Salvation: Free Gift and Fear and Trembling

 Eph 2:8-9
8    For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9    not of works, lest anyone should boast.
(NKJ)

Salvation is a free gift from God to everyone who will believe.  Yes, salvation is that simple.  The faith required to receive Christ is small.  We know this.  We teach this.  We also teach something else.

Phil 2:12
12    Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
(NKJ)

Salvation is not to be taken likely.  It is simple.  But it is not as simple as saying "I do not want to go to Hell!".  Salvation is simple.  But it is not as simple as saying "I want to go to heaven!".

How do we put these two passages together.  No doubt there has been in our history those who would emphasis the easy without much attention to the work.  No doubt there are many parents and grandparents who want their family to be in heaven.  And many times, these desires allow our emotions to control our sharing and teaching more than the Word of God.  This issue is not new.  This issue is not going away anytime soon.

As a Youth Pastor I dealt with this on many occasions.  I can remember back when we would Baptize 30 to 40 teenagers a year.  I remember a large portion of those who had "made decisions" as children wanting to avoid Hell and now as teenagers discovering that just avoiding was not the real deal.  I can still hear many parents saying "but they were Baptized...". 

I know as a Pastor the struggle of young parents wanting to answer the questions the right way for their children.  The time spent reviewing the answers before they meet with me or one of my staff.  I hear the words "they are almost there, they are getting it" only to discover that often they may not be as close as we would like to think.

I want everyone to go to Heaven!  I do not want anyone to go to Hell!  And this demands that people get a Biblical salvation.  It is simple - Jesus died to pay for our sins.  It is easy - we must simply accept through the exercise of faith in Jesus.  But it is tough - to work out the repentance aspect.  And some will say "what?"  Indeed this is what Jesus said.  

Mark 1:14-15
14    Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15    and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
(NKJ)

Without the act of repenting, there is no salvation.  This is the most difficult aspect of sharing about Salvation.  To repent means more than "I am sorry".  It is not a head knowledge of right and wrong.  It is more than realizing that we have sinned.  To repent is to see the sin in our lives as the very thing that put Jesus on the cross.  It is to see sin as Jesus sees it.  To repent is to respond to our sin with godly sorrow.  A sorrow that is deeper than regret.

2 Cor 7:10
10    For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
(NKJ)

Matt 7:21
21    "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
(NKJ)

And now you see why though simple, salvation must be worked out within our lives.  Do we repent?  Do we have godly sorrow?  

Salvation is a free gift that requires fear and trembling in getting it right.  To miss it, is to spend an eternity in Hell with no hope forever!  To say you believe in God and Jesus means nothing.  To make a quick decision for Heaven to avoid Hell won't cut it. Being Baptized or sprinkled only gets you wet.  To say love wins out and repentance is not too difficult is to fall for the trap of this world.  

Where are you?  Do you know with zero doubts?  Are you sure? What is your connection with Jesus?  Is it His connection or your religious way?

I Jn 5:13
13    These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
(NKJ)

Why and how?

John 3:16
16    "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(NKJ)

Rom 10:9-13
9    that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10    For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11    For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
12    For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13    For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
(NKJ)

Speaking the TRUTH in todays America (Series)

Part 1

Over the past week I have made clear my perception of today's America - it is not pretty.  In noting this, the simple fact that the change we are seeing did not occur overnight was also front and center.  So now we must ask the question as Christians trying to reach people in this new era of "neo-anything can be truth" culture, HOW?

American Christians have perfected the speech approach to teaching.  Even in our social media use can be found the clear and often blunt ugly use of this method in telling people what is wrong with their ideology and where they will go because of it.  We make our points well yet we are failing to impress or influence even a few.  It is time we seek to understand the needed approach required if we are to really make a difference today.

And for many Christians, this is going to be a tough road to travel!

Our learning begins with some simple facts.  People without Jesus, do not have a foundation that we can build upon.  People without Jesus, need Jesus first!  Never should we compromise the truth with anyone.  But understanding that only in a relationship with Jesus is the foundation upon which truth is built can we expect any glimmer of accomplishing lasting life change.  This is Biblical truth.  Hard to realize that we Christians must first accept a truth before we expect others to do the same.  But this is a must.  The journey begins with this hurdle at the starting line.

Many American churches are facilitating this hurdle by abandoning Evangelistic outreach endeavors.  We talk much about reaching the nations.  Preaching to the nations is the new modern day battle cry!  A simple analysis of our current trends in methods and thoughts on evangelism reveal that we are doing little to reach individual people regardless of the intent of the battle cry.  The popular growth of Reformed Theology and the New Calvinism of our day are not helping either.  The more this spreads the fewer people that will be reached.  Sharing Jesus is the beginning.  It is more than preaching/teaching.  Sharing Jesus is more than telling someone to turn or burn.  Sharing Jesus is sharing Jesus story and what He did for all of us.  It is making it clear that Jesus offers a free gift called salvation to all who will receive.  The gift is offered, but we each must chose to accept or reject. 

