“…yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.” Galatians 2:16

“But when things began to fall apart for me and I went back into the heart of those messages I’d picked up over the years, I started to see what else was lurking in there. It was like this message had gotten imprinted on my cells: Whatever you do keep going, because if you slow down and actually feel it all, who knows where that might lead? Through the help of a number of guides over a number of years, I begin to see a new way to be, one rooted in the enduring truth: There’s nothing to prove.” (Bell, Rob. Everything is Spiritual . St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)

Somewhere along the way a lot of Christians have been taught that there is something to prove to G-d if we are to end up in the right place after we die. This makes sense to our human brain. If I want to earn a first place in a race, I must train and train and train. If I want to get a better position at work, I need to work harder and harder. It is innate to believe that anything worth getting or achieving requires hard work.

And then along comes Paul who says something so shocking to our human brains we cannot seem to comprehend it: we are not justified by works, but through faith in Jesus. Here it is stated in the Solid Declaration from the Formula of Concord under part III: the Righteousness of Faith:

“…we believe, teach, and confess unanimously, in accordance with the comprehensive summary of our faith and confession presented above, that poor sinful man is justified before God, that is, absolved and declared free and exempt from all his sins, and from the sentence of well-deserved condemnation, and adopted into sonship and heirship of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own, also without any preceding, present, or any subsequent works, out of pure grace, because of the sole merit, complete obedience, bitter suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us for righteousness.

These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the father, and are eternally saved.”

And all G-d’s people said: Amen!

Pastor Dave

“Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “ Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:39-41

“…there are no easy roads, for the life of faithfulness leads to the cross. One follows Jesus not because of some promised good result but simply because he (Jesus) brings “a new teaching—with authority” (Hays, Richard B. . The Moral Vision of the New Testament (p. 84). HarperOne. Kindle Edition.)

What carries authority in your life? I asked that question in a sermon not that long ago. The answer of course is simple: just look where people spend the most money and time in their lives, and you will be able to see what carries authority in their lives. For example, there are certain nights that certain shows are televised – and a lot of people are frozen on their couches and easy chairs watching. One those nights, during those times, television carries authority in their lives. Is that bad? Of course not – unless this is all we do night after night after night – day after day after day.

There is no other way to put it, the way of the cross has no short cuts, easy roads, or more comfortable paths. The way of the cross is a burden – it is the cross each follower is called to bear. Look at the disciples – people we think were the most faithful followers. They could not stay awake one hour to support Jesus. If it was difficult for them, then why should we think it will be easy for us.

Jesus says it best: “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” We need to stop kicking ourselves when we fall off the “following Jesus” bandwagon and be more willing to give up some things in our lives and devote more time to Jesus. We need to stop saying “What if I had done this for you Jesus?” and begin living into “What can I do next for you, Jesus?” We will never give Jesus authority in our lives if we continue to believe we are not worthy of his love, his time, his grace, and his mercy.

Pastor Dave