What makes you a Christian? Is it going to church, giving up certain habits, or keeping the ten commandments? Is it based on taking certain sacraments, belonging to the right church, living a godly life, or doing good deeds? Does God have something of a divine scale where He’s weighing our good deeds versus our bad ones? Or is salvation and the Christian life based on something else?
Also:
What does God have to say about our off-handed promises to our children and others about doing this or that only to change our minds when we don’t feel like it?
Today’s Readings:
2 Chronicles 15 & 16
Psalm 81.1-10
Proverbs 20.24-25
Acts 16.1-21
What Makes You a Christian?
Acts 16.1-21:
Circumcision & The Law
Today most of us think about circumcision as primarily a medical procedure. But under the Old Testament law, circumcision was a requirement for every Jewish male (Gen. 17.9-14). Jesus Himself was circumcised when He was eight days old (Lk. 2.21).
But under the New Covenant, things changed. Chapters 15 and 16 record two very different situations concerning circumcision.
In chapter 15, the Judaizers were attempting to add something to the gospel by claiming that it was required for salvation. They were “unsettling” the faith of the Gentile believers by telling them they couldn’t be saved if they didn’t meet the requirements of the law, including circumcision.
But as the apostles made clear, circumcision was not a requirement. Paul addressed this even more fully in his letter to the Galatians (Gal. 5.1-11). But here in chapter 16, Paul surprisingly had Timothy circumcised. He didn’t do so, however, because it was necessary for Timothy. He did it so his uncircumcision would not be a stumbling block to unsaved Jews whom they were trying to evangelize.
This isn’t the only time Paul endorsed something that was not required. When writing to the Corinthians, he addressed a disagreement over eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Paul said that though there was no harm in doing it (it was just meat!), he would rather never eat meat again if it made his brother stumble (1 Cor. 8.13).
Works of Righteousness
But there are no “works of righteousness” which can in any way contribute to our salvation. Paul said in Ephesians:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph. 2.8-9).
We are not saved through rituals, whether baptism, communion or any other sacrament. Neither are we saved through good works, religious service, or church attendance. Though we should have a desire to do those things because we are saved (Eph. 2.10). Good deeds are the fruit of repentance and genuine salvation, not the cause.
The Sinner’s Prayer & False Assurances
But there are some other things that don’t save us. We are not saved by merely praying what is sometimes called “the sinner’s prayer,” going forward in a church or raising your hand during an invitation. You may be saved in the process of doing one of those things. But only the grace of God working through faith can save us (Eph. 2.8-10).
If genuine saving faith doesn’t come alive, we could pray “the sinner’s prayer” a hundred times and not be saved. And some have without resulting fruit in their lives.
If walking to the front of a church, raising a hand, or praying a prayer was only an emotional response without any recognition of the Gospel and without the faith to believe it, it can give people a false assurance of salvation. I believe there are many people who believe they took care of that a long time ago so they don’t have to think about it anymore. Yet they are lost.
Genuine Heart Change
Many of them sit in church every Sunday because it’s what they do. Maybe they don’t drink or swear, at least not too much. But there has been no genuine conversion. They probably have little desire to read and study God’s Word on their own. They may have heard Bible principles for years. They know that Christians should forgive and love those around them. They know intellectually that sexual sin is wrong. But they make excuses or justify not following those commands. They recognize that living God’s way is probably a better option. But it’s just that … an option … because they already have their ticket to heaven punched.
But genuine salvation leads to genuine change, not just toning down certain behaviors but turning away from them. The change is not just on the surface but at the heart level. The change won’t be without failures. And when that happens, we should go back to God, confess our sin (1 Jn. 1.9), and with God’s help go His way. But if we can live with patterns of sin in our lives, we need to question the validity of our salvation (Rom. 1.28-32; Gal. 5.16).
If That’s You
If that’s you and you’re not sure about your salvation, here are a couple of posts on the subject. Please read them and share them with those you love. Don’t wait! None of us have a guarantee of another opportunity.
1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 2 For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you.”
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6.1-2, NLT).
“Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?”
“Do You Live with a Sense of Guilt?”
And if you have made a profession of faith in Christ, but struggle with the assurance that you are saved, you might read this post.
Today’s Other Readings:
2 Chronicles 15 & 16:
The Only Time We Seek Him
As we saw yesterday, God had done wondrous things through Asa as he worshiped and trusted in Him. After a great military victory over the Ethiopians, God sent the prophet Azariah to encourage him. His prophecy ended with these words, “… be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” (2 Chron. 15.7).
God was with him as he called the people to repentance and removed his own mother from power because of her idolatry. And God blessed his reign for 35 years. But later he began to decline in his relationship with God. Most likely he quit praying and seeking God. He quit listening to godly counsel and even threw Hanani the seer in prison for giving him God’s message. Instead of trusting in God, he relied on a pagan king to deliver him from trouble.
It seems so foolish from our historical perspective, but we often do the same thing. When we’re in a desperate situation, whether financially or medically or in some other way, we pray and seek the Lord. But when God blesses us with a better financial situation, good health, medical insurance, or greater wisdom and maturity, we start handling things on our own.
It’s not that we shouldn’t take care of our financial responsibilities or use our insurance, etc., but our ultimate trust must be in God and not in our ability to “handle things.” It’s no wonder God puts us in desperate situations over and over. For many of us, it’s the only time we seek Him.
Psalm 81.1-10:
The Source of True Joy & Gladness
In verse 10 God says, “… Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” What an incredible promise from God.
This brings to mind a nest full of little birds who can’t yet fly. You often see them with their mouths wide open waiting for their mother to feed them. They are completely dependent on her for their sustenance and satisfaction.
Here in Psalm 81, God listed the prerequisites to the promise in verse 10, “… if you will listen to me!” (v. 8) and if you have no other gods before me (v. 9). Like those baby birds, we’re to find our complete fulfillment and satisfaction in Him and Him alone. Yet, sadly, we often seek satisfaction in everything but Him!
Perhaps, we need to pray like the psalmist in Psalm 90.14, “Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we might sing for joy and be glad all our days.” And notice, when we do, it leads to true joy and gladness.
Proverbs 20.24-25:
Let Your “Yes” be “Yes” and Your “No” Be “No”
Verse 25 says:
It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows.
God takes our promises and vows very seriously, whether made to others or to Him. Let’s be women and men of our word! So often I hear parents make promises to their kids: “We’ll go to the park later” or “I’ll do such and such with you when I’m through.” Then it’s no big deal to just change their minds because they don’t “feel like it.”
Obviously, there are times when we are providentially hindered from doing something we said we would do, but as Jesus told us, “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ ‘no,’ anything else is from the evil one” (Matt. 5.37).
Coming Up:
In the coming days we’ll talk about how pride shows up in our lives, the heartbreaking sin of abortion, ask the question, “Could we like the early church turn the world upside down?” and discuss the statement, “What you do in moderation, your children will often do to excess.”
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle through Amazon.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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