Thought for Today
Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah 32:38 They shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Mark 10:26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—
“We have in his death the complete fulfillment of salvation, for through it we are reconciled to God, his righteous judgment is satisfied, the curse is removed, and the penalty paid in full.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.16.13)
All actions have consequences. Sometimes the consequences are transient and temporal; sometimes the consequences are eternal. Sometimes the consequences are trivial; sometimes the consequences are substantial and crucial. “Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Hopefully, few of us lead such sinful lives that we are too fretted by considerations of our eternal salvation. However, equally hopefully, all of us are aware of another verse in the Epistle to the Romans, “3:23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Maybe we need to begin any consideration of salvation with a definition of sin: “Theologically, sin is the human condition of separation from God that arises from opposition to God’s purposes.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 261) Generally, that definition doesn’t seem too formattable . . . until one reads Mattew chapter 5. That chapter includes the Beatitudes. It also includes Jesus’ examples of the meaning behind the Commandments and the Law. For example, “5:21 ‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool,” you will be liable to the hell of fire.’”
Every time I read Matthew chapter 5, I find myself asking that same question asked by the disciples, "Then who can be saved?" If we all have sinned, and if sin is separation from God, how can I be saved? How can I ensure my own salvation? How do I undo the separation?
The answer, of course, is that I cannot. There are no words I can say, no salvific actions I can take that guarantee my own salvation. There is no magic formula, no silver bullet. Thankfully, there is no need for that because, as John so succinctly reminds us, “John 3:17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
Paul phrases it a bit differently above in his Epistle to the Ephesians. Essentially, the salvific action is entirely on God’s part. Our Creator God takes the initiative to not just bridge that separation but to destroy that separation. All I, all we have to do is have faith! We don’t have to say any magic words. All we have to do is believe.
It sounds so simple . . . and it is simple. However, even believing has consequences. James understood, “James 2:18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” And, he reminds us, “2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.”
We cannot truly, honestly believe without living lives that demonstrate our faith. We capture that truth in the hymn They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love. Our living faith, our belief in Jesus, the Christ, will shine forth through the lives which we live. Those lives will no longer be separated from God, because those lives will be fueled by the purpose of God, fully reflecting God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer, live to make it so, trust God
Pastor Ray