Tag Archives: save

Is faith alone enough?

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THE FIRST THING we need to know about Paul’s answer as recorded in Acts 16 is that is was only the beginning of the answer…

When he told the jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” he did not stop there.  A doctor, when asked, “What shall I do about my disease may reply, “Just trust in me and I will take care of you.”  All understand that to be the beginning of an answer that involves putting yourself into the doctor’s care, following his directions, and taking his prescriptions.  There is no instance in or out of the Bible of anyone ever being blessed by faith, cured by faith or saved by faith until that faith led them to obey.  Even denominational theologians admit that belief that offers salvation always involves a trusting reliance on him, not merely intellectual assent.  The problem is, they do not seem to know what “trusting reliance” involves.

It is easy to see here that the response was one that was always true in every case of conversion.  They heard the gospel (v. 32, cf., Romans 10:17).  They responded to that story in penitent faith (v. 33, Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).  They were baptized immediately (cf. Acts 22:16; 8:37-38).  Can one imagine a person who thinks baptism is not important being baptized at that hour of the night under those circumstances?  When verse 34 indicates that they “rejoiced, having believed” it again shows that this faith was not simply intellectual assent, but trusting reliance on and submission to the commands of Jesus.  (T. Pierce Brown)

“And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.  And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes.  And immediately he and all his family were baptized.  Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God will all his household.”  Acts 16:30-34

–Mike Benson

How badly do you want to go to heaven?

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Back in August, a 20-year-old British girl named Emma French wanted to take her driving test. She was pregnant and suffering labor contractions but did not want to forfeit her opportunity to take the test she had failed five months earlier. Even when her water broke and everyone telling her to go to the hospital, she finished her test, passing it. Then she drove herself to the hospital later that day. Little Eva was born to a mom with some strong determination!

How badly do you want to go to heaven? How important is it in life – like Emma French – and for eternal life to have the ability to not gratify immediate urges? Can we work through the pain and discomfort of this life, knowing that if we remain faithful to God, we’ll have something far better? Too many people can’t do that. Too many people are too easily knocked off course – fear, doubt, persecution, self-denial of various forms. There are a lot of “labor contractions” that Satan tries to use to get us to get out of the car and go somewhere else.

Can we use Emma French as an example of someone who knew what she wanted and was willing to tolerate the pain necessary to get it? How badly do you want to go to heaven?

So we do not lose heart. “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

–Paul Holland

The Minimums in the church

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They are sitting in our pews on Sunday mornings, participating in worship to varying degrees. They have likely arrived late or at the last second. When the service is over, they will leave immediately, speaking to as few people as possible. Accordingly, very few people in the congregation know them. By choice, they are largely invisible.

They are an intriguing group that needs a connection to the congregation. Yet, many are not looking for one. They compromise a special group of people known as the Minimums.

The Minimums are people who, whether consciously or subconsciously, have decided that there is a level in the Christian life, at which God will be pleased and will have to save them. They think they have attained that level and do not wish to move any further. Why would they? Is salvation not enough?

To the Minimums, there are different levels of Christians. Some are super-motivated to do more for the Lord. They want to attend all the worship services of the Church because they are grateful for what God has done for them. They even feel the urge to attend Bible Class, Gospel Meetings and Seminars, for some strange reason. The Motivated are just Type A personalities who can’t sit still.

They just wish the Motivated would stop pestering them about becoming one of them! They already have salvation, so why should they miss their favorite program on television? They did not need a guilt trip from some Bible verses. Everyone has his or her own truth anyway.

The Minimums understand true Christianity. Jesus wanted them to believe in him, have their sins washed away and live a moral life, and that was all. He did not want them to be nerds or super-Christians who never had any fun.

Their social status was very important and some Christianity gave them some respectability. However, their friends did not want them to become Bible- thumpers.

The Motivated always talked about God’s grace and that salvation only came because of Christ, not because of their efforts. They had to have a Savior who would wash away their sins. His blood would justify them so they could have access to God.

The Motivated even think that when they become Christians must change their lives so they will glorify Christ in everything. They are always badgering the Minimums about their language and clothing, as if that mattered to God. They were in worship weren’t they? No need to get carried away.

The Minimums felt fine with what they were doing. One hour a week of religion was enough for anybody. After all, they took communion and gave a dollar or two. What more could they ask of them?

The Minimums know that avoiding hell is what the Christian life is all about. If the Motivated wanted to go on about how striving for heaven was more important than simply trying not to go to hell, that was fine. They can shake their heads and be polite.

The Minimums did not need a Church family. They already have friends. Let the loners find a family. They just had to satisfy God for the week so they can get back to their lives.

The Motivated can have the rest because they, well, might be fanatics. Who needed that?

by Richard Mansel @ www.forthright.net

You can’t EARN it

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Earning My Place

In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies schoolteacher at Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom.

The kids came into first period, they walked in; there were no desks. They looked around and said, “Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?”

Ms. Cothren replied, “You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn them.”

They thought, “Well, maybe it’s our grades.”
“No,” she said.
“Maybe it’s our behavior.”
And she told them, “No, it’s not even your behavior.”

First period ended, and still there were no desks in the classroom. Second period, same thing. Third period, no desks. By early afternoon television news crews had gathered in Ms. Cothren’s class to find out about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom.

The last period of the day, Martha Cothren gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room. And she says, “Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks that sit in this classroom ordinarily.” She said, “Now I’m going to tell you.”

Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it, and as she did 27 U.S. veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The veterans placed the school desks in rows, and then they stood along the wall. By the time they had finished placing the desks, the children perhaps for the first time in their lives understood how they earned those desks.

Ms. Cothren said, “You don’t have to earn those desks. These guys did it for you! They put them out there for you, but it’s up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens.  They paid a price for you to have that desk.  Don’t ever forget it.” *

Similarly, there is a place for YOU at the Lord’s table.  It is a place of honor and blessing, wonderful blessings like peace, grace, sonship, and life!

“What must I do to take MY seat at the Lord’s table?” you ask.

You can’t EARN it.  Someone paid the price for you to have a place at the Table.  Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on the cross for you so that you might have the forgiveness of sins and a place at His table as a child of God (Ephesians 1:7; Galatians 4:4-6).

You must ACCEPT it.  You can accept the Lord’s gracious offer by believing Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  You must also commit to following Him, for the rest of your life.

Jesus paid a HIGH price for you to have a place at His table.  Don’t ever forget it.  But please, accept it on His terms – and enjoy the eternal feast!

Won’t YOU?

David A. Sargent