Salvation is instantaneous once we accept the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and commit our lives to Him.  However, the path to maturing faith is a life long process. Simply put, the process is to understand what God calls sin, turn from it and the fruits of the Spirit will be realized in your life. Then we are called to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul through service to others and produce fruit. It all sounds pretty simple and it is, if we only had the faith and strength to do it, but it is the details that satin puts in front of us that make it difficult.

I enjoy reading the book of James because he was so direct in his teachings and the reader usually does not have to try to figure out what he meant. He makes it clear and calls us to action. Carefully read these verses from the first chapter, verses 21-22. "…get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." In these verses, James makes several points that are very important and echo exactly what Christ taught.

First, notice how he mentions how the Word is planted in you, like a seed just as our Lord used it in the parable of the farmer sowing seed. The seed or the Word of God is good and is planted in our hearts. However, then come the parts of the verses that call on us to take action, for example, to humbly accept the Word. Humility is referred to very often in the Bible, primarily because God’s ways are so different than what we have been taught by society. God will speak to us in very subtle ways and it is very easy to miss what He is saying. Only with humility will we be able to hear what He is telling us.

Secondly, James tells us to turn from sin. Notice the words "get rid" which means we are the ones that choose to turn from the moral filth and evil that surrounds us. Through our many choices we make daily, we are the ones that decide or take action to get rid of the sin in our lives. Yes through the saving grace of our Lord we are given power over sin, but it is our conscious effort that is needed to actually do it.

Then finally, it is not enough to just listen to the Word planted in our hearts, we have to do what it says. Again here and very plainly, the Bible points out action we are to take. So much of the Word is hidden from us in the form of parables, primarily because if we knew everything all at once, it would be just too over whelming, especially for the new Christian. For example, we do not teach our children to drive a car at the age of five. It is scary enough as a teenager, but we teach them, as they are ready. This message could not be any clearer, once we know what God expects from us as taught in the Bible, we are then expected to "do what it says".

We all have friends that are much further down the path of maturing faith that we look up to and they will tell you it was not always easy. However, it is a journey worth traveling with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 22:37-38 is where our Lord Jesus Christ gives us the first and greatest commandment which is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. It is not only the foundation of our relationship with the Lord, but does not sound that difficult considering what He has done for us as believers. But then again, how do you show God your love for Him? Do you go to church each week or in your daily prayers say God I love you over and over again?

In Matthew 25:31-46 God tells us very clearly how we are to show love for Him. In these scriptures, Christ speaks directly to us, not in a parable, explaining how the final judgment will be. The righteous are separated from the unrighteous by how they took care of the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or those in prison, or in the case of the unrighteous how they did not do these things. Christ said, when we do for the least of these brethren, we do it for Him. Even though we are told to believe in His saving grace and we will live in heaven for eternity, there was no mention of confessing with our lips and believing in our hearts in this teaching. Christ clearly tells us we will be judged based on how we took care of those less fortunate. He did not say, if you believe in me and even though you did not take care of the less fortunate, you will live with me in heaven. Through our works we demonstrate to God the intentions of our heart. We show our love, not only for the down trodden but for God, by how we put our faith to work.

It is very easy for someone to say this sounds like trying to earn your way to heaven and it is a little confusing. We must have faith and James 2:18-19 explains it this way. He says “…I will show you my faith by what I do.” He goes on to say, even the demons believe in God and shudder.

Our salvation is a free gift of God, but we have to be careful to read the complete Word of God to see how it fits together. Yes, once we invite Him into our lives, our sins are wiped clean, but as we travel down the narrow path to maturing faith, we must demonstrate our commitment to Him by following His will, which is love for others. This love is shown through service to the least of those on earth. Faith and deeds go hand in hand and cannot be separated.

Go to your Bible and read the entire scriptures quoted above and see if you agree. The reason is, I doubt you will hear this taught in our churches. However, read it for yourself and remember heaven and earth will pass away but not the Word of God. Again, as you read the scriptures mentioned above, remember this came directly from Christ, not as a parable that could be interpreted in different ways, but He told us exactly what He meant.

