There is a big difference between an earthly boss and a godly father. An earthly boss is concerned about the business and the work being done, and his concern for me lies at best in keeping me working to accomplish his own goals and those of the company.
A godly father is concerned about me and my growth. He is concerned about my future and my well-being as a person who dwells with others and impacts their lives as well as my own. He is also compassionate towards me in my efforts to live rightly.
Under the Hood
I like to know the insides of things. I want to know how they work and understand the logic and processes, not to just push a button and something is done. I want to know why and how, so I can understand the bigger picture and duplicate the results and possibly improve on the processes.
For example, I like to cook meals, but cooking is a learning process that involves following instructions until you get the way ingredients and cooking processes work together to create a better output that is good for you as well as others.
Faith vs. Works
There seems to be a lot of confusion today over the subject of works in the Christian world. Some now claim that works, whatever that means, are bad and a sign of one trying to earn his salvation. Others see works as a necessary part of walking the Christian life. The differences of opinion are as wide as the ocean, with people falling every mile or so in between, often based upon teachings of previous years in their lives to which they cling as to a life raft.
In my prayer time I have a place set aside for thanksgiving. At the top of it are two quotes I placed there some time ago – I don’t remember the source. The first says: “God wants to help me to live rightly – he is master and teacher.” The second says: “God is not against me, he wants me to succeed at living a holy life.” Each day I go there I ponder those thoughts.
Bosses vs. Godly Fathers
Today I thought about the difference between a boss and a godly father in relation to how God works in my own life to help me to change and grow. My wife has been a great inspiration in this teaching and understanding the past several years, as she has lived out God’s approach, however imperfectly, in relation to me and dealing with my battle against addiction. I am so grateful for her faithfulness – way beyond human ability and common sense from a human perspective. Her goal is not to make me toe the line or be some kind of man I am not. Her goal is to help me find God in the midst of my struggles and to do what it takes to hold onto him while he makes changes to me in my life that will lead to my salvation and becoming more like Jesus. She cares so much about my life that she will tolerate the pain and disappointments (not always quietly) she must go through to pull me through.
Rescue Missions
Rescue missions are often dangerous, painful, and even fatal. The rescuer must be focused on the well-being of the one he is trying to rescue as much as possible, even above his own safety at times. That is what my wife has been doing with me while she has been loving and kind to me consistently after pulling my head out of the water over and over.
I believe God is like that. He is good and loving and faithful. His faithfulness goes way beyond anything we could ever deserve or solicit. His love towards us compels him to keep trying to help us and to sacrifice himself in the process. Like a loving parent who must sacrifice himself to help his children, God anticipates and reaches out to help, time and time again, even when the child seems never to learn.
Why Follow Rules?
What does this have to do with works? Everything. Unlike a boss who has a set of rules for you to follow and penalties for those who fail in the least way, God has established his commandments and teachings for the purpose of our growth and change. As we begin to obey his rules, we find that they are for our good and the good of others, not an end in themselves.
God has given us something else in this regard – it’s called life. He’s an under-the-hood kind of guy as well. Certainly we can follow his rules blindly, and sometimes that’s the way we need to do it. But many times he opens the hood and lets us see why. He lets us experience failures and heartache and deep pain in life, and part of that teaches us the harder lessons in life and embeds them into our souls. It seems so often that the biggest lessons we learn and remember come with a higher price tag to help us to really get it – to understand the how’s and why’s of the thing.
Not Growing Up
Those who resist the idea of doing works, or obedience to God, following salvation, because of the stigma of someone calling them “earning your salvation” miss the boat completely. My obedience to God following my commitment to God and his lordship, and my faith in Jesus Christ as savior and lord are an integral part of that salvation process, not a performance. They are critical to my growing up. Apart from them, I remain a child spiritually, if I am reborn at all. The Bible is clear that one evidence of salvation is a changed heart and life in the believer. And that means that if I live the same way day after day after I say I am saved, then I probably wasn’t.
Yes, many still try to earn their salvation by doing good works. We’ve been conditioned in American culture that God works that way and this is taught in many places called churches. The old-style churches especially often reverted back to the Old Testament rule-following mindset. This often led to the same result – plenty of Pharisees who kept the law, at least on the surface, and the rest failing miserably.
What is Faith?
The Bible is quite clear that works, or obedience to God, are an integral part of the true Christian life. Obedience is living by faith. Disobedience is not. My earthly boss expects compliance to his rules or else. He doesn’t care about me or my future. My God is there with me for the long-haul to help me succeed at living a holy life – he is for me. Along the way he lets me suffer and fail to teach me truth through a deeper understanding of why right choices and right living are best for me and others.
If your salvation comes from works alone, it is not salvation. If your salvation comes from faith alone that does not include changes in your life, then it most likely is not salvation. Faith is not just a one-time acknowledgment something is likely to be true, it is an assurance so certain that the rest of one’s whole life is turned over to the Lord Jesus Christ in trust and obedience.
The Bible never says you will live perfectly along the way. However, your faith is not some cheap ticket to heaven that gives you license to continue living like hell and then to expect that it will still take you to heaven. If you think that, you’re on the wrong train and need to do more under-hood inspecting. Don’t trust someone else to do your inspecting for you, and don’t blindly follow anyone else. The rest of your life depends upon this right decision and lifestyle, as does your eternal destination.
Searching My Heart 