I found much in common talking as a Protestant Christian
with Sheila, a Catholic. I think that’s important in a time when people are
finding it increasingly difficult to have a civil conversation about serious
topics despite our differences of allegiance and opinion.
Two things we both agreed on was that Jesus came to set the
perfect example of a life of love and sacrifice, and that he died for our
sins. Jesus Himself stated “the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many.” In one sentence He spoke both of his example of servitude, and his
life-giving sacrifice.
Where Sheila and I may have disagreed, however, was the
relative order and importance of these two events.
One could say that Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection
was just part of His life lived in perfect submission and service to God. A logical conclusion of this view for many,
however, is that we must follow His example in order to gain salvation. But this would only feed the very common
misconception that salvation is something we must earn by good works or
sacrifice.
There is another way to look at Jesus’ purpose. Instead of primarily saying he came to live
the perfect life simply as our example, we might say that he primarily came to
die on our behalf. Romans 4:24 tells us
that Jesus “…was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life
for our justification.” His death and
resurrection bring salvation to all who call on Him, and salvation through
faith in Jesus makes possible good works in our lives done out of gratitude for
having been saved through faith in Him, rather than good works done out of the obligation
of trying to be saved.
This is summed up so well in Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, so that we should walk in them.”
We aren’t saved BY good works, but FOR good works. We can’t attain salvation by our works, but
we can respond through good works for having been saved through faith in the good
work of Jesus on the cross. As
Christians, we can’t say we are better than anyone else, for we are but sinners
blessed and forgiven through God’s sovereign grace.
It’s all about Jesus, not about us. In heaven we will have nothing to boast of in
ourselves, but everything to praise Jesus for!
PS – “Sit in” on our conversation HERE
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