“Working Out” our Salvation !
So many Christians, today, hold that they are most definitely “saved” because they declare themselves “born-again” even though they follow Jesus instructions and example somewhat imperfectly…
Since Jesus died for their sins, they are convinced that they will not have to suffer punishment for the sins that they now commit…
Are they right?
Consider now the following passages that should make you less certain of “once saved, always saved” !
(I have translated the passages bellow directly from the Greek text for accuracy, and paraphrased them for clarity. Read them for yourselves in your Bible…)
“All of us sin, and do not have the right to enter in God’s glorious Kingdom. But we can receive that right freely by faith, thanks to the salvation that is available in Jesus Christ.
God made him the means by which we can receive God’s pardon and mercy. Because we trust in Jesus’ blood we are covered by his righteousness and we have our previous, past sins overlooked… “ (Romans 3: 23 – 25)
Notice: Our previous sins only are overlooked, forgiven: those we committed before being “born again”. The sins that we commit after having decided to follow Jesus Christ will be punished on Judgement Day, some with leniency, some severely! The next passages make this clear:
“If we sin willingly after having known the Truth of the Gospel, there will be no atonement of sin for the believer, (no making amends in order to get some leniency for the punishment that we deserve).
Such a person can only expect to be severely punished with those who act against God, punished even more severely than they will, because he, as a believer, has trampled on the Son of God by sinning willingly. He treated with contempt Jesus’ blood that was shed for the very purpose of making him holy and keeping him holy.
He has blasphemed God’s Spirit of Grace! It will be terrible for him on judgement day. For God himself says: I will make such a believer pay dearly for such a behaviour”. (Hebrews 10: 26~ 31)
God’s servant who knows what is the Lord’s will and does not do it, will be beaten much on Judgement Day, whereas the servant who did not realize he was sinning will be beaten less… (Luke 12: 47~48)
Any injustice done to someone is a sin. There are however sins that are not serious enough to lead to death (to hell), and there are sins that do lead to death. (1 John 5: 17)
“Do not think that you will be saved just because you “believe” in God! No way! Unless you work out your faith by doing good to others, being holy and obeying God’s Words, you will not be saved from your sins. Such a faith is worth nothing.” (James 2: 14~ 26)
“Work out your salvation with fear, be terrified of sinning and finding yourself under God’s wrath!” (Philippians 2: 12)
Living a holy life after being “born-again” is a pre requisite for our salvation! But it is not the only one: God demands more from us in order to enter his Heavenly Kingdom:
Like: Removing all temptations that can cause you to sin:
“If anything causes you to want to sin, remove it mercilessly from your life, or you may fall into sin when tempted and you risk ending up in the fire of Hell!
So, be hard with yourself and do whatever must be done in order to keep away temptations from your life.” (Matthew 18: 6~ 9)
Like: Begging for forgiveness and making amends so as to be truly forgiven by those you have hurt (serving them in some way, for instance) And you, yourself must forgive those who do likewise to you:
“On judgement day, men will demand justice to be done for whatever wrong you have done to them.
You will then have to suffer much for whatever wrong you did to them before you are allowed to enter the Kingdom of God!
Two things can save you from such fate:
1.Hurry back to the persons that you have hurt in life, and beg for their sincere forgiveness, making amends for the wrong that you have done to them until they really forgive you from their heart.
Words such as: “I forgive you” are not enough! They are often spoken insincerely. On Judgement day, however, their heart will speak differently…
2.Show mercy to those who have hurt you and forgive them from your heart when they beg you for mercy and make acts of repentance. Only then will God show you some mercy also…. “(Matthew 18: 21~35)
Like: Developing a “child like” attitude and character:
“If you do not allow your spirit to go back and become what it was when you were a child, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven !” (Matthew 18: 3)
Are you still so confident that you are saved because you have “invited Jesus into your heart”?
And do you still hold that you will not be punished for your sins before entering God’s Kingdom?
Let us all not only “respect” God, (as “fear” is often translated and understood today), but let us actually fear God with trembling, as it is written in the Bible.