It’s a wonderful truth to know that as Christians we are saved by grace through faith alone! It’s one of the cries of the reformation because it’s at the heart of the Biblical Gospel! As Christians we can contribute absolutely NOTHING to our salvation and that’s great news because we would never be able to do enough…
Nevertheless, when we read the Bible carefully, it’s clear that “the faith that saves is never alone”. The trust that we so desperately put in the Lord Jesus and our dependence on Him as both Saviour and Lord will result in changes in our lives!
Last Sunday morning we looked at the contrast between what the apostle Paul calls the ‘acts of our sinful natures’ and the ‘fruit of the Holy Spirit’ within us from Chapter 5 of the New Testament letter to the Galatians. They contrast because our sinful nature and the Holy Spirit are in conflict within us all of the time. We make moment-by-moment choices to act according to our sinful nature, or to turn to the Lord Jesus and seek to live His way. In doing so we’re not saving ourselves but we are embracing the freedom He has given us.
It might sound challenging, but it simply works the way every growing relationship works: living life and sharing days alongside the person we’re trying to get to know:
“ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Gal 5:25)
Listening to Him speak (through the Bible) speaking to Him ourselves (in prayer) and putting what He says into practice as we work through life doing those things together.
Let’s set a goal to grow in Him and so grow the fruit of His Spirit in our lives…
Spencer Shaw