Friday, April 22, 2011

Salvation and what we do - rethinking things

I will elaborate more in a future post, but for now I am coming to the conclusion that salvation truly is a matter of grace by God and there's nothing you can do about it either way.  If you are chosen, you will feel a tugging towards God and to want to do what is "right".  If you are not, you will have no "conscious" as it were regarding many thoughts of how to behave.  If you are chosen, you will internally be drawn to keep the ten commandments, for instance.  With that mindset, the next verse reads a little differently than it may have before:


1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 


You could read this as you HAVE to keep the commandments to receive God's love.  I think it may read differently.  It think what it is saying is that you can KNOW you are a child of God if you keep His commandments.  If you are chosen, you will feel that internal pull to do what is right, as these things are written on your heart.


I am really starting to doubt anything we do mattering regarding salvation.  It is a gift of grace, so that no one can boast.  The other thing in play is that if you think ANYTHING you do is helping you get to heaven, you are nullifying what Christ did on the cross.  I think this is a very dangerous line to cross.  "oh look, I do x,y,z, unlike those other people who obviously aren't saved".  I think there are tons of verses to discount this kind of logic.


As I said, I will post scriptural references to all of this when I have more time, but I think it may very well be folly to think you can do anything to save yourself.  If you are chosen, it has already been done for you by Jesus.  The rest may just be a deception to think it is in your control, which it never may have been.


John