Last week we discussed being born again, becoming a new creation with Christ in our life. For some of us, we grew up in church and have heard about the saving grace of our Lord since birth and others have only recently come to believe in Jesus Christ. Regardless of where you are on the path of maturing faith, you have not only received salvation but also the power over sin. Having said this, it is so much easier said than done to live a righteous life, following in the footsteps of Christ. Especially since we live in a world that tempts us to live other wise.

As part of our commitment to Christ, we must make a conscious effort to set our minds on the ways of the Lord and our actions will naturally follow. When our minds are tuned into the teachings of Christ and we have a true desire to live as a Christian, it is much easier when faced with the many choices we face each day to make decisions according to God’s will. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 we are told “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Your actions and words are a result of what is in you heart and mind. This is why it is so important to pray regularly and read your Bible or some type of devotional everyday. At times I am critical of our churches not teaching the full Word of God, but being in church is also very important, being around like minded people.

We are constantly hit with things that are contrary to the will of God and people who do not share this same desire to live as Christ taught. At work, at school and then on television we see all kinds of situations that challenge our sense of right and wrong. That is why it is important to understand what the Bible calls sin so we can make a conscious effort to turn from it. One of my favorite verses says, “Listen much, speak little and be slow to anger” and if we could only do this, you can imagine how much easier it would be to love our fellow human being. Remember the parable Christ told about the seed that fell on various types of soil? Some of it fell on rocky soil and others among the thorns (the seed being the Word of God), both of which were initially accepted, but when the pressures of life got to them, they died.

As Christians, we have the power over sin to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, but it is not automatic. Christ is looking for a commitment from us and through our action and words; God will know what is in our hearts. Here is a great verse that sums up this concept. 1 Peter 1:13 “…prepare your minds for action: be self controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed…do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” Notice in this passage, there are great rewards for you in the form of grace, but it is full of action the Christian needs to take. “Prepare your minds, be self-controlled, set your hope and do not conform” are all actions we are told to perform in our journey of maturing faith.

When we make the decision to follow Christ, it is well taught in our churches that our sins are wiped clean and the saving grace of our Lord flows into our lives. 2Corinthians 5:17 says, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Protestants talk about this as being born again and even though Catholics do not use this terminology, they believe the same. Now after this happens, what is next? In 1John 2:17 we are told, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God will live forever”. In other words, we are given the power to over come the temptations of society. However, it is up to us to actually change our lives and follow the teachings of Christ as taught in the Bible.

This is a concept that is not often taught in our churches. According to many of our church leaders, once you become a Christian they will tell you to expect blessings to start flowing into your life. It is true your life will be changed, but you also have to look at your life and start changing how you act. The Bible lists what it considers sin and once we have Christ in our lives; we have the power to turn from it. We will not always be successful at it, but that is the great thing about our loving Lord. He is there to offer us forgiveness when we fall short, but do not misunderstand; the change is up to us.

Look at the following versus. 

Matthew 18:3 “I tell you the truth, unless you change…”

1Peter 1:13 “…prepare your minds for action: be self-controlled; …do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.”

Ephesians 4:22 “…put off your old self.”

Obviously each of these is only a part of the verse and I encourage you to read each of them in their entirety, so you can see they are not taken out of context. The point is that each of these were directed to the early Christians and all have a call to action. They each call on the Christian to make changes in their lives, it does not happen automatically. We have to make a conscious effort to first understand what sin is and then through the many choice or decisions we make daily, we need to turn from that sin.

There are so many Christians who hear about the many blessing of the Lord and wonder why their lives are so hard when they are going to church and want to live a good life. There are reasons for tough times, but so often the Christian has not read their Bible and does not understand what God is asking from them. To experience God’s grace, we must be obedient, loving and serve those less fortunate. Now I know it sounds like we have to earn our blessings and that is not at all what I am saying. God will give us more than we can imagine, but if you study the Bible and teachings of Christ, it is full of verses telling us how to act, what to do and how we are to live our lives. We must take God’s Word in its entirety, not just the part that is easy.

The Bible is full of scripture that tell us our salvation is a free gift of God and our actions cannot get us to heaven because of our sinful nature.  One example is Romans 10:9-10 where we are told if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart, we will be saved.  Another tells us if we knock, the door to salvation will be opened for us. It is wonderful to know the Lord is waiting on us to ask Him to be apart of our lives.  Then because Christ died on the cross, our sins are wiped clean. 

