salvation

27
Dec
2019

Jesus has built a home for us

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on July 9, 2015.  The following devotion was written in connection with a Devotional Writing course that I led. 

A House Built for Us

by Monica Sletten

It’s nice to have a house to call our home.   We all live in structures built by someone – houses, apartments, mobile homes.   Every sort of house was built by a carpenter or other types of builders.  After the builders do their job and build a house, people like you and me live in them.  Once the house is finished, people move their stuff into their new home.

Sometimes when we get new things we are very protective of that “stuff” and the houses in which we keep our stuff.   We can become overly worried about what our houses look like, whether our stuff is as nice as our neighbors’ stuff, and other such concerns about things we have in this world.   It is very easy to get so caught up in who has the most toys, the prettiest clothes, the coolest cars, or who had the best carpenters and builders to build their house.  Not all builders do the same quality of work.  Sometimes they forget a nail, use an imperfect piece of wood, or simply don’t make a very attractive style of house.

But you know what?  The style of the houses we live in here on earth and the things that fill our houses are not truly the most important things.  There is a carpenter who has built us a house that is perfect, a home that is flawless. There is nothing wrong with the house he has built, and he promises he has a room in this house waiting for each member of his family.  Does anyone know who this carpenter is that I have in mind?

Jesus!

Jesus was raised as the son of Joseph, a carpenter.  He likely learned how to build things as part of growing up with Joseph and Mary in Nazareth.  But I’m talking about a different sort of house-building that Jesus has done.  Jesus said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).  Jesus has made rooms ready in heaven for us by the work that he has done for us.  He has built places in the heavenly Father’s house for each of us by his life and death and resurrection.  Through what Jesus did, we have a place with God, a home for eternity.   All our sins are forgiven and we now have a room waiting for us. We don’t have to do anything to earn this place in God’s perfect house.  We simply trust Jesus, who promises he will take us there to be with him.

This is truly such a blessing that Jesus has given to us – the gift of an eternal home with God!   With that heavenly home in view, we will stop fussing so much about what sorts of houses or garages or other stuff we have here on earth now.  If someone has a house that is more beautiful and bigger than yours, don’t worry about it.  Jesus promises us that he will take us to live with him in his Father’s house, where he has prepared places just for us.  I can’t wait to experience what that house is like!

Posted by kyriesellnow
27
Dec
2019

Judgment Day – books are opened

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on November 15, 2014.

I once was asked to deliver a chapel talk on a college campus concerning Judgment Day.  This was the message I offered.

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Balancing our Books

by David Sellnow

All of us have a natural tendency to be bookkeepers.  We think like accountants, keeping track of things.  We keep track of every sort of statistic for our sports teams.  We use pedometers to log how many steps a day we are walking.  We monitor how many likes we have on Facebook or how many followers we have on Twitter.

You see the bookkeeping tendency already at a young age in children.  They like to keep track of the chores they have accomplished, get check marks on their chore chart or even better, little stickers or stars.  Little bookkeepers like to see their accounts growing.

I see the tendency in college students.  If you’re a college student, you may count up every point you can get on every assignment that you’re assigned.  And if an assignment is graded and the professor didn’t give you as many points as you wanted, you go up after class and talk to him and try to argue for more points.  Or you email the prof and ask, “Did you dock me for such and such?  Because I think I did such and such, or your instructions didn’t specifically tell me I had to do such and such.”  Or maybe you don’t have the nerve to complain to your professors, but you gripe among your friends about the grades you get.  “His grading is so unfair.  I deserve more points.”  Students are eager bookkeepers, wanting a gradebook full of points.

Benjamin Franklin was a bookkeeper.  He kept books to chart his own good deeds each day.

In 1726, at the age of 20, Ben Franklin set this goal for himself:  “I conceiv’d the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection. I wish’d to live without committing any fault at any time.”

In order to accomplish his goal, Franklin developed and committed himself to a personal improvement program that consisted of living 13 virtues, things like industriousness and temperance and sincerity and moderation.

