How Things Fit Together

So I’ve been thinking about what I said last post and what Hurley said (basically, he said not to focus on the works but on Christ). I was also reading some Colossians this morning and here is how I think all this fits together.

First, my response to Hurley. I agree with you, that the works can not be the focus of your life. However, they can be the focus of a set of thoughts when they are viewed through Christ. Christ is supreme. Christ is everything in my life. Now how do works fit in to that? Second, I say that because the NT writers talk about works all the time…

So… where does what I said and what Hurley said fit together? I think maybe in this semblance of an order.

1. I think that most people in America who call themselves Christians are not. Christ is not reigning supreme in their lives. They show no evidence of salvation. They are not saved. No, I’m not making a judgment call or condemning them, I’m simply saying that scripture says that if there is no evidence of your salvation (works, fruit whatever you want to call it) then you probably aren’t.

Most people are completely clueless to this. They are completely comfortable with warming the pews at church every week. They don’t examine themselves as scripture says they should.

THEREFORE, I think that the message that is burning in me (aka, no fruit can give evidence of no salvation) is only part 1… it’s purpose is to be a smack in the face and say ‘HEY!!! You need to wake up and pay attention because you may not be saved!”

2. THEN… part 2 comes. When they realize that their fruitless lives speaks against their salvation, then they are open to hearing about Christ being supreme. Before they don’t want to listen because they are ‘Christians’ and why would they pay attention to a sermon on Christ’ Supremacy when no other sermon they have heard has changed how they live. Part 1 wakes them up and gets them ready for part 2.

Part 2 is that Christ is supposed to reign supreme in your life. He is not supposed to be first on your priority list, but ruling over your life, decisions, and priority list. He is not your mascot but your monarch that you bow before and that every decision you make during the day goes through the filter of ‘would this glorify my Lord?’

This is the foundational message. This is where you spend your time building them up in Christ and building their base / foundation of though. This is what is most important.

3. Then, when they have gotten that Christ is supreme and that he is over their life, not just first in it, then you can go to application. How should that look? How / why should you study scripture, pray, fast, give, love, help, heal….. Without Christ as supreme, actions are just legalism and trying to be ‘good enough’ to get into heaven. When Christ is supreme in your life, when you are overcome with gratefulness for Jesus being beaten within an inch of his life so that you are not suffering in hell for all of eternity, you can do NOTHING BUT change your life and mold it around him. When he changes your very nature, you no longer enjoy sin, you hate it. You want to give up gossiping in the workroom. You want to give up your self-centeredness. You can’t imagine yourself sleeping with your boyfriend because those things are self-focused instead of glorifying to God! It’s not following the rules. It’s changing your lifestyle in response to God’s love. Rules, without relationship, brew rebellion.

Instead, people must be in a true love-relationship with Christ. Then the works will joyfully flow out of a response to that. But make no mistake, scripture is clear. If you have no fruit, no evidence of a changed life, no good works, no nuthin…. then scripture says that those voids give evidence that you most likely are not saved. We MUST examine ourselves and our lives so that we can be in a true, deep love-relationship with our God and savior, Jesus Christ.