Showcasing a Great Salvation

As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (1 Thes 2:11-12)

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​A story is told of an old man who went to a ten year old boy and told him the secret of getting into Heaven. He took him into a room where an enormous two sided scale was placed in a corner. On one side was a stone that weighed half a ton. This stone represented the boy’s sins. 

​The old man told the boy that he must pick up five sparrow’s feathers every day and come and put them on the other side of the scale. He said, “By the time you die, if the feathers outweigh the half ton, you’ll get into Heaven.”

You may think that sounds crazy but, for many people before they become a Christian, this is the way they live. They believe that if they have done sufficient good deeds by the time they die, these will outweigh their sins. However, the wonderful, liberating, truth is that:

Christ died for our sins. (1 Cor 15:3)

​Paul reminds us in Ephesians:
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For it is by grace you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God-not by works so that none can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

No amount of good works, done over a million lifetimes, could ever match the weight of the saving love of God in Christ Jesus. 

So, does this mean that Christians can live any way they please? Some do live in such a way that would indicate this. However, The Bible clearly teaches that once we are saved, an outward sign is that we live in a manner worthy of our calling to salvation. The apostle Paul was so adamant about this that he wrote to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians about it. For example, we read:

... so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10)

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:1-2)

In other words, there is outward evidence that we are saved. Our harsh words, self-centredness, pride and impatience with others don’t make it on to the list of evidences. No prizes for guessing why! If Paul was so adamant about this, should not we take heed and make sure that the manner in which we live showcases to the world the wonderful, great and mighty salvation of God?

Live in such a way that makes it easy for others to believe in Christ
 (DailyWord4You)

Pauline Anderson