THE Salvation Issue(s)

On my way home tonight I was thinking about the divisions in the church and that got me thinking about "salvation issues". What are and are not "salvation issues" is a very important thing to determine because this is what splits up the body of Christ. Disagreement about what issues are "salvation issues" is the leading cause of disunity in the Church. Christ prayed that we be unified and yet that doesn't seem to be high on our list of priorities.

As I was thinking something occurred to me that I had never thought about before. There is only ONE salvation issue and it is one that I believe all Christians could agree on. The only salvation issue is the issue of faith in Christ. All the other things that we argue and bicker about are just part of that faith, components, and on our part, each is a work in progress because none of us has it completely right. I think that we all can agree that each one of us is going to die having an imperfect knowledge of God and what He wants from us. The important thing is that we have faith in Him and continue to seek out His will. I'm not trying to say that these other issues aren't important but I am saying that they're secondary when it comes to our unity in Christ.

The way our churches are set up now, we all just wallow in our ignorance but in the way that a pig wallows in the mud. We are happy in our ignorance because the areas in which we are ignorant are shared by all those around us which in essence pulls a sheet over our ignorance so as to pretend it doesn't exist. We don't have to get into too many discussions about women's role in the church, the role of instruments in worship, speaking in tongues, miraculous healings, baptism, etc. with people who have a different views than us. I believe this makes us weaker rather than stronger in our faith and our understanding.

What must we do to be saved? Have faith, journey with God through this life. We won't get it perfect but we will continue to try. Every issue can be considered a salvation issue if we let it veer us away from our journey with God to pursue our own interests or desires because when we do that we are no longer putting our faith in God but in ourselves. It is that break in faith that is the salvation issue. Not homosexuality, not adultery, not theft, not women's roles, not baptism, etc. It is when we learn God's will and refuse to follow it that we break faith and refuse God's salvation. If a thief discovers that God does not condone theft and decides that he/she is going to be a thief because that's what they want to do they are replacing their faith in God with a faith in themselves. They believe that they know what is best for themselves rather than God even though God has said otherwise.

Wrap-up: An issue only threatens our salvation when it threatens our faith. (Disclaimer: If you believe that faith just means acknowledging God's existence you have much to learn and for now you should ignore just about everything I just said)

I know that these thoughts may step on many people's toes and may make you feel somewhat uncomfortable but if that describes you, please give the post another run-through and think about it for a while before deciding to comment. If after that you still disagree with my conclusion, I'm all ears.

Just Faith?

I find it interesting that when most preachers/pastors talk about faith, they describe it in a way that makes it sound so simple. I often hear things like "all it takes is faith" or "you just need faith". Those are just a few of the phrases that get tossed around. However, having faith in God is not that simple. In fact, it requires more of you than a religious system that is built solely on works. Faith and faithfullness share more than just their first five letters. The faith that is talked about in the Bible requires faithfullness. A works-based system of religion says if I follow this list of dos and don'ts then I'll be okay. A system based on faithfullness goes to a much deeper level. To take a relational example from the Bible, you go beyond not sleeping with that attractive person at work, you don't even think about him/her in that way. You are faithful to your spouse in both thought and deed. In the same way, if we have a relationship with God that is built on faith, we go beyond a shallow list of dos and don'ts and we focus more on whether or not we are trying to be faithful to Him at all times. A faith without faithfullness is no faith at all. James says that "faith without works is dead." It is hard to be faithful when nothing you do reveals your so-called faith. In order to be faithful we must live our lives with Him in mind. Is what I'm doing right now being faithful to God? Don't cheapen faith. If you truly have faith in God the evidence of that faith will be much greater than that of someone who is just trying to follow a list.

Offered Drugs

Watch. Reflect. Comment. What do you think?