Our Greatest Strength, Our Strongest Weakness
Over the past few months, I've been giving quite a bit of thought to the concept of Christian Liberty. Can it truly be that we, as Christians, are free to act in whatever manner we want, and still go to Heaven? I do believe so; I believe we have a moral obligation to act in accordance with Christian beliefs, but we also have the freedom to act as though we are still complete heathens. This is part of the reason that I am loathe to judge any person's salvation based on whether or not they listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and live a moral life.
Salvation is a gift from God, and it is one for which there are no requirements. We need not act a certain way to gain entrance to Heaven, and there are no actions by which we can conclusively determine a person's salvation. After all, since we cannot ever know the state of a person's heart or if they truly have been saved, and since salvation is a gift from God, and since "God's gifts are irrevocable," I believe it is impossible to say that we can question a person's salvation based on their actions.
But I digress... Back on the issue of Christian Liberty, I would suggest that it is one reason Christianity has endured so long. Let me explain...
The great beauty of Christianity is in its perfect melding of moral requirements and total freedom. This is the reason it has endured for so long, through so much persecution! No other religion so seamlessly combines the need and command to act in a manner consistent with the religion with the freedom to not do so. For example, a Muslim who does not act like a Muslim is not, in fact, a Muslim. He is a failed Muslim, one who will be eternally damned (according to his religion) because he did not uphold his religion's moral code. Then consider the Buddhists: A Buddhist with many possessions, who fails to follow their moral code, is not so much a Buddhist as a failed Buddhist, who has no hope of reaching Nirvana any time soon.
Christianity though, is different. Beautifully so. Our religion emphasizes love, forgiveness, mercy and grace, but it also requires Christians to exhibit these virtues. However, in order for the religion to truly practice love, forgiveness, mercy and grace, those who adhere to the religion must be able to live their lives under perfect love, forgiveness, mercy and grace. This means that they do not, in fact, have to exhibit these virtues or any others in order to call themselves Christians. They need not fear the eternal consequences of their transgressions against the faith.
This requirement to act in a certain way, but freedom to not do so is an integral part of Christianity, and at first glance, it seems as though it lead to the death of the religion. After all, if anyone may call himself a Christian, regardless of his actions, then it is no wonder we are seen as hypocrites by so many in the world. It is because of the freedom we have that people see our religion as being so hypocritical.
But it is that very hypocrisy that makes our religion so believable. No other religion is so forgiving, and so thorough in its worldview. Christianity takes no account of the wrongs done to it, and that is our call as well; and, when we fail in this area, it is just another great testimony of the beauty of our faith. The religion is strong because we are weak. Since we are weak, then something stronger than ourselves must be behind this irrationally strong religion, and that stronger power is easily seen to be Christ.
posted by jacob.thrasher @ 4/22/2006 10:52:00 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:COMMENT POLICY
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Please forgive me if this post is poorly written, does not flow, or is not well thought out. I had to post it before Netnanny kicked me off the internet, so I had to rush a bit...
Neo
I think I understand what you mean, but I'm not sure I agree entirely. Though our faith is not based on works, we are expected to bear fruit. Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments. He really only gave us 2 commandments, love God and love your neighbor. Nothing we can do (as in giving, being nice, obeying parents, etc.) is going to get us into heaven. However, if we are saved we will desire to do those things because we love God and His love and grace is working in us to be able to do the things we would not ordinarily be able to do. Of course, I cannot say one way or the other what another persons spiritual state with God is a.k.a. whether they are going to heaven or not, but the Bible does tell us to look at their fruit and He said the world would know us for our love for one another.
Having said that I don't think Christians, if they claim to be imitators of Christ, can do what ever they want and still go to heaven, because although we are not under the OT law we are in a new covenant. If one is a Christian he is obligated to have faith in God and obey His commandments (be they only two). The only thing we have to do to "become" saved is believe in our heart, confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and receive His forgiveness. Then start living for Him.
Hi DaylilyLady! Thanks for the response!
"However, if we are saved we will desire to do those things because we love God and His love and grace is working in us to be able to do the things we would not ordinarily be able to do."
