The Glorious Gospel

I'm going to assume that most of my visitors here are Christians - mainly because I'm fairly certain no one else would be interested in anything I have to say.

So I'm going to make sure I'm as clear as possible in this post about the MOST important thing.

Salvation comes by grace through faith in the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

For by grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves - it is a gift of God, not won by our works, so we can not boast (Eph 2:8-9)

We all need salvation because we all sin against God and the just punishment for sin is death (Rom. 3:23 and Rom 6:23)

But, if we simply believe and call upon His name, we will be saved (Rom 10:13).

Jesus was sent to save all from sin, not to condemn us. We were already condemned, and only the perfect blood of Christ can redeem us (John 3:16-17)

Eternal life is a gift.

Praise God that I don't have to work for His approval, His Love, His salvation.

So, why then do I post a lot about our works?

Well, James 1:25 tells us that "... whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

I want to encourage us to lived blessed lives. Not in the materialistic sense, but spiritually.

If we do the work of the Word, we are doing His will and shall be blessed. If we pray according to the Word, our prayers shall be answered. If we are obedient with what He wants us to do, we will prosper in that task (even if it isn't easy) and have peace.

The gospel does not require my working and doing good. Yet, we love because God first loved us - commended His love toward us in that when we were still lost in sin Christ died for us. 

I ask, are we thankful for the gospel? Are we thankful for what Christ did for us?

Do we love Christ in return? 

It's an interesting walk that we are called to as Christians. We are free from the law, called into liberty. Yet because we are called out of the bondage of the law, we should love God enough to want to be holy, to live righteously, to glorify Him in deed.

Let us not forget that we can never earn salvation for ourselves. Our works, our feelings, none of that can cause God to forgive us and wash us clean of our sins.

Let us also not become complacent in our salvation that we forget to honor the name of Christ, for we bear His name as Christians. 

One final thought.

The darkest day in history, when Christ was crucified, is called "Good Friday."

The day that everyone scrambled to get the best they can get for the least money, is called "Black Friday."

 Christians can face dark, troubled times knowing that God loves us and has a plan. It isn't always happy, but there is always hope.

When we seek our own desires and happiness, all we find is temporary pleasure amid frantic selfishness.

 Praise God for the hope we have in Christ through the gospel.