"During every moment of
our life, we have the opportunity to create beautiful memories." (Dietmar Scherf)
While at least a number of
Christians understand and teach the principle of salvation by Grace as
explained in our article on
Salvation, many fall short
when it comes to the actual application of the Christian life by Grace.
The group of true Grace Christians becomes a real remnant. Although the
Word of God is very clear about the practice of the Christian life, the
misconceptions and misinterpretations of various Scripture passages are
numerous. Based on our understanding and practice of biblical truth, we won't discuss false teachings as each thought
and comment is either rooted in Grace or it is derived from somewhere else
which wouldn't be of interest to us.
Many groups impose all kinds
of rules, regulations and limitations on their followers as they promote a
performance-oriented type of supposed Christianity. But true Christianity
is not at all performance oriented. Any true work of God is done by Christ
in and through an individual. There's nothing a human being can do apart
from the workings of Christ in and through them that would qualify such an
effort to be a true work of God. While it is good to study the Scriptures, to
pray and spend time with God and to gather with other believers, no divine good can be brought about
by a person trying to keep e.g. the ten commandments and all kinds of
other imposed religious regulations and exercises. Of course God does everything
decently and in order, but that doesn't mean that we run around imposing
weird rules and regulations on our fellow men. The key for the Christian life
is to get to know Jesus Christ on a personal intimate level. We want to
live a Spirit-filled life. And a Spirit-filled life doesn't come about by
us trying to outwardly conform to a certain standard of behavior, etc. As
we study the Word of God and let the Spirit teach us, Christ will work in
and through us reflecting God's glory to others. With our free will we let
Him work in us as we're motivated by the Holy Spirit to say "Yes!"
to Christ's work in and through us moment by moment.
"For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." ―Philippians 2:13
We make ourselves available
to learn of Him, and even the motivation regarding availability comes
directly from God. Reading the Word of God will familiarize us with the
Eternal value system and with the thoughts of God. It's recommended to
study the Bible in categories in order to learn God's precise thoughts
about every subject and situation that is revealed in the Scriptures. Many
things will become normal behavior for a Spirit-filled Christian, e.g.
local church attendance won't be a duty, but instead it will be a
pleasure to meet and fellowship with other like-minded Christians. Prayer
won't be a rigid ritual, but instead it will be a time of renewal, a
quality time spent with God and it will be a time of great experience of
the presence of God.
Telling others about Christ won't be an ordeal and a supposed-to-be
Christian duty, but instead it will be an adventure to share the love of
Christ with others as God opens the doors and provides the opportunities to do so. That's good
news as the Christian life based on Grace is extremely exciting. There's
no longer a need to be occupied trying to conform to a certain
standard and trying to keep religious laws and perform so-called
"Christian" duties, etc., but instead now the very life that resurrected
Jesus Christ from the dead empowers the individual. This new life is
eternal and it is resident in the born-again believer.
THE REWARDS ISSUE
When it comes to the rewards issue, many groups, even very well-meaning
folks, just simply deviate from the Grace of God as in fact they do not
apply the Grace of God in this particular area. They make the bestowment
of rewards dependent on the merits of the Christian. These groups usually threaten with certain Scripture passages that if a Christian
doesn't do this or that and/or if they do not endure/persevere, that he/she will not receive rewards or even lose
eternal rewards in Heaven. In the human economy things may work that way,
but God's economy is completely different as it is a divine economy based
on pure Grace.
Just as it is impossible for a
person once saved to ever lose his/her salvation, it is also absolutely
impossible to lose any actual eternal rewards in Heaven. Why? As Christ works in
us and through us, the rewards are given to us as joint-heirs with Christ
(Rom. 8:17;
Col. 3:24) because of Christ's work in and through us.
We are members in particular (1 Cor. 12:27) and we'll share in the
eternal rewards that are awarded to Christ as if these were our very own
according to our capacity for Christ in our souls. As all acceptable
divine good, incl. good works, can only be brought about by Christ, although working
through an individual, it is impossible that God the Father would ever
take back His eternal rewards given to the Son just because a human being has a
bad day, week, month or year(s) and doesn't live in the Abundant Life for
certain moments and/or seasons. In
Ecclesiastes 3:14 it says, "... whatsoever God doeth, it
shall be for ever." It is crystal clear, also based on the
character/nature of God, His Mercy and Grace, that it is impossible to
lose any actual eternal rewards as these were in effect given by Him to
the Son, because of Christ's work in us, as we're privileged to share in these
eternal rewards according to our capacity for Grace as if these were
our very own.
"An inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven
for you." ―1
Peter 1:4
A Christian who was
genuinely saved by accepting Christ as their personal Savior by Grace
through faith once in their life, will spend all eternity in the presence
of God. But if a Christian does not get to know Jesus Christ here on earth
and therefore doesn't enjoy a Spirit-filled life, he/she will miss out on
the temporal benefits (rewards) of an Abundant Life with all its
blessings here on earth and he/she will miss out on the many eternal
rewards that are available for the Christian as such a person didn't
choose with their free volition to have their capacity for Christ
increased.
