Tag: God's grace

Nearly 20 years ago, my wife and I traveled to Corpus Christi Texas for a weekend stay. After checking into our hotel room near the waterfront we set out for the flagship store of our favorite burger joint – Whataburger. It was already dark when, after settling in that we set out to fill our bellies at what is known as a Texas tradition. The streets around the hotel were under construction that year (probably still are) and it wasn’t long till I found myself going the wrong way on a one-way street. Thankfully, I wasn’t stopped and cited by the city police and more importantly I did not have a life altering meeting with someone actually going the right way on that street. As you might imagine, I quickly found my way out of that mess and headed in the right direction all the while singing to my wife (who was a little put out by my cavalier and seemingly careless driving) the words to a very famous Frank Sinatra song, you guessed it, “I did it my way!”

Believe it or not, life in this world is a lot like the layout of most city’s streets which have been designed with regard to the flow of traffic into and out of the city. Just as there is a deliberate right way and a wrong way to navigate those streets there is a right way and a wrong way to navigate life and that way has been determined by someone with far greater authority in this world – God.

My motive for this article is not to point out the right and wrong associated so much with the life style choices you and I make (that is for another time) but to point the reader in the right direction with regards to a proper relationship with our Creator. This past week, I had a conversation with a man who asked the following question: “Which religion is right, just tell me which one’s Jesus or God is the right one and I will believe in Him.”  Perhaps part of the reason for his confusion is the simple fact that the church with its many doctrines and denominations have so muddied the waters that people on the outside don’t know which way is the right way; or perhaps too many in the church have stopped pointing out the right direction altogether. When was the last time someone invited you to church instead of to Jesus?

My answer to the man was simple and straight from the Bible, I quoted Jesus’ words as found in (John 14:6): “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He responded, “Yeah, but which Jesus?” He meant (for example), the Jesus of the Mormons, the Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses or the Jesus of Islam. Each of these faith groups view Jesus differently and from the perspective of the Bible, erroneously. It became clear however, from our conversation that this man’s concept of Christianity itself may be incorrect. Biblically speaking there is but one way to God and that way is through His Son Jesus Christ as the words in John 14:6 make clear and yet people attempt to come into that relationship or to gain the grace of God in other ways – they are in essence in pursuit of grace but traveling in the wrong direction on an established one-way street.

For instance, Paul the Apostle made it clear in (Romans 3:20) that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His (God’s) sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” To be justified is to be declared righteous or good by God Who has already decreed through His word that (Luke 18:19) “no man is good, no not one” and that in fact (Genesis 6:5) “the thoughts and intentions of a man’s heart are evil only always.” We become justified through faith in Jesus Christ Whose righteousness God exchanges with our sin; the Bible says in (1 Cor. 5:21):

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

This justification was made available through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross and apart from faith in Him it is impossible to receive it (Romans 4:5):

“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”

The Bible clearly says, “By grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God NOT of works lest any man should boast…” (see Ephesians 2:8-10) yet today people try to earn the grace of God. They are in pursuit of grace through their “good works” but like my wife and I that night in Corpus Christi in pursuit of the world’s best burger they are going the wrong way on a one-way street to find that grace.

Not only does the Bible declare we cannot gain the grace of God and be saved by good works, it also states clearly that salvation is not a determination of our will (John 1:12-13):

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

This is in part where the man I was speaking to was stuck – salvation is not an act of our will alone. You might be thinking “Rich, what do you mean by that because it sounds like it contradicts the Bible?” There is a doctrine that teaches that man is so totally depraved that he would not nor could not ever choose to be saved. I agree and disagree with that position from Calvinistic theology. While I do agree that, like myself prior to my salvation, people do not care to know God let alone to be saved but are content to do whatever their flesh desires; I also believe that once the Spirit of God begins to intervene in a person’s life that mindset changes. Jesus said in (John 6:44):

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

That drawing comes through in two ways which work together, the Word of God – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) and the Spirit of God who “when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:8) The reality is that once the word of God and the Spirit of God begin their work in one being drawn by God to Himself their hearts may be led (as the first inhabitants of the early church were) to a time of great anguish for their souls. You may remember the response of those who heard the gospel message preached by Peter on Pentecost: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”” (Acts 2:37) It is at that moment, when a person sees themselves as God sees him or her that he or she may come to God by faith in His Son sent for their redemption and justification. Thus, it is God and not men who initiate the process by which they can be saved.

The man I was speaking to made one more comment that I think is important at this point in our thoughts, He said, “My problem is a comprehension problem” implying that he did not know what to think or how to choose. Having  addressed much of that statement already let me say that my response to his statement identifies what may in fact be the larger problem for those struggling with the one right way. The Bible declares the problem in (1 Cor. 2:14):

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Too many people put the cart before the horse when it comes to things of eternal value. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God – but, what word? What word does the natural man need to hear first? Let me just put it like this, if any person is to come to God they need to hear about Jesus – why He came and what He did. Jesus Christ is THE WAY, the truth and the life! No man comes to the Father but by Him! They need to hear about the one way to life God’s way. They need to hear about the one way to eternal life – a way blazed and made possible by Jesus Christ who left heaven for our sakes.  They need to hear about Jesus Christ who taught, literally who showed mankind what God was like. They need to hear about Jesus Christ who suffered and was tortured not because of any wrong that He had done but to satisfy the wrath of God for the wrongs – the sins WE HAD DONE! They need to hear about Jesus Christ who died for their sins and three days later rose from the dead to live again making forgiveness and power over sin available to all who believe.

Many there are in this life living the lyrics to Sinatra’s song – their way; we are called to point men to the one right way that leads to everlasting life through the gospel of Christ and the examples of our lives – point the way…lead the way…help them find the one-way that leads to a relationship with Almighty God.