We may well desire to love God and do these good things as a result of our salvation... perhaps that is so. But I, for one, have no way of knowing whether or not a person has that desire. After all, conviction and desire do not force actions upon us, and we may choose to deny both.
Consider this: Many Christians differ on the issue of music. Some might consider rock music, or anything with a heavy beat to be sinful, while other Christians defend it, saying that it can even be used to deliver a good message. Now, if Christians always feel the desire to do the right thing and please God, how do you deal with this conflict? Either one group or the other must not really be saved, since someone who has truly received salvation will bear fruit in this area. So am I not really saved because I believe System of a Down is not good music for a Christian to entertain himself with, or is my friend not really saved because he continues to listen to it?
"Having said that I don't think Christians, if they claim to be imitators of Christ, can do what ever they want and still go to heaven, because although we are not under the OT law we are in a new covenant."
Very true, we are under a new covenant. However, what requirements for entrance to Heaven are listed under this new covenant? Yes, we are given the two commandments you mentioned, but I do not believe that the Bible ties them to our eternal fate (though I could very well be wrong).
Of course, a Christian who acts like a heathen can not legitimately claim to be an imitator of Christ... Therefore, he would be considered a "bad Christian." He's certainly not doing a good job, but God does not require that we do a "good job" in order to make it into Heaven. All that He requires for that has been paid for with Christ's blood.
On another note, I notice on your profile that you like the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy! Heck yes, I love those guys!
And you like Frank Peretti! And Mock Trial!
Wow... Have you been copying my profile? ;-)
Greetings Neo! You're welcome! :)
”We may well desire to love God and do these good things as a result of our salvation... perhaps that is so. But I, for one, have no way of knowing whether or not a person has that desire. After all, conviction and desire do not force actions upon us, and we may choose to deny both.”
True, but we don’t have to know whether they have that desire or not. We are commanded to love either way. We choose to love them. We may not like them or what they do and they are probably not going to be the ones we confide in, but we can still choose to love them.
”Consider this: Many Christians differ on the issue of music. Some might consider rock music, or anything with a heavy beat to be sinful, while other Christians defend it, saying that it can even be used to deliver a good message.
Now, if Christians always feel the desire to do the right thing and please God, how do you deal with this conflict?”
That’s a tough one, but I would say that music, because it is not specifically defined in the Bible, is between the person and God. There is not a commandment that says, “Thou shalt not listen to heavy metal rock bands”, however, assuming we claim to be Christians, we are temples of the Holy Ghost and we are not our own and have been bought with a price. We are responsible for our own relationship with God, so really, it’s an issue between oneself and God.
“Either one group or the other must not really be saved, since someone who has truly received salvation will bear fruit in this area.”
I don’t think music is the deciding issue on ones salvation. I believe music, like modesty, is a heart issue. Obviously we don’t know what’s on other people’s hearts, but the Bible does say out of the mouth the heart speaks and it does refer to the difference between the way Christians and non-Christians act generally.
“So am I not really saved because I believe System of a Down is not good music for a Christian to entertain himself with, or is my friend not really saved because he continues to listen to it?”
That question is like the question of whether females should wear skirts or not. Some would argue that it is a must and some would say it is not. It’s a heart issue. It’s between you and God. It comes down to why one is listening to that music (or wearing certain clothes). A Christian is either becoming more like Christ or less like Christ and the music he listens to and the people he associates with and the books he reads for that matter all change a person one way the other. The Bible also says that one is able to do all things but just because they can do them does not mean they should do them.
”Very true, we are under a new covenant. However, what requirements for entrance to Heaven are listed under this new covenant?
We are told to hear the gospel, believe it, confess our sins, and be baptized. Then we act on our faith in what God has said, because it is impossible to please God without faith and faith without works is dead.
“Yes, we are given the two commandments you mentioned, but I do not believe that the Bible ties them to our eternal fate (though I could very well be wrong).”
The Bible talks about the rich young ruler who followed all the “commandments” but because he refused to follow Christ did not become a Christian. I believe those two commandments are the essence of our faith. God said if you love me you will keep my commandments. We are able to love through the love that we receive from Jesus after He removes our sins. Our faith is moved by that love.
”Of course, a Christian who acts like a heathen can not legitimately claim to be an imitator of Christ... Therefore, he would be considered a "bad Christian."
It is not up to us to say whether or not someone is going to heaven or not, but the Bible said if we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths we will be saved. That is not to say we cannot become unsaved, we are able to turn away from our faith.
“He's certainly not doing a good job, but God does not require that we do a "good job" in order to make it into Heaven. All that He requires for that has been paid for with Christ's blood.”
Yes and no, good works don’t get us into heaven, but after we are paid for, we should serve God and seek after Him, I believe that includes doing the things He has told us to do, such as taking care of widows and feeding orphans.
”On another note, I notice on your profile that you like the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy! Heck yes, I love those guys!
And you like Frank Peretti! And Mock Trial!
Wow... Have you been copying my profile?;-)”
Actually no, but I was browsing through blogs under ‘mock trial’ and I came across yours. I found it interesting that we had several other things in common as well. I guess great minds think alike. :)
(By the way, how does one make the words in the comments italicized?)
Just to clarify, I'm one of Mrs K's students and found your blog that way.
And I have to say that I actually agree with you entirely. And the irony; we actually discussed this ever popular topic in Bible study today. Many things were said, and I find them quite intriguing. For instance, if you fall away from God, do you lose your salvation?
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
The comment was voiced that no one can snatch us out of His hand, but we can walk out of it. In my opinion, the latter is, shall we say, over reaching; once we have salvation, it cannot be taken away. If we are truly a Christian and we drift away, the Holy Spirit won't leave us, but instead convict us to return to a godly lifestyle and fellowship with Christ.
However, I also think God purposely made this issue inconcludable, and I'm sure He has His reasons. For example, if we knew for sure that we could never ever lose our salvation, no matter what sin we commit, I belive many would get saved for "fire insurance" and never give another rip about it. On the other hand, if we knew that we could lose our salvation when we sin, Christians would constantly be living in paranoia, or people would not even consider Christianity at all, seeing it as too hard or demanding.
The other hot topic brought up was whether or not you can go to heaven after you commit suicide. I personally belive you can, but it amazed me how many of the people there believed that you would automatically go to hell.
I guess there is not obvious answer; we have to look deep into the Bible and God's convictions to reach a definite conclusion.
I type this with greasy fingers and Long John Silver's clams in front of me...
"True, but we don’t have to know whether they have that desire or not. We are commanded to love either way. We choose to love them. We may not like them or what they do and they are probably not going to be the ones we confide in, but we can still choose to love them."
No argument there. I agree wholeheartedly!
When I later brought up the subject of music, I brought it up because it seems to show that we obviously don't all understand and desire to do what God wants us to do... or, alternatively, we in fact all have that desire, but we choose to repress it. Either way, my point was that two groups of Christians holding contradictory views on a subject (be it music, modesty, or any number of other topics of debate) cannot both accurately understand how to do good things, and thus do not desire to do them.
For the sake of argument, how about the topic of women in ministry? Many people look up to Joyce Meyers, and few would question her salvation, but there is also a large segment of the Christian population that claim having a woman in a position of ministry is sinful. This is specifically defined in the Bible, so can it be that one group of Christians or the other is not really saved?
Let me say now that I am not in ANY way advocating Christians acting like heathens. I do believe in eternal security, or the Perseverence of the Saints, but as strongly as I believe in it, so do I also believe that Christians MUST act like Christ. It is really imperative, but our eternal fate does not depend on it.
"Then we act on our faith in what God has said, because it is impossible to please God without faith and faith without works is dead."
Faith without works truly is dead, But there is no requirement that we should please God. Christians have a moral obligation to please God, but not an obligation that determines where we spend eternity.
I'll have to stop there, for I'm going to watch a movie with my family. But yes Daylilylady, it appears that great minds DO in fact think alike! ;-)
To italicize words, you must do this: < i >this phrase would be italicized< /i >.
The only difference is you should take out the space before and after the "i" in the tags. The first tag tells the italics when to begin, and the second tag (the one with the slash in it) tells the italics when to end.
Michelle,
Nice to meet you, thanks for visiting! Just wondering, are you a Calvinist, or simply a confused individual like myself? :-)
well... I would say I'm simply comfused because I couldn't even tell you exactly what a Calvinist is.
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