do God's will (as James argues....) You're right that this is the only 'proof' from our perspective. However, there is also the relationship between that person and God, which no one else can judge, and only God can know for sure. But someone who is born-again is saved, and cannot be unsaved. That kind of salvation cannot be undone, and God will find some good to come out of that person's life, even if there is also much not good going on at times. Even born-again Christians are not perfect in this life, but they are to be made perfect, by God, and they are definitely saved. Good works are the fruit of a saved Christian life, but good works do not make one saved. Salvation is a free gift of grace, to which we can add NOTHING. >>The danger lies in the prospect that people will interpret this as a green light to gratuitously ignore what God is telling us - and in practice end up turning their backs on God because they have never really been born again. This danger is always present in the proclamation of the gospel. That is why Paul had to write about it in Romans. He knew that by proclaiming grace as the basis of salvation, there would be some people who would misuse it as a license to sin. But he was not willing to shy away from proclaiming grace because of that. There is a wonderful book by Chuck Swindoll--I think it's called The Grace Awakening--that addresses this issue. The matter of salvation is comes before the matter of good works, and as a happening, salvation occurs separately from them. The truth is, you don't HAVE to do good works to be saved. Sorry to say, but that is what the Bible says. However, anyone who truly IS saved WILL do good works, not in order to become saved, but out of gratitude for being saved, and love for God and others. The act of salvation and being born again comes 100% from God, and there is not one little thing that we can do to earn or deserve it. I don't believe that Christians ought to do good works out of a sense of trying to impress God or "earn" his favor--as if God needed anything. And it is certainly wrong to try to "hold on" to your salvation by being good. There is no point in expending effort to hold on to something that can't be lost. However, there is much we can do to thank God for our salvation and use his gifts wisely, as oppoesd to squandering them. In the end, doing good in order to be saved is actually a selfish attitude. *I* want to be saved, so *I* am doing good and being a Christian so that *I* will go to heaven and not to hell. As opposed to the true Christian way, which is, Thank God he has saved me and loves me, now I am free to love my neighbor as myself. The Holy Spirit plants the desire to obey and serve within us, we don't have to try to scrounge it up on our own. You may not agree with my view--that is OK. We don't have to agree, but my nick stands for "grace comes first", so I will always emphasize grace--this is what I believe. |
Follow ups: