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Today we discussed FRUIT BEARING, and dared to entertain this question:
if we are NOT producing good works,
are we REALLY Christians?
While this brings to the floor the controversy among Evangelicals between the Once- Saved-Always-Saved and the You-can-loose-your-salvation camps, I remember a very wise Seminary Professor, Dr. Ralph Earle, who told us neophyte theologians that would not be that much difference for Christians of either camp who are first and foremost intent of knowing God.
His point -and mine- is that theologies can only take us so far, and if we build our faith solely upon the letter of our theological leanings, we will be no better than the Pharisees of old.
So, let’s continue to see where this leads us.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 3:8
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
There is simply no way around this, namely, for those who claim to be Christians, there MUST be fruit! Dietrich Bonhoeffer draws a sharp distinction between those who only mouth the words “I believe in Christ’ and those who are actively engaged in His service:
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
Costly Grace is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.
Salvation is ONLY BY GRACE ALONE. How are you, though, responding to His call?
Blessings in your Journey
-Michael