One of my interests when I was younger was photography. That was during the days of films. But I never really did pursue it to the fullest as I got sidetracked along the way by other pursuits. Also, I really was not able to acquire a professional camera to fully enjoy photography—up to now.
I do continue to enjoy photography though and I use ordinary digital cameras that I happen to have. I hope I could buy a more professional camera in the future.
Here’s one shot I made in 1989 at the White Island, just about 5 or 10 minutes away by pump boat from Camiguin Island. I happened to have been given a Nikon EM camera by my sister during that time. The opportunity presented itself. The fisherman happened to be just at the right spot when I took the shot. This is a scanned photo which was already fading on the right side of this photo. I had to do some retouching to restore some parts of the photo. I’m glad I was able to scan and save it after the passing of many years.
I had just watched a short video presentation on the internet urging Christians to reach out and share the gospel to people whom one may not particularly like. The intention was good but there’s one comment by the video presenter that really caught my attention. Referring to salvation, he said that, “Their eternity depends on us.”
The Great Completion?
Wow! Really? Did I hear him right? I really think that it is a serious mistake to think that people’s “eternity” (referring to salvation) is dependent on a Christian’s evangelistic or missionary effort. I’ve heard this kind of talk before and this seems to be a prevailing teaching among many in Christian churches and missions organizations today. I am also aware that some teach that Christ will not come back until Christians will have completed the great commission through their evangelistic and missionary efforts — “the great completion,” some call it.
Common Gospel Belief
Many Christians are passionately driven to go and share the gospel because they believe that the unbeliever’s salvation is dependent on their evangelistic or missionary efforts. Their zeal and dedication to share the gospel and to reach out to the unbelievers are admirable and that is good. But something is amiss if we think that the salvation of unbelievers is dependent on us.
Jesus is the Savior not Us
It is my belief that our salvation does not depend on any of our human effort. It does not depend on the believer’s efforts to “save” the unbeliever. I believe that salvation is only through Jesus Christ our Lord as the Bible asserts. It is by God’s grace that we have been saved. God did it through Christ. Without our help. It is God’s gift to us.
A Young Aeta in Pampanga
One large missions organization had actually made billboard posters declaring that millions of people are dying everyday and are right now lost in hell because Christians have not been doing their duty to go and share the gospel to those who have not heard it yet.
Most missions and evangelistic efforts are based on fear of hell, guilt and anxiety. It is no gospel at all.
Is the unbeliever’s “eternity” really dependent on a Christian’s evangelistic and missionary efforts? I’d like to believe that God is in-charge of that. I believe that the salvation of mankind depends on Christ alone and not on any of our human action.
Surely God has many ways of saving people we know nothing about even at the point of death. Surely, God could not be hindered by death. He is Lord and Savior of all and he has conquered death! For God, death is not a hindrance to salvation. He is in-charge and there is no need to worry about other people’s salvation.
To say that “their eternity depends on us” sounds to me like people won’t be saved without us—without our human effort. It is sending a message that if Christians don’t do missions or evangelism, if Christians don’t share the gospel, it’s the Christian’s fault that millions of people are “not saved” and are already roasting in hell. It brings Christians on a guilt-trip if they don’t act. It is a fear-guilt-and-anxiety-driven method of evangelism based on an erroneous understanding of the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ.
Gospel Participation
I believe that God can save people even without us. In fact, he has already done so without us! He has already reconciled us back to himself (2 Cor. 5:18-19). Even while we were still sinners Christ has already died for us more two thousand years ago (Romans 5:8)!
As Christians, we are invited to participate in what God is doing right now through Christ by the Holy Spirit in our individual lives and in the lives of others who do not yet know Christ. Let us be more considerate, understanding and love-driven as we share the gospel to others and not become offensive and confrontational as we probe people with our “diagnostic questions” just to force them to “accept” Jesus Christ.
