June 18-20, 2010
Romans 4
Pastor Farrell Lemings
I grew up in a home where hard work was valued. One of the many things for which I am grateful to my parents is that they taught me the values of hard work and responsibility. This gift has been a great blessing in my life.
Yet good works alone are not enough to satisfy God’s requirement. We can never work our way into salvation. Although acts of service and hard work are honorable, respectable and should be parts of our lives, they cannot save us.
In his writing to the believers in Romans 4, Paul wanted them (and us) to understand that we are not saved by works alone, but by faith. It is interesting that God chose the means to salvation as accessible by every human being, yet no one could boast that it was earned through their achievements.
If God had established a system of works, there would have been some that would have been eliminated because they could not have achieved whatever level was necessary. Then there would have been over-achievers that would become proud because of their works. In His wisdom and foresight, God chose the way to salvation as to simply believe. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
May we be those that work hard, stewarding well the gifts that God has placed in our lives, yet find ourselves giving thanks to God daily for the wonder of His salvation that is available to us simply by believing.
Did you know? For Pastor Farrell, a great vacation is when he’s spending time with family and friends, enjoying the outdoors.
