Salvation by Grace through Faith
Jesus Christ has used
parables to speak to different people. A parable is a story which illustrates a
spiritual truth. However, characters and the story itself in a parable are not
taken from the real world. Hence, Jesus Christ has never used names of
individual persons in parables. Luke 18:9-14 records a parable of Jesus Christ,
which is targeted to an audience who trust in their own righteousness. Luke
18:9-12 reads...
"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."
The Pharisee in the above passage is a righteous person. His righteousness is proved by the words he used in his prayer. There is no doubt that God is pleased with all of his righteous deeds.
Then Luke 18:13 records the prayer of the publican in the same parable.
(Luke 18:13)
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
The prayer of the publican proves that he is a sinner. He has repented and accepted the fact that he has not been living right before God. There is no doubt that God is pleased with his true repentance too.
However, the righteous Pharisee did not feel justified by God as much as the publican felt. Look at the next verse.
(Luke 18:14)
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
What went wrong with the righteous Pharisee?
The above Pharisee in modern language is a religious person who is fully engaged in religious activities. The first mistake that the Pharisee made was to trust in his own righteousness. As a result, he felt justified by his own righteousness. This is where the pride sprang up in his heart. Once he received pride, he was tempted to exalt himself above other people. In an attempt to do this, he resorted to comparison of his righteous acts with other people. In this endeavor, he was found guilty of despising or looking down on the publican.
On the other hand, he lost the habit of trusting in God for his life anymore as he started to trust in himself. This attitude is bringing people to a place where they always think that God is blessing them because of their performances. They think the more they engage in religious activities, the more God is forced to bless them. They think there is a direct connection between their blessings from God and their own righteous deeds.
But the truth is that our righteous deeds have brought us nowhere before God. God is not blessing us based on our deeds or performances, but because of His unconditional love toward us. God's love toward us is not changing according to our righteous deeds simply because God is Love (1 John 4:8). The Scripture says Jesus died for us while we were sinners. In other words, when we were enemies of God, God still loved us.
(Romans 5:8)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
Truly, we have received our salvation by grace through faith. Look at the below verse.
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
In other words, when we believed (faith) in Christ, we were saved by the grace of God. However, people are not saved by mere grace. Why? Because if it is so, then all the people could be saved. On the other hand, we are not saved by mere faith. Why? Because if it is so, we have something to boast about in receiving our salvation. Thus both our faith and God's grace have given our salvation. Hence we have nothing to boast about ourselves before God.
GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE TOWARD THE PEOPLE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Although God's love toward us is unconditional, our sin can separate us from God. When we are separated from God by our own sins, the enemy (Satan) can have control over our life. This process is misunderstood by many people thinking that God is punishing us when we live in sin.
It is true that God punished the Children of Israel in the Old Testament whenever they committed sin. But God does not move in this manner anymore for the people in the New Testament as God has already brought the punishment that was due for our sins upon Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has already paid even for the sins to be committed by all the generations that are yet to come until the end of this world. Jesus Christ bore our chastisement in order that we come to true repentance of our sins and receive salvation simply by believing in Him.
However this does not mean that God can intervene in the lives of people who are with sin. God is God and Sin is Sin. God hates sin, but loves us. When sin is found in us, God is not able to show His love toward us by actions because of the barrier our own sin creates between God and us.
Remember, not only sin separates us from God, but also sin brings us closer to our enemy (the devil). As a result, a person who lives in sin can have terrible consequences not because God is punishing him, but because the enemy is empowered by his own sin to destroy him.
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD
Although trusting in our own righteousness is not right before God, still God wants us to be righteous in doing exactly what the Pharisee in the above parable was doing.
"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."
The Pharisee in the above passage is a righteous person. His righteousness is proved by the words he used in his prayer. There is no doubt that God is pleased with all of his righteous deeds.
Then Luke 18:13 records the prayer of the publican in the same parable.
(Luke 18:13)
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
The prayer of the publican proves that he is a sinner. He has repented and accepted the fact that he has not been living right before God. There is no doubt that God is pleased with his true repentance too.
However, the righteous Pharisee did not feel justified by God as much as the publican felt. Look at the next verse.
(Luke 18:14)
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
What went wrong with the righteous Pharisee?
