THE REFORMATION RESOLUTION

NEW YEARS DAY Approaches. With the New Year typically comes "New Years Resolutions". I hereby resolve to stop drinking soda. I hereby resolve to loose ten pounds. I hereby resolve to exercise everyday...or at least 5 days aweek, weather pending, and if I can squeeze it into my schedule.

How often have we set out to reform a particular area of our lives only to find out that the hard facts of life are we rarely control even our own activities. The scroll on the left illustrates religion that is man centered, self-help driven and based in a personal reformation.

Biblical faith includes none of that. The teaching of the bible is that salvation is God oriented, God directed, and free to the sinner. The bible also teaches in the area of sanctification that this too is the work of God, not the activity or the result of the will of man. Man can do nothing to make himself acceptable to God and all efforts to do so are "Like filthy rags".

A religion that is man centered is by default a religion that rejects God. Biblical religion is God centered and to when we add to that, the efforts of man, it reveals the hopelss and godlessness of that religion.

Romans 11:5-6 "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. BUT IF IT BE OF WORKS, THEN IS IT NO MORE GRACE: otherwise work is no more work.

Works and grace are incompatable in the salvation of sinners. So for this new year, put aside all human effort. Lean on the finished work of Christ and the will of the father to apply that finished work by the soveriegn Holy Spirit, who, like the wind, blows where he wills and no man can tell where he comes from or where he goes. John 3:8

Happy New Year...May yours be God centered.

(Thank you to my good friend Howard Wilson for the clip art of the 5 points of Arminianism).