What is the mark of a saving faith?
Brothers and sisters, it is all too common these days to see people from one Christian camp say to another, "Your faith, your denomination, is not enough. It isn't saving. You need to do more, you need to believe and do like my church does."
It is also common to hear that a stance against one particular issue, cause or sin is what will be the defining mark of a Christian in our times. "If your whole life isn't wrapped up in fighting (insert favorite cause or sin to focus on) then your faith must not be sincere."
While there is nothing wrong with standing firm against worldliness, or against ungodliness, against abortion, the watering down of Scripture or any other sin, those actions, those stands are not what saves you.
Friends, if we make a cause into the focus of our life's ministry and faith, then we are making an idol out of that cause. We are replacing Jesus with our fervor for an issue, and that will not save you.
You are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ. By trusting His righteousness will cover your sin. By turning to Him to help you turn from sin and attempting to walk in His steps.
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
Too often we make our causes, our fights for the faith and our works the central focus of our religion. We get so caught up in the dust of battle that we take our eyes of the banner of Christ. When we take our eyes of of His banner it is then easy to lose our way in the scuffle of earthly toil and spiritual warfare, and before we know it, we're not where we should be at all.
A sobering reading from the Scriptures is Matthew 7:21-23:
"21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'"
Here Christ is talking to people who profess to believe in Him, to follow Him, to do works in His name. They are people who believe they are part of the Church, the Bride of Christ; yet He sends them away.
Why?
We get another glimpse of the separation to come of true and false believers within the Church, located in the parable of the Sheep and Goats:
"Matthew 25:31-46
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
We know from the first set of verses that it is not works which save, for those who were sent away in Matthew 7:21-23 DID works in the name of Christ, and yet were not counted amongst the number of His followers. So if the works mentioned in the parable of the Goats and Sheep aren't what saves the righteous, what is?
The answer lies in why the righteous did their works; they did so because of their love for Christ. They didn't do the good deeds to be seen doing them, to be seen looking righteous, but because they love Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within them prompted them to act out in love to the least of these. The righteous sought out the hungry, naked and imprisoned because Christ abides with them.
"John 15
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."
The "mark" of a saving faith is that one abides in Christ. That you trust Him, follow Him, love Him and allow Him to act through you. That you seek out His will before all others and put Him before all other concerns in your life.
To abide means:
1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.
2.to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.
3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.
Christ calls us to abide with Him, and promises that He will abide with us. We seek our shelter in Him, we place our trust and confidence in His word, and we follow His leadership. He will guide us through the mountains and valleys of life, He will shepherd us through the Narrow gate into paradise. He will prompt us to do good works in His Name, though we know they will not save us on our own, but that they are merely an expression of our love for Him and for others. He will call us to be faithful in the battles of life, to keep true to His battle standard, to be a light in dark times. We are to be true love in a world that wants shallow affection, and we are to be wholesomeness in a world that craves corruption.
By abiding in Christ we are meant to be different from the world. We will be set apart. Our love, our gentleness, our firmness and thirst for righteousness should all show us as belonging to the Master who paid a great price for us. How can we not be different if Christ, very God of very God, part of the Triune Godhead, abides within us?
God's grace be with you,
Fr. Charles Butler
Brothers and sisters, it is all too common these days to see people from one Christian camp say to another, "Your faith, your denomination, is not enough. It isn't saving. You need to do more, you need to believe and do like my church does."
It is also common to hear that a stance against one particular issue, cause or sin is what will be the defining mark of a Christian in our times. "If your whole life isn't wrapped up in fighting (insert favorite cause or sin to focus on) then your faith must not be sincere."
While there is nothing wrong with standing firm against worldliness, or against ungodliness, against abortion, the watering down of Scripture or any other sin, those actions, those stands are not what saves you.
Friends, if we make a cause into the focus of our life's ministry and faith, then we are making an idol out of that cause. We are replacing Jesus with our fervor for an issue, and that will not save you.
You are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ. By trusting His righteousness will cover your sin. By turning to Him to help you turn from sin and attempting to walk in His steps.
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
Too often we make our causes, our fights for the faith and our works the central focus of our religion. We get so caught up in the dust of battle that we take our eyes of the banner of Christ. When we take our eyes of of His banner it is then easy to lose our way in the scuffle of earthly toil and spiritual warfare, and before we know it, we're not where we should be at all.
A sobering reading from the Scriptures is Matthew 7:21-23:
"21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'"
Here Christ is talking to people who profess to believe in Him, to follow Him, to do works in His name. They are people who believe they are part of the Church, the Bride of Christ; yet He sends them away.
Why?
We get another glimpse of the separation to come of true and false believers within the Church, located in the parable of the Sheep and Goats:
"Matthew 25:31-46
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
We know from the first set of verses that it is not works which save, for those who were sent away in Matthew 7:21-23 DID works in the name of Christ, and yet were not counted amongst the number of His followers. So if the works mentioned in the parable of the Goats and Sheep aren't what saves the righteous, what is?
The answer lies in why the righteous did their works; they did so because of their love for Christ. They didn't do the good deeds to be seen doing them, to be seen looking righteous, but because they love Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within them prompted them to act out in love to the least of these. The righteous sought out the hungry, naked and imprisoned because Christ abides with them.
"John 15
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."
The "mark" of a saving faith is that one abides in Christ. That you trust Him, follow Him, love Him and allow Him to act through you. That you seek out His will before all others and put Him before all other concerns in your life.
To abide means:
1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.
2.to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.
3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.
Christ calls us to abide with Him, and promises that He will abide with us. We seek our shelter in Him, we place our trust and confidence in His word, and we follow His leadership. He will guide us through the mountains and valleys of life, He will shepherd us through the Narrow gate into paradise. He will prompt us to do good works in His Name, though we know they will not save us on our own, but that they are merely an expression of our love for Him and for others. He will call us to be faithful in the battles of life, to keep true to His battle standard, to be a light in dark times. We are to be true love in a world that wants shallow affection, and we are to be wholesomeness in a world that craves corruption.
By abiding in Christ we are meant to be different from the world. We will be set apart. Our love, our gentleness, our firmness and thirst for righteousness should all show us as belonging to the Master who paid a great price for us. How can we not be different if Christ, very God of very God, part of the Triune Godhead, abides within us?
God's grace be with you,
Fr. Charles Butler
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