A dear preacher friend said to me, "It really disturbed me when my saintly grandmother was approaching death and said to me, "Howard, I'm afraid that I haven't done enough to be saved."
This made him wonder if in our preaching we have left people with the idea that they have to be "good enough" or to "do enough" in order to be saved.
Just how much would be enough? Match what the Apostle Paul did in a lifetime? Pretty tough assignment. Heaven's population might be as scarce as Noah's ark.
Do not mistake me. God expects us to do good and to live righteous lives. He does not give His children license to sin.
On the other hand, we could never do enough to be saved. Jesus paid the full price for our salvation. He expects us to have an obedient faith to claim the gift He so freely provided.
We should never rob people of hope and peace of mind by laying an unnecessary guilt trip on them. But, we should encourage them to live faithful devoted lives and to bear the fruit of the Spirit in their daily lives.
The down side of that is this: there are many people who seem content to do nothing. "to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). We call that a sin of omission.
If I am deluded with the notion that I have to be good enough or do enough to be saved, I will never have peace of mind nor have any sense of security. I would go to the grave in despair.
What is the solution? For me, it is to have deep and abiding faith in the goodness and mercy of God and to believe He will keep his promises. When I falter, repent and ask God to forgive me and get up and start again.
- via The Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Calvert City Church of Christ, Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle preaches for the congregation. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
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