Christ alone is adequate for salvation. Nothing need be added when forgiveness is given, because when one is forgiven, there’s nothing left to work for or earn.
Man’s problem is that he likes to be in control and that includes of his own salvation and God. Trusting God completely like that is hard for a control freak to give up, but without the unbridled trust in God to do for us what we CAN’T do for ourselves, we can never be free.
Once the works are required for salvation, then life is nothing more than a marathon course of performance based perfectionism, a constant striving to be good enough. If you just do one more thing, and just do it well enough, then maybe, just maybe that will make the grade.
That is not freedom in Christ, that is bondage. Bondage to works, bondage to performance based perfectionism, bondage to the enemy of our souls who has us chasing after the wind trying to earn something that God has freely given and freely offered to all mankind, just for the asking.
God is not a harsh task master, waiting up in heaven for us to make one little mistake so he can zot us to hell and then demand that we come back groveling and whining for His pardon. He is a loving heavenly father, something that I know was NOT conveyed by the Catholic church, not with the continual demand for sacraments, ritual, works, just one more thing, to make us acceptable to God.
Christ is all and in all. He is the final authority in all. He is the beginning and the end and every knee will bow to Him one day.
Better to recognize our inadequacy now and do it before we die, then vainly trust in ourselves to work out our own salvation, which we can never do.
There is freedom in Christ, not bondage to any one or any thing or any church.
You are going to have to give up the schizophrenic story line. Which one an I dealing with now.
Is it the "Christ alone" story or is it the "Jesus only came for the Jews, and it is Paul to whom we look to for revelation and the creed of Salvation" story?
Is it the "we must each choose to follow the doctrines of Calvin" or is it the "God already decided our fate so we have no ability to choose" line tonight?
Indeed! I think that the main obstacle for "religious" people is letting go of the pride and the feelings of false piety that happen whenever we rely upon our own goodness and righteous acts to make us worthy of Heaven with God. How many times did God say in his word that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags? That the price of our sinning against him is death? That he provided a complete and sufficient sacrifice for us? That he demands faith in order to please him? That he saves us by his grace and we receive that gift - that unspeakable gift - by believing in him whom he hath sent, we receive Jesus as our Savior, our redeemer and deliverer?
I wonder about why there are still so many people, who after hearing the Gospel, still insist on doing it all for themselves. Sure, they may say they believe in Christ and that God saves us by grace, but they then still hold onto their own deeds to add to their faith because they have been deceived into believing that faith is not enough. That God still expects us to work for it - not even getting the point that if we are saved by grace then it cannot be also by works because then grace would not be grace.
I genuinely worry about people like my Mom who think they must earn their place in heaven. Sure, she believes in Jesus as the Savior, that he died for our sins and he "opened" the gates of heaven, but that is where it stops - the efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ. He only made it possible to go to heaven but that she must also do all she is supposed to do like not sinning and going to confession when she does and doing penance afterward and going to Mass every week and receiving communion and giving her money and, and, and. There is never anything more than a glimmer of "hope" that she will make it there. Why I worry is because I ask can a person be really saved who says they trust in Jesus as their Savior but that they must also do certain things and not do certain things to go to heaven? Is that really trusting or receiving Christ like we're supposed to when all the other stuff must be added on or else we won't make it? I pray for God's mercy and grace for her and others like her caught up in a works based salvation. I pray that God opens their eyes through the Holy Spirit to hear his words and understand that we all have a precious gift from God and it is available to all who in faith receive it. I yearn for her and others to have assurance of their salvation, to KNOW they have eternal life. To rest in the promises of God and be free from the bondage of sin and death.
Amen!
Too bad FRoman Catholics don't read their Bibles to know the liberty Christ has won for them...
"My grace is sufficient for thee." -- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Imagine the impudence that thinks something more is required.