February 5 - Did we save ourselves?

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today I am answering a question for a listener named Tony. Remember, you can ask me your question too and I will do my best to talk it thought. Find me on Facebook, Instagram, email at Michaelgrove1@icloud.com, or text me at 630-995-1253! Even feel free to text some thoughts and push back to anything I say! This way we can have healthy dialogue. But today want to talk through Tony’s question. Tony says, “Doesn’t saying we have free will imply that we saved ourselves? If it was my choice, then I didn’t need help from the Lord to make that decision. In essence, I decided to be saved myself.”

 

Great question Tony. If by the end of this you don’t feel like I’ve satisfied your question, please get back to me and let me know what you are wrestling with. 

 

Ok, I believe in free will because of the verses and conversation we spoke of yesterday. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to that one, please go back and give it a listen! And I apologize, for some reason it didn’t post on Spotify properly. So apple podcast listeners got it in the morning while Spotify listeners didn’t have it released until evening. But listen to it before you listen to this one if you haven’t yet. 

 

Because yesterday I gave the verses and explanation for why I believe the Bible points toward free will. But I started by saying that you have to understand a level of predestination as well. There are some things that are set up by God in order for us to find the purposes he has for us. 

 

John Wesley did a lot of work on what he calls the different levels of grace. I want to give you a little bit of insight into these levels today. 

 

Level one is what is called prevenient grace. This grace is the earliest grace people can experience in their lives. They receive it before they are even saved. This is the grace that draws you to the Lord. It’s the grace that makes you realize that there is something missing or something wrong that can’t be fulfilled on your own. Jesus talks a little about this in the book of John chapter 6. In vs. 44 he says, 

 

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned form him comes to me. No one has been the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 

 

Here Jesus is saying that everyone is drawn to the father at some point. In fact, everyone is drawn to Jesus. There is a sense at some point that something is missing in life that causes people to be open to receiving the gospel message. Jesus is saying that the Father causes this. That’s prevenient grace. It’s the fist step of grace that is in our lives. 

 

Then the second step is called convicting grace. This is the grace that calls us to turn away from our sinful lives. It is grace that allows us the chance to do what is right. James talks about it this way, in James 4:13-17

 

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

 

This is the idea that once we have been given the grace to be drawn to the Lord, the next thing he does is try to order our steps. Inside this stage we know the good we ought to do, we just have to make the decision to submit and do it. This stage of grace is meant otherwise teach us obedience and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit. 

 

Because it leads to what Wesley called Justifying Grace. This is the point where the serious work of grace is taking place. Here the Lord is dealing with us and calling us deeper into his presence. In fact, Wesley says that Convicting grace is like the porch of the house, and Justifying grace is like the doorway into the house. We aren’t quite there yet, but are working our way in the right direction. 

 

Listen to the words of 1 Peter 1:6-9

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

 

Peter is understanding that through trials and grief, you are being transformed into a deeper understanding of God’s grace. You are growing and becoming justified. Paul adds this in romans 5:1-5

 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 

 

See, we go through suffering in order to build the character to seek out God. It is his grace that gives us this opportunity to grow and understand his goodness more. Which leads to Sanctifying grace. This Wesley says is like having moved from the porch, thought he door, and into the house. You live in the grace of God and continue to understand it more. This is the stage I think of Paul being in as he wrote these words to the Philippians in 3:10-11

 

I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 

 

He then continues to day that he hasn’t yet obtained this, but he continues to press on in order to take hold of the prize. 

 

See this is a grace that causes us to only want the things of God. We grow into this type of grace. We don’t receive it just because we choose to have it. God has to do the work inside us in order to get us there. it’s a grace we should all strive for! 

 

See, each of these steps are up to us to pursue. But they are only there because God imbedded them into us. It is his Spirit that draws. He causes all things to work in us and grow us. His Holy Spirit draws us in and grows us. 

 

So yes, it is up to us to be obedient. We have the freedom to ignore the calling of God. But should we choose to accept it, we will be able to, but only because God has done the work to draw us and set us up for success. This is why it is such a disrespect to God when someone chooses a life of sin. He has done the work to try and lead them out of this destructive path. It’s a blatant disrespect slap in the face to him. His grace has already done the work to lead us to deep spiritual maturity. We just have to submit and allow grace to do its work. 

 

Let me leave you with one final verse. This is one of my favs. . . . 

 

 

Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

This goes back to yesterday’s conversation a bit. God’s grace is constantly trying to save us and grow us. This is because he has a predetermined plan for you life. If you will submit to his grace, he will lead you to do great works that are meant to honor him! He prepared them in advance for you! 

 

Burt remember this, You are God’s workmanship. That means he loves you and is proud of you. His eye is on you! He has trusted you enough that he has given you the chance to choose for yourself. But he knows that if you will trust in him and follow his plan, you will have the best life possible! So seek out growth. Allow the Holy Spirit to do the work to grow you. And when you do, you will find the sanctifying grace that keeps you deep in the presence of the LORD!