The above Pharisee in modern language is a religious person who is fully engaged in religious activities. The first mistake that the Pharisee made was to trust in his own righteousness. As a result, he felt justified by his own righteousness. This is where the pride sprang up in his heart. Once he received pride, he was tempted to exalt himself above other people. In an attempt to do this, he resorted to comparison of his righteous acts with other people. In this endeavor, he was found guilty of despising or looking down on the publican.
On the other hand, he lost the habit of trusting in God for his life anymore as he started to trust in himself. This attitude is bringing people to a place where they always think that God is blessing them because of their performances. They think the more they engage in religious activities, the more God is forced to bless them. They think there is a direct connection between their blessings from God and their own righteous deeds.
But the truth is that our righteous deeds have brought us nowhere before God. God is not blessing us based on our deeds or performances, but because of His unconditional love toward us. God's love toward us is not changing according to our righteous deeds simply because God is Love (1 John 4:8). The Scripture says Jesus died for us while we were sinners. In other words, when we were enemies of God, God still loved us.
(Romans 5:8)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
Truly, we have received our salvation by grace through faith. Look at the below verse.
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
In other words, when we believed (faith) in Christ, we were saved by the grace of God. However, people are not saved by mere grace. Why? Because if it is so, then all the people could be saved. On the other hand, we are not saved by mere faith. Why? Because if it is so, we have something to boast about in receiving our salvation. Thus both our faith and God's grace have given our salvation. Hence we have nothing to boast about ourselves before God.
GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE TOWARD THE PEOPLE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Although God's love toward us is unconditional, our sin can separate us from God. When we are separated from God by our own sins, the enemy (Satan) can have control over our life. This process is misunderstood by many people thinking that God is punishing us when we live in sin.
It is true that God punished the Children of Israel in the Old Testament whenever they committed sin. But God does not move in this manner anymore for the people in the New Testament as God has already brought the punishment that was due for our sins upon Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has already paid even for the sins to be committed by all the generations that are yet to come until the end of this world. Jesus Christ bore our chastisement in order that we come to true repentance of our sins and receive salvation simply by believing in Him.
However this does not mean that God can intervene in the lives of people who are with sin. God is God and Sin is Sin. God hates sin, but loves us. When sin is found in us, God is not able to show His love toward us by actions because of the barrier our own sin creates between God and us.
Remember, not only sin separates us from God, but also sin brings us closer to our enemy (the devil). As a result, a person who lives in sin can have terrible consequences not because God is punishing him, but because the enemy is empowered by his own sin to destroy him.
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD
Although trusting in our own righteousness is not right before God, still God wants us to be righteous in doing exactly what the Pharisee in the above parable was doing.
How could our own righteousness
help us in the presence of God?
After we depart from sin through true repentance, our righteous deeds give us a good standing before God. In other words, the more we engage in righteous deeds as the pharisee in the above parable, the more we have confidence in the presence of God. But this confidence is purely to be used to strengthen the personal relationship that we individually establish with God. The Scripture explains this state as follows:
(1John 3:21)
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
If you re-consider the prayer of the publican, you can see how he was standing far off without coming closer to the pharisee (Luke 18:13). Further, he did not have courage to look up toward Heaven. The publican behaved in this manner not because God was angry with him, but because his own sin had condemned him in the presence of God.
However, the pharisee had enough confidence to come closer to the altar and make his prayer looking toward Heaven. He received this confidence because of his righteous deeds. But he erred by not using this confidence to strengthen his personal relationship with God. Instead, he trusted in his righteousness and despised the publican and this act was not acceptable before God.
After we depart from sin through true repentance, our righteous deeds give us a good standing before God. In other words, the more we engage in righteous deeds as the pharisee in the above parable, the more we have confidence in the presence of God. But this confidence is purely to be used to strengthen the personal relationship that we individually establish with God. The Scripture explains this state as follows:
(1John 3:21)
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
If you re-consider the prayer of the publican, you can see how he was standing far off without coming closer to the pharisee (Luke 18:13). Further, he did not have courage to look up toward Heaven. The publican behaved in this manner not because God was angry with him, but because his own sin had condemned him in the presence of God.
However, the pharisee had enough confidence to come closer to the altar and make his prayer looking toward Heaven. He received this confidence because of his righteous deeds. But he erred by not using this confidence to strengthen his personal relationship with God. Instead, he trusted in his righteousness and despised the publican and this act was not acceptable before God.
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