In order to keep track of his adherence to his listed virtues, Franklin carried around a small book of 13 charts. The charts consisted of a column for each day of the week and 13 rows marked with the first letter of his 13 virtues. Franklin evaluated himself at the end of each day. He placed a dot next to each virtue each had violated. His goal was to minimize the number of marks, thus indicating a “clean” life free of bad marks in his book.

Franklin admitted he never got the book completely clean.  (He liked beer too much, and flirting with women, and other foibles.)  But he said, “Tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, … yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been.”

[Information taken from ArtOfManliness.com.]

I don’t know how happy Ben Franklin was at the end of life when it was time for his final accounting before the Lord of all virtues.  But it seems he didn’t rightly understand how the Lord keeps books in eternity.  And while Ben Franklin was more meticulous than most about his bookkeeping, I’d say the way he thought about the bookkeeping process of his life is the way too many people think of the books of their lives.  And that’s a problem.

The Bible section for today is a vision from Revelation that talks about books.  It’s also the section of the Bible that the website Listverse.com, which bills itself as “the original top 10 site” on the web, lists as the #1 Most Horrifying Moment in the Bible.

This is Revelation 20:11-15 …

  • I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.  The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Being thrown into the lake of fire is indeed a horrifying thought.  But let’s talk about those books.  What are those books?  What’s in those books?  Everyone – whether great or small – has a book.  When Judgment Day comes, “the dead are judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”  Does that scare you?  Have you done enough for your account book to be in passable condition?

Well, actually, you know what the Bible says about how much you have to do.  You have to have a perfect book, a book that records flawless keeping of all God’s laws, impeccable and constant virtues.  You can be as diligent as Ben Franklin and still your book comes up short of what it needs to be.  So how can anyone be saved?  Those who are saved are those whose names are found written in the book of life.  If your name is in the book of life, the lake of fire poses no threat to you.  Don’t be afraid, Jesus saves you.

You do have an account book with God in heaven.  Think of it as a book that has two columns.  One column is for credits to your account of virtue – all the good deeds you are expected to do in keeping with God’s commandments.  The other column records your debits or sins – every time you have violated God’s commandments.  When the books are opened in heaven, you need a book that has a completely clean record in the sin column – not a single sin standing against your name … and a completely full record in the righteousness column – that every opportunity you ever have in life to do the right thing, do a good deed, fulfill a commandment of God, you have done so.

Does anyone have a book like that?  One person does.  Only one person.  One person who stood in our place and lived the life we ought to live, constantly and consistently obeying the Father’s will.  One person who was “tempted in every way just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). One person has a record book with a completely clean, unstained column in regard to sin, not a single sin to list.  One person has a record book with a completely perfect, full account of good deeds in the column marked for righteousness.  Jesus Christ is the one person with a perfect book.  But when we become connected to Jesus, when the Spirit of God, through the Word of God, brings us to trust in Jesus by faith, our names are written in the book of life.  And for those whose names are written in the book of life, the book of Jesus’ life is credited to us also as the book of our lives – even though we didn’t do it, even though we didn’t deserve it, even though we haven’t lived it.  We are granted all the credit of Jesus—all the goodness and righteousness of his life.  We are forgiven of all the sins we have committed, on account of all that Jesus suffered in our place—even death on the cross under God’s horrible judgment.  As one of Christ’s apostles summed it up for us:  “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  And so when our books are opened, they reveal these sorts of things:  Jesus will say to us, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35,36).  We will wonder when we did all those things.  But all that Jesus did will be already credited on our account.  And on top of that, Jesus will say to those whose names are written in the book of life, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

So don’t fear the lake of fire.  And don’t fear that when your book is opened on Judgment Day, you won’t have enough in it. You won’t need to beg the Father in heaven to give you more points because you didn’t fulfill his assignments well enough.  You won’t be arguing that you didn’t understand his expectations and can he please just give you another chance.  Believing in Jesus Christ, your name is written in the book of life.  Believing in Jesus Christ, the book of your life that God opens on judgment day will show what Jesus has done for you and what you have done in Jesus.  And all will be well.

Don’t be afraid.  Jesus saves you.

