Ephesians 2:8-9 states: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Verse ten continues: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ( ESV, emphasis added)
No orthodox Christian would deny or downplay the first half of the above scripture. By far, this has been the predominant message delivered in most American churches week-after-week for decades. The fact that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works is the key to understanding the doctrine of salvation.
But Once Saved, Then What?
The Scripture goes on to teach that we are saved for a purpose—to do those good works God created us for, even before we were born. We are made in the image of God, who is always working for our benefit, and we are made to reflect His image to the world. In other words, we are called to serve and bless humanity just as Christ washed the disciples’ feet and laid His life down as a sacrifice for others. Again, we’re saved by grace through faith—not by works. But we are clearly warned in James 2:26 that “faith without works is dead.”
Devoid of focused emphasis from the pulpits on this matter, the Church in America has become lifeless and ineffective in the fight against evil. This contest can only be won by boldly proclaiming truth in all spheres of life, not simply limiting its application to the individual, the home, and the local church. The entire world is the battlefield. The Great Commission calls the Church to teach (disciple) all the nations, and if we do not make this a priority first in our homes and congregations, how can we be trusted to do so outside our primary sphere?
Graduation Day
Scripture teaches that discipleship requires continual progress in our walk of sanctification towards Heaven. We are always to be growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ from the day of our new birth until our last earthly breath. Heb 5:13-14 states:
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
Again, we’re told in Ephesians 2:10 that we are created to model Christ in all our lives and do those good works he has created for us. God did not save us and then immediately beam us up to heaven as in a Star Trek episode or sci-fi movie. He leaves us here for a purpose. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) And among those works is to contend for the faith (Jude 3) by combating evil and promoting righteousness. (Romans 12:9, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Ephesians 5:11) We have a grand purpose in God’s grand timeline of history (His-Story)!
The Battleground
Breck Wheelock writes, “In today’s culture, as at any time in history, we live in a battleground of ideas. However, because mass communication and social media can travel anywhere throughout the globe at the speed of light, the battle of ideas, at this point in human history, has nearly reached a climax. The barriers of time and space, which had up until recently been able to confine the suppression of truth to various degrees, have been completely breached. Never before has man been able to communicate the evil thoughts and intents of his heart without borders and/or time constraints; but thanks to mass communication, he now can. Sin is now able to metastasize throughout every nation of the world with little to no resistance vis-à-vis global technology. This is the world we now live in.”
For many decades, the leadership in the vast number of Protestant churches has been teaching—either explicitly or implicitly—that it is unacceptable, irreverent, and/or inflammatory to address current social or political issues from the pulpit, even in the context of teaching the Scriptures.
Breck adds, “Why are pastors so reluctant to address inflammatory issues? Is it out of fear? Are we not in a war?! Certainly, there should be a little bit of “them’s fightin’ words” between opponents in a war. Certainly we must be offensive (to a certain degree) if we are to take ground from the enemy.
“A Christian is commanded to difficult service; he must charge through the whole army of his lusts, every one of which is stronger than Goliath. Worldly things are not obtained without labor. What toiling is there in the shop! … And do we think Heaven will be had without labor?”
When pulpits over-emphasize grace while discouraging the pursuit of good works, the church and Her people become listless, passionless, and voiceless in the social arena surrounding them. This is not the way to win a war!
This series is extracted from the book,
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Author: Roger Wheelock
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