Rom 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(NKJ)

Rom 5:8
8    But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(NKJ)

Sharing truth requires each of us who know Christ to begin sharing His truth.  It is not turn or burn.  It is begging and pleading with people to see what God did for them in His Son Jesus.  It is sharing the love of God for all people regardless of where they have been or what they have done!  It is leaving the judging to God while living as one changed so as not to cause anyone to stumble so that the message of Gods love in Christ, can be seen and thus received.

This is the starting point!  No moral or political change is possible of lasting value without Jesus first!

Ask, Don't Ask, Accept, Don't Accept, Repent or ?

If the title caught your attention then it will definitely confuse you as it is applied to varying ideas of how one enters into salvation with Jesus.  The increase in articles, books, and sermons covering the whole idea (good and bad) about how a person actually enters into a relationship with Jesus Christ can give one a migraine headache of epic size.

Does a person need to ask Jesus into their life and accept Him as Lord?

There is a big difference between the yes answer and the no answer.  Those who hold to the traditional view of salvation would answer yes.  They would acknowledge that a person must make the decision to turn from their sin (repent) and accept Jesus through faith.  The traditionalist people have believed this for years.  You will find this belief in most Evangelical churches and denominations/Associations/Conventions. 

I agree with this understanding of the Biblical teaching about salvation and hold that this is the Gospel.  I believe that God gives every person the opportunity to make the above choice/decision.  He knows that many will not.  He knows that many will.  My key reason for being convinced in my spirit and mind comes straight from the Word of God.

Notice how clearly salvation is explained in the "how" with the words of Paul in writing to Corinth:

2 Cor 7:10
10    For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
(NKJ)

In this passage, Paul is discussing his letter written to them and how it affected them.  He chooses to use the analogy of their sorrow to highlight with the gift of salvation just how a person realizes they are a sinner against God, sees they cannot fix the effect of their sin, and through this Godly sorrow are brought into salvation via the act of repentance.  God's Holy Spirit calls, teaches, and convicts.  Each person must make a choice as to what they will do in response to God and His work offered as a gift.

This process should be taken very seriously.  In fact, the Bible is clear on this when when Paul writes to the people at Philipi and says:

Phil 2:12-13
12    Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13    for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
(NKJ)

Clearly Paul acknowledges in this verse that salvation is God's gift.  It is God who works in the calling, conviction, and giving the ability to respond.  Yet Paul also acknowledges that each person must "work out" or make sure they have made the choice and live out the reality of that choice.  One does not realize that they are saved.  One is not born as a chosen one while others are born damned for Hell.  One must respond to the work of God and then allow God to work.  Salvation is all of and about the work of God in and through Jesus.  Yet God does not force Himself on anyone.  It is beyond religion and systems of thoughts.  It requires faith in the Grace of God.  It requires one to repent.  It is more than just a simple mental decision.

I am the first to admit that too many people in all walks of Christianity make salvation more about saying yes to heaven and no to hell.  They want to see their children and grandchildren baptized.  I have seen in over 23 years of ministry that repentance can be somewhat downplayed - which I think is totally wrong.  Without repentance, one cannot be saved.  Salvation is serious.  Salvation is the most important thing in life!  We cannot get this wrong!  Salvation does not precede repentance.  It is impossible with the above verse out of 2 Corinthians.  

 

And I do not think it is lowering or weakening the sovereignty of God to say and believe what I have written for the process is clearly described in God's Word.  

Have you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life?  Did you repent and acknowledge that you needed the death of Christ as payment for your sins? 

My perspective on why todays Calvinism is a concern.

Comments for this post will be allowed @ sbctoday.com as they plan on posting it on their site with my permission.

I have debated writing this post for some time.  The reality that anything written can be misconstrued is enough by itself to cause hesitation.  The last thing I want to do is leave the wrong impression with anyone.  I love Calvinists and I love Traditionalists.  I work with both and even some in other groups.  So I write the following to voice concerns that I am seeing and hearing.  I write to add clarification as to why I signed the traditional statement.  I write to reveal why this issue is a growing problem.  And since I write best by making lists, I will list out my concerns while making it clear that NO priority is given other than the first one on the list.

The list will include specifics and generic issues tied to people and promotion.  Again, these are my concerns and are questions that I have yet to get consistent answers from (new)Calvinists of today.  The older SBC Calvinists that I have known and respected were totally different.

My Concerns:

1.  Ask 10 different Calvinists what they believe must occur for a person to be saved and you will get at least 5 different answers.

2.  Do Calvinists really believe that John 3:16 shows that only the elect are the ones God loves.

3.  Do Calvinists believe that some people are born with NO hope of salvation?

4.  At what point do Calvinist believe salvation occurs?

5.  How can Calvinists call Traditionalists divisive when it is the Calvinists that have web sites and blogs that specifically state their desire to change the SBC and beyond?

Here is an example from the Founders blog (knowing their website clearly states their desire to change the SBC):  "It is indisputable that we are in the midst of a reformation and recovery of the doctrines of grace, or what has historically been called, "Calvinism." Both statistical and anecdotal evidence of this fact continues to mount. I believe that this is a movement of God and that it is even more widespread than recent studies indicate. As is true with any of work of God, the devil always keeps pace and seeks to steal, kill and destroy. If he cannot keep us from truth then he will do what he can to cause us to hold the truth in imbalanced and ungodly ways."