Posted by kyriesellnow
24
Dec
2019

Not dead, but sleeping

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on May 27, 2019.

On this Memorial Day, I think back to the funeral of a military officer a number of years ago. I’ve adapted words that I shared on that day for the benefit of other families who have lost a loved one in military service.

This is for God’s glory

by David Sellnow

Jesus had a very dear friend named Lazarus.  Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, also were very dear to Jesus. They lived in Bethany, a short distance outside Jerusalem. Jesus had been a guest in their home. They were followers of his. They believed his teachings and knew of his miracles. They relied on him as their Savior. So it was natural for them, when they had a problem, to turn to Jesus for help.

Lazarus had become ill. His sisters immediately sent word to Jesus. “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick” (John 11:3). They assumed Jesus would come quickly; they knew Jesus could heal their brother.

However, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, “he stayed two days in the place where he was” (John 11:6). In the meantime, Lazarus died. By the time Jesus came to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the grave already for a couple of days. Martha went out to meet him and said, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died” (John 11:21).

Think of the pain and bewilderment that Lazarus’ sisters felt: “Jesus, you knew and loved this man; he knew and loved you. We told you he was sick. We called for you to come because we were in trouble. Yet you let him die. You dawdled for two days while he was breathing his last. Why, Lord, why? How could you do this? Why didn’t you help? You had the power to stop this, and instead you let our brother die! Why? Why?”

Dear families of those who have given their lives in the service of our country: You’ve ve likely asked yourselves similar questions concerning the loss of a loved one. “Why, Lord, why?” Such questions are never easily answered. But when we face a tragic and untimely death, the loss of someone who is beloved of Christ, the words and actions of Christ when Lazarus died give us some insight. There are three key things Jesus said and did at that time. When he first heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus had said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it” (John 11:4). Then, speaking to his disciples about Lazarus’ death, Jesus said, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11). To Martha, Jesus also gave an absolute promise:  “Your brother will rise again. … I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies” (John 11:23,25). Finally, to prove his words, Jesus came to Lazarus’ tomb, had the stone rolled away, and called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43) – and the dead man came out of his grave, once again alive.

What Jesus did for Lazarus is not fiction. It is not fairy tale. It is fact. What Jesus did for Lazarus he will do for each of his people who fall asleep in him. Yes, he calls it “falling asleep.” Several times Jesus used that expression to refer to people who died. Sometimes he was laughed at for speaking that way.  Once, at a wake where mourners were wailing over the death of a young girl, Jesus said, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep” (Mark 5:39). The mourners laughed and ridiculed him. But for Jesus, waking someone from death is no more difficult than waking someone from sleep. Death is not the end. It is a temporary state from which God, by his mighty power, will raise us up again. He will reconstruct each person, whether buried in the ground or scattered on the seas or blown apart in battle. The limits of our human mind may object to such a thought, but it us God’s truth. He guarantees it. And he has the authority and ability to do it. He did it for Lazarus, whom he dearly loved. He will do so for your loved ones too. He will raise each of us from our graves. We wait for the coming of the Last Day, when God’s promise to resurrect every one of us in Christ will be fulfilled.

The part of any death that’s hardest for us to understand is how such a thing could be for God’s glory. In Lazarus’ case, God’s purpose was seen rather quickly, within a few days. Jesus had said that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, and that God would be glorified. And so it was. The sickness brought about death, but the story didn’t end there. Death was reversed. The miracle was witnessed by many. The Son of God, Jesus, revealed his grace and power. The reputation of Jesus’ name grew, and people put their faith in him more and more.

Where is the glory of God for those whose lives are cut short prematurely today? God’s glory is there, but it is painfully hard for us to see. Those loved by the Lord live on in the eternal light of the Savior. But at present, all we see is the emptiness that is left behind. We grieve. We feel their absence. And that hurts. For the families of lost service members, when they died, you died too. You died on the inside. And you didn’t get to wake up looking into the loving eyes of your Lord in heaven, as your departed loved one did. God has asked you to stay behind in this world, now especially bleak for you without your beloved in it. But the glory of God still will be revealed in this. God, who has crushed your spirit, will strengthen and support you and revive you again. He will uplift your soul. You will never be the same; your lives will be changed. But God will give you reasons to hope and will work to draw you closer to him than you’ve been before. His purpose in life, in death, in all things, is to bring each of us nearer to him in faith. He has a plan, even when horrible tragedy strikes, to bring about blessing for each of his children. Bu remember–he counts blessings in spiritual, not material terms. What matters most to God is increasing and deepening your reliance on him, so that your hearts will be ready on the day he chooses to call you home to himself, to go and be with him, where your loved one now has gone.

You dear family members who are remembering lost loved ones, I know you know these things. I know that your faith in your Savior is still alive and breathing. Nevertheless, even as you hang onto hope in Jesus, you still will mourn. And no one can fully know how you feel. Friends  and acquaintances will have a sense of your loss, but few can relate to the depth of loss you’ve experienced. And you yourselves have never felt heartache as severe as this. But keep the faith and take courage in this: There is someone who has experienced the loss of his One and Only Son. The Father in heaven watched his own Son, Jesus, die a bloody, heart-wrenching, horrible death, nailed to a cross in agony. It was a death so devastating that the sun stopped shining when it happened. But it was not a death without purpose. Jesus’ death was for our ultimate and eternal good. By his death, Christ became our Redeemer from death. He has taken our lost loved ones on angels’ wings to be with him. And God will fully, miraculously restore the bodies of all his people in glory. We have hope in a Savior who will do these things for us and a Father who understands the pain we feel. We believe that God is glorious and great and good, and that the only reason he allows death to occur to us is as a way to usher us into the glory and greatness and goodness of heaven. That is where those who have died in the Lord have gone. By faith, that is where we will follow also.

Dear God, make it so.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

A thought for Christmas

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 24, 2018.

A few years ago, I served as editor for a booklet of Advent devotions.   As a thought on Christmas for this year, here’s a message from that booklet as a reminder of why Christ came into this world.  My thanks to Emily Seeber for providing this holiday blog installment.  Christmas blessings to all Electric Gospel readers.

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A Savior for All the Worst Sinners

by Emily Seeber

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.  

– 1 Timothy 1:15

            “At church would you rather sit next to a visitor who had received a speeding ticket or a recently released felon?”  That’s a rather awakening question for many of us as we evaluate ourselves. Society gives levels to crimes, such as warning, misdemeanor, and felony.  Unfortunately, our sinful natures like to do the same. We try to build ourselves up and convince ourselves that we are pretty good (or at least better than most).

            However, sometimes we need to remind ourselves, “Does God assign levels to sins?” Even to think of it that way misses the point of God’s law. A single sin damns a person to hell; we are all equal. God’s law reminds us that our comparison isn’t between us and others but rather between us and God.  We will never measure up.  All must say with Paul, “I am the worst.”

            But all of us “worst” sinners” have a trustworthy assurance from God, “Christ came into the world to save sinners.” God looked at this sin-ridden world and said, “Yes, you are the worst, but I love you. Here is my Son.” Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are a new creation. No longer slaves to sin but children of God: forgiven and blameless in God’s sight. Together let us share this message throughout all creation, “We are all the worst of sinners, but God didn’t leave us. In fact, he saved us.”

Questions to ponder:

  • When are times that you feel most tempted to compare yourself to others?
  • What would be ways to show love rather than judgment in such situations? 

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank you and praise you for the gift of your Son, Jesus. Please forgive me for those times when I act in judgment rather than love. Please help me to remember that I am equal to everyone around me when I am tempted to consider myself better.   In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Living in hope, not fear

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 9, 2017.

In the season of Advent, we are reminded of the hope we have in our God.  For centuries God’s people waited on the promise of the Messiah’s coming.  In lean times and dark hours, such promises from God seemed far away and uncertain; God himself seemed distant.  But God’s commitment to us never wavered, and the coming of Christ was always a certainty.  We live in hope, in confidence, in the certainty of faith, setting aside fear — because we know that God holds our safety in his hands.  He keeps all his promises.
This week’s Electric Gospel message is one filled with hope in God, who is eternally reliable.  As a child of God sings in a favorite song, “Jesus loves me, this I know. … Little ones to him belong; they are weak but he is strong.”

