A Witness To Salvation

This past Sunday, Pastor Richard shared that religious activities and rituals don’t ensure right relationship with God; rather, it is faith in Jesus Christ. Our pastor said, and we ought receive it as a creedal truth, “What has been accomplished in Christ Jesus is complete.”

Do we believe that Jesus’s death and resurrection have procured salvation for us? Or are we trying to add on our own “salvific” efforts to the work He has already done? Pastor Richard noted that as Philippians 3 begins, the apostle Paul speaks out against the spiritual leaders of his day. These leaders held the notion that new believers could not claim authentic salvation unless they also embraced the ritual of circumcision, which was a central component of Judaism. As Paul refuted this notion, he said, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philippians 3:7)

What were Paul’s gains in regard to his religious life?

v  Legacy: Paul could boast that his parents circumcised him in infancy, on the eighth day of his life, in keeping with the Mosaic law.

v  Lineage: Paul had been born into the tribe of Benjamin, and had a proud heritage as a Jew sold out to Judaism.

v  Legalism: Paul had been taught and trained by Gamaliel, the most gifted Pharisee of his day, and was highly educated in religious law.

v  Leadership: Paul had been an influential leader, persuading other Jews in and around his region to persecute Christians.

v  Lifestyle: Paul had been diligent to maintain all the religious regulations and expectations common to Pharisees.

But, as our pastor said on Sunday (paraphrased here), God can change everything in a moment. For Paul, that moment happened on the road to Damascus. Years later, Paul continued to share the testimony of how that encounter with the living God changed his life forever (see Acts 26). Life was no longer all about religion: it was all about Jesus.

Let’s consider what Paul said in Philippians 3. The apostle never denied his religious education. He never denied his spiritual heritage. He never denied that he was well-versed in the rituals common to his life as a “Hebrew of Hebrews”. But he said, in effect, Compared to all that Christ is and all He has done, all my personal efforts at religious ritual are like dung—I dare not put them on display. I know that my rituals did not contribute to my salvation!

In all of Sunday’s English-language services, Pastor Richard quoted from a hymn that has the following stanza:

“My faith has found a resting place—not in device nor creed:

I trust the Ever-living One – His wounds for me shall plead.” (Lidie Edmunds, ca. 1891)

For our reflection today, let’s ask ourselves: Where does our faith rest? Is it resting on Jesus’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, or is it resting on the unstable frame of our own religious efforts?

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.