Do and Done
Romans 4:2-5 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
I have heard many times how you can divide the worlds religions into two categories: Do & Done. Ninety nine percent lead you down the path of what you must Do to obtain your key to heaven; there are countless examples of the works based faith systems. The one percent remaining is Christianity where we believe that Jesus Christ accomplished all the work needed for our salvation, all the requirements were met, it is Done. Jesus even uttered those last words on the cross; So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30). Jesus had come and fulfilled all the requirements of the law; he rose from the dead three days later conquering the power of death, and provided all that we need for the same through faith in him alone. The faith to believe, the simple understanding that God has done for you what you cannot do, that belief in that free gift grants you the key to paradise with him, and a peace on earth for your short time here.
The Message Bible puts it this way:2 If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we’re given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. 3 What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.” 4 If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. 5 But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it – you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked – well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift. Grasping the simplicity of Christianity is a sticking point for some. They can’t understand why they don’t have to do something to earn their way into heaven. One of the biggest sects of religion teaches all the works you must do, all the prayers, all the penance, all the worship of many saints, with just enough truth sprinkled in to deceive. Many will fall through it’s deception, many will fall into hell, or purgatory, or wherever, because they believe the things they must do.
All you have to do, is to swallow your pride first, repent of your sins, and have the faith to believe that Jesus accomplished everything for you. That Jesus, the living God, condescended himself to live a perfect life here, die a painful death, and rise again three days later to grant you eternal life. That simple act of faith in believing Him, will change your life forever. Digging into his Word will mold you into what he has designed you for, and you will live your life doing “works” out of a heart of love, and not a false duty.
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