wait, we're saved by what?

Do it Yourself Salvation?
As I share Jesus with people, I see more and more just how "works-based" is the human condition. In my neck of the woods, if you ask the average person on the street about the afterlife, most are pretty sure there's a Heaven, or hope there is, and they are pretty sure they'll get there because they've generally been a "good person." Some list off a resumé of things they do, like go to church or pray or read their Bible or be kind to others. Or, as I did in my "good moralist" days, they'll bring up all the things they don't do, like smoke or chew or hang with anyone else who do... uh, does that sort of thing.

People really do want to do, or maybe avoid doing, something in order to please God, if we even believe there is such a Person. And we all want to save ourselves. Even Christians have no intention of letting ourselves truly realize, much less allow anyone else to know, how sinful we really are. We have to be the masters of our fate. Somehow. Some way. There must be something we have to do.

We Really are Saved by Works
The truth is, Christians are saved by works... just not our own. Unfortunately, God says our own works are as good as "filthy rags" or a "polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6 – think disgusting as possible). And we all start out as dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5). Dead. We can't bring ourselves back to life. We can't bring anything to this equation on our own.

But, by God's grace, believers in Christ are saved by the work of Christ. Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn't, died in the place of His people, rose from the dead and is praying for us right now in Heaven.

And yet, while we are not saved by our own works, we are saved to good works. (Thanks to a former pastor for that clarification.) There is something God will give each of His people to do here on Earth to further His Kingdom and His glory. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Even the work God will have us do He already decided for us. But this work doesn't get or keep us in Christ. It shows that we are His, and only by His power can we do anything truly good.

Examine Yourself
As God was powerfully calling me to Himself in my late 20s, I remember being confused about basically everything. I wasn't sure what was real, or what I really believed. During my quest for answers, I distinctly recall driving to my grandparent's house one night many years ago when I heard John MacArthur speaking on the radio about examining yourself to see if you are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

One of the most helpful tools I have used to aid people in examining themselves and understanding the difference between our own human works and God working through us can be found here:

"The Character of Genuine Saving Faith"
See the categories fleshed out here.
(To best honor copyrights, I'll simply share the links. You can also print their PDF version.)

List I is often the type of material I hear people recite when we discuss God and Heaven: I'm behaved. I know about God or Jesus. I go to church/pray/read my Bible. I help people when I can. I don't do or like bad things (as I define them). I'm good with God. I walked an aisle or prayed a prayer.

These aren't all necessarily bad things. The problem is when they are all focused on "me" and what I've done rather than on Jesus and what He did and is doing. In Matthew 7:21-24, Jesus says people who will say to Him in essence, "Look what we did in Your Name," will hear Him say, "Depart from me, I never knew you," which is a terrifying thought. Plus, alone or collectively, none of List I really indicates that a person knows Christ, or is known by Him, at all. Those are things anyone might do at some point in life.

List II, however, is a different story. These things ignore "what I did" and move to things only Christ can do through us and enable us to do. Our motivations are different. There is often an intangible quality to some of these things, but they are often seen by others in ways people may have difficulty expressing.

I also appreciate that it mentions if list II is true, list I will be also. (FYI, even if you don't have a "date" regarding your conversion, you will see in hindsight where God was working to draw you to Himself.) We are no longer trying to perform. We are motivated by the love and grace of Jesus.

Spend some time with that page and study the accompanying Scriptures. Examine yourself, asking God to show you the motivations of your heart in whatever you do, and asking Him to help you trust Him where you don't. Pray He clearly shows you the difference between your useless and frustrating trying and His perfect and saving doing. Then rest in what only Jesus can do.

heeding the call in His time

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." -Jesus, John 15:5


So, I was going to mention some things that went on earlier this year. A lot has happened since, but a certain situation keeps popping into mind that I'd like to discuss.

As mentioned previously, last year was a rough one for me. I managed to move on fairly easily from most of it, but there was one particular circumstance, which actually started last June, that I just couldn't shake. Even as I worked through daily life, I kept waking up with this dull ache every day. I tried to ignore it. I'd pray about it. But, for whatever reason, it just wouldn't let go.

Then there was a change in our schedule and I started to have a lot more free time. Time to myself and by myself, especially on Saturdays. I suppose this helped in part, because one Saturday around May of this year, I woke up and that feeling was just gone. I thought this was strange, and I kept waiting for it to come back. But it didn't. And, frankly, I didn't miss it.

Little did I expect what was coming next.

Almost immediately, and for several weeks after, I was confronted with many opportunities to share Christ's love and who Jesus is with a variety of people, some of whom had been completely resistant in the past. But opportunities kept arising as I'd never seen. I had one contact out of nowhere who was seeking help with some very dark spiritual issues, things I won't even mention here. I felt compelled to get an entire prayer team behind me on that one. It was just amazing, and practically overwhelming, the people God was putting in my path.

One thing I began to see very clearly in all this was God's timing and enabling. Truly, he enables us to do everything, and apart from Him we can do nothing. But it was so clear to see that He took that pain from me just before all this started. Suddenly, before I had time to really think, it was, "Get your boots on. You're going out." So I hit the front lines running. But, in this case, it would have been extremely dangerous to try tackling the heaviest parts of all this while dealing with my own issues. Spiritually, I was very vulnerable. I needed my defenses up and all my armor on.

I've seen patterns like this in my life repeatedly in the last several years. As God enables, he gives opportunity to do some unexpected things. As He takes me through the valley, my contacts often seem to disappear for a time. Sometimes He asks me to help someone even as I'm struggling too, but sometimes it's the very struggle, the fact that I can somehow relate to their pain and point them to the Lord, that ends up helping them anyway.

I won't pretend here that this great mountain top lasted. I admit that I even had a serious spiritual crash just recently. But this was such a great and obvious example of the Lord's enabling I didn't want to pass up sharing.

Christian, as you go through life, continue to look for the ways God is teaching you in all things. Learn from good times and bad so you can help others in their times of need. Look for those obvious times when God is opening doors for you to do something big for Him, like sharing who He is with others—even those you may have given up on.

It's a spiritual battle. Pray. Keep your eyes open. And get ready for a fight.


"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-" -Ephesians 6:10-18

30 DoW: Day 28

I chose Psalm 65
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.

2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.

4 Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;

6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;

7 You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.

8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

9 You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.

10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.

12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

attribute & response:
Enabler. I was drawn here to the statement about "the man you choose, and cause to approach you." There are many other things God enables to happen listed here too, throughout all creation. But to choose and enable His people to come to Him, that's something many don't even want to consider as they wish a full autonomy that can never have been, or we could all choose when/where/to whom we were born and so on.

Personally, I'm thankful we're enabled by Him and not our own will. He lets us do enough damage on this earth as is, all of it yielding an allowed consequence along with a lesson each time, whether or not we're willing to learn.