Let us go and make disciples driven not by guilt, fear and anxiety. Let us not think that the unbeliever’s salvation depends on us. Rather, let us go and make disciples knowing that Christ is in-charge and knowing that our salvation is secure in him. Let us live and share the gospel driven by love for people who are still unaware of God’s great love for all of humanity. Let’s participate by living and sharing the gospel knowing that people’s salvation is dependent on Jesus Christ not on us!
Our missions and evangelism should be motivated by faith, hope and love based on who God really is in Jesus Christ and who we are in him. It should not be motivated by a psychology of guilt, fear and anxiety.
People’s “eternity” depends on Jesus Christ, not on our missionary or evangelistic skills! Let’s participate gladly in what God through Christ by the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us! Let us continue living and sharing the good news of God’s love to all!
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10) and that is exactly right. The thief comes only to take what is not rightfully his. And if necessary, he may kill and destroy life and property just to get what is not rightfully his. Such is the mental state of a thief. He is bent on getting not giving.
While we were away from our home for a few days, a thief actually attempted to break into our house in the middle of the night. He opened the screen door by destroying the padlock.
Thankfully, our landlady heard the loud noise which she described as like a gunshot sound. It woke her up, saw the thief, began screaming at the top of her lungs and called for help from all the neighbors. It must have been the loud snapping sound created by the padlock as it snapped when the screen door was forcibly opened.
The thief’s attempt to steal was thwarted. He escaped in a motorcycle. There must have been another guy with him. This is not the first time that it has happened here in our area. My wife said she prayed for the protection of our home while we were away. We thank the Lord for his loving protection even with our material things.
Thief Intent Only in Getting
Truly the thief’s only intent is on getting. This is in total contrast to our Lord Jesus’ intent for all of us. Jesus said the reason he came to earth is so that we may have life and have it to the full. The Lord’s intent is only on giving. He is intent on loving all of his creation including thieves! As theologian Thomas F. Torrance said, God loves us more than he loves himself. Wow! God is not only intent on giving us life. God is also intent on giving it to us to the fullest extent!
Shouldn’t we love him in return? Shouldn’t we accept this love that he is giving? Shouldn’t we accept this free gift of life that he is offering to us? Why should you reject it? Accept his love. You won’t regret it. If you do, you will begin to experience love and life in Jesus and have it to the fullest!
Jesus said that repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations (Luke 24:47). The good news is that God has already forgiven us of all our sins—past, present and future. That is truly good news. While we were still sinners, Christ has already died for us (Romans 5:8). God has already forgiven us even before we were born. God has already forgiven us before we asked him for forgiveness — before we were able to say, “Sorry.” Christ did it for us some 2,000 years ago. It’s an accomplished fact and reality. And it’s for everybody.
The good news that is to be preached is that God through Christ has already forgiven all of humanity’s sins. Everyone is invited to respond by changing their minds (repent) and believe this great good news!
Why Is It Hard to Forgive?
But why is it hard for us humans to forgive our fellow human beings in the first place? Christ wants us to learn a lesson in Matthew 18:21-35.
In this story, a king wanted to have an accounting and he called one of his servants who owed him millions. This servant begged for mercy and extension to be able to repay his debts. The king had mercy and actually cancelled the debt! He was freed from all obligations.
And yet this same servant could not extend the same love and mercy to a fellow servant who owed him just a few coins! Aren’t we all like that when we don’t forgive our fellowmen who trespass against us? Why?
The reason we can’t forgive is because of our pride, our sense of justice, our need for vengeance—revenge! Christ warns us against this kind of attitude. We would rather hang on to our pride than give it up. We wouldn’t want to lose this something we “value”—our pride and the need to take revenge.
Let Us Learn to Forgive
Christ teaches us to forgive others unconditionally just like he forgave us even before we asked for his forgiveness. The Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-31) illustrates this wonderful truth clearly by the Lord himself. Even before the lost son could say “I’m sorry,” the father has already forgiven him. This is the gospel. This is truly good news. The gospel is also about the gospel of forgiveness. God our Father through Christ has already forgiven us. Let us forgive others too.
