By Faith; Not By Good Works

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. 

                                                                                     (Eph 2:8-9 NIV)

John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address said: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” Indeed, we should be wondering what we can do for others and not be asking what others can do for us. That is basic to Christian ethics. However; that being said, when we are sharing the Good News with others, what they can do for others has nothing to do with their salvation. What we do for others is important; but, it is not the Good News! The Good News is what Jesus has done for us so that we might inherit eternal life in our Father's presence; in the Kingdom of God.

Nobody is going to be saved by their good works. It is only by faith in the life-giving sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus the Christ, that we are saved. To be sure, good works will follow that faith. But, those good works are the fruit of our faith. It is not by our works that we are saved. 

If someone has fallen out of a boat into the great stormy sea will it do them any good for you to tell them to swim harder? Or, would it bring them more relief to throw out, on a rope, a life preserver so that they will not drown? 

Jesus is our life preserver. He and only he can save us from drowning in our sinful ways. The Good News is not about how much we do. The good news is what Jesus has done and continues to do for us. Jesus saves us from the stormy seas; stormy seas often of our own making.

May God grant you faith in Jesus Christ our Lord who has done all for you; even giving his life for you on the cross at Calvary. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Gain World or Forfeit Your Soul?

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36 NIV) 

 

What good is it, indeed! 

 

What good is it to have riches of this world, yet lose your soul. I am very rich even though my husband and I have no large sums of money. We do have enough though because God has always provided us with those things that we need and even with a few luxuries. I have been busy focusing on liquidating and simplifying our lives as much as I can. The more "stuff" one has; the more there is to care for and there can be no comparison between caring for stuff and caring for God's children. 

 

What good is it to become one of the celebrities in the world and have no time or energy left to love and serve the Lord our God? Life in this world is very short. Eternal life in the presence of Almighty God, promised through faith in Jesus Christ, is just that: eternal life.

 

What good is it to indulge in the momentary pleasures of this world and sacrifice your  soul? Why seek the momentary pleasures that comes with the use of drugs or alcohol or any other such vice that steals away your life. They will not only steal you life away here on earth; but, threaten to do steal away your soul. Let the presence of God in Christ Jesus bring you peace and joy beyond measure. Nothing else can compare to His loving presence.

 

It is not for us to love or fear the things of this world. We should not fear anything of this world; but, strive in all things to serve the Lord above all things. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt 10:28)

 

We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. (Martin Luther; Small Catechism) Place your hope and your whole life in the One who loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for you. Fear, love, and trust Him more than anything or anyone in this world. In this your soul will know peace here in the world and for all eternity in the Kingdom of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

No Easter Without Good Friday

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 NIV

What a gift! In exchange for our sins, we have received eternal life through the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus. Tomorrow is celebrated as either Palm or Passion Sunday in many congregations. I prefer to celebrate both the final entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and the events following up to and including the crucifixion.  

It is important that we remember that even as everyone welcomed and honored Jesus when he entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, many turned their backs on him by Friday.

He died, an innocent man. As he hung on that cross he carried the weight of our sins upon himself. He bore them so that all who believe in him might be forgiven our sins and receive the gift of eternal life through the shedding of his blood. Without the events of Holy Week; without the death of Jesus; there would be no resurrection; there would be no gift of eternal life for us.

And, this is why we remember the entire Holy Week on Palm/Passion Sunday: way too many people have the mistaken notion that if they show up on Sunday (some believe Christmas and Easter is enough) that they are saved. The reality is: we are saved by God's grace alone by faith in the one who lived and died and lives again for us.

What a gift! We have eternal life because he suffered and died for us. Wherever you are, please, make the effort to attend worship throughout this Holy Week so that you might better grasp why it is that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and our eternal life on Easter Sunday. The resurrection and the gift of eternal life to us came at great cost. It cost Jesus his life. Hearing what he has done for you ought not be too great a cost to you.

There would be no Easter without the events prior to Jesus' resurrection. Without Good Friday; without the execution of Jesus, there would be no Easter morning. Remember, all that he has done for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J