[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Just
for the record, the following are some of those things I brought into
this forum and where I am now. I would be interested in a similar
contruct from any and all.
Those words above were the first words of what I thought would be a
list issues. Instead, writing this line after writing the following
(below) , the Lord has led me to a statement of faith of sorts and it
is ......................................
. Water baptism: for me, the last of the great Mohicans as
regards my works salvationist upbring. I believed that works
AND faith carried equal weight. That changed shortly before I came to
this list. And at the time I came onto this list, I believed
that God had two considerations in His thinking on salvation: 1) that
the condition of the heart carried more weight in the soteriological
sense that any other consideration --- that salvation occured apart
from obedience. A prayerful consideration of Ps 51 and Romans
2:8-29 showed me the basis for God's judgment in our lives and
confirmed the above thinking; 2) that when this salvation is
expressed in Jesus Christ -- we have confidence and definition in
regard to our salvation. We know we are saved. The entire
letter of I john is written with this purpose in mind -- that we
might have confidence in our salvation. As luck would have it, where
I was when I came to this forum was accidently correct, as far as it
went.
(after coming to this list -- this is what happened next)
Sadly, I did not understand why this was so -- although I thought I
did -- an accident. Paul's argument (Gal 3) that the Abrahmic
promise was extended to Jesus Christ (as the seed, not of many but as
of one v 16) opened the door to understanding that it is the faith
of Christ that has secured (aorist, if you will) our salvation. When
I combine this biblical fact with the idea that community is the very
image of God, that we were created in this image, that not only
attachment to others ("it is not good for man to be alone") but
a profound and expressed caring for those "others" is the central
issue in any definition of this Image, the conclusion if forced upon
me in this wise: that Christ, in the flesh, was no less
involved in this Image (of community) than before or after the
incarnation event; that He (in the flesh) gives definition of
"God" (and I changed verb tenses, here, intentionally for His was
an action begun during the incarnation and extending to this very
moment or any moment we call "now.") and my imitation of Him (to
any degree) in deed and perhaps word has the benefit of a salvation
already procured for me in the Christ of the Cross. I loose my
salvation when I move to serve myself and in so doing, deny the very
Image I am. I am destroyed in serving self.
My faith in Christ does not save me -- it gives me
confidence and opens the door to an understanding of the soteriological
process I am involved in as a human being -- knowingly or
not. When the biblical message speaks of "saved," "being saved" and
a future "salvation," it is demonstrating the process we are
all involved in. The fact that "judgment day" is for all of mankind
proves, to me, that this process is for us all and that we are all
involved in it, like it or not --- whether they have heard of Christ
or not - no matter what.
Water baptism? How did that figure in? Well, I used to believe
that you had to be baptised to be saved. Now, and here is the change
for me, I believe that anything I do, including water baptism however
you define it (immersion or sprinkling, I do not care), and
especially those things done in the name of the Lord, are acts that
reveal God in Christ through me to others. I can preach it or I can
simply perform. All is to the revealed glory and certainty of the
Great God Almighty. So baptism saved me years ago, at age 12, because
it was an _expression_ of the very faith of Christ Jesus Himself. He
was even baptised !!! And now I am doing it ------------ that is
salvation.
His life is mirrored in mine when I do
what He did
His life is confirmed in mine when I do
what He wills.
-- me --
How could this not be salvation?
And the "baptism" that really matters to me, is the one spoken of in
Gal 3:26,27 -- a full immersion into Christ Himself.
"Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling for it is God at
work in you both to will and to perform His good pleasure" (Phil
2:12,13). Why did Paul add "fear and trembling". The message is the
same without this parenthetical. It is exactly the same, to me. So
why? Because, if the performance of righteousness is act of community
and its individual memership -- the pronouncement that it is God
performing in us should bring to our mind a startled awareness that is
manifest in fear and trembling. In this passage , Paul has suddenly
put his readership in tune with that which is the Subtle Force behind
their works of goodness. Suddenly -- there it is!! Community
with God Himself. He has been there all the while. We have
manifested Him over and over and over again -- perphaps without even
knowing. And when we move away from any beneficial _expression_ of
this Image (community), we are moving away from Christ and His God.
We are denying Him and He Who Made Us.
There is a very real sense, then, that salvation is ours to loose.
For the first time -- I think I have understand this thing I have
called "salvation" for, lo, these many years.
You read, you decide.
Incidently, God revealed this to me - not my friends in the liberal
Triad. I have confidence that they will be the first to admit this and
point the finger to their God. Thanks.
John David Smithson
Pastor and Bishop of Caleeeefornia
============================================
Hang on to this one John. Look at it again in ten years and see how
much of what you now believe has changed.
Terry
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