"Why, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" Philippians:2:12
Over the centuries there has been a kind-of tension within the body of Christ regarding Grace and Works. We see evidence in Scripture that we are saved apart from works, yet, works are a part of the Christian life and experience.
Some have swung in the opposite direction that
Christians should not do good works at all, that how we live, or do not live,
really does not matter. Others still however anguish on in life uncertain.
Hanging in the Balance
There have been Christians whom I have met, who
believe that their salvation is somehow a questionable proposition, some nearly
in tears filled with apprehension as to IF they
will have eternal life or not, that it somehow hangs in the balance.
They launch into much "religious" activity,
for they fear that if they do not "do" enough
good, or "know" enough or "deprive" themselves enough, or have a particular "experience” then they may not "qualify" for the salvation that they seek.
These Christians believe, with some rather entrenched convictions, that they
will be found "wanting" when they face
their Lord Jesus Christ.
All these things, in moderation may be good, but are they good enough for
us to somehow earn or merit salvation or to "qualify" for
it?
Addition to Grace
Where do additions to Grace come from? There
are many "additions" to Grace that is, things
which humans’ ad to the Grace which God extends to any and all who will receive
it. Some additions, (and there are as many as there are people), could be grouped into the
following:
Ascetical Grace -That is self-deprivation plus Grace brings salvation.
Esoterical Grace- That is special knowledge
or understanding plus Grace held by a few brings salvation.
Ecstatical Grace-That is an experience plus Grace
brings salvation.
Sacerdotal Grace- That is participation in a given
sacrament plus Grace brings salvation.
Why These Additions?
Where have these additions come from and why
are they here? How have they come to be attached to the Grace of God? Well, one
reason they are present in the lives of Christians and fellowships is, that at
heart human begins are legalistic.
We find it hard to take in the idea that God
would offer us something freely, after all the world we live in does not
operate like that. In the world we live, and move within, nothing is freely
given, there are always conditions something that needs to be done in order for
us to receive.
The Legalistic Person
When we have additions to Grace, we tend to
compare ourselves with one another, to measure our own performance. This is
again, due to our built-in legalism.
The legalism manifests its self in two ways,
either the legalistic person will over value their own performance and it
manifest it as self-righteousness or they under value their performance and it
manifest its self as self-condemnation.
The legalistic person can never be at rest.
There is always something undone, or not done well enough, they do not know
enough, or have not manifest some spiritual evidence. They cannot be at rest.
They feel condemned nagged by "guilt" and
what they perceive as failure for their lack or spiritual inadequacies.
Others however, stride about with criticism of
those around them who have not obtained their level of "spiritual maturity".
We all need to recall the words of St. Paul:
Working It Out
So how do we understand Scriptures like:
"Why, my beloved, as you have
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in m y absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" Philippians:2:12
Jeremiah the Prophet was moved to say that "the way of a man is not
in himself" Jeremiah:10:23, he
understood that humanity simply cannot and will not live the life that our God
calls us to live.
St. Paul address this same issue in the
Epistle to the Philippians that we need God to touch us at the level of the
spirit and give us even the desire to know him.
"For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure." Philippians: 2:13
This means that the very desire to live the Christian life is
given to us by God Himself which should encourage us to know that God has laid
that desire upon us.
There are somehow ever who want to assume that
this desire comes from themselves , it is a way by which some
attempt to take a measure of credit for their for their salvation.
The Philippians were living in a community that was made up largely of
retired military people, they were used to be "self-sufficient", or
looking to a human power base, now they had to come to see that it is all
about what Jesus has done, and is doing in the lives of Christians, not what
they or any other has done. That they, and we, need to rely upon Jesus alone.
First, there is not enough time or space in any one article or many articles to
expound upon this subject of Grace and works, when we read such verses do we
ask the first question we should always ask which is Who is Jesus Christ?
If we can just take hold of Jesus and what he has accomplish for us, then we
can have a better grip on the questions at hand.
Who is Jesus?
St. John the beloved Apostle, calls Jesus "the Word ",
who has always been. Jesus, who is with and is God John:1:1, and this "Word" became one of us, (14)..."the Word became flesh", that
is, he is incarnate in the flesh, in our own humanity.
