Friday, December 11, 2009

Doing the Words

Matthew 7:24-27
(24) "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
(25) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
(26) And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
(27) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

There are still some smoldering embers of a debate over what is sometimes called "Lordship Salvation" as opposed to "Free Grace." In summary, the Free Grace folks believe that a profession of faith is all that is necessary for salvation, whereas the Lordship folks believe that evidence of a changed life is necessary.

To me, this passage as well as others in the Sermon on the Mount lead me toward the Lordship side. It seems to me that the idea of salvation apart from making Jesus Lord of your life is a foreign concept to Jesus. To truly know God means to love Him with all you have.

Of course, there will still be sin in our lives. The question is about our focus. Are we turning from sin and running to God? Are our lives characterized by humility and repentance, or by sin? What delights our hearts? Do we agree with the Psalmist in Psalm 119 or do we not really care about God and His Word?

It seems to me that the biblical record is clear that we are to make Jesus Lord of our lives if we are truly saved. The book Desiring God bears this out or, if you prefer a shorter read, check out Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

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