We hear so much about grace that's it's easy to get the idea that we're saved purely because of what Jesus did by dying on the cross and coming alive again. Well, that's because it's true of course. Paul was adamant that any deviation from that foundation was a major heresy (Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 3, verses 1-9 & 26). We are not saved by obeying laws, but by beliveing that the Son of God took the punishment for our sins and shares his new resurrection life with us. So there is one thing that we need to do - believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died and rose for us (Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 10, verse 9). The problem is that this process automatically makes him Lord of our lives. Jesus himself wasn't shy about pointing this out: "If you love me, you will do what I say." (John's Gospel, chapter 14, verse 15) There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation, but once we have accepted that salvation for ourselves, our lives are not our own - we are subjects of Christ.
Last week we discussed this at church. Given that humans have such a propensity for sin, which means not obeying God, and that Jesus expects those who call themselves by his name (Christians) to do just that, what hope is there for the Church (us) to be at all successful? That's kind of the point that Paul reached by the end of the seventh chapter of his letter to the Roman church (Romans 7:21-24). However, he then goes on to explain the answer: "Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord ... Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation for anyone who is in Christ Jesus, because through him the law of the Spirit of Life has set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 7:25 - 8:2)
So there is a way that we can do what God wants - through Jesus because he has sent us his Holy Spirit of life. The Holy Spirit lives with us as a counsellor to help us work out what's going on and what we should do. (John 14:16,17) He lives in us to enable us to grow his fruit of love, joy, peace, goodness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). He gives us supernatural gifts to empower us to do his work (Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 1-11). Armed with the Holy Spirit to develop us as people, help us know how to live and enable us work for him, God sends us out into the world to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, heal the sick, cast out demons, make disciples and generally usher in the Kingdom of God (Matthew's Gospel, chapter 28, verses 16-20; Mark's Gospel, chapter 16, verses 15-18).
However, none of what we do earns us salvation. We are saved by believing that Jesus died and rose to do that for us, and giving our lives to him. Once he has our lives, he can send his Spirit to us to grow us into who he wants us to be and work through us to accomplish what he wants doing. If we let him work in us and through us, we don't have to acheive anything in our own strength at all - he doesn't just point into the distance and say get on with it. It's all about be willing vessels for God to empty of ourselves and fill with his Holy Spirit. The less there is of us in our lives and the more of him, the more amazing things we shall experience and see - greater things even than Jesus did while on Earth (John 14:12).
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