The missing out of available eternal rewards is what the Bible
talks about when it talks about suffering loss (forfeiting rewards) as such
rewards were potential
rewards available to the Christian (a better translation for the word
"loss" in this regard would be the use of the term "missing out"; because
loss implies that something has been obtained and has been in possession
of an individual, but now it's gone and no longer in the possession of
that individual; BUT "missing out" regarding the availability of potential
rewards does not imply that something was in possession, but rather that
something is available for possession and that an individual did not take
advantage of the opportunities to take possession of rewards, because that
person just missed out and forfeited the opportunities of taking
possession of the rewards).
Just as salvation is available to all
men (Titus 2:11;
1 Tim. 2:4), God made a full reward available to
all Christians. But it is a sad reality, that just as only a number of
people accept salvation, only a number of Christians will be available,
based on their own choices, to receive a full reward.
In fact one of the most
critical passages in
1 Corinthians 3(especially verses
11-15)
which is often used to argue that a Christian can lose his eternal
rewards, is in fact a passage which confirms that it is impossible to lose any eternal
rewards. This particular passage explains that anything we do has to be
done through Christ as otherwise it is a worthless deed/act in the sight
of God―it would be wood, hay and stubble and it will be burned at the
Bema
Seat(the place where the Christian's works and motives throughout every
moment of his/her Christian life are revealed/differentiated between the
works of Christ in and through the Christian which are gold, silver,
precious stones and the works done without Christ which are wood, hay and
stubble; but wood, hay and stubble will be burned and will be no more,
while on the other hand gold, silver and precious stones will remain and
these will be the basis for the distribution of eternal rewards; at the Bema Seat the Christian is awarded
eternal rewards and that's the emphasis at the Bema Seat―it's an awards
ceremony; the Bema Seat is NOT a judgment seat other than the positive
judgment that the Christian is automatically judged righteous and
blameless because of Christ, but instead the Bema Seat is a place of
celebration).
The foundation on which a believer builds must be Jesus Christ as
otherwise anything he/she does (including all so-called "Christian" works)
and someone presumes that they have because of their "Christian"
performance, etc.,
will finally burn as it was built on the wrong foundation.
On earth, based
on his/her own decisions, the Christian can lose his freedom to live in Grace and
therefore he/she will not be able to enjoy
the Abundant Life with its many blessings here on earth. And by losing these advantages
(blessings) for a season or all together here on earth because of
their own decisions, he/she would miss out on many available eternal
rewards because of their limited capacity to share in them and to receive
them. And those who lose their freedom to live in Grace will be bound and
tortured by legalism just as the Galatians were and these
performance-duty-oriented Christians will miss out on many rewards while
they will enjoy the eternal rewards they've received through Christ during
the moments and seasons of their lives whenever they've lived a
Spirit-filled life as Christ reigned experientially in them. But they just
won't enjoy a full reward as their capacity to share in Christ's
inheritance was limited by their own choices.
Besides legalism, believers
can also fall into carnality―an experiential life apart from God―and that lifestyle
too will result in the missing out (forfeiture) of available and potential
eternal rewards for
a believer, although this individual will also receive the eternal rewards
they've received through Christ's work in and through them during the moments and seasons of their
lives whenever they've lived a Spirit-filled life as Christ reigned
experientially in them. But these folks too won't be able to enjoy a full
reward as their capacity to share in Christ's rewards and to receive them was limited by their
own choices.
But a true Grace-oriented
believer doesn't need to fear that he/she will fall into a habitual carnal
lifestyle as the Grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly
lusts (Titus 2:11-12). The key is to be occupied with the Grace of
God (Col. 3:2), getting to know Jesus Christ on an intimate personal level. In
Isaiah 45:22 we read that we just need to look unto Him and we're
saved (at soul salvation from damnation and in the daily Christian life
from the various traps in this world). See, as we make positive choices
toward God, meaning as we look unto Jesus, we're submitting ourselves to
God, and as a result we're effectively resisting the devil as every
thought is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor.
10:5), and the devil will flee (!) from us (Jam. 4:7).
A legalistic Christian will
eventually burn out and fall away, perhaps into a carnal lifestyle. The
focus cannot be in delivering a great "Christian" performance, but instead
we must be Grace oriented, meaning Christ focused. And to be Christ
focused and therefore Grace oriented is a rather simple procedure―in fact
it is easy. The Christian life isn't hard, instead it is easy (Matt.
11:30)! Because of Grace we can live in consistent fellowship with
Christ and when we slip we can always rebound within a second (1 John
1:9). There's no fear of failure and no fear of being unable to live
up to some strange standards.
