Salvation Space

Safe Salvation Space

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” -Philippians 2:12-13

We often view salvation as a one-and-done experience. This verse casts doubt on that assumption. But what does Paul mean by "work out your salvation," and how do we apply it? I believe much of it comes down to making all the aspects of the gospel fit together, without neglecting anything. For example, the current church seems to be split on whether forgiveness or obedience is more important. But if we want to experience that promised ever-increasing glory, we must recognize that they depend on one another. (2 Cor. 3:18) So no one side is more important than the other.

For example, the legalist who is all about obedience. While they may recognize that we need God’s grace to wipe the slate clean so that we may start over as flawless. However, they are hesitant to offer any more forgiveness beyond that. Never allowing that "safe space" to stumble and skin our proverbial knees from time to time as we learn to walk with Jesus. If they had worked out their salvation themselves, they would have dealt with that plank in their own eye. Then they would know how to assist others in their walk of salvation, instead of just condemning and criticizing them for their failures. (Matt 7:3-5) Clearly, they have only whitewashed their hearts in their own strength to avoid judgment (Matt 23:27-28) rather than be vulnerable with their own brokenness. In the end, obedience-centered churches only teach each other how to repeatedly whitewash the cracks that keep coming back to the surface. This is not the path that leads to fulfilling his "good purposes." Consider this: the verses above are part of a broader passage about Christ-like humility, something most legalists lack. Plus, Paul acknowledges that they were already obedient. Yet apparently obedience alone did not make their salvation complete.

This more recent phenomenon of grace-centered churches is a response to the legalists. They recognized the problem, only to overcorrect. Often getting into an endless cycle of failing in the same way, but never learning anything from it. This frequent backsliding often leads to completely ignoring righteousness and obedience altogether. Putting the forgiveness that they are so grateful for on a pedestal, but never using it for its intended purpose. To start over with Godly wisdom and strength that leads to more consistency. That eventually leads to the glory of being set apart for his "good purposes."

Ultimately, the church needs to be a place of support where we can work out our salvation, inevitable falls, immature beliefs, and all. (Romans 14) Since experience is often the best teacher, with the Lord directing our steps and all. (Proverbs 16:9) But do we allow the church to be that? More often than not, we see opposite extremism. All because we want to control our own path, and the paths of others. A course that tries to take shortcuts around the sensitive issues we would just assume avoid.

The grace extremists seem to want just enough salvation to keep them out of hell, but nothing more. They don’t want anything interfering with their own plan for prosperity. Including letting go of the sinful emotional pain-killers they use to mask the brokenness that they don’t want to face. But is obviously holding them back. When the chips are down, they just won’t put their heart on the line for any kind of transformation, let alone service. (Romans 12:2)

Where the obedience extremists are too caught up in their Old Testament frame of mind. Do what I say that God says, or be destroyed. This only feeds their pride, self-righteousness, superiority complex, and their desire to seek and condemn the lost. They don't want to get involved in the messy lives of others, since it reveals the whitewash over their own mess. Try reading all of Matthew 23. The average legalist has made so many of the same mistakes that the Pharisees did. Proving they are not nearly as righteous or obedient as they claim. That they fail in their own rigid Biblical standard, and show they need the additional grace that they deny others.

This isn't even the half of it. The fact of the matter is, many churches have plateaued in their spiritual immaturity. Stuck in the incomplete foundational truths of the gospel. Unsuitable for building his "good purposes" upon. (Hebrews 6:1) Yet we wonder why the church seems so powerless. 

The Visual PARABLEist

Broken Legs

Be Kind. . . or else!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28

Good is a rather broad and vague word that can mean many things. For example, if we only look at the first part of the verse above, we may want to assume that good means easy or pleasant. However, if you take note of the second part about being called to purpose, we will realize this is not a self-centered form of good. Fortunately, the original Greek gives us some insight. That indicates a beneficial form of good.

So if we go back just a few chapters, we find this. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. -Romans 5:3-4

While character and hope are certainly beneficial. It also reveals that we may have to suffer to obtain that benefit. So this good that Paul speaks of in Romans 8 is not necessarily easy or pleasant.

I bring this up because we have a similar conundrum in the 21st century with the word "kind." Both progressive politics and certain segments of the church have adopted a mantra of “be kind and accept everybody,” As if this is our only goal, because that alone should fix everything. All because there is a similar false assumption behind it. That kindness is always easy and pleasant. Let me put this into perspective with a few quotes.

“Charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it.” -John D Rockefeller

Providing for the poor may be good in the short term. Yet if it only enables generational poverty, it is far from beneficial. Education is not easy, and maturing is not always pleasant, but it is a benefit in the long run when it delivers us from poverty. So who is kinder in the end? The one who only supplies your needs on a day-by-day basis, keeping you dependent on them for their good? Or the one who prepares you to fulfill your own needs, so you can live independently of charity?

“Certainly, no sane person enjoys hurting another. But we must be willing to risk hurting one another as well as being hurt, if we are to bear life to our relationships. A surgeon, for example, is not a knife-wielding thief. In fact, what surgeons do intentionally causes pain—and we pay them to do it, because we all agree that the immediate pain of the operation is preferable to the long-range pain of continued illness.” -Gordon Dalby

True healing often comes very painfully. This is true of not just flesh, but of emotions, and the spirit as well. Yet under this “be kind” mantra, we are unwilling to risk questioning anyone for any reason so as not to hurt their feelings. Only to allow these spiritual cancers to fester and destroy us slowly from within. Again, what is most important here? Short-term delicate politeness, or long-term and unpleasant emotional healing?

Here is the caveat. This directly follows the last verse. “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” -Romans 5:5

To maintain the healing metaphor, shame is like performing surgery without anesthesia. So it’s only natural to distance ourselves from the excessive and unnecessary pain of shame, even if it’s supposedly intended for good. Shame is a poor motivator that way. Yet I see so many on both sides of the fence trying to reshape the world by shaming people into submission. Hence, people embracing this “be kind” mantra. Even if they are just as willing to wield shame like a madman with a machete, if you don’t apply kindness the same way that they do. Hence my title, be kind. . . or else! Such people are not really following the Spirit of love this way, despite their claims to the contrary.

Ultimately, God's discipline is there to help us succeed, not to condemn anyone. We should have the same attitude towards others. But if we take more pleasure in shaming people in our self-righteousness than helping them to succeed, we are only serving our pride, not God’s truth.

“Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.” -Psalms 141:5

The Visual PARABLEist

The sword is a Biblical symbol of God's authority. The significance of a double-edged sword is that one edge always points towards self. We have no business holding others accountable to a standard we don't hold ourselves to. Accountability makes us less hasty in drawing blood, so to speak.