Living in hope, not fear

by Laurel Hirschmann

“Do do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God”   (Isaiah 41:10)

I am scared of losing my faith. I put off going to sleep, knowing that as soon as I go to bed, as soon as my brain shuts down for the day, I will tempted more than I ever have been. I am plagued with thoughts that have never challenged me more in my life. I try to reassure myself. I know God forgives me. I know God sent his Son to die in my place. I know Jesus rose from the dead and will come to take me to heaven someday. I know this is the truth. I know God is real. I know all the “right” things, so why am I so terrified that I will lose my faith?

Through faith alone. By Scripture alone. In Christ alone. By grace alone.

I did nothing to earn my salvation. I am a sinful human being who fell short and could not possibly come to the knowledge of the truth except through the Holy Spirit. And God gave me his Holy Spirit. God gave me the gift of eternal life, not because I earned or deserved it. He gave this precious gift out of love, completely free of charge. I take this knowledge for granted. I say these words without recognizing what comfort they bring. I do nothing – nothing – to earn my salvation. My sinful nature keeps trying to tell me I do, that somehow it is up to me. It is trying to say, “You have to hold on. You were given the truth, but now it is up to you to keep it. Do not jump out of God’s hand—that’s your responsibility.”

I know all the “right” things, but what I fail to remember is that my faith is not left up to me. I did not come to it on my own. God chose me. He set me apart from the beginning to be his child. He tells me this countless times in his word.  Christ’s apostle assures me, saying God chose us in Christ “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love​ ​he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). Another letter in Scripture provides further assurance of this: “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9).  I rest my confidence in God’s promise, which proclaims: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).

I do not need to fear. My faith is not up to me. It is not my feeble, shaky grip on God, but God’s unwavering, firm grip on me that keeps my faith secure. I know God forgives me. I know he sent his one and only Son to atone for my sins. I know Jesus paid the price fully. I know he rose from the dead. I know I will not lose my faith, because God promises he will not let go of me, that nothing can separate me from his love (Romans 8:39). I know God chose me, and I know I will spend an eternity with him in heaven.
Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Christ alone

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on October 11, 2017.

Christ alone is the object of faith

by Can Kuang
Can’s devotion was written with an audience of younger kids in mind (from kindergarten to fourth grade). But I felt her theme and imagery communicate well to all ages.

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Are you LEGO® fans? Suppose you spend a whole day in building a LEGO® ship or house or airplane or whatever, with hundreds of pieces. When you finish it, will you be happy with it and enjoying looking at it again and again, and showing it to your friends and families? Sure, you will! Then, you put it onto the shelf so that it will not be broken and you can also easily reach it and play with it. However, one day it accidentally falls off the shelf and is broken into pieces. Who do you think can fix it and build it up again? The LEGO® pieces themselves? The biggest and fanciest LEGO® pieces? The shelf? Or you?

The answer is clear: You yourself, because it is you who built them and you are the lord of them.

This idea is true of us and God. God created human beings and put us in the Garden of Eden with all the blessings. However, we messed it up and fell down with sins which drove us to eternal punishment. Do you want to end up with that? No, we don’t. But who can save us? Ourselves? The smartest and the strongest people? Heroes? Or God?

The answer here is clear, too. Only God can save us, because it is God who created us and he is the Lord of us. That is why God became flesh in Jesus Christ to live for us, die for us and rise for us in order to save us from sins and give us eternal life. Therefore, who is the object of saving faith? Jesus Christ alone is the object of saving faith, not us, not anything or anyone else. Therefore, God told us “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Praise God for his enduring love and unfailing promise.”

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Between Worlds

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on July 8, 2017.

Entre Mundos

(“Between Worlds”)

Photograph and article by Nicole Wood, from travels in Peru


Concrete stairs. Barren walls. A dirt floor. A mostly empty room. Plastic chairs. A rickety table. An unadorned red tablecloth. Plain food – giant corn, baked potatoes, fresh goat cheese, warm milk. No utensils. Shared plates. A smartphone and a digital camera.


