Yesterday we had a sermon that at it’s start made me expect a fairly commonplace message-the sermon topic was that salvation is through Christ alone. However, I was surprised to find myself being challenged by the sermon in new ways…a few thoughts I want to pass along.
-As we know, salvation is through Christ alone, this is not limited to the intial conversion, but to all of life. Our ongoing sanctification is also through Christ alone, possible only by the grace of God. How often do we try to grow on our own power? I know I often focus on doing the right things, reading my Bible, praying enough, giving money, taking care of the poor, etc. It is not by religion (or religious acts) that we are able to grow, but by a faith relationship with Jesus. So simple, so obvious, yet so easy to overlook and ignore. I want to know what a faith relationship with Jesus is like.
-You can’t ever be good enough, clean enough on your own. How can doing what you were supposed to be doing all along make up for what you failed to do in the past? NOTHING you do in the future can make up for the past because all we would be doing is what we were supposed to do to begin with. There is no way we can do enough good to make up for the bad we have done, because let’s face it, from the very beginning we were supposed to be doing that good. There is no line saying this is all the good you need to do anything after this is just bonus stuff. I could live a perfect life from here on out and it wouldn’t be able to make up for ONE mistake in the past. That’s the way it is. Only someone who has always been perfect, who has never messed up can take that away.
Such simple reminders, such obvious truths, but I definitely needed to be reminded that even now, especially now, it’s still about God’s grace and not my actions.
Pondering Wanderer 