We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Authentic faith presumes both implicit and explicit obedience. It means trust in action. God brings about the obedience of His children through sincere repentance when we first believe, and by ongoing admonitions to persevere in repentance, belief, and obedience throughout the gospel message.
In Colossians 1:21–23 Paul writes, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation–if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”
Continuing in your faith means sustained, unwavering belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the fruit of responding to the gospel and resonates throughout the life of true believers. Producing fruit in keeping with repentance is a primary purpose of the kingdom of God (Matthew 3:8, 21:43), because authentic faith compels spiritual growth, which leads to benevolent action. This is the process of sanctification.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
The relationship between justification and sanctification is delicate, complex, and crucial in the understanding of our faith in Jesus Christ. The difference in being pronounced righteous the moment we believe and becoming righteous over a lifetime of following Jesus is often misunderstood and is easily confused at first glance. The tension between these two positions can be described as imputed righteousness versus infused righteousness.
When we compare justification with sanctification, we learn that justification is a legal standing and sanctification is an internal condition. While justification is entirely God’s work, sanctification is a collaborative effort between ourselves and God. Justification is the same for all Christians; however, sanctification is greater in some than in others.
When we sincerely believe that Jesus was the perfect atonement for our sins, that through Him our sins have been forgiven, and that we stand justified before God, it is just the beginning of our journey. Sanctification is the journey of faith through which Christians become more like Jesus in both thought and action. It is the recalibration of their mind and heart that precipitates conformation into Christ-like behavior over time.
Spiritual growth is the maturation of faith and the transformation of our mindset from worldly values to spiritual values. When we answer God’s call to serve Him, and share the love of Christ with others through various ministries, we live out our faith and experience growth.
The power to persevere in faith stems both from a believer’s resolve to obey the teachings of Christ, and from the Holy Spirit who dwells within. In Galatians 5:1 Paul admonishes Christians to stand firm in faith. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” This can be either religious bondage or enslavement to sinful behavior.
Paul also emphasizes that it is God who empowers believers. “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ,” (Philippians 1:5–6). True believers are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); however, this is more than simply a spiritual awareness and constitutes tangible changes in conduct.
In Philippians 3:12–16 Paul encapsulates how obedience to Christ translates into faithfulness. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
BELIEFE IN THE GOSPEL OBLIGATES OBEDIENCE TO THE MESSAGE
Belief in the gospel obligates obedience to the message. The relationship between faith and obedience is such that faith motivates action that perseveres and that perseverance can only come about through faith. If it is true that authentic believers will persevere until the end, then it is also true that they must persevere until the end.
To say one believes the message while failing to practice the words of the message is simply a dishonest proclamation of belief that lacks trust. It demonstrates a hypocritical self-righteousness that withholds from God the continual sacrifice of praise for God, which is the modus operandi of true believers.
It is through faith that we experience grace. If we remain trapped in a paradigm of sinful behavior, we never truly enjoy the immediate blessings of being saved. We have been reconciled to God through Christ’s shed blood (Colossians 1:20), and this cannot be undone. However, through a lack of faith, we can continue to live in bondage to our former dysfunction.
Many Japanese soldiers continued fighting long after World War II ended because of disbelief in official news, fear of disciplinary action by their superiors, and intense military indoctrination. They remained enslaved to a wartime mindset despite the reality that the war was over, and their inflexibility deprived them of the peace the rest of the world was embracing.
The Jews find themselves in a similar dichotomy regarding Jesus of Nazareth. Those who recognize His fulfillment of the scriptures versus those who deny that He was their Messiah and remain locked into the uncertainty of seeking God’s favor and reconciliation. Messianic Jews enjoy freedom from the Mosaic Law, while the latter remain lost and under the curse of the written code (Romans 7:6).
LIVING AS RECONCILED PEOPLE
Living as reconciled people means walking in the faith of the gospel that tells us that God has reconciled all things to Himself through Jesus Christ. We are reconciled with a purpose–to bear good fruit for Him. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10).
We are reconciled through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, therefore, a future contingency cannot alter the past reality. What this means is those who don’t have demonstratable faith have never truly believed.
For those who want to gamble with the notion that they are saved by grace therefore repentance is unnecessary, there will be a reckoning one day regarding the authenticity of their belief . For others, whose faith compels them to make a difference in the lives of others through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, there is confidence their loyalty to Christ will lead them into His presence (Matthew 25:31–46).
Consider the faith of the Israelites when Moses told them to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. There was a sense of urgency that the angel of death would be coming and an immediate motivation to act in faith. Abraham’s faith was tested in a similar fashion when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac.
This isn’t works base salvation–good works do not save us, but they reveal that we are saved. They reflect our commitment to Christ. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand,” (John 10:27–28).
Those who follow Jesus will walk as He walked (1 John 2:6). True believers willingly follow Christ and pledge allegiance to Him. No one who remains in open rebellion towards God can claim they are aligned with Jesus. John states in 1 John 3:6, “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.” He is referring to willfully sinful lifestyles.
Nothing can come between true believers and Jesus Christ; however, our Savior doesn’t drag people into heaven kicking and screaming. No one can snatch us out of His hand, but He holds us with an open hand and we are free to step off if we choose. This is apostacy and Hebrews 6:4–8 warns about falling away after being enlightened.
Persevering in faith means having an active trust in God; having steadfast endurance. The result is a deep-rooted conviction that will not be shaken when life becomes unbearable. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to all those who love Him,” (James 1:12).
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