It felt off, this clashing of worlds. As I sipped from my mug and munched on salty cheese, the iPhone in my pocket felt more like a brick. I was on vacation with my Peruvian host family. That morning, we had ridden in a fifteen-passenger van to one of the remote villages in the mountains of Abancay. We were there to visit their family, people who did not even speak Spanish, let alone English. While our visit with them was brief, it greatly impacted me.

At this point in time, I had already been living in my small apartment outside of Lima for months. I had limited furniture, sporadic wi-fi, and a shower that often would stop working mid-shampoo. I naively thought I understood what it meant to live simply.

Yet, here were people surviving off of the food they grew and sharing padded cushions for beds on an earthen floor. They were so secluded that they only spoke the indigenous language of Quechua and rarely interacted with people outside of their village.

But, they had a church. They knew their Savior.

It was refreshing to be reminded of God’s blessings, both physical and spiritual. His message to me was clear – God will provide all that I truly need; physical blessings do not correlate to spiritual blessings. These villagers knew that, and they laughed and smiled with us despite our communication barriers. They were content with God’s grace.

And, as we left, an elderly farmer pulled out his flip phone to take a picture of us. 
Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

What does it mean to be a Christian?

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on April 25, 2015.

“I’m a Christian” – What Does This Mean?

by Kyara Grunst

“I’m a Christian.” This is something I’m sure we would all be willing to say. But let’s ask what our catechism would ask:  What does this mean? What makes us “Christian?” You could say that’s an easy question. Of course it’s Christ that makes us Christian. But again, what does that mean? First, let’s take a look at what Christianity isn’t.

When I think of a Christian, I will admit that I usually think about a person who does good works. I think of someone who donates money to church and to charities, someone who volunteers a lot, someone who hold doors open for others, someone who does good things. However, this attitude, called legalism, is not, in essence, Christianity. Legalism is all about the law. It creates a “Christ and…” mentality where we feel like we need to add something to the work of Christ. We try to save ourselves by either keeping all of the rules or by making up our own rules.

Even if the rules we aim to follow are all doctrines of the Bible, we cannot earn our way to heaven by keeping them.  We are not capable of this. We cannot keep all of the laws of Scripture. We break commandments every day, multiple times each day. And so being a Christian does not, ultimately, mean obeying the rules as best as we can to try and earn our way to heaven because that is an impossible task for us.

Christianity also does not solely mean being a good person. We often think that as we become better Christians, we gain better qualities and we become better people. We think that we need to have a certain number of good traits to be truly Christian. Again this puts the work on us. It is our duty to become better people so we can be better Christians. And again, no. With this mentality, Christianity is about our work, not Christ’s. Besides, what are works without faith?

So what then is Christianity? Christianity is all about Christ. It is about his work for us. Christ humbled himself and came to earth. He didn’t come as a prince in pomp and earthly glory, but instead he came to us in a lowly manger. He lived a perfect life for us, not sinning even once. He did not give in to any temptation the devil put in his way, but stood firm and resisted them for our sake. He then willingly suffered death on the cross and took upon himself the sins of the entire world. He died for us.

And that is not the end of the story. Jesus’ death is not meaningless, because he also rose from the dead. Christ gained for us the salvation we could not and cannot obtain on our own. He did what we cannot because he is the perfect and holy Son of God. This is why being a Christian means we are Christ-centered.

Christ is the reason for everything we do. Because he has done what we cannot, there is nothing for us to do except thank him continually. And so we do just that. We thank and praise him with our lives and with our words and actions. Everything we do is for his glory and to spread the word of what he has done. Our sole work is to preach Christ crucified and risen. Through him, we have become new persons. We were born again in our baptism and have done away with the old self. We are now blameless in God’s eyes because when he looks at us, he sees Christ’s holiness.

