“Not only is this so, but we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Romans 5:11
Salvation – what a beautiful and meaningful word for Christians! In this word, we find hope and promise. God promises us salvation through our belief in Jesus Christ. We have a deep connection to power and strength the world does not. We also have knowledge that the best for us is yet to come. However, it can be hard to access this strength and hope every day.
We are told as Christians we will face temptation and hardship. These can really be broken down into three categories: the flesh; the world, and the devil. Scripture spends a lot of time on the flesh, and we have countless examples of Satan in the bible (Adam and Eve anyone?), but what does the world mean? Worldliness is just used to describe the systems in place that are counter to the teachings and life of Jesus. Some are blatant and easily identifiable such as discrimination. What about some teachings that might be subtle and even whispered in church? Self-salvation is one of these examples.
Self-salvation is tricky. It basically boils down to the belief that our acts and things we do will lead us to heaven. We will be given salvation by the works. Wait…doesn’t scripture also say, “Faith without works is dead.” How can self-salvation be true if I am called to do good deeds? This is so confusing. Let’s break down this idea further.
Jesus tells us he is the only way to the Father. This is affirmed in the letters of the early church. Jesus is the only way to salvation because he leads us to God’s grace and through grace we are saved. The belief and following of Jesus transform us from the inside out. BECAUSE we love Jesus and seek him in our lives our actions change. Jesus is the genesis of our good works; the core of what we do. This requires constant humility. We never take credit for these works; these works are to be attributed to Christ and how he has changed our lives.
Self-salvation is the belief that if we pray harder, study scripture more, memorize the bible, that God will elevate us. Whoa! Aren’t all these things listed as spiritual disciples?! Yes, they are, and they are important. The issue stems from believing us doing these things equals salvation. How often has the thought crept in “Lord, I pray everyday…I read my bible…why do I suffer?” Another manifestation of self-salvation is stack ranking our actions with other Christians…” that person doesn’t know the bible like me; I am definitely saved, but I am not so sure about them.”
Romans 5 reminds us we are only reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus. We are only saved through the life and death of Christ. We must combat the idea that our works have anything to do with our salvation; we need to constantly humble ourselves in acknowledgement that works are because Jesus transformed us.
God,
Help me to be humble. Help me to do everything in accordance with your will. Help me keep Jesus at the center of all things and not fall into the traps of the world. I am grateful for the blood of Jesus and your unending grace. Amen.
