Forcing yourself to run the race, part 01

One of the problems with a certain type of Christian theology is that it is so afraid that we might try to earn our salvation that it essentially destroys growing in holiness. At the other end is a certain type of Christian theology that almost measures its every act to see whether the person is on the right side of the ledger or not. Here is an important point. No major Christian group holds to either of those two extremes.–I have deliberately said “major” group because there are so many denominations that I cannot vouch for the theology of every minor group.

So, let me put in a couple of caveats. No major Christian group believes that we can earn our salvation. Every major Christian group has as part of its doctrine that salvation is a free gift from God. The idea that one can earn their salvation has been rejected by Christianity for many centuries. Yes, I know that you can find statements from various authorities that talk about being justified by works. However, when one reads them more closely, one realizes that what is being talked about goes with the second caveat. Let me also point out that some groups do not have the same division between justification-sanctification-glorification as do Christians coming from a more Reformation viewpoint. This sometimes makes understanding each other a little difficult.

The majority of people who call themselves “Christian” belong to groups that believe that you can lose your salvation. The statements from various authorities that talk about being justified by works are generally not referring to what some groups call justification, but rather to the process of sanctification and the place of the human will in that process and the relationship of that process to our salvation. Nevertheless, no major Christian group believes that salvation can be easily lost. Losing salvation takes a deliberate choice and a deliberate act of the will. It does not happen accidentally and unknown to one.

And a final caveat, no major Christian group says that they can definitively tell, before death, whether one is saved or not. Every major Christian group allows for the hypocrite who hides among us like the tare among the wheat. However, every major Christian group does make comments to the effect that someone who behaves like the devil his/her whole life, and rejects Christ his/her whole life, is not going to be part of the redeemed, barring a deathbed confession.

St. Paul says:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Tomorrow, I will be looking at that verse. And, no, I am not going to try to solve the discrepancies in our theology. However, I am going to attempt to bring us slightly closer to one another. The differences in our theology are real and we need to honestly face them and admit that they are there. However, when we look at our practice, we are not as far apart as we think on some issues. You might be surprised to see some of the places where our practice is closer than our theology. And, I might even dare to hope that this comparison of practices will be both fun and interesting.

===MORE TO COME===