That is what it means to be a Christian. It means living our lives as a testimony to Christ and his saving work. For without him, we are nothing. Instead of asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” we instead ask ourselves, “What has Jesus done?” Our identity as a Christian comes through Christ and through the salvation he won for us. It means that we are firmly rooted in him and in his Word so that our lives are permeated with the joyful message of what he has done. Being Christian means casting aside who we are and what we have done and instead living in what Christ has done and who he is – our loving Savior.

Being a Christian, then, is not exclusive to a single denomination or group of people. But rather, the church—the holy Christian community—is filled with people from numerous congregations and from every race and people. Ultimately, being a Christian is not dependent on us having the same sort of religious organization or the same norm of worship style. Being a Christian is fully dependent on having saving faith in Christ and in Christ alone. That is what it means to be a Christian.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Want a Perfect Life? Trust Jesus

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on May 10, 2014.  Many of us need the reminder to stop stressing over how perfectly we can plan and carry out our lives, when we have a gracious God who has given us so many promises.

Are You a Perfectionist?

by Kathy Kolell

Are you a perfectionist like I am?  I like to set the bar high and either move it higher or refuse to jump over it.  I’m usually sure that I can’t do it…whatever “it” is.  How does this happen to a Christian and how does a Christian respond?

Perfectionism presents itself in many different ways.   Often, you’d never know such thoughts are lurking in a person because we are classic overachievers who study hard until every “i” is dotted and every “t” crossed.  We are people who read the fine printed on the accept/decline notices on computer updates.  However, other times we procrastinate.  If we do manage to start a project, we have a hard time finishing it.

The fear of failing is the like a bogeyman that haunts everything.  One person might say, “Oh well, I’ll try something else.”  But we perfectionists are sure our lives are over if we fail.  If we succeed, however, then we will be responsible to keep up the success and build on it.

As a Christian I got caught in the trap of thinking about God’s Plan for My Life.   It is capitalized because obviously there is a plan for me and all I have to do is find it and act.  Then the pieces will come together.   But this thinking makes perfectionism worse. How would I know if what I attempted was God-pleasing or plan was the right one?

What does Scripture say?

Ecclesiastes 11:1 – “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”  The note in my Concordia Self-Study Bible (NIV) was captivating.  It reads, “Be adventurous, like those who accept the risks and reap the benefits.  Do not always play it safe.”  There is a verse about risk-taking in the Bible?  That seems to say it’s ok to at least try even if the outcome is unknown.

The second interesting verse was 2 Corinthians 4:7 – “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” The Self-Study Bible note reads that man is absolutely insufficient; God is totally sufficient.  This verse speaks about our salvation in Christ and everything else connected with being human.  Everything in our lives—our salvation, our work, our projects comes from God alone.  We are clay; vessels in God’s hands.  This is interesting.  Is there one, detailed, specific plan or do we do the work for each day and let God work out the rest?

In Matthew it is written, “Do not worry about your life … your heavenly Father knows” … everything (Matthew 6:25,26).  Every hope, dream, fear and concern.  A favorite verse in Romans assures us that God will use the failure and the success of our lives for our good:  “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

The same God that tells us to be adventurous, also tells us that everything…EVERYTHING will be used to bring his children into the likeness of his Son. That includes challenges, fear, failure, success and fickle feelings.

There are many things about which the Bible is very clear in regard to how we live. We know the Ten Commandments.  We know that we are to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” and instead “be kind and compassionate to one another” (Ephesians 4:31,32).  But after that, God doesn’t care what city we live in, if we open a shop, go back to school, or buy a house because “in their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD determines their steps” (Proverbs 16:9).   God promises to use events in our lives to make his children more like Jesus. God will help us through any difficulty because when he looks at us, he sees his Son.  When we belong to Christ, our salvation is finished in him and our sanctification aims at drawing us ever closer to him. Excessive fear and worry is not from God, but God also uses the broken and the weak for his purposes.   We can live with weakness and fear because we say with Saint Paul, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us when we are afraid and fearful.  Thank you for your promises that assure us everything will be made to serve your purpose and make us like your Son.  Thank you for giving us our unique personalities and loving us just as we are.  In your holy name we pray.  Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel