God’s forgiveness is complete, but it doesn’t erase every consequence of sin. Exploring the guilt offering in the Book of Leviticus reveals how God’s grace calls us to confess, repent, and take action to restore what our sins have broken.
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good works
Many Protestants assume that Catholics teach that you need faith and works to be saved. Catholics, similarly, often assume that Protestants teach that works are irrelevant to salvation. The reality for both is more nuanced.
I don’t think we want to compartmentalize our faith, but often we do. We don’t try to be Sunday Christians, but the label sometimes fits. It can be a struggle to connect our faith with the rest of our week. When you’re cleaning up after your kids or facing a deadline at work, does it matter that you’re a Christian? Is there a Christian way to approach architecture, sales, or manufacturing? Should there be something distinctive about a Christian’s shopping, free time, or sleep schedule? I’d like to suggest three biblical principles that can help you take your faith 24/7.
There’s a scene from the old movie, Superman, where Clark Kent’s father says to him: “Son, you’re here for a special reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but I know one thing – it’s not to score touchdowns.” His father’s intent isn’t to knock football, but to challenge his son to live in light of what he’s been created to do. I think Christians can often lose sight of that focus. Somewhere along the line, we get the impression that God’s goal is to just keep us from sinning. As long as we don’t do anything terrible, He’s not too concerned about what we do. But that’s not the Christian message at all.
Christianity makes the remarkable claim that God completely pardons sinners solely on the basis of their faith, not as a result of anything they have done to deserve it. But doesn’t God care how a person lives? Two equations help explain Christianity’s most misunderstood truth.
Many people assume that because they believe in God, attend church, or try to live a decent life, their faith must be genuine. But throughout the Gospels, Jesus regularly challenged people who looked spiritually healthy on the outside while holding fatal blind spots under the surface. Considering them helps us evaluate the condition of our own faith.
Plenty of people say they believe in Jesus, but there’s something missing. Jesus pictures them in Matthew 7:21-23 as those pleading to get into heaven but being denied entrance. It seems that they come close to salvation, but not close enough. They lack what so many “almost Christians” lack today: repentance and relationship.