The issue on faith and works is always a hot topic. One group claims that salvation is by faith alone while another group claims that salvation is not only by faith but also at the same time, by works. That is, salvation by faith and works. By “works” or “good works” they mean the keeping of the ten commandments and all of God’s commands. This belief is sometimes called, “salvation by works.” They place a high value and importance on the keeping of the law for salvation.
So what is really God’s Word on this matter? Is there a conflict between Paul and James? Getting the context for each of the epistle will tell us that the Bible is in harmony throughout each book or epistle. There is actually no conflict between Paul and James.
The Context of Paul
In the case of Paul’s epistles (please read through Romans, Galatians and Colossians), he was addressing issues where some Jewish Christians — take note, they were Christians too — were insisting that the Gentile Christians should also obey of the law of Moses in addition to believing in Christ (Acts 15:1, 5, Gal. 3). Please be sure to read the verses quoted to fully understand the context.
These Jewish Christians were insisting that the Gentile Christians needed to also keep the law of Moses. aside from following Christ. Christ was insufficient for salvation, according to them (Colossians 1-2). They needed to keep the Law of Moses as well in order to be saved, they claimed. For them, believing in Christ was not enough.
But Paul argued that they were complete in Christ—they had fullness in Christ (Col. 1:19, Col. 2:9-10). Nothing more was needed. All they needed was Christ. All they needed was faith in Christ. This was what Paul was arguing about and is the context of his epistles. Paul insisted that Christians were not under the law of Moses but rather, they were under the law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:20-21; Gal. 6:2). They were not under law but under grace (Rom. 6:14).
So in Paul’s epistles, the issue was: What can justify them before God? Is it faith or is it works? Paul’s answer? Faith alone, without the observance of the law of Moses (works). Here’s Galatians 2:16:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
This verse is quite clear and needs no further explanation. Can we gain righteousness through the law of Moses (or any other law for that matter—including the ten commandments)? Galatians 2:21 says, No!
“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Lest you think Paul is against good works, please take note that in the epistle to Titus (in another context), Paul emphasized the importance of doing good works. To do good works is encouraged for Christians (Eph 2:10). But the main issue in Paul’s other epistles is whether the Law of Moses (or any other law you could mention) is required for salvation and the clear answer from Paul is, NO! We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8).
The Context of James
In the case of James, it is altogether a different set of circumstances. The first two chapters of James show that the early Christians — take note again, these were Christians whom James addressed — were showing partiality, favoritism, and the love of some (their “faith,” their religion) were merely lip-service. They were not actually loving and helping their fellow brethren. They were merely listening but not doing (James 1:22). They were not practicing pure and undefiled religion which is to actually help the widows and fatherless (James 1:27).
With this context in mind, James explained that real faith is evidenced by good works. Perfect faith is shown by good works. These early Christians needed more than mere acknowledgement of the truth. They needed to live out the truth. If their faith were for real, it will naturally show in good works. That is the context.
Is this in conflict with Paul’s argument? Of course not! This is a totally different context. James was talking to Christians whose “faith” was not lived out in Christian love for the brethren.
While, in Paul’s epistles, he was arguing against the Jewish Christians who insisted that the Gentile Christians should also keep the Law of Moses aside from believing in Christ in order to be saved. Therefore Paul said, salvation is by faith alone without the observance of the law! Faith alone, without works. That is the real context.
Paul and James were not in conflict. The Bible is in harmony.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Yes, we were created to do good works. For a convicted criminal on death row who has been given a presidential pardon, to obey the law (doing good works) when he goes out of jail is expected of him. It’s the right thing to do. He’s not supposed to break the law again. The keeping of the law is not something that saved him. In this illustration, it’s the presidential pardon that saved him. It is the same with salvation. Christ alone saves. To keep the law does not save us. We are expected to keep the law. It’s the right thing to do after having been saved by Christ.
So, are we saved by doing good works? No, we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. So, is “salvation by works” biblical? No. What then is the Bible’s teaching on salvation? We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone!
A commentary from the Thompson Chain Reference Bible
