God Always Wins

I had the privilege of interacting with one of my former youth this week.  She contacted me with a question of how to discuss salvation with someone of a different Christian faith group.  I have prayed and thought long a hard about this and keep finding myself being drawn back to one passage of Scripture.  So, let's hang out for a few minutes in Ephesians 2 as we seek to answer a couple of her questions.

The first question that she mentioned had to do with the belief her friend has that assurance of salvation and grace is wrapped up in his acts of religious service, works and sacrifice.  the belief goes that if they do not confess their sins to the priest, or do certain religious works then they can fall from the grace of God.  Now before we are too harsh on this individual think long and hard about it.  How many of us treat church attendance, missions projects, financial giving and so on as some kind of spiritual check list to prove to ourselves and others that we are really saved?  It is a trap that any can fall into.  So we must be oh so very careful.

With this first question in mind I am naturally drawn to Paul's word in Ephesians 2.  He reminds us in the earlier portions of this passages that we were all people who have been confronted with being dead in our trespasses and sins.  Everyone is a sinner.  The real challenge is in what can be done about our sins.  Paul tells us that it was in Christ that we are alive, by way of God's great mercy.  Then there are those great verses:

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. (vs. 8-9)

Lock this in my friends.  You can do nothing to earn, win or guarantee in your salvation.  It is only through faith (a trusting in God - giving yourself without reservation into His hands) that salvation happens and is assured.  You will never be able to do enough religious acts to gain or hold onto salvation.  What God looks for are people who will walk by faith, living lives surrendered to Him.

This brings me to her second question.  This friend of hers has found that they suffer from great spiritual oppression.  There are nightmares and fears of @#!*% and suffering.  So many times people who are seeking for God will find that spiritual warfare will rage around them, after all the devil does not want to lose even one soul to the powerful grace of God.  Which brings me right back to Ephesians 2.  You see, Paul goes on to talk about how when we truly experience salvation through faith in the blood of Christ we become a part of His people.  He talks about being strangers and aliens who were without hope, being without God having to live in this sinful world.  Then these words:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by

 the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace.... (vs. 13-14a)

In the blood of Christ is peace, victory and the true wonder of the grace of God.  Sometimes those of us who call ourselves "evangelical, born again believers" forget that.  It does not matter what the world might try to throw at you...if you are in Christ you are apart of something much larger than the world and its evil forces.  Remember one basic truth whenever you are being oppressed by this evil world...GOD ALWAYS WINS!!!  Do Christians have struggles that seek to overwhelm them?  Sure.  But God Will Always Win (and so will we when we walk in Him).  Do you desire to have victory over the trials of this life?  Then become part of His family.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners,

but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. (vs. 19)

For those of us who are willing to have faith and trust in Jesus Christ (not the religions, religious laws, machinations of churches and saints - who are ordained by God but not infallible) we are part of His household, and God will fight for His own.  And GOD ALWAYS WINS.