Why start with the Incarnation?...It is generally understood in historic
Christian teaching ,that Jesus is Fully God and Fully Human, as being one
"person" with two natures, yet , with full wholeness of each nature , and there is neither a
diminishing or augmenting of either ,
meaning Jesus is simultaneously both, not one or the other, or half of each.
Jesus is God and worthy of all our worship ,
adoration and praise, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit , yet Jesus
is one with us through the flesh that Jesus shares with us, being "us" he could die for "us", that is , humanity as a whole. Being
fully God, Jesus' life is worth more than the sum total of all of
"us" combined. This makes Jesus not just a “potential"
Savior, contingent upon something we do or do not do, but he the Savior of us
already, what happens is, we through the leading of the Holy Spirit, come to
see what is and eternally true, that Jesus is the One and only Savior of humanity, us.
When we come to believe this, we experience
the salvation that Jesus has secured for us if we will but freely receive it.
"For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach,
because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of
those that believe." 1Tim:4:10
It Is Finished
One of the last of the seven sacred utterances
of our Lord on the cross was "it is finished” John: 19:30 The Greek word recorded in St. John's
account and translated as "It is finished” is
"tetelestai" , meaning paid in full, there is nothing left outstanding the
dept is now and forever canceled. Only Jesus could do this, we could not save
ourselves, if we could, we would not need a Savoir.
Salvation required a Savior that we might rely upon him in faith rather than our own efforts which would end in failure. Jesus did for us what none of us could do for ourselves. When we see Jesus for who he is, perfect deity and sinless humanity, fully God and fully human, then there are no additions which need be attached to grace.
The canceling of the debt of sin, gives us the promises of salvation if we will
but freely receive it by grace. It cannot be merited or earned by our performance.
Even the faith to receive salvation is a gift from God and dose not find its
origins within ourselves, for our faith would be inadequate as is our human
righteousness.
"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God:" Ephesian:2:8
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and
all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our
iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah: 64:6
Salvation all is by and through Jesus alone.
Works and Grace
There has been this tension from the very
foundation of the church between "works and grace"
for some the idea that Salvation is is ours by simply by grace is too easy,
therefore too hard for them. Some want to be able to "contribute" somehow to this salvation.
There is a misunderstanding that embracing
grace will cause Christians to abandon a righteous life style and descend into
lasciviousness. But this is not the grace of Scripture. St. Paul speaks of this
very notion in Romans
"What shall we say, then? Shall we
go on sinning so that grace may increase?" Romans: 6:1
The grace of the Bible leads us not to sin but
rather deeper into the righteousness of our Lord, St. Paul’s answer is found in
the very next verse.
"By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any
longer?" (2)
St. Paul then speaks of the transformed life, living in the very life of Jesus
and the transformed life Jesus gives to us all.
Grace is not an abandonment of doing good as some mistakenly believe, rather ,
it is the true recognition of who Jesus is and all that he did for each of us;
this transforms us inside and out we are now new creations in him.
"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to
all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,"Titus:2:11-12b
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation
has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2Corinthians:5:17
We then live out that salvation and works done are merely the evidence of what
is now true for us. The works are indications that we have come to believe, we
are "working out our salvation", that is, giving
expression to it, letting it have full reign of our lives letting it be shown
forth.
We do good works because of the salvation that
we have, but not to earn that salvation. In other words, we do not have
salvation because we do good works but rather, we do good works because we do
have salvation.
If we have come to believe in Jesus Christ and have experienced the grace of God,
we will not be able to keep it to ourselves it will move us to reach out to
others in love to shear that love that our Lord has so graciously shown toward
us.
We cannot earn it, we cannot deserve it, it is ours through our Lord Jesus
alone.
Grace works to transform us giving us a new
life so that we might show forth all that our Lord has accomplished for us all.
Grace works in us nothing need be added to it, Jesus has done it all we do not
have to work for salvation.
Benediction: May we each and all live out
the salvation accomplished for us and given so freely through the loving Grace
of our God, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen
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Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
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