Are we saved by our belief in God?

Continuing on the topic of the finished work of the cross, I'm reading this book which a friend gave me recently - "52 lies heard in church every sunday, and why the truth is so much better," by Steve McVey. Just blogging some thoughts I had reading it.

I've often thought that it is my belief in God that saved me. Or that it is my belief in God that causes blessings to flow in my life. That God has done everything, but we cannot access it unless we have faith. This thought puts a heavy burden on us, a responsibility to work up faith inside of us.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." @ Eph 2:8-9

This verse tells us that we are saved, not by our faith, but by the grace of God, what He accomplished completely on the cross. Period. It is entirely by His grace, and we can add absolutely nothing to this equation.

The fact that we can add nothing to our salvation was reiterated in Eph 2:4-5. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."

But what about faith? Why then did Paul say that "we are saved THROUGH faith"? I am not an expert in Greek, but I am guessing that the word "through" here is used in the same way we say "I was saved by the doctor through the medicine he gave me." Faith is the tool which God uses to manifest salvation in us. We cannot generate it by ourselves. He puts it in us. As Eph 2:8-9 above declares, this faith is not from ourselves, but a gift of God! Wow, how amazing is that! How awesome is His love! He truly provides everything we need!

We cannot generate love by ourselves, but are filled with love as He loves on us. In the same way, we cannot generate faith, but is filled with it when we discover He is faithful. Faith is knowing He is faithful.

If there is any belief that puts a heavy responsibility or burden on us, rather than on His amazing extravagant love and provision, it is a lie. The truth of grace sets us free from this burden.

I think the reason we added our responsibility to believe into the salvation plan of God, is because we see a lot of people who are not "saved". We feel the need to create a theology that puts that blame on Man rather than on God. The truth is that God doesn't play the blame game. His perspective towards us is all about love. Also, we feel the need to create a theology that makes people go out and preach the gospel. Unfortunately, this creates a guilt system, a feeling that people will "die" if we do not reach out to them. The truth is that God is the one who saves. And if He decides to use us in the process, He wants us to be motivated by nothing but love. Furthermore, if we truly understood the message of grace, His rich overflowing joy, love and pleasure towards us, what can stop us from sharing the good news with everyone else?!

Experience is a bad teacher. We cannot let our circumstances or outer experiences dictate our inner realities. We cannot let our observations of the world dictate our theology.

Almost every religion and human being in the world believes that love, joy and peace are good things. The only thing we disagree on is how we get there. Or more precisely, whether we are there already but don't know it ;)

Achieving our dreams

We have to realize that God is not primarily interested in the achievement of great dreams.

If He were, He would not have been disappointed when men decided to build the tower of Babel to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11).

What God desires is us. That we trust Him, and enjoy the rich overflow of relationship that comes from this trust.

He puts impossible dreams in us, not so that we would try to accomplish them by our own efforts, but that we learn to trust Him and have so much fun in the process. He loves seeing the expressions on our faces when we realize what He is accomplishing for us.

Prophecies lead us to love

I've always wondered what 1 Cor 13:8-13 means. Today, I think I finally do. It is talking about the experience of love, about what happens when we encounter God, who is Love. It acknowledges that prophecies, tongues and words of knowledge can lead us into an encounter with God. But when God shows up, all of these fade away into the background. Because prophecies are but shadows of the reality of His love. When His love comes, all these shadows have served their purpose and they need no longer to be there. In our encounter with God, all things fade away, but three things remain: Faith, Hope and Love. And the greatest of these is love.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. [1 Cor 13:8-13]

We are fully intimate in our relationships

We live knowing that who we are is fully purchased on the cross. Our personality, our character, our desires, our passions. We are already perfect. This manifests in our lives as we believe more and more in this reality. We step confidently into this belief because of the love of Jesus and what He has done.

What if our relationships are also fully redeemed? What if the wisdom of the world that we need to work hard in our relationships is a myth? What if our relationships come into new levels of intimacy just by us believing that it is already there?

New Testament Prophets

New Testament prophets remind people of the finished work of the cross.

"The Old Testament prophet speaks from Mt. Sinai;
The New Testament prophet speaks from Mt. Zion."
- John Crowder, Mystical Union, Pg 169.

The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy (Hebrews 12:18-24)

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Joy unspeakable.

