[Scripture: John 12:47-48]
Today, I will share with you about saving by faith but judging by deed. Every Christian has heard the message that whoever believes in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior will be saved. It is the truth, and a great statement that everyone needs to listen to. Whoever confesses with their mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believes their heart, they will be saved (Romans 10:9).
I have a friend. His name is Dennis. He identified himself as an atheist. He used to provoke me with the question of how Christians can say that they are saved when they still do many bad things. How can they be so confident about it? It is a deep theological question that struck my heart, and because of it, I wanted to talk about it in church. Again, the question is, why do the saved Christians do the same things non-Christians do?
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
Christian Smith, a sociology professor at Notre Dame, identified the new generation’s faith and spirituality in America. He said they tend to lean toward “moralistic therapeutic deism.” Moralistic therapeutic deism means they believe that:
- God created the world and watches over human life on earth, but there he has no involvement, and there is no relationship between himself and humans.
- The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
- God does not need to specifically intervene in our personal lives except when we ask him to solve our problems. “Do not touch my life until I ask and allow you to help.”
- Good people go to heaven when they die.
It sounds like they are confident in what they believe and think. Do not get me wrong! Self-confidence is good to help you to build resilience to deal with criticism. Also, it is one of the essential qualities that helps you value yourself. Being confident is good in most situations, but being overconfident in the wrong place can be problematic. One of those places is at the throne of God.
Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church said, “Do not engage in spiritual overconfidence.” In other words, do not let momentary desires lead your life, but make room for our Lord, Jesus Christ, to rule your entire life.
Saving by Faith, Judging by Deed
I will read these passages again. “47 If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”
The main point that John wanted to say in these passages about is saving by faith and judging by the words that Jesus 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.” Jesus is full of God’s love and comes to save us. The spiritual role of Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
However, we need to read the next verse to understand the full meaning of saving and judging in the Bible. In verse 48, the word of God will judge people who do not accept it. Salvation is an undeserved grace and gift of God through Jesus Christ, but the responsibility of saved Christians is to complete their salvation without blemish by the word of God at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the same reason Henry Ford designed a car with two opposing functions. The first is an accelerator pedal to accelerate the speed, and the second is a brake pedal to reduce the speed, which together allows you to control your driving and avoid a potential accident. God designed saving and judging as two opposing features to make us safe in our life journeys.
Christian Freedom in the Foundation
Once we are saved, we have the freedom to choose how to live our lives, but it is not infinite freedom. There is an invisible boundary line. The boundary line means staying on the foundation of Jesus Christ and his guidance.
When I was in Petoskey, I visited one of my parishioners. He used to let his big dog out in his yard. The house was on a main street. I wondered why he let the dog go because it looked like it would be dangerous if the dog tried to cross the road. So, I asked him, “Why do you unleash him like that?” He said there was an invisible electric fence that shocked the dog to stay inside the boundary of his yard.
God put this same electric fence system in our hearts. The Apostle Paul called it a good conscience that works in us to receive God’s signal so that we will stay within the boundary lines. In 1 Timothy 1:19, Paul encouraged Christians to hold faith and a good conscience. If we Christians do not manage our lives on the teachings of Jesus Christ, there is no guarantee we will receive the glory and honor of God for us in full when Jesus Christ returns.
Managing Your Life
Managing your life according to the Word of God is a visible expression of an invisible faith. Christian faithfulness is invisible to the eye, but it will be revealed when Jesus Christ comes down from heaven to earth. When the time has come, you and I must stand in the throne room of God.
It will be like a court system. There will be a judge who sits in the middle of the courtroom and a prosecutor right in front of the judge, and he will accuse an individual of what they’ve done wrong. The judge also will listen to the attorney. And finally, the judge will check the legal provisions and make a final decision.
In the same way, when Jesus Christ comes and sits in the middle of the courtroom, what is the legal provision that Jesus Christ will look to and judge by? It will be by the words he has spoken.
Conclusion
Do not anticipate a win or loss of the whole football game by only watching just the first half because the final result will come out only after they finish the second half of the game. Jesus loves you, so he has saved you. That was the first half game, and then, what is next? It is your turn to manage your life under the authority of the words of God.
Spiritual Application
Have a time of reflection of your life on a daily basis. Prayer is one of the best practices to help rearrange your life. For example, sometimes I take Romine Road to Metroparks. It is an unpaved dirt road. As I drove down the road, I could see clouds of dust rising. It didn’t bother me at all because it was just dust. Who cares about dust outside of the car? But one day I realized that the dust covered the rear windshield, and I could not see. It made me blind.
In John 13:10, Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.” A person who has been forgiven by the blood of Jesus needs to wash his own unrighteousness on a daily basis because we are living and walking in the dusty world.
Reading the Bible also is like looking at a mirror so that you can see the stains you need to take off of your face. Psalm 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
2022.06.19. Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
