Soup for The Soul is a weekly column of encouraging stories and devotions to encourage your walk with Jesus.
Radical living!
Almost every week I have a conversation with someone or in a group about understanding the gospel and its impact on our lives. The conversation comes up because many people are trying to make sense of how they are to live their lives for Christ.
For example see these illustrations: Andy is a man who professed his faith in Christ. Since that day Andy has always espoused salvation by grace alone through faith alone. According to Andy, his actions have nothing to do with his salvation, and unfortunately this is evident in his life. Sure, he goes to church and attends his small group, but Christ is not clear in his character or his care for others. Andy turns a blind eye to the lost, even those who have never hard of Christ, and he tuns a deaf ear to the crises of the poor, even those among his family in Christ. Though he expresses belief, there is no fruit of faith in his life beyond the religious routine of cultural Christianity.
Or think of Ashley. She has been in the church all her life. In fact she has been baptized four times. She has listened to sermon after sermon and attended countless studies about what God expects. She wants to please God and she works hard at putting her Christianity into action. Yet she never feels as if she has done enough, and she is never sure of her salvation. It is wearing her out.
Both of these individuals could be you or someone you know. Andy thinks work has nothing to do with salvation and Ashley thinks work has everything to do with salvation. Both are confused and both are wrong leading to unhealthy and unproductive Christian lives with little or no fruit.
David Platt, in his book Radical Together , reminds us that a proper understanding of the gospel leads us to understand that the gospel frees us from “works” and saves us “ to work. What he means is that we as believers need to understand that we have been freed from guilt. We do not have to try to please God. We have been freed from the chains of performance and work and sin. Now some people like “Andy” stop there. But it is important to remember that we have been freed “to work”. That is we have been freed to do something as Paul and James suggest. Faith without actions is useless and dead. The idea here is that true faith always leads to obedience and action. It produces fruit which is the evidence of your faith. Once we realize the freedom that we have, we are driven to live for the benefit of others because our Lord died for the benefit of us! As we take steps of faith and trust in Christ, he changes our hearts, minds, and lives. We are transformed which leads us to live Radical lives that stick out in our community. How about you? Are you Andy, Ashley or Radically Alive?
Radical living!
Almost every week I have a conversation with someone or in a group about understanding the gospel and its impact on our lives. The conversation comes up because many people are trying to make sense of how they are to live their lives for Christ.
For example see these illustrations: Andy is a man who professed his faith in Christ. Since that day Andy has always espoused salvation by grace alone through faith alone. According to Andy, his actions have nothing to do with his salvation, and unfortunately this is evident in his life. Sure, he goes to church and attends his small group, but Christ is not clear in his character or his care for others. Andy turns a blind eye to the lost, even those who have never hard of Christ, and he tuns a deaf ear to the crises of the poor, even those among his family in Christ. Though he expresses belief, there is no fruit of faith in his life beyond the religious routine of cultural Christianity.
Or think of Ashley. She has been in the church all her life. In fact she has been baptized four times. She has listened to sermon after sermon and attended countless studies about what God expects. She wants to please God and she works hard at putting her Christianity into action. Yet she never feels as if she has done enough, and she is never sure of her salvation. It is wearing her out.
Both of these individuals could be you or someone you know. Andy thinks work has nothing to do with salvation and Ashley thinks work has everything to do with salvation. Both are confused and both are wrong leading to unhealthy and unproductive Christian lives with little or no fruit.
David Platt, in his book Radical Together , reminds us that a proper understanding of the gospel leads us to understand that the gospel frees us from “works” and saves us “ to work. What he means is that we as believers need to understand that we have been freed from guilt. We do not have to try to please God. We have been freed from the chains of performance and work and sin. Now some people like “Andy” stop there. But it is important to remember that we have been freed “to work”. That is we have been freed to do something as Paul and James suggest. Faith without actions is useless and dead. The idea here is that true faith always leads to obedience and action. It produces fruit which is the evidence of your faith. Once we realize the freedom that we have, we are driven to live for the benefit of others because our Lord died for the benefit of us! As we take steps of faith and trust in Christ, he changes our hearts, minds, and lives. We are transformed which leads us to live Radical lives that stick out in our community. How about you? Are you Andy, Ashley or Radically Alive?