We're called to obey.........that's what we are.....we're called to obey Jesus Christ.
Why does everyone get all riled up about obedience? or works?
In all the reading I've done in the threads about Faith and Works, no one has every said that they're saved by works. They all have agreed that we're saved by God's grace through faith because of the voluntary death of Jesus who died and atoned for our sins. Everyone agrees that this is how we're saved.
So if you all agree that salvation is through Christ and you all say that works will follow those who believe, where is the disagreement?
1 Peter 1:1, 2
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
To be honest I think the problem is, well my thoughts are along the following.
We all agree that faith saves and not works.
The problem is we then define what works are and what obedience is.
Now that can cause a problem.
Some seem to say that it's 100% all the time (or may come accross like that)
This can then lead to works based salvation and then faith can be set aside.
Those who say that works don't save are assumed to be saying just have faith and that saves.
Yet they say if we start with 1% and only get to 5% that's greasy grace.
One side assumes the other doesn't care about sin and the other try's to pay for their sin.
The problem is that either side draw a line as such and that's what they stick with.
Now I have to be honest here, I am faith saves through which works and obedience follows.
The thing I struggle with given my experiences (which I have shared) it is easy to write someone off if they don't seem to be doing the right things, works and obedience. The issue for me is that is looking at the outward signs without regard to the heart.
I stopped going to church for 15 years. But I never lost faith in Jesus. In fact I led a very successful youth group ministry.
I won't go into the details about why I stopped going other than to say I was a very damaged person.
My counselling when people talked to me was "Bible says now go do"
They didn't even ask why I was struggling.
People can't be obedient all the time and fruit in people grows at different rates.
We should never be quick to write those off who go missing in action or don't seem to grow as we expect neither should we write off those who we think are working for their salvation.
Its all about grace on both sides.
Its grace that sets us free and helps us to walk with each other and build each other up.
Just my simple thoughts.
We all need to realise that Jesus is greater than it all and he has in fact asked us to be like him.
Thats why he went back to the Father so the Holy Spirit would come to us.