However, what happens next is all up to us.  In Matthew 13:3-9 Jesus tells us the parable of the farmer sowing seed.  Parables are used through out the New Testament and the meanings can sometimes be interpreted differently, but in this case Christ explains the parable so there can be no misunderstanding.  If you remember, the seed is the Word of God and some falls on the path, some on rocky places, and some among the thorns and of course some fell on the good soil, growing to produce fruit.  The seed that fell on the path was immediately eaten by the birds or rejected by those that heard it.  However, the seed that fell on the rocky ground and among the thorns was received and sprouted.  But like the people hearing His Word who initially get excited about it will often fall away because of pressures of this world and were really not that serious.  God did His part by forgiving our sins and the plants grew to a point, but because there was no commitment, they withered and died.  God did not just allow those plants to be small and unfruitful, but they died. 

The seed that fell on the good soil is like someone who makes a full commitment to follow and obey God’s commandments.  Our salvation is so much more than perfect attendance at our CCD classes or an emotional night at a revival.  It may very well start there, but the Lord is looking for a commitment when we invite Him into our life.  We are given power over sin, but we have to make a conscious effort to turn from sin in order to experience the fruits of the Spirit.

 This parable may sound like we must earn our way into heaven, but it is not so.  The Bible may sound like it contradicts itself and we may not understand all God wishes us to know.  However, this is the Word of God and Luke tells us heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s words never will.  Then in 2 Timothy we are told “All scripture is God-breathed…”, so we have to be very careful not to pick and choose which scriptures we quote.  So often our churches are guilty of not telling the whole story, but this came directly from the mouth of our Lord and Savior.  We worship a loving Lord, but just like our earthly parents who will often ask up to behave in a certain way, so does our heavenly Father, expecting us to turn from sin.

When I first started making notes to write a book, there was a deep concern about how critical Catholics and Protestants were toward the other.  Each felt the other was going to hell.  Protestants always felt Catholics worshiped idols and had to earn their way to heaven.  Catholics always felt Protestants were unstructured and flawed in their doctrine. 

Having been deeply involved with both in my lifetime, I would ask the following questions.  Aren’t both based on the same Holy Bible? Don’t both worship the same God?  Don’t both believe Jesus Christ is the Savior through which salvation is obtained?

The two most influential leaders of the early church after the death and resurrection of Christ were Peter and Paul. Peter spoke primarily to the Jews and Paul traveled teaching to the gentiles.  The Bible mentions several instances where these two groups argued about doctrine, such as circumcision and eating unclean meat.  All were Christians because of their belief in the risen Lord, but worshiped differently. However, it is clear God loved them equally and His Word transcends doctrine, teaching love and tolerance.  In modern history, I dare say there were any more influential leaders than Pope John Paul II and Billy Graham.  The Pope visited places of worship of all monotheistic faiths and Billy Graham spoke about the Pope as his brother in Christ.

All Christians believe the Bible is the basis for our belief as it explains the will of God and saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Therefore it is important to understand what God teaches and follow His Word.  Our church leaders will from time to time get off message and 2Timothy 4:3 warns about teachers who will say whatever people want to hear.  They may be teaching from the Bible, but only picking out parts that will not upset anyone.  Christians, through their journey of maturing faith, look to the teachings of Christ putting together the pieces of His lessons, much like a person puts together a zig-saw puzzle until the picture becomes clear.  Teachers of the Word, regardless of doctrine, must teach about all parts of the Bible, putting the entire puzzle together for those looking for direction. 

Many Christians are frustrated because they hear about the wonderful things God can do for them, but are not experiencing them.  Once a person accepts Christ, they must make a commitment to learn what is taught in the Bible and obey His teachings.  Much of it may be tough to do because it is contrary to how society tells us to live.  As we draw upon the power over sin we are given through the Holy Spirit and turn from sin, Christ will replace the sin with the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  Then you will start to see the wonders of the Lord working in your life.   

None of this is doctrine of Catholic or Protestant, but comes from the Holy Bible, the basis of a Christian faith.  So read your Bible, understand what God is telling us about how we are to treat others and show tolerance to those of different doctrines, while being true to your faith.  You will be judged by the love you show to others and the intent of your heart.  Then challenge your church leaders to make sure they are walking in Christ’s footsteps.

