“But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? You meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”
After being saved by grace, the Galatians were slipping back into the lie of trying to earn their salvation. Why do I find myself living out this passage? Have I fallen for the enemy’s sleight of hand? Do I read my bible and go to church so I can earn my place? Paul says to the Galatians (and me) that if that is the case… We’ve missed the target.
So, what’s the attraction of giving up freedom - in favor of works? Why is this such a slippery slope? It’s simple. It boils down to pride:
- Working “SO” I will be saved, is about me…
- Working “BECAUSE” I have been saved, is about my Father …
Works promote me. Grace promotes God. Works produces a burden; grace produces freedom. Discipline is important, but it has nothing to do with my salvation, and nothing to do with how much my Father loves me. That’s all grace.
Grace gives me the freedom to become a slave. That sounds strange - but grace changes me, from the inside… It makes me love and serve others… I can focus on the lost, because all my needs have been met. I’m free to rescue others from drowning because I have been provided an unsinkable life vest.
Earning my salvation is a moot argument anyway - because if there were any way I could attain righteousness through works, there would have never been a Cross. There is no way God allows His Son to die for me if all I must do is work harder. To imply we could earn our salvation diminishes the cross as though it was unnecessary.
My eternity is determined by my faith, in the grace God has given me through the cross. There is no other way to attain it. Period… Hard Stop. There are some negotiable subjects in scripture… but this is not one of them.
“You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” ― Jonathan Edwards
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