WORK BRINGS FREEDOM

Titus 3:3-8
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.

In a small town near Munich, Germany, is a museum. Both are known by the same name--Dachau. The memorial museum, which is located on the grounds of the infamous Nazi concentration camp, has become an attraction for millions of curious history buffs. But it is also a place of horror for those who revisit where they had been imprisoned.

An odd phrase is welded on the iron gate where prisoners once entered: "ARBEIT MACHT FREI"--Work Makes You Free!

It is odd, because anyone who knows the Nazi agenda knows that that phrase was a cynical and cruel lie to give false hope to the wretched souls who entered. Most of them would die within the walls of their prison.

There's another lie that gives false hope--taught in some churches: "Be good and do as many good things as you can and you will (hopefully!) make it to heaven!"

The reality is that to pass God's standard of perfection we would have to live a totally sinless life. No one has ever done that!

No one, that is, but Jesus. It is only through Him that we are made right in God's eyes. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus took our sin and offered us grace. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, . . . not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, don't good works fit somewhere in God's plan? Of course! The works that God requires of us come after we put our faith in Jesus. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works" (v.10), and "those who have trusted in God" should "devote themselves to doing what is good" (Titus 3:8).

Don't ever believe the lie that your "works" will save you from eternal death. It is only through Jesus' work on the cross that we can have real freedom from sin. --Cindy Kasper

DESTINATION POINTS

* Do I sometimes think that I'm not so bad compared to other people?
* If someone never admits that he is a sinner, in his own eyes does he have any need for a Savior? * Do I understand why I can't earn a place in heaven? How would I explain the concept to someone else?

LINKS:
Religion Or Christ: What's The Difference?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0206

bottom line: Works can't save us--only Jesus can.

soul journey