God Running is a place for anyone who wants to (or even anyone who wants to want to) love Jesus more deeply, follow Jesus more closely, and love people the way Jesus wants us to.

Salvation is by Faith

In our last post from Romans, I wrote about the best gift ever. The passage for that article was Romans 3:19-25, and in that passage Paul shares about how by works of the law no human will be justified in God’s sight. And he tells us that because of Jesus, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. Paul says–as he often does–all have sinned and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. If you’re interested you can read more here: The Best Gift Ever–Romans 3:19-25.

I’ve been studying Romans for awhile now, and today I finished reading through the entire book. Throughout Romans Paul shares about how we’re saved by faith in Jesus. And I was not at all surprised by how often Paul speaks about God’s grace and His gift of Jesus and how we’re saved by faith.

Does How We Live Affect Our Salvation?

But what did surprise me, was how often we see Paul share very directly about how God responds to our behavior. Consider Romans 2:6-10:

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

So in Romans 2:6-10, Paul–who is writing to Christian believers in Rome–says God will render to each one according to his works. To those who do well he will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and unrighteous there will be wrath and fury from God.

In Romans 6:16, Paul writes:

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

So we have a choice to make here. We can obey sin or we can obey Jesus. One leads to death, and one leads to righteousness and life.

Then there’s Romans 6:20-22:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Paul is clearly admonishing the Christian brothers in Rome, people who already believe in Jesus, to forsake sin and walk in obedience to Jesus. He says the end of the sinful things is death. But becoming a slave of God leads to sanctification and the end of sanctification is eternal life.

I love what Paul writes in Romans 8:1:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Amen to that! And Paul continues a little later in the same paragraph, he says:

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

So to the believers in Rome, Paul says to experience life and peace, they’re to set their minds on the Spirit. And if they set their minds on the flesh, they’ll experience death.

In Romans 8:13, Paul, writing to the brothers in Rome who already believe in Jesus, says,

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

In Romans 9:16-17, Paul writes:

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Once again we see that we play a part in our eternal future. We are heirs with Christ, but there’s a provisional clause: We’re heirs with Christ “provided” we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Paul goes on to say: “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18) Praise God for that! As Blaise Pascal wrote: “Everlasting joy in return for one day’s effort on earth.”

In Romans 10:9, Paul wrote:

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

That is absolutely true, of course. Every Christian would agree with that statement. Also, every Christian would agree that the confession that Jesus is Lord must be genuine. Someone who professes that Jesus is Lord with their mouth, but then ignores Jesus’ teachings might find themselves with the goats Jesus spoke of. (Matthew 25:31-40)

Consider Romans 11:17-22.

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Here Paul calls us Christians a wild olive shoot grafted in to share in the nourishing root of God’s olive tree. And he warns against becoming arrogant toward the natural original branches, the Jews. Paul says to Christians, “do not become proud but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.” Then Paul proclaims another provisional clause, he tells us to take note of God’s severity toward those who have fallen, and to note God’s kindness to us Christians, “provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”

In Romans 12:1 Paul writes:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Here we see again that we have a part to play. We’re to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. In the next verse Paul tells us not to be conformed to this world but to allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, and to live according to the will of God doing what is good, acceptable to God, and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Romans 12:9-13:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

This is an example of how Paul’s teachings align with Jesus’ teachings. (See John 13:34-35) And again we see how we play a part. Paul tells us to let our love be genuine, to abhor evil, to hold fast to what is good, to love one another with brotherly affection. Paul even tells us to “outdo one another in showing honor.” He tells us to serve the Lord, in a way that’s not slothful but fervent in spirit. Paul tells us to be fervent in prayer. To help the saints and to show hospitality. There are things we are to do.

Romans 12:14-21:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Again, we see Paul giving us more to do. And included in that passage, Paul instructs us to “Bless those who persecute you…” That should sound familiar. Jesus told us the same in Matthew 5:43-48.

Again, perfectly aligning with Jesus, Paul writes:

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:8-10, see also Matthew 22:36-40)

In all these things Paul is giving us to do, he’s simply telling us to follow the teachings of Jesus. In all these things, Paul is aligned with Jesus’ teaching where Jesus says,

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

Also consider the following passages from Romans:

Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:31)

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4)

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Romans 6:15)

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! (Romans 7:7)

So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! (Romans 7:12-13)

What Shall We Say Then?

So in Romans, we see Paul write about our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. And, we also see Paul write about how our behavior and works impact our salvation.

What shall we say then?

I think we humans can get caught in these false dichotomies sometimes. We can be reductive when it comes to big questions about God and Jesus and our salvation.

I don’t think what Paul is saying is an either-or.

I think the answer to what Paul is saying, is found in how he describes our salvation as a gift.

We “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24)

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. (Romans 5:15)

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. (Romans 5:16)

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

One thing that impressed me about God as I have dug deep into the life of Jesus and the scriptures as a whole is how serious God is about respecting and preserving our free will. He always gives us a choice. It’s been like that from the beginning. In the garden, God set things up so Adam and Eve had a choice.

There was no fence around the tree with the forbidden fruit.

In that context, I think Paul’s description of our salvation as a gift is instructive here.

Jesus, and his redemptive work on the cross, for you and for me, is an unmerited, unearned, undeserved gift from God Himself.

Also, what we do with that gift is up to you and up to me.

We can surrender ourselves to Christ the way Paul instructs us to. And we can live the way Jesus and Paul teach us to live. We can genuinely confess that Jesus is our Lord, and live our lives accordingly, in obedience to Christ. Or. If we choose to, even though we recognize the truth about who Jesus is, the Son of God, we can still reject him as Lord of our lives, and we can choose to live in a way that puts us with the goats. (Matthew 25:31-40)

Take Hope, We Have the Love of God

I find the parts in Romans about how my behavior impacts my salvation, disturbing and disconcerting.

The one thing we have going for us though, is the love of God. How the God of the universe passionately desires what’s good and best for each one of us. We know how much he loves us because of the sacrifice He made on our behalf. Just read the Gospels and it’s easy to see how deep and powerful and pure is God’s love for us.

With that I’ll leave you with one more passage from Paul in the book of Romans.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

Notes:

Image of Christ Crucified by Bartolomé Estebán Murillo, wikimedia commons

Available on Google Play Books and on Amazon!

Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus)

Love Like Jesus begins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others. Love Like Jesus examines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including:

• Specific examples of how Jesus communicated God’s love to others.
• How Jesus demonstrated all five of Gary Chapman’s love languages (and how you can too).
• The story of how Billy Graham extended Christ’s extraordinary love and grace toward a man who misrepresented Jesus to millions.
• How to respond to critics the way Jesus did.
• How to love unlovable people the way Jesus did.
• How to survive a life of loving like Jesus (or how not to become a Christian doormat).
• How Jesus didn’t love everyone the same (and why you shouldn’t either).
• How Jesus guarded his heart by taking care of himself–he even napped–and why you should do the same.
• How Jesus loved his betrayer Judas, even to the very end.

With genuine unfiltered honesty, Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to God’s definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too.

A life of loving like Jesus. (Kindle, hardcover, and paperback now available on Amazon and the ebook is now available on Google Play Books.)