Should We Fear for Our Salvation?
Sermonette, Eric Snow, UCG-Ann Arbor, MI 06-11-05
Martin Luther had a really big problem. He had come a monk after going through a truly frightening thunder storm on July 2, 1505. He cried out, “Help, St. Anne, and I’ll become a monk.” Unlike many who prayed similar things in a perceived life-threatening crisis, he did what he vowed: “Not freely or desirously did I become a monk, but walked around with terror and agony of sudden death, I vowed a constrained and necessary vow.” As monk, joined rigorous order, damaged his health permanently by punishing himself so thoroughly, such as by laying out in the snow, etc. Joyhann von Staupitz, saw Luther was too introspective, consumed with guilt, so pushed him to become a theological teacher and professor who taught the Bible to students. He saw that his student was obsessed with his own sins, and turned inward excessively, in contemplation as a monk, that to have to deal with others more would be good.
Now, let’s consider how Luther states his inner torment, and
his solution. Do we have a similar
experience?
[quote encyclopedia]
We may object to
some of his vocabulary here since it reflects doctrines we disagree with. But do we have the same emotional or
spiritual experiences about our continual, chronic sins? Do we fear the lake of fire because we
haven’t overcome enough in one or another areas of our spiritual lives? Does a sense of hypocrisy make us want to
give up, and go into the world?
S.P.S. Despite we
may have sins we constantly keep committing, we should never give up on the
Christian life.
Matt. 7:21-23
These people thought they were saved when they weren’t. Could we be in the same boat?
There are lots of scary texts available. There are the parables of the pounds and
minas, there is the parable of the sheep and goats, there is the man who had no
wedding garment on, and got kicked out of the Kingdom. Could we be like the man in the parable of
the pounds who kept his one pound in a napkin, and lost out on salvation? Can we be deceived about our own spiritual
state? Could we be a tare in God’s
grain field, God’s church. We fear that
we think we’re saved when we aren’t, like Luther.
But here’s a key error to avoid: We shouldn’t give up, regardless of doubt. For after all, feelings aren’t faith, no
more than human reason is faith. We may
feel lost or that God isn’t pleased with us excessively when that isn’t the case
at all.
How can we throw ourselves into the Lake of Fire for
certain? By giving up, by going into
the world. Therefore, even if we feel
like we’re hypocrites, even if we feel somewhat uncertain, we should still keep
trying to obey God. For our feelings
are by no means guaranteed to be accurate.
To repeat myself, faith is not feeling, but a conviction backed by
action.
If we have trouble overcoming one sin, we should move onto
another area to work on, and then come back to the hard one or ones, much like
taking a test in school. The tunnel
vision that can occur from obsessing about certain sins can make things worse
spiritually for us. It may even
increase the amount of the sin committed.
I think this is especially true of sexual lust.
Earlier in spiritual life, I tended towards too much
confidence, didn’t understand why people would feel like giving up. But since in some areas of my life I feel
I’m definitely worse than at (say) age 23, 2 years after baptism. So since others may have similar experiences,
we should examine our doubts directly.
Some of us are broken records, and have chronically the same
sins: pride, materialism, questioning
God’s love or God’s justice, sexual lust, gossip, anger, etc. How much do we ever improve? One thing is that we may have improved in
other areas without perceiving it.
Another is that God rates us from where we start, not just on an
absolute scale, when it comes to determining how high or low our position in
the Kingdom of God will be.
Mention case of RF, how had improved socially, was more
friendly, but gave up after about 7 years in the COG.
How much would gain if go into world? Especially as one gets older, one gets
less! Occupation example, if young,
have less choice or opportunity as get older, past 40.
So superficial anyway compared to what God promises us: Eternal life, being a spirit being, having
happiness forever, being in God’s Family as a Divine Being. Pascal’s wager analogy: If uncertain, should still keep trying,
since the downside if was truly saved is so much a greater loss than if try
then fail.
II Cor. 9:24-27
Salvation not guaranteed.
Tricky balancing act here: We
need to avoid both complacency and excessive spiritual terror if we’re baptized
and have received the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. God knows we are weak, and makes certain
allowances for it, for His Son lived as a man as we do now. But that doesn’t mean we can sin without
restraint and get away with it.
Romans 7:15-25+, focus on 7:21-8:2 if lack time.
Notice that Paul continually struggled, that salvation
wasn’t automatic or easy, but then he wasn’t plagued with doubts as Martin
Luther was, or some here today may be.
Notice the solution:
We are saved, justified, by faith through grace. There is always truth in the Protestant
answer, even if many of them fall into antinomianism, and want to eliminate the
law.
Consider this remarkable tale, that the almighty, all-power
Creator God would become an man, live as a carpenter much of his adult life,
and then die a humiliating, painful death.
Do we realize how great such love is?
Gibson’s movie good at getting this across, despite its intrinsic
problems.
Conclusion: So we as
Christians should never give up in trying to obey God despite our sins. We should remember God’s enormous love when
we feel doubtful. We should remember
the cross when we feel doubtful. We
should remember the world offers us so little compared to God when tempted to
give up. God expects us to sin, but that doesn’t mean we have a license to sin. When we give up, that’s a certain way to put
ourselves into the Lake of Fire, rather than possibly ending up in it should we
keep trying when we’re deceived about whether we’re saved or not. As Winston Churchill once said: