8.14.2005 | Saved by the (church) bell?

A brief discussion with one of our deacons before Bible study this morning was a bit of an eye-opener. The subject was whether we have been saved. The deacon opined that those of us who were in church had, essentially by definition, been saved. And, this man being (sort of) a Five-Point Calvinist, once saved, always saved. In other words, by the fact that we attended our Baptist church, and, presumably, our Bible study group after services, we were good to go in the eyes of the Lord.

Not. Necessarily. True. Especially in light of today's lesson, which was a study of Romans 6. Sure, Romans 6 on its surface tells us that, now that we've become Christians,

22...you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Yet the overarching message is that sin is pervasive in our world and that we will be living in sin until we are brought before the throne of judgment.

In other words, as any with eyes to see will know, we who think we are saved sin mightily. Along with all the rest of humanity. It is a natural condition for all of Adam's children.

The difference for those of us in church? We can at least hope to have been chosen by God to be among those sent to Jesus for salvation. And, now that we are slaves to Christ Jesus, we at least will feel good and guilty about our sins. Which is a hefty improvement over our lives before Christ entered them.

I don't know if I'm saved; I hope I am; I will run my life as though I were. But I will never, ever, claim to have been saved because of a sacrament, a feeling, or church attendance, or any other man-made thing over which I have control.

It is up to God. Always has been. Always will be.

| technorati tag | Christianity|