Take Another Look
I think I will start out with a little truth for you this week. I am not a biblical scholar. I really have never thought much about theology before because to be honest, sometimes theology seems like something the devil uses to create division among believers. When I hear the word theology, I think of people arguing. I know that when it comes down to it, theology is just the study of the nature of God and religious belief (according to the Oxford dictionary anyway), but for me it has a negative context.
So, instead of talking about theology, I thought I would share a recent journal entry of mine that I believe depicts this idea of God working out salvation within me that the pastors have been talking about for the past few weeks. The following is what that looks like in my walk with Christ…
June 13, 2022
1 Corinthians 1:2-3
“...to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours:
Grace and peace…”
How often I forget, “their Lord and ours.” He is not mine and mine alone. I am not His only child. How arrogant I can be. How easily and often I step into the role of pharisee. Why He puts up with me, I’ll never know…but I am so grateful that He does.
“Called to be holy, TOGETHER” - Again, how often I forget. Yes, I am being transformed every day and made into the image of God, BUT holiness is achieved TOGETHER. Holiness is achieved WITH others all over the world who call on His name. He is their Lord AND mine.
“Grace and peace” - This is how I am to approach others…with grace and peace. That is all. No motive. No agenda. Just grace and peace. The Holy Spirit will do the rest. Grace and peace pave the way for the Holy Spirit to do His work. Approaching people any other way puts up barriers for the Holy Spirit. I have been called to work WITH Him, not against Him. Grace and peace allow me to do just that.
Please forgive the grammar and punctuation. I copied it exactly as it is written in my journal.
Is this theology? I don’t know. All I know is that this is what it looks like for me to work out my salvation, or rather, for God to work out my salvation within me. I go to His word, read it, think through what that means for me on a personal level, and then journal about what I learned or what it made me think.
That journal entry was about only two verses. Those two verses were just part of the introduction to the letter. I have read them countless times and glossed right over them. On that particular day, God stopped me after those two verses and spoke. He challenged me to rethink what I had just read…verses I had read so many times before and thought nothing about. On that particular day, I thought about them, and I learned something.
I was shown something about myself that needed to be examined on that day. I was shown something within me that needed to be changed, tweaked if you will, in order for me to become more like Jesus. What is the point of salvation if it is not to become more like Jesus right?
I don’t know what this idea of working out your salvation looks like in your life, but I wanted to share what it looks like in mine with all of you. Maybe some of you are still wondering what the pastors mean when they talk about it. Maybe some of you are wondering if it is even happening in your life. Let me ask you this, what makes you stop and rethink things? Where do you crash into God the most? When do you hear His voice most often? Seek out those places and moments. Look for Him and listen to Him. He is longing to come ever closer to you and lead you to become more and more like Jesus.