6.  Young Pastors and staff members are speaking and writing articles that it is dangerous to lead a child to pray to accept Christ?  If this is true, what then should a child do and how should a child be lead by their parents and other influences?

7.   Why is Lifeway sponsoring The Gospel Coalition conferences?

8.  Why is Lifeway promoting more Calvinists and their material?

9.  Why are Calvinists leaders NOT doing more to instill that Pastors must be upfront with their Soteriology?  There are even manuals on how to transition a church from Traditional to Calvinist doctrine.  If there is no move to change the SBC, why are there manuals by 9Marks and others?

10.  Why the aggression from Calvinists because many in the SBC do NOT agree with them?

11.  If the BF&M is enough, why do we have two Seminaries requiring faculty to sign other statements that are Calvinists/Reformed documents?

12.  Since when did Baptist and Reform go together?  The day to day operations of the church do not even match!

13.  If there is no takeover plan, why was there a SBC Professor giving the benefits of the takover (even using a racial slur) at one of the meetings during the SBC?

14.  Why did Lifeway do a survey that gave the participants no option other than saying they were either Calvinists or Arminion?

15.  With the exception of Infant Baptism, since when were Baptist and Presbyterians so much alike?  Dr. James Kennedy was my kind of Presbyterian but today's New Calvinists are nothing close in belief and practice.  Just think back to Evangelism Explosion materials (I was certified as a trainer in an SBC church).  Today's New Calvinists would reject Dr. Kennedy's material.  How and why?

These are the questions I have.  They are simple and I think need to be answered.  We are told that we need to cooperate.  I am fine with that.  I am concerned though that the answers to the above may highlight the difficult journey that cooperation will reveal.  Some Traditionalists are even saying they will sit this discussion out.  I wonder if they would maintain that position when the real truth of the answers are shown. 

I find this issue extremely important simply by the answers to point number one.  If we cannot agree on that one, then we have two different Gospels.  Cooperation will not occur at that point.

And speaking of the Gospel, is it not odd that Calvinists/Reformed call their Soteriology the true Gospel and thus label much of their work and conferences with the word Gospel in it?

These are my concerns.

Entering into a relationship with Jesus - Part 2

As we continue this series on the "how" a person enters into a relationship with Jesus, we will pick up with the real reason this article was written and the 9 points the author of the article makes pertaining to sharing the Gospel with children and why another way is bad/wrong.

The author states:

I have come to believe that the phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” can be a dangerous way of calling someone to faith.

Point 1 - This type of figurative language is NOT appropriate for children.

Question:  Since when?  The Bible uses this same type of language.  Are we really at a point where we are going to question the very Words of Jesus?

My thoughts:  This is a straw man if ever there was one.  David Platt has made the same statement.  The real motivation of this statement is to attack the idea that the Gospel/Salvation is available for all/who so ever.  If a person is born elect and has no choice, then their will not be a decision nor a asking into the heart moment in their life.  There will be a moment of "realization".

Point 2 - Salvation does not come from our asking, but from what Jesus has done.

Question:  Do we have to accept it or is it automatic?

My thoughts:  I will add to what I stated above in Point 1 this:  The Reformed/Calvinist thought actually believes that the Gospel is limited and thus some people are born with NO hope of salvation.  People do not need to ask Jesus into their hearts for they were elect from the beginning.  They just need to realize it.  Those who do NOT realize, were not elect, and thus destined for hell with NO hope ever.

Point 3 - The gospel is NOT primarily about Jesus’ work in our hearts, but about Jesus’ work in history.

Question:  Does our heart matter?



My thoughts:  I fully grasp the statement if it were to stand alone, absent an agenda.  However, this statement is another way of restating Point 2.

Point 4 - The Gospel Appeals to more than emotion.

Question:  Who said that emotion is all that the Gospel appeals to?

My thoughts:  The attack here is on Revivalism.  Simply put, Reformed/Calvinist actually think that people over the years who accepted Christ during revival meetings or during an invitation call made a preacher to accept Christ, really did not have it right.  Again, the assumptions made are startling.  Yes there were those who used emotion to get people to walk the isles.  Yes it was wrong.  But the majority did not rely on emotions and to make such an implication is absurd.  The author then states in this point that accepting Christ is "finally resting in Christ".  Again, accept that it is a reality of the elect and NOT a decision that needs to be made.

Point 5 - Over emphasizing a change of heart can actually discourage a child.

Question:  Do you realize that this appears to negate the role of brokenness?

My thoughts:  A heart change is what is needed!  Brokenness allows one to see this need and leads to confession and repentance.  The thought expressed by the author is one derived from the secular counseling side of theological thought.  It is bad theology and the fear does not exist.  It preys on the parents sensitivity which when applied, would lead parents down a path of NOT calling their own children to repent.  This is SAD!

The next post will continue with points 6 - 9.