JDL - Direction One - Setting the Stage

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV))

One of the most difficult things to do is to rightly separate and distinguish when God is telling us something that we are to do while knowing full well that it is something that we cannot do, and when God is telling us something that He has done for us so that we do not need to concern ourselves with trying to do it. For some this is called distinguishing between God’s law, what we should and should not do, and God’s Gospel, what Jesus has done for us.

And so we begin, not with self, but with God. We begin with God because He is the beginning. It is God who has saved us. We have not saved ourselves. How has God saved us? By His grace He has saved us. How does that grace get to be ours? It is ours through faith which He also gives to us. And this is not a result of anything on our part. Notice, this is not a result of anything on our part. We did not choose Him; as a matter of fact, we do not even seek Him (1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:1; Rom. 8:7; 1 Cor. 12:3; Rom. 3:10-18 (which quotes Ps. 14:1-3; 53:1-3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; Pro. 1:16; Ps. 36:1)). Any intimation on our part that says that we have anything to do with our salvation is brought to naught. Any intimation such as our wanting to say we chose Jesus, our wanting to say we invited Jesus into our lives, our wanting to say that we dedicated our lives to Jesus, any and all of these are subtle ways we have of trying to claim our salvation as something we have had a part in and in boasting.

We would rightly confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean, that we are conceived and born in sin (Ps. 51:5), that we are born spiritually blind, spiritually dead and enemies of God. We might also rightly confess that according to our human nature all we do is run away from God and work to turn others away from Him as well. According to our inborn nature we want nothing to do with God.

Thanks be to God that He wants everything to do with us. He is the one who comes searching for us (Luke 15:1-32). He is the one who has done everything for us. What we could not do, live perfectly (Matt. 5:48), He has done, perfectly. The whole of the Gospel message is not simply that Jesus died for my sins, but that He lived for me. Jesus’ work of my salvation began at His birth. From birth on He had the cross ever before Him. From birth on He was constantly tempted with all that I am tempted and even greater temptation. He never sinned, even once. He fulfilled all of the Laws of God perfectly. He fulfilled all the promises and prophecies concerning Himself perfectly.

And then, He gave His life for me as a substitute, in my place. The relationship between humanity and Himself (in the Garden of Eden) and the relationship between Himself and me that was broken, He repaired through the cross. He mended that relationship.

Yes, there is Ephesians 2:10 to keep in mind. Jesus did not do all that He did for nothing. He did what He did so that we might do the good works which He has for us to do. This does not mean we get any credit for these good works either. This does not even mean that we will be able to do these good works on our own. As a matter of fact, apart from His helping us in this area as well, we would not be able to do the good works which He has prepared in advance for us to do.

And so, thanks be to God, the focus continues to be on Him and what He has done, does and continues to do for us. And this is a Jesus-directed life.

Think About
Continue to listen to how you speak and how others speak concerning your part, not only in salvation, but also in what we call sanctification or our being made holy. Do our words point to ourselves or to God as the prime mover?

Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me when I try to take credit for what You have done, are doing and continue to do in my life. Thank You for giving me faith, for strengthening me in my faith, and for keeping me in faith. Help me to always point to You and give You the credit due for all You have done for me and have given me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.