Bible Question:
Thanks, Lion. I just finished reading "Wardrobe" and was taken with Mr. Beaver's answer when one of the children asked if Aslan was "safe". Mr. Beaver said, "no he's not safe, he's good!" You wrote: "On the cross the Son takes your pollution, becomes a curse in your place and dies with it." I really like the idea of Christ dieing with all the sin He's taken on. It would be great if sin was extinguished with that act, but it hasn't. Forgiveness is one thing, sinlessness is another. Although sound, and certainly biblical, there is a gap in your argument. The gap is after God's righteousness is imputed to us by faith in Christ, then what? How are we to live after that. Do we just follow a bunch of rules? Or do we "work out our salvation with fear and trembling"? Your earlier post said it very well. Love God and love your neighbor. But this is something we all need help with, sort of like learning to play the violin, but harder, I think, than playing the violin. There are lots of unanticipated variables in loving our neighbors. So, regarding our righteousness in the context of our life hear and now, don't you think there is anything we can do to facilitate God's working in our lives? Thanks, Dave R. |
Bible Answer: Hi Dave, I LOVE that line in Lewis' book! I think it's an excellent illustration of a proper fear of God Almighty, the Lion of Judah! Now, to your good question: You ask, "So, regarding our righteousness in the context of our life hear and now, don't you think there is anything we can do to facilitate God's working in our lives?" (In other words, “ Can we help God sanctify us?”) No. Just as by our efforts to keep God's holy commandments we cannot attain righteousness, our efforts to keep God's commands will not facilitate God's sanctification of us. Sanctification, as is the whole of our salvation, is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The basic principle is that God gets ALL the glory for our salvation... from beginning to end: Ehp 2:8,9,10 We are saved by God's grace alone "...that no one should boast..." Rom 3:27,28 Because justification is all of grace, boasting is excluded. "Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." Rom 8:29-30 from predestinating to glorifying us, our salvation is all God's work. Heb 12:2, Phil 1:6 God does not leave his work unfinished. Having begun our salvation by grace through faith, we then do not attempt to be made perfect by our efforts (or in the words of your question, “facilitate God’s working in our lives”). Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? It is by God's work in us that we will and do the working out of our salvation. So again, God alone gets the glory, not us. Phil 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; Phil 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. By faith we work and walk in the Spirit’s power, not ours, so that God may be glorified. 1 Pet 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Jesus succinctly summarizes Paul's discourse on sanctification (Rom 5-8): John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." And we need to be quickly reminded that we can take no credit for believing, because faith is the gift of God also. Just as the means of God’s grace to bring us to faith is the word of Christ (Rom 10:17), it is this same means he uses to grow our faith in Christ. In practice this means belonging to a good church where the Word is faithfully preached, and discipline and the sacraments are faithfully maintained; Bible reading and study; and prayer. "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Jude 1:24,25 Peace, Lionstrong |