A coworker and I were discussing our salvation the other day and realized we both had similar stories. You see, as teens, we both believed we were truly saved, though we continued to live out our every whim as though God would easily forgive us the next day. Even into adulthood, I continued to believe that I was doing “okay” in my walk with Christ and that had to count for something, right? Then, one day, as I was praying, I wept and realized I hadn't been leading a true Christian lifestyle. I still enjoyed movies, music, even friends that I knew weren't Biblical. I believed at that time I was recommitting my life to Christ, but now I realize I was truly getting saved for the first time.
So often I have considered my own salvation, but how often do I consider how my actions affect my witness of my salvation? There have been many times in my life were I have made a mistake that I knew wasn't right, but how often had I thought of the perception of new believers or those who had only seen Christ in me? How would they portray my actions? Though I've never much cared for what others think of me, I fully care what they see in me, in other words, I want my inner salvation to have an outward appearance. If they hear me cursing, for example, how will that reflect their view on our Lord?
In the same way we are to witness to non-believers, we are to uphold our witness to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 Corinthians 5 talks about condoning sin, and as one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31), we are to hold each other accountable for our actions. By condoning sin, we are in fact boasting in it. Paul stresses the importance of doing this and everything we do in love throughout 1 Corinthians.
James 1: 22-27 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Knowing God’s word and performing good deeds aren't the key to salvation. Being born again means truly walking in a new light. Remember this as you go about your days and consider how others see you.
Awesome blog Heather. I do think that often times our realization of our need of a Savior and a life change takes time and isn't necessarily always an instant complete turn around. Many times we get saved but as we learn more about what the Christian life is, we begin making those necessary adjustments. I don't think it has to mean we weren't saved during that learning process, but it does mean that we weren't putting enough effort towards our Christian walk in, as you said, preserving our witness for others. As Christians, we go through 3 stages: 1. Salvation 2. Sanctification and (in heaven) 3. Glorification. Salvation is a free gift from God that you must accept and Sanctification is where you begin to be drawn nearer and nearer to Him to learn to be more like Him. I think that Sanctification is a longer journey for some than it is for others; but I don't think it makes them "less" saved.
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