The way we think about things

A wise friend of mine, Allan, said to me, "Your job is not the source of your finances. God is." Sometimes, we look to certain things in our lives for the solution, but we don't realize we are limiting the ways God could work in or lives. All the riches of the world belong to Him. God could provide money through a fish's mouth (Matt 17:27).

When everything has been accomplished on the cross, the only thing left for us to do is to believe. The wisdom of this world tells us that this is foolishness, but the way of living in the Kingdom is different. What we think affects what we believe.

We need to start thinking differently and brilliantly (as Graham Cooke puts it), such as remembering that God is our source of provision, not our job. As my friend Jeremy puts it, it's all about Perspective.

What is faith?

In the past when I was an atheist, I constantly hear Christians tell me, "Believe in Jesus". But that just made no sense to me whatsoever. What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Is it like believing in Santa Claus? If it is, then I think Christians are a sad, deluded bunch.

Even after becoming a Christian, I continue to wonder sometimes what that really means. Jesus says, "Your faith has healed you." And that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. What does it mean to have faith? Suppose I have a friend who has cancer. How do I pray for his healing? Oh God, does it matter to you that I want so much for my friend to be healed? Do You hear me more when I cry louder? I have learned that faith is not about how loud I cry. It is also not about how much I love my friend or how much I love God.

Or perhaps I should imagine the cells in his body recover one by one? Surely my imaginations influence the invisible supernatural reality. Some people have better, stronger imaginations than I do. Maybe they should pray for my friend instead? And perhaps some people are more anointed than others. Surely they know what they are doing. All I need to do is to find someone anointed. God will listen to him.

At the end of the day, I know that all I need is faith. But what is faith? Jesus, when you were with your disciples, why didn't you explain to them clearly what faith is?

But perhaps He didn't have to explain. Because it was plain to everyone then, the meaning of faith. I think faith has become such a complex thing because of the church. But it really isn't supposed to be hard, is it?

I have a friend Dewen whom I am very closed to. When I asked him to be my wedding coordinator, I was deep full of trust that he would take care of everything for me. And indeed he did. I have a lot of faith in my friend, because I know him so well. I have seen how responsible he is, and how much he cares about what is important to me.

Perhaps faith in Jesus is the same thing. It is relational, it is trust. How can we have faith in someone who is a stranger? This is why He first encounters us. He declares to us His love and His ability. It is not how much I love him, but how much He loves me. It is not how I can call on Him, but how He is able to deliver what He promised me. The more I know Him, the more I trust Him.

It is not my ability to hear Him, but His ability to speak to me.
It is not my ability to follow Him, but His ability to lead me.
It is not my ability to accomplish my dreams, but His ability to make them happen.
It is not my ability.

The sooner I realize this, the sooner I cease to worry and begin to enter into His rest. We need to have more faith. But He is the initiator and the perfecter of even our faith. Wow! He's got everything covered!

I have realized the power of testimonies when it comes to faith. Hearing someone else's relationship story with God awakes me to undiscovered realities of His personality and power. It tells me that what they have access to is also available to me. If they walk on water, then so will I. If they teleport, then so will I. If they are healed, then so will I and everyone that I know. Faith is infectious.

It is finished.

I feel like I finally know what it means to be Christian.

It is so revolutionary. Everything He has taught me over the past ten years finally makes COMPLETE sense. The deepest mystery of God has already been revealed. All these years, I have been searching for higher and higher revelation, one which would unlock all of God and all of me. But the highest revelation has always been right before me. And it is so simple, truly confounding the wise.

Here it is: God loves us so much. He wants us to rest from striving and trying to be better. Life is not about climbing ladders. He took all that was bad inside of us, nailed us to the cross, killed us, and resurrected us as new creations. Jesus accomplished all of this for us, and all we are called to do is to believe that it has been done. And enjoy God!

This highest revelation is a person; it is Jesus. The Father gave this highest revelation to every single one of us when we first believed Him. As we watch Jesus, all of His revelations unfold before us.

This is why all of my thoughts are good. This is why all of my emotions are valid. This is why all of my passions and desires are pure. I have perfect communion with my Father. I can always taste and drink of His presence. Every time my life doesn't seem that way, the cross reminds me that my circumstances do not determine my inner realities. Rather, my inner reality is Heaven, and Heaven invades Earth like a powerful flood. This flood cannot be stopped!

Woo hooo!!