As Christians, we acknowledge all are sinners and only by the Grace of God do we spend eternity with the Lord in heaven.  It is understood no matter what we do in life, doing our best to live like Christ, we will all most surely fall short of the example set by Christ.  So if all of the above is true, then what is our responsibility in getting to heaven and why does it matter what we do on a daily basis?

If our actions will not get us to heaven, then why not just do as we wish?  Christ teaches, as we believe in him, we will become a new creation; the old will pass away and will be born anew as a child of Christ.  So as we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and he forgives our sins, then are we automatically in?  Does the new creation we become turn us into the perfect Christian?  The Bible teaches us this is exactly what happened to the sinner on the cross next to Christ.  But what if you are not on the cross next to Christ and not about to die when you accept his grace?  After you turn your life over to Christ and you have another 50 years to live, what then?  What affect does living in a society that does not know the grace of God have on you, the Christian?

There are too many scriptures in the Bible about God telling us what we are supposed to be doing and the actions we are to take.  Look at a few examples where God is telling us to take action and be responsible for what we do.

Ephesians 4:22 …put off your old self.

Matthew 18 3 …unless you change…

James 1:21 …get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent…

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above…

Obviously these are only pieces of versus, but they were spoken to Christians in the early church and notice the words, “put off”, “change”, “get rid of”, and “set your mind”.  These are all words of action, intended for us.

The parable Christ tells in Matthew 13:3-9 about the farmer who sows the seed and it falls on various types of ground explains the above.  The seed that fell on the path represents the Word of God that fell on deaf ears and was rejected.  The seed that fell on the rocky soil and among the thorns represented God’s Word that was accepted, but had no real commitment to it.  These plants immediately grew, acknowledging that God will do His part by forgiving our sins and giving us the power to become the Christians Christ is hoping for.  However, if these new Christians do not make the commitment to change, as the Bible teaches us is necessary, they fall out of grace.  These plants in the parable were not allowed to just exist, but died.  Only the seed that fell on the good soil, or was accepted by someone who makes a true commitment to use the power of the Holy Spirit, grew to produce fruit.

When we accept Christ and his saving grace, we are given the power over sin to change our lives.  However it is up to us to make the changes, with the help of the Holy Spirit, through the many choices we make daily.  We will often fall short, but the Lord will judge us by the intentions of our hearts.

Our Journey of Maturing Faith

I remember the exact moments when my two sons were born as being the most exciting and happiest times of my entire life.  As excited and happy as I was at those moments, I knew it was only the beginning of a long journey raising them, and I also knew it was a major commitment we had made to bring these children into the world. It is much the same when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; that is why it is called being born again.  In fact, the similarities during our walk through life, while following the teachings of Christ and maturing in faith, is very much like a child growing to be a responsible and mature adult.  Being born again is only the beginning of a long spiritual journey. 

Our churches do an outstanding job of teaching about the love and grace of the Lord, of which there are more than can even be imagined.  However, very often they leave out the part about our responsibility, as a Christian.  The Bible is clear about what God expects from us as we make a commitment to follow His teachings.  

The first is to turn from sin.  When we become a Christian, God’s love and mercy pour into us and salvation is ours.  Through the Holy Spirit, we are given the tools to live a righteous life, but it is not automatic.  We are given power over sin, but it is through the hundreds of choices we make each day that determines our relationship with Christ.  There are too many verses in the Bible that tell us to “turn from sin” or “make every effort”, (which means this is action on our part) for us to think we can just go to church on Sunday and live the rest of the week the way we did before knowing the Lord.  Our commitment to Christ is demonstrated by the many choices we make each day.  Do we choose to turn from sin and follow in Christ’s footsteps or to we follow how society says we are to act.   

The second is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind. Christ teaches us this is the greatest commandment, but how do we do it?  Do we sit in church each week saying “God I love you”?  No it is much more than that.  Soon after giving us the great commandment, Christ tells us we show love for the Lord by doing for those less fortunate.  We are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, comfort to the stranger, clothe the naked, look after the sick and visit those in prison.

It is estimated that 80% of the people in this country are Christian, which means if we are living as Christ teaches, there would be far less problems than we see today.  Following Christ’s teachings is like walking on the narrow path through the small gate.  It is not always easy, but through our daily choices, we should chose to walk along this narrow path, not just the path of least resistance.