We had a good discussion last night about how much we include in the core gospel message.

By grace alone through faith alone.
Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart.
Repent.
It’s not by works…

Of course it’d be silly to try to do something to earn your salvation, to ransom yourself back from eternal destruction, to pay your creator God in order to be justified.

But at the same time we realize that we are called to live out the life that we’ve been given in Christ. Live by faith and all that. Put off and put on.

How much of that should you be telling someone when you share the gospel?

The reality is that if someone professes faith and then continues to live the exact same lifestyle we doubt their salvation.

We can never really know about someone else but when we see them doing works in keeping with repentance it gives us faith that they have faith.

I think we need to be careful of either extreme – downplaying works so much that someone feels like they can “go on sinning” or saying that unless you do these ___ number of things you really can’t be saved.

http://bible.us/59/col.2.6-7.esv
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,  rooted and  built up in him and  established in the faith, just  as you were taught, abounding  in thanksgiving.

I know that we don’t get much for comments around here but any thoughts? 🙂

Well after the “new baby” hiatus I think I’m now ready blog again.

I’ve been reading a novel about Saint Patrick that has been challenging me to stay in the discipleship ranks and not pull back to simply directing the action from a desk. I don’t think I was in any real danger of doing that but the temptation of the easy life is always there.

Short and sweet those are my thoughts this morning.