True Salvation
First of all I am driving into downtown G.R. this morning about 6:45am anticipating a day of watching people from Holland Central Wesleyan serve City Life. They are building a new counter top for the childrens area. The thought that pops in my head was the story in the Bible about one church giving a gift to another struggling church.
In my severely ADD brain I start to morph other thoughts about how we are never really in Gods total favor unless we are willing to give up everything to be obedient to him. So these people serving City Life today could on some level be experiencing a total salvation in some ways. So I started thinking of the following examples from both the old and new testament.
- Abraham, offers up Isaac as a sacrifice and God sees his heart and God finds favor.
- Samson rethinks his position (repents if you will) and asks God to restore his strenghth so he could do one final act for God. I think God probably said okay because Samson finally gets it!
- David finds favor with God because he was willing to face the giant.
- Jonah finally gets it after being in the fish and god lets him experience the turning of the city of Nineveh.
- Paul gets his total salvation on the road to Damascus.
- Zacheus gets his salvation when he is delivered from his issues of greed and offers to pay back what he had stolen.
- I think even the thief on the cross was totally saved when he finally gets the fact that Jesus was who he said he was. Given the opportunity of getting down he would have lived a transformed life.
- The rich young ruler was offered total salvation when Jesus told him to give all his money to the poor. He couldn't do it and Jesus was sad.
These are just a few of the examples running in my head. So here is the remaining questions that I have. I would invite some constructive conversation.
At the time of judgement Jesus is going to say "depart from me I knew you not" to a bunch of people that thought they were "in". So question #1 Who are those people?
Faith without works is a dead faith..Question #2 What happens to those who just cover their butt and say they pray a prayer. What happens to those who show no life transformation? I call this the cover your butt theology. I remember Ken (former pastor) used to say there pants would be smokin as they entered heaven!
Is true salvation combined in 2 parts? 1.A salvation from Hell. 2. A salvation from the Hell here on earth?
Or is part one not enough and we have all misunderstood? Therefore depart from me will be said to many who've heard that message?
So what's your thoughts?
Disclamer: I wrote these thoughts out really quickly. I wanted to get them written before they were lost.
posted by Randy W. @ 10:26 AM
3 Comments:
At Jan 21, 2008, 9:22:00 AM ,
Deck said...
i believe that the Bible says something about a 2nd judgement - like, there is the first where the goats are separated from the sheep - wheat from chaff, etc. where God will judge those who believe from those who don't believe. then there is the 2nd, for those in heaven, where we sit with God and He goes over our lives and gives us our crowns and jewels and rewards. i really like how that cd we have, the BEMA, Judgement Seat of Christ, puts it. there were some who gave their lives as martyrs for Christ and as their lives were being gone thru, they were well-honored. then there were people like the guy who told the story, who kind of skated thru life as a Christian, but did firmly believe. they were never really confronted with any hardship, some failed to see the needs of others, but because of their belief, entered heaven. they did look back on their lives on earth and were disappointed that their maid prayed for their children more than they did, and disappointed that they didn't do more, but they still received a jewel. i think in heaven, where it counts, those that really were Christ-like, those that really showed others who Christ was, are going to be further honored in heaven. Faith without works may be dead, but works alone isn't going to get you into heaven. Most of the time, true faith leads to works and a desire to learn more, and in learning more, we discover what it means to become like Christ. Anyway, that's just my 2 cents, and maybe i totally missed the mark on what you were asking about.
At Jan 21, 2008, 9:27:00 AM ,
Deck said...
oh, and one more thing, if i start getting worried that i'm not doing enough to get into heaven, that's not right either. i can't become obsessed with that type of worry. there is a big danger in that. and if i start going around thinking that others aren't going to get into heaven because they aren't doing enough, then i'm playing God and judging them. so there is a fine line, i think. i do believe that we need to be open and listen to God and pray for opportunities to serve and actually LISTEN and OBEY when we are called to. we are all greatly blessed. with a lot.
At Jan 25, 2008, 3:01:00 AM ,
Anonymous said...
interesting that you mention jonah, since he "got it" then lost it when he sat up on the hill and waited for God to destroy nineveh. i mean, COME ON, JONAH... the very people you encouraged to repent are now the people you hope God destroys. yikes!
i've actually found myself on several occasions (and yes, i'm being serious here) wondering if jonah is actually in heaven because of his act of frustration and seeming disobedience. play the role of judge with a loveless heart, and you just might find yourself hanging out with satan for eternity. am i way off here?
of course, he's most likely there (in heaven), but i wonder... how could someone who had gone through such a personal experience of grace be so incredibly stingy about grace when it came to the people of nineveh?
then again, how can WE be so stingy about grace sometimes, when we have experienced so much more grace than we would ever begin to deserve?
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