Why Do I Work Unto Him?

There is a debate going on in modern evangelical Christianity with regards to the Gospel. I'm not talking about whether or not you are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone, but rather what place the Gospel should take in the Christian's life. It is something that has brought about heated discussions, confusion to some, and has become a topic of study now in my own spiritual pursuit, and for that, I am beyond grateful, because what has transpired in my own life has been such a blessing.

I have been a Christian for about 20 years. By the grace of God alone I was brought to repentance and faith as a child. It was by the Spirit's work of regeneration that my eyes were opened to the reality of my own sinfulness and the precious gift of grace. Although at such a young age I didn't fully comprehend every facet of what it meant to follow Jesus, I knew I was a sinner and I knew only He could save me from that. I am so thankful for the regenerating work of salvation in my heart at that moment in time and for the love the Father had for me, outside of who I was, to reach down and save a wretch like me.

From that moment, I have grown in grace through the work of sanctification. I have been through trials and testings and by the grace of God have come through them more deeply in love with my Savior and more like Him. All of it, a work of His grace.

Recently, I have become more and more aware of what it means to be sanctified and how I believe the Bible teaches that occurs. Although entirely held responsible for what I do in the Christian life, is it my doing? Sanctification that is. Being a performer, I will admit that at times I have tried to merit the favor of God in my pursuit of holiness (never to gain salvation, but that I might be more well loved or liked by the Father). But, the more I study the Word of God, the more I see the danger in that thinking, and the error. Jerry Bridges puts it well, "As I see it, the Christian community is largely a performance-based culture today. And the more deeply committed we are to following Jesus, the more deeply ingrained the performance mindset is. We think we earn God's blessing or forfeit it by how well we live the Christian life. Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." But do I behave that way as if I really believe it?

If I have NOTHING to do with my salvation, does that mean I have NOTHING to do with my sanctification. Well, yes and no. We are commanded in Scripture to work:

"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor 7:1)

"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Philippians 2:12)

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22)

"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

BUT...why are we working? Or how are we working? Again, Jerry Bridges puts it well, "So sanctification involves hard work and dependence on Christ; what I call dependent effort. And it will always mean we are dissatisfied with our performance. For a growing Christian, desire will always outstrip performance or, at least, perceived performance. What is it then that will keep us going in the face of this tension between desire and performance? The answer is the gospel. It is the assurance in the gospel that we have indeed died to the guilt of sin and that there is no condemnation for us in will motivate us and keep us going even in the face of this tension. We must always keep focused on the gospel because it is in the nature of sanctification that as we grow, we see more and more of our sinfulness. Instead of driving us to discouragement, though, this should drive us to the gospel. It is the gospel believed every day that is the only enduring motivation to pursue progressive sanctification even in those times when we don't seem to see progress. That is why I use the expression "gospel- driven sanctification" and that is why we need to "preach the gospel to ourselves every day."

You see, it is the GOSPEL that teaches us to live Godly lives. When we stop each and every day and remember the Gospel here are some things we recognize...

- The REALITY of God's LOVE for us WHICH in turn motivates a response of love towards Him
1 John 4:19 "We love, because He first loved us"

- The POWER the Gospel gives to us to obey Him
Titus 2:11-12"For the grace of God has (P)appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age."

- The PRIVILEGE it is to come to Him in prayer knowing because of Christ He hears us
Romans 8:34 "Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us."

- The VALUE of the Word of Truth which is LIVING and ACTIVE and changing our hearts
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

- The PRECIOUSNESS of the message of the Gospel that alone can bring others to Himself
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."

- The NEED for HIS grace each and every moment of every day
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast [a]about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

- THE SECURITY we have in the FINISHED work
John 10:28 "and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."




IT IS ALL ABOUT THE GOSPEL. You are saved through the power of the Gospel, you are sanctified through the power of the Gospel, and you will be glorified through the power of the Gospel. The Gospel isn't just for the unbeliever, it is for everyone. We as Christians need to hear it just as much as the unbeliever next to us. We need to be motivated by it, humbled by it, amazed by it, nourished by it, encouraged by it, convicted by it, shaped by it, changed by it, in awe of it, continually. You see, saving grace, true saving grace, empowers a person for the rest of their life. It's life altering, because it is life giving. You can never hear the Gospel enough, you will never exhaust the study of it, and you will never be out of the need of His grace. Work, by all means, unto Him and for Him, but please, I urge you to examine WHY you are working, and make sure it is simply in response to Him and what He did on that cross, because you love Him more than life itself, after all, He gave His life for you.