Westside Church of Christ

Christians are saved by grace through faith. We cannot earn our salvation, and certainly do not deserve it. Those facts are made repeatedly through the word of the Lord, and we cannot deny them. Yet, a true understanding of what God has done for us through the blood of His Son changes our entire orientation. Gratitude affects everything.

We would all be in a desperate situation without the mercy of a loving Creator. Sin separates us from Him, and the lost live in hopelessness. We could not fix what we had broken, but He chose to give us a way back. It was a brutal plan. A crucifixion is as bad as it gets. The pain is indescribable. The wrecked relationship between Father and Son was worse. All of creation quaked as the life was offered for our sins. Divine love was on display between two thieves.

That is what He did for us. He made us all over again and gave us a fresh start with a purpose. We are tempted to shy away from works because of the biblical emphasis that we are not saved by them, but that is a mistake. No, they are not the cause of our salvation but rather a reflection of the Lord’s new creation. It is a response. Christians are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). It is a totally new lifestyle.

We have His word to prepare us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Peter had a notion that seemed good to him but wasn’t what the Lord wanted (Matthew 17:1-8). It’s an easy trap into which we fall because our thoughts and intentions are so influenced by the world around us. We must spend time in the inspired Scriptures to allow them to shape our actions. They will expose our wrong ideas, replace them with correct ones and equip us for good works.

Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10:38). We should, too. It should not be burdensome but rather a pursuit. It is a characteristic of who we are. We are human; therefore, we breathe. It’s what we do because of who we are. Likewise with disciples, we are zealous to do good works because of who we are (Titus 2:11-14).

We are surrounded by people who need help. Some are obvious, but everyone suffers under the consequences of sin. We must learn to be engaged in the right activities which meet those urgent needs, both physical and more importantly spiritual (Titus 3:14). Jesus is the answer. Let’s get busy using every available opening to introduce Him to them.

Following in the footsteps of Jesus will bring us into contact with all sorts of situations, both pleasant and unpleasant, and each can be an open door to bring someone to the Savior. An empty stomach is terrible. A lost soul is much worse.