{"id":303,"date":"2015-02-09T05:05:42","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T05:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/?p=303"},"modified":"2021-04-24T00:11:49","modified_gmt":"2021-04-24T00:11:49","slug":"saving-face-or-saving-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/?p=303","title":{"rendered":"Saving Face or Saving Grace?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many years ago as a youngster I attended a Bible camp not far from home. \u00a0Another boy from our church attended as well. \u00a0The camp was in an area that is now a state park, lots of timber and a fair amount of hiking, nature trails and the like.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Near the end of our week there, we had an evening bonfire. \u00a0While everyone sat around the fire, we were encouraged to give our testimony of salvation. \u00a0 Some kids readily shared that they were Christians while others held back. \u00a0I was one of those who held back until the other boy from our church gave testimony of having received Christ as his Saviour.<\/p>\n

Hearing his testimony of salvation made me rather indignant. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0H<\/strong>ere was a kid who was an occasional church attender saying that he was saved; that he was a Christian. \u00a0I was in church every time the doors were open. \u00a0I mowed the church lawn and scooped the sidewalks during the winter. \u00a0I sang in the youth choir, helped clean the church and even participated in church services. \u00a0If he was saved, I was more so!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I gave a testimony of salvation that night at the bonfire. \u00a0It was simply this: that I had prayed with my mom to become a Christian. \u00a0Actually, just about every night at bedtime my mom prayed with me. \u00a0My testimony was not about\u00a0saving grace, but saving face. \u00a0For years I believed that I was as saved as the other guy because of the things I had done.<\/p>\n

There were some fatal flaws to my thinking. \u00a0One fatal flaw was comparing myself to the other guy. \u00a0I thought that because I did all these church related things that I was somehow better than the other boy. \u00a0I thought that if he could be saved, then surely I had to be. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn’t understand that becoming a Christian has nothing to do with my deeds. \u00a0Salvation has everything to do with what the Lord Jesus did: dying in my place, paying\u00a0for my sins, and then rising from the dead. \u00a0Salvation comes only through the merits of Christ, and not by works of righteousness which I have done.<\/p>\n

People end up in hell not because of neglect to do or perform, but because they have not believed in Christ and His\u00a0finished work as their only hope of salvation.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another fatal flaw was thinking that a prayer could make me a Christian. \u00a0Many mistakenly think because they prayed at some time in the past\u00a0that\u00a0they are now a Christian.<\/p>\n

The litmus test of a true believer is not whether or not one prayed at sometime in the past\u00a0but where one is spiritually now, today. \u00a0Is our life, as of this moment, characterized by walking in obedience to God’s word? \u00a0If not, we have to ask ourselves; why not?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Often people are told that if they have prayed the sinner’s prayer, they are now a Christian. \u00a0Simply repeating a prayer does not save. The act of believing on \u00a0and receiving Christ is what triggers salvation (John 1:12). \u00a0Many who point to having said a prayer are often no more spiritual today than they were the day before they prayed the prayer. \u00a0There has been no repentance (changing of the mind). \u00a0There is no evidence of saving faith or new life in Christ. \u00a0A pear tree does not produce apples, it produces pears. \u00a0A believer produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit not the fruit of sin.<\/p>\n

The Scriptures say that a believer does not commit sin. \u00a0It also says that if we say we have no sin, we are liars. \u00a0Is the Bible contradicting itself? \u00a0If not, then<\/strong>\u00a0what does it mean when the Scripture says a believer does not commit sin? \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It means that a believer cannot practice sin. \u00a0He cannot live a life that is\u00a0continually\u00a0characterized by sinful practice. \u00a0A believer is a new creature in Christ whose life is \u00a0characterized by obedience to God’s word and not by servitude\u00a0to sin.<\/p>\n

A believer is still capable of committing any sin out there, but he can never enjoy\u00a0the pleasures of\u00a0sin again or practice sin as a way of life. The indwelling Spirit of God will not let him. \u00a0The Holy Spirit is grieved by sin, which results in godly sorrow in the believer, until the sin is confessed unto the Lord. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lawyer practices law, a doctor practices medicine, an unbeliever practices sin, a believer practices obedience to God’s word. \u00a0What is the evidence in our daily living? \u00a0Have we experienced saving grace or are we just saving face?<\/p>\n

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Many years ago as a youngster I attended a Bible camp not far from home. \u00a0Another boy from our church attended as well. \u00a0The camp was in an area that is now a state park, lots of timber and a fair amount of hiking, nature trails and the like. Near the end of our week … Continue reading Saving Face or Saving Grace?<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=303"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3412,"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303\/revisions\/3412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadinghorsestowater.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}