Some of you might have questions about Salvation being
a gift received by faith alone.
As this viewer who asked about a passage in Colossians.
The comment / question was:
for I think
it contradicts your teaching on salvation.
Thank you for any help.
Let's start by read the passage:
And you, who once were alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now He has reconciled
in the body of His flesh through death,
to present you holy, and blameless,
and above reproach in His sight—
if indeed you continue in the faith,
grounded and steadfast,
and are not moved away from
the hope of the gospel
which you heard,
which was preached
to every creature under heaven,
of which I, Paul,
became a minister.
The key to understanding this passage lies
in the fact that Paul is not talking about
"IF" the believer is going to be present before the Lord
but HOW.
We can see by the context
that he is addressing those who have been saved.
Look at verses 13 and 14 of the chapter:
For he has rescued us from
the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom
of the Son he loves,
in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins.
The believer has already been rescued
and made part of the kingdom of the Son.
And in the Son we have received full redemption
and forgiveness of all our sins.
Therefore Colossians 1:23 is not talking about
"IF" a believer is going to be presented before the Lord,
but HOW they would be presented.
To be presented holy, and blameless,
and above reproach in His sight
A believer must
continue in the faith,
be grounded and continue steadfast,
and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel
which they heard,
Paul is constantly instructing and encouraging
the believer's to live for the Lord.
Not to be saved,
nor to remain saved.
Our eternal life begins when we trust in Christ,
and it will never end.
You are permanently a child of God.
Choosing to serve your Father will result in you
being rewarded,
and not be ashamed when the Lord appears.
This can clearly be seen in his letters to the Corinthians.
This church had many issues with sinful behavior.
We find many references in the two letters written to them.
Paul called them saints, and did not question their salvation.
I want to draw your attention
to what Paul says in
1 Corinthians chapter 3
verses 11 through 15
For no other foundation can anyone lay
than that which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with
gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw,
each one's work will become clear;
for the Day will declare it,
because it will be revealed by fire;
and the fire will test each one's work,
of what sort it is.
If anyone's work
which he has built on it endures,
he will receive a reward.
If anyone's work is burned,
he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved,
yet so as through fire.
This passage gives us a picture of
how some believers can expect to be rewarded,
and others will have little
or even nothing to show for their lives.
Because they did not choose
to become a disciple and serve the Lord
after they became born again child of God.
As verse 15 states,
"he himself will be saved",
But just like when a house burns to the ground,
a person has little or nothing left
after the fire has consumed their worldly possessions
they had worked so hard to accumulate over many years.
Again, our salvation is based
on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
It is a gift received by grace through faith ...
not of ourselves, not of works.
How you choose to respond to your heavenly Father
will determine if you will experience blessings now,
and future recognition for your faithful obedience.
The Bible is full of promised blessings and rewards
to those who listen to, trust in and obey the Lord.
Please note:
That just like we need God to save us,
we also need His power to live the Christian life.
Paul made it clear he was successful in servicing the Lord,
because of God's grace and
by trusting in the Holy Spirit
to be working through him.
John tells us in the Gospel of John,
and his letters, that the key is to ABIDE
With warnings that those believers who fail to do this
will be ashamed when Jesus appears.
1 John 2:28
And now, little children, abide in Him,
that when He appears,
we may have confidence
and not be ashamed before Him
at His coming.
I will close with Jude verses 24 and 25
Now to Him
who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory
Before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
At the Lord's coming,
some believers will experience feelings of shame,
while others will have exceeding joy.
This depends on our faithfulness now.
I hope this explanation helps.
Maranatha!
Saved by Grace,
Andrew Cross
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-25
