What Are You Trusting?
In the past, I have responded to facebook posts about requirements for salvation – requirements to which I disagree. But, in this post, I want to step back … and make an overview observation about all these requirements in general. I’d like to identify a common thread they share. I invite you to think critically, as we review fundamental concepts about being made right with God.
A Thought Experiment:
Suppose there were some sacred text somewhere, which mentioned … “doing a cartwheel” – a special cartwheel – so that your body forms a perfect “X” with your arms and feet. This happens at the point where your body is upside down. Perhaps being upside-down might symbolically represents the act of dying to self. Perhaps the “X” shape might be a sacred symbol that can impart a measure of grace to your moral bank account with this deity. Suppose performing these cartwheels once a day, for life, guarantees personal acceptance and the reward of perfect bliss in the afterlife.
That’s actually a pretty silly thought, isn’t it? Unless … it’s not. It’s not silly if you happen to believe exactly this – and especially if someone interprets scripture in a way that support this teaching. If that’s the case, then it’s not silly at all – it’s holy. Everyone else may make fun of your beliefs, but if this is your beliefs … then you embrace it fully; you refuse to divorce it. You hold your ground. Your full faith is in this belief.
Jesus invited people to be saved when He said: “ … whoever would come after me, must take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23
Here’s my belief that I’m married to … that I will not divorce. Jesus is the Son of God, who is able to save men from their sin. Jesus offers salvation when He said: “ … whoever would come after me, must take up his cross daily and follow me.” Did you catch that? Jesus is telling us plainly, that to be His true follower we are dealing with matters of the heart, mind, and will in the battleground of choices in how we live life. This means I need to evaluate carefully whether I want to be a follower of Jesus or not. An affirmative decision must be carried through with submission to His lordship in holy living. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection – whosoever believes in me, though he is dead, yet shall he live.” I believe that with all my heart. I believe in Him and His ability to save because of His substitutionary death on the cross in my place to pay for my sins before God the Father. I understand that because He did that, and then rose from the dead, He is able to make and keep promises about salvation.
So … that … and only that is what I am trusting.
The gospel deals with matters of the heart, mind and will and involves:
- Faith
- Belief
- Trust in promises and the power of the One who can make and keep those promises
- Willingness to lay aside personal freedom to choose how to live, and instead live in a way that pleases Him (repentance).
Being transformed by the renewing of your mind has nothing to do with “external things” of religious practices, like:
- How you wash your hands
- What day of the week you worship God
- What foods you eat, what foods you don’t eat
- What holidays you observe, and holidays you don’t observe
- What special water/holy-smoke/incense you apply to yourself
- What transformed bread you partake of that’s considered to be holy.
… all of these are external things that have nothing to do with being inwardly transformed into the image of Christ. They bypass where the real battle takes place. All of them are (a) easy to perform, and (b) comfort practitioners with a feeling that they have satisfied God. But scripture indicates that God is more concerned with how you are living your life rather than these external practices. These things are very similar to performing some special cartwheel. It just doesn’t make sense that the process of sanctification is the result of performing external acts.
Think about it … how would eating a piece bread – even if it were Jesus’ flesh and blood – transform your heart, mind and will. How is that actually transforming you inwardly into the image of Christ? Is it physically replacing any of your desires? Are you living a more holy life because of that? Jesus said: “It’s not what goes into the body that defiles a man …”, likewise, it’s not what goes into the body that sanctifies a man either. Jesus said it’s what’s in the mind and heart that’s important spiritually. If I were going to start a false religion … I’d replace the hard internal battle-ground issues that deal with dying to self and following Jesus, with the easy-to-perform external practices that can give a tangible false assurance in place of internal transformation.