Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:1-4)
Salvation through faith is not something you or I do…it is something God imparts as a free gift. God has given us His Holy Spirit to confirm our faith as a gift and to fellowship with us in the inner man. Unfortunately, faith today is hardly understood in real terms.
While some of us were/are blessed with strong Christian heritages, that has obviously not been blanket protection against the doubts and fears of the flesh and this world snuffing out faith and spirit. The mystery of God’s free will for man continues to be our stumbling block. As we learn errant behaviors and attitudes that are not of God, our lives begin to pay the price of suffering and doubt that has snuffed the spirit out of so many believers.
James writes so convincingly about faith being about DOING the word. We are not to just listen or read the Word! We are to immediately ask God what He is demanding of us. Once we understand His revelation to us, we are then to obey and ask for His Spirit’s infilling to enable us to fulfill His mission for our lives. Everyone has a calling…don’t miss it!
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:22-27)
Many people go to church and are hungry for truth and change, yet the flesh and mental-emotional past experiences are difficult to overcome for many. Our spiritual life is to be a process of sanctification and overcoming the flesh by following Jesus’ example. This is not legalism or about the law. It is about fulfilling the laws of all time by simply loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul while loving our neighbor as ourselves.
So again, keep in mind that your salvation leads to this sanctification and new life. Do not neglect it, but instead, let’s be doers filled by the spirit and energy of God. “A doer who acts will be blessed in his doing”.
This for me is the constant and freeing act of salvation that will resound with all men and women God may call to repentance. Our job is simply to declare and live the power of His salvation in our lives.