A Full Reward
In
2 John 8 we read that we should take
care not to lose those things which we have obtained, so that we receive a
full reward. Many folks use this verse to put Christians under pressure in
putting them under a self-conscious works program. What the Word of God
really teaches in this passage is that during our growth in Grace as a
Christian we've received an understanding of Grace which only God was able
to reveal to us in His Word through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. And in this passage we're encouraged to be careful that
we do not lose the understanding and comprehension of Grace which we've already
received during our growth in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. Because if we lose sight of His Grace, then we won't
be able to share in a full reward as we would have only a limited
understanding of Grace and therefore a limited capacity to receive and share in His
eternal rewards. As soon as we turn away from Grace, we'd fall either into
a works-oriented (legalistic) lifestyle or a carnal lifestyle and
if this happens then we miss out on the Abundant Life with its blessings here on earth and
we miss out on
potential eternal rewards as we would have only a very limited capacity to
understand Grace. Therefore, for our earthly and heavenly benefit, we're
lovingly encouraged to continue to make free-will decisions to keep
looking unto Jesus moment by moment so that we continue to be Grace-oriented believers with an increased capacity to receive a full reward.
TAKING UP THE
CROSS DAILY
What does it mean to take up the cross daily? It is very sad that the
particular Scripture passages in
Matt. 16:24,
Mark 8:34,
10:21 and
Luke
9:23 are so often misunderstood. Too often preachers use these verses as a
threat to force people into works, self-consciousness and Christian
performance, when in all reality it is one of the most beautiful
experiences for a Christian to take up the cross daily. What cross you may
ask? An understanding of pure Grace is necessary to realize that it is His
cross and we glory in His cross, because He already went on the cross for
us. Consider the following regarding this
issue from a Grace-oriented and Christ-centered viewpoint:
"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
―Gal.
6:14
Taking up the cross daily
means that Christ wants us to focus on Him, the author and finisher of our
faith (Hebrews 12:2). As we look unto His Finished Work (John
19:30) on the cross of Calvary, which was the manifestation of
His Love expressed through Mercy and Grace as He met the conditions of His
perfect justice, He is able to work in and through us to manifest His Love
with the mind of Christ active in us (1 Cor. 2:16;
Phil. 2:5)
through acts of Mercy and Grace to the folks around us including to
ourselves. It's His cross that we want as a frame of reference.
The Holy Spirit continuously
motivates each Christian to look unto Him and with our free volition we
say "Yes" and then He can work in and through us. And letting Him
work in and through us is what Jesus Christ means in His Word when He
speaks about taking up the cross daily. It's at His cross where we meet
Him, our Lord and Savior, and where He finished the work. Now we have
peace with God and we can rest and let Him perform His work in us to
conform us to His image (Romans 8:29).
And it is very important to
understand that to take up His cross is never an actual work performed by a Christian and
it's never a burden or a matter of distress, but instead the cross
represents a place of victory and glory. Calvary's cross is the only cross
God will and can accept. There's no sacrifice we as individuals can offer
to God as God doesn't want our sacrifices (Psalm 40:6,
51:16-17),
but instead He wants our heart (Proverbs 23:26; a choice in our free
will to let him take over our lives which is not a work by itself, but
only a type of mental consent) and that's not a sacrifice or work.
When we give Him our heart it's the most joyous thing an individual can do
to experience the Resurrection Life of Christ in this lifetime. And then
the presentation of our bodies as living sacrifices in
Romans 12:1 is no
longer a work performed by the efforts of an individual, but instead it is
the working of the Holy Spirit in us as our minds are renewed (Rom.
12:2).
Some confuse the taking up
of the cross with some burden, distress, work, Christian performance
and/or duty, discomfort or whatever, when in fact it is one of the
greatest things a Christian can experience every day of his/her life as an
individual yields to the kind and loving urging/pleading of the Holy
Spirit to let Christ reign in them for that day, hour, minute and every
single moment. It's also true when we yield to the Holy Spirit that the
things on earth will grow strangely dim as we will no longer yearn to
fulfill our human-based (sin nature rooted) desires, but instead
we'll be delighted in His will as we have faith (trust) in Him
that His way (plan) is perfect (Psalm 18:30). Yes, once again it's all by Grace and the flesh profits
nothing (John 6:63).
A Note of Encouragement
God loves you just as you
are! Yes, He hates sin and He died for it and paid for it all, so
that we can come to Him freely. HE encourages us to learn of Him and to
get to know Him (2 Peter 3:18) as He has so many blessings and benefits prepared for us.
HE wants to fellowship with us, meaning He wants to spend time with us and
show us His eternal handiwork, His love with the benefits of His Mercy and
Grace. This is good news: the God who made the universe wants to have a
close friendship with every human being. There is joy, love and happiness
in His presence and He made it possible that we can enjoy all His
benefits, not by living up to some ridiculous standard, but by simply
receiving from Him. HE can't wait for us to embrace this eternal truth so
that He can share His overflowing abundance of Love, Mercy and Grace with
us.
