"Salvation by grace, through faith."
Where did that tenet of doctrine come from? Is it necessarily indisputable fact that this is biblical? Is faith enough to [get to heaven; have a relationship with God; be a good Christian; honor God; etc.]?
A protestant Christian, even some veins of Catholic Christians would resound yes to the above questions and probably not know why, except that someone told them so. Or they would cite Romans 1-4, and not Romans 8 and 9 or 1 John.
The script or syllogism of "faith."
If one believes in God, and that Jesus was God's son who came down from heaven to die for man's sin, and if the man repents and claims Jesus as Lord, then he will be saved. Some denominations also throw in baptism as a requirement for salvation.
That's it. Claimed and saved. Once and done.
Now, if one is a good Christian, spiritual disciplines will be included: prayer, bible reading, bible study, accountability groups, church on Sunday in addition to striving toward right attitudes and spiritual "gifts" or "fruits" These spiritual tasks serve as outward signs and actions that one does because of his classification as a Christian.
Christianity by this model is easier than getting up in the morning, than talking to a neighbor, or than making a sandwich. There is no personal commitment to action or questions or physical exertion, mental psycho-emotional deliberation, overcoming, pain, restraint, and expression of gratitude that anchors the very core of soul and being to truth that is radical, transforming, and in every way opposed to the flow and current of culture, society, and self that is briskly carrying each individual pleasantly through life.
(I am the following; I'm not exempting myself)
Christians hate. Christians do what they want to, when they want to, and in a manner that pleases, without consideration of anyone else. Christians obsess about image, material goods, food, technology, travel. Christians serve themselves all day long. Christians demand others to meet their needs or else they are justified and entitled to disrespecting the person who offends their immediate need. Christians complain. Christians check-out, are lazy, distracted, and unthinking. Christians blindly herd down the wide road; they have spoken the script, and they attend church, so in their minds, they're good.
From the outside this has been called hypocrisy. From the inside it's called white-washed and deceived. 2,000 years ago, Jesus warned,
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.
Listen to what I say and try to understand...you are defiled by what you say and do.
Evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you.
Matthew 15:8-19Convicted about these thoughts over the weekend, I repented. Yesterday, I was determined to go into my classroom and show my students love rather than unleashing to angst that I feel toward them, but at the end of the class period, a boy came up to me and said, "We really frustrate you, don't we?"
I paused, angry, ashamed, failed. "Yes, to be honest."
"I can tell."
He can tell. This young man is not a Christian, but even his moral sense guides him to understand words that come from a heart that is ugly and unloving.
If faith is enough, then faith is much more than words and actions, and many of us are deceived into thinking that everything is right and good between ourselves and a holy, righteous, just God.
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