Perspectives

Romans 10:8-10 … 8) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (NIV1984)

When we get a little older we often, ask people to repeat whatever it is that has been said. I suppose we do that because we want to be sure we understood it correctly. After all, we do not want to mess up the story with half truths! Especially the inevitable soon to be expected end of our time here on earth. The question that is bantered about often is, “How do we know what will happen when we take our last breath?” Well, my answer is, “I am going to be in heaven.” How do I know that? “The Bible tells me so!” “Do you really believe all that Jesus taught?” “I am betting my life on it, and I do not want to risk my eternal future on some not thought through notion that all form of life ends after we have taken our last breathe… I choose to cling to what the Bible Teaches.”

This Scripture passage teaches that our salvation comes from trusting Christ, and that it is within easy reach of each of us. In fact, it is so close that we may have missed the point. It is as close as our own mouth and heart. By that I mean, if we believe in our heart and tell others that the Lord of our life is Jesus Christ and that God the Father raised Christ from the dead; my Bible tells me that we will be saved. I understand this to mean that when we believe in our heart we become right with God, and when we tell others of our newfound faith, we have just confirmed our faith in Christ. No one who believes in Jesus Christ will ever be disappointed; all who invite Christ into their heart will be saved.

Another idea that really gets a great deal of attention: Sometimes we feel that we have to do something really special to earn our salvation. I guess it is human reasoning that makes us feel that way, but that is not what Scripture teaches. It teaches that all our good works really have nothing to do with earning or worthy of salvation, even though I might think so! Not all the wonderful things we do, the special events and church services we attend can put us right with God. Now having said that, would you not agree that there would be something very wrong with us if our Christian faith does not move us to good works?

Salvation is not a payment or a prize for all the kind things we do or have done. We cannot take credit for it. God Himself made us what we are. He is the One who gave us a new life. None of us would have been able to come to God without the help of the Holy Spirit; however, good works are a direct result of what Jesus Christ did for us. We are no longer strangers to our Heavenly Father, but we are actually members of God’s family, citizens of that heavenly kingdom. What a foundation! Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of that foundation because of what He did on the Cross of Calvary.

I believe this is worth repeating; we all have a pretty good idea what God wants us to do. God has prepared long before hand the kind-hearted life He wants us to live and, enlighten us about it all the way through the pages of the Bible and the ministry of Jesus Christ when He walked on the earth.

We now know that we cannot earn or deserve Christ’s forgiveness. However, an act of free forgiveness through the mercy of God will put us back into a right relationship with Him. But we also know that we can and ought to show how appreciative we are by seeking with our whole heart soul to live the kind of life, which brings joy to the heart of God… To God Be the Glory Great Things He has done!

Would you pray this prayer with me … “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have the peace in my heart that I yearn for. I really want that peace, joy and happiness that will fulfill my heart’s desire. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will honour Your Name.” Amen