Faith that Works

Unconditional Love, Conditional Covenant

April 10, 1988 PM

Romans 6:22-23 Therefore being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

INTRODUCTION:

The evangelical Christian world often seems to me in danger of setting the Lord Jesus Christ and St. Paul on opposite sides of the most important issue in all the world: our salvation.

JESUS SEEMS TO SAY WHAT WE DO HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH OUR SALVATION. Jesus says, in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:21): "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." And this is not to any more than mention the sobering picture Jesus draws, in Matthew 25, of the division that will take place on Judgment Day, when the criterion is: "Inasmuch as ye have/have not done it unto one of the least of these . . . "

PAUL SEEMS TO SAY WHAT WE DO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE SAVED Paul says: "He saved us, not on the basis of the deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)"

And also, the very favorite verse on this side of the question: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9)" Although in all fairness, Paul does go on, in the very next verse: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8)

I. SALVATION BY GRACE IS WHERE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND CONDITIONAL COVENANT MEET:

  1. Salvation is by faith; but in the matter of unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace we must be careful not to mistake PRESUMPTION for FAITH.

    A popular song of many years ago proclaimed: "Though it makes Him sad to see the way we live, "He'll always say: 'I forgive!'" Presumption is believing, or professing to believe without any purpose to change, or any personal commitment to Christ as Lord.

  2. "Repentance" is a condition of saving faith; it is a turning away from, and a godly sorrow for SIN. Not merely having been caught. Perhaps there is where is starts. But a turning away from, and a turning to— away from sin to God.

    We are not saved by works of righteousness; but we are not saved unless and until we receive the gift of salvation; and we receive by repentance— turning— which brings us to faith.

  3. Faith is simply turning to Jesus Christ, owning Him as Lord, receiving His forgiveness, and following Him.

    Liberals and secular humanists ridicule conservative Christians on this very point: salvation by faith in Christ, WITHOUT WORKS! It is a humbling thing to be died for! John Wesley found this out 250 years ago. He wrote in his Journal in November 1739:

    "I have seen . . . more than ever how intolerable the doctrine of faith is to the mind of man; and how peculiarly intolerable to religious men. One may say the most unchristian things, even down to Deism; the most (enthusiastic) things, so they proceed but upon mental raptures, lights, and unctions; the most severe things, even the whole rigor of ascetic mortification; and all this will be forgiven. But if you speak of faith in such a manner as makes Christ a Savior to the utmost, a most universal help and refuge;— in such a manner as takes away glorying, but adds happiness to wretched man;— as discovers a greater pollution in the best of us than we could before acknowledge, but brings a greater deliverance from it than we could before expect: if any one offers to talk at this rate, HE SHALL BE HEARD WITH THE SAME ABHORRENCE AS IF HE WAS GOING TO ROB MANKIND OF THEIR SALVATION!"

    All religious and upright and moral people have their treasure of SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS! Salvation by faith and faith alone strikes at the heart of this wealth. It tells us that rich and poor alike, we are all beggars in need of the gift of salvation! AND THIS IS A GIFT WE CANNOT EARN OR MERIT IN ORDER TO RECEIVE . . . AND WE CANNOT EARN OR MERIT IT IN ORDER TO KEEP!

  4. But salvation by faith, not works, does not exclude CONDITIONS in entering into the covenant of grace:

    In the matter of conditional covenant, Jesus makes it plain: (Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23) "If any man will come after Me, let him (1) deny himself, and (2) take up his cross (daily); and (3) follow Me."

    We mistake unconditional love for unconditional covenant and read this: "If any man will come after Me let him say that he believes in my substitutionary death on the cross, and do as he pleases, and I'll always be there to say "It's O.K.!!"

  5. There is all the difference in the world in accepting the terms of a covenant and earning salvation by works. The Bible nowhere says that we can be righteous or accepted in God's eyes by our own works; it does say that salvation is a gift which must be received.
  6. If you want to earn your way to holiness and heaven, then be prepared to accept your wages in full. There is none righteous, no not one. If you want eternal Life, then be prepared to meet the conditions of covenant with Jesus: go the route of obedience and faith.

II. GOD LOVES EVERY ONE OF US... HE LOVES ALL HUMANKIND EVERYWHERE. AND HE INVITES US TO ENTER FREELY INTO COVENANT WITH HIM

  1. There is no difference in what Jesus says and what Paul emphasizes— they are two sides of the same salvation. If you want to be saved— it will have to be by grace, through faith. But if your faith is genuine, it will mean more than saying, "I see!" intellectually, like a lesson that is grasped— and it will be a living encounter with the Risen Savior.

    Jesus says in Matthew 16:24 "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." In Mark 8:34 again: "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." And still again, in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after me let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

  2. TO DENY OUR 'SELF' MEANS a fundamental rejection of "self" as Judge: from now on I don't decide what is, what is not right— I deny myself as god, and accept what Jesus says. HE is my God, my Lord.

    [THAT ISN'T WORKS! BUT IT WORKS!]

  3. TO TAKE UP THE CROSS (AN INSTRUMENT OF DEATH) MEANS a death to those things that hinder, THAT STAND BETWEEN US AND CHRIST!— simply giving them to God.

    ...and Luke says this means a daily! dying: not just a memorable, emotional scene at an altar sometime "back then" — but right NOW— I am still a follower of the Lord Jesus!

  4. TO FOLLOW JESUS! What does that mean? A fellowship of LIFE with the Lord, as He leads us and uses us as He will!

[Closing exhortation:]

We live in something of an intellectual community here; and I often preach as though I were arguing an apologetic; but the truth of the matter is that most of our problems with Jesus are NOT intellectual! They have to do with 'WHO SHALL BE LORD!' and 'DYING TO SELF-WILL!'

#465 Trust and Obey