Introduction:They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”. Acts 2:42
Have we ever thought, “Is the modern church today did still hold and remain steadfast to the apostles teaching'? It was during the time of the apostles (in the book of Acts) that all the believers were together in fellowship-breaking bread, eating and have everything in common. They have a one common learning and understanding of the scriptures, and that include a common knowledge on the teaching of the biblical salvation. They became as one body with one Lord, having one spirit and one mind.But not so today, the church that exist from the time of the so called "Reformation" up to the present, were not the same as the church as on the apostles days in terms of having a one mind. It is simply because of many diverse views regarding on the doctrines held by Christian denomination and organization. In particular, was on the subject of salvation and as far as the teaching of salvation is concerned, there are two different and distinct teaching that contradicting to each other. One teaching states, “Once saved, always saved", and the other one teaching states, “Those who truly saved can lose their salvation", which one can we determine was the true teaching of the apostles? Of course, many will agree and disagree on one with the other. If we say one is true and the other one is not, we are unsure because both have many strong biblical standpoints. And let us be cautious, we better stop all of our prejudices. If we say both were right, there shouldn't be divided mind and contrast views and opinions.
See Arminianism vs. Calvinism (Google)
One thing is definite, the teaching (of salvation) held by the church today were not came from the teaching of the apostles but are from the teaching of theologians and bible scholars who have constant disagreement with each other over one major subject which is a very essential doctrine in the church- Salvation. However, this doesn't mean we are to cancel the merit of their works or ignore their teachings.
Somehow disagreement must be settled for good, once and for all.
At this point in time, neither of the two teaching is considered wrong nor right, it just might be that there is something needed to be put in between. Maybe a bridge that can link them so the two can meet head on without colliding to each other. Yet there is a bridge to link them! A bridge strongly built and founded on a solid rock! And it cannot be shaken!
As Christ return is imminent, the present situation of the church was still lacking unity as a one body with having also an absence of unity in mind. The so called ‘’Universal Church’’ and the ‘’Local Church’’ is not far from being different from the Corinthian Church (1 Cor 1:10-13). This thing should never and ever be
prevailing within the church!
The Lord Jesus prays for all the believers (the universal church) to be one. John 17:20-22. His prayer means, that the church is to be one in spirit and one in mind. While the apostle Paul appeal to the Corinthian church (the local church) to agree with one another, not to make division among themselves but be perfectly united in mind. 1 Cor 1:10
The Paradox of the Biblical Salvation“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but how much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling”. Phil.2:12
“For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”. 1 Pet.1:9By carefully analyzing the two verses, it is very logical to think that there’s must be something needed to be done before a salvation can be attained. The verses shows that one must act towards salvation until it becomes complete or until the goal have been achieved. The verse implies works that are progressive. The Paradox of the Biblical Salvation is that Salvation is by Faith and equal by Works.
The emphasis gave by the Apostle Paul instructing the Philippians to be more obedient and continue to “work out the salvation” was for a reason not because they have not yet received the so called “Sola Fide” (salvation through faith alone) and not because they are not yet assured of salvation. What Paul meant here is that one must continue to work and make every effort to save themselves from what is called the “Sting of Death.” The so called “Sting of Death” means nothing else but sin. (The sting of death is sin 1 Cor.15:56)
The ‘’Sting of Death’’Sting means “to inject someone with toxin (venom)’’ and death means a “lack of spiritual life” (Encarta Dictionary). Therefore, the sting of death is a sin (toxin or venom) that poisons the whole being and this brought about a spiritual death- lack of spiritual life. The physical body is alive but the spiritual well being
is dead. Man is living in sin and his entire whole being was dominated by the power of sin.
Commentary:
The sting of death is sin. This gives venom to his dart: this alone puts it into the power of death to hurt and kill.Sin is the parent of death, and gives it all its hurtful power. (from Matthew Henry's Commentary)
The sting of death is sin because it is by sin that death gains authority over man, and it is by the law that sin gains its strength. The Law, then, stirred up sin, which led to death. (from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Origin of the “Sting”In Genesis 2, the Lord commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the “Tree of knowledge of good and evil.” The Lord warned them that if they eat the fruit, they will die. However, Adam and Eve disobey the Lord and ate the fruit. After just a few moments, they didn’t die physically right away. The thing that had been taken place to both of them was actually a spiritual death. Their defiance against the Lord
resulted to spiritual death. They become separated from God. The presence and the fellowship between God and the first man come to a death-lack of spiritual life. That’s why according to John 3:3, all people must be born again because all are spiritually dead. All must be born in water and spirit.
According to Romans 3:3, “The wages of sin is death.” So, therefore, whenever a Christian sin and live with sin, death arrives resulting to spiritual death- lack of spiritual life-lack of zest unto God. These are eventually being manifested as in the following: lack of desire to read the word of God and pray, lack of joy of belonging (fellowship), lack of interests on things of God, and lacking many things. At the very start of their Christian life, they are very eager to praise, worship and serve the Lord. However, along the way because of the sting of death (which is sin), one slowly loss the passion for the Christian way of life. The life of a Christian is in the Spirit- in the Spirit of God while the death comes from the sin committed, making him/her spiritually dead. All the way, all sin leads to spiritual death.
Therefore, we could say that the root caused of how and why many Christians often failed to experience God and His presence, it was because the “Sting of Death” in which originally came from Adam and Eve were effectually at work when sin is committed. Since the beginning and until now, the poisonous venom of the Old Snake (Satan) continues to affect the whole well-being of a Christian. This poison is like a pestilence growing and spreading throughout the world affecting all creations. Also, this is like a disease that infected a person and spreads to all the races and generations. It is like an infectious disease that always recurs even after a period of temporary healing and the person starts to weaken again that lead to spiritual death.
The sting which is the sin was ingrained and deeply rooted in our whole being. That’s why every one of us has ingrained habits, and that habits are not that easy to remove. Also it’s the sting that makes us to have a sinful nature. We must completely remove the sting and be save from its power.
We should be saved from the “Sting”In the book of Numbers 21:4-9, God commanded Moses to create a “Bronze
Serpent” and raise it up so that anyone bitten by a snake who look at it will be saved from the fierce sting of the snake at death. Just like the Israelites, we must be saved from the sting of death. Each one of us had been bitten by the serpent (satan) and the sting (the sin) had brought in us evil effect throughout in our
whole being. We became slave to sin and we always follow whatever desires of the flesh. It is undeniable, we craves for the things desires by the flesh (Gal.5:19-21). This are the real concerned of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians believers when he said that they must continue to work in order to completely take away the sting and at the same time for complete deliverance against its ill effects.
There is a truth that we need to see and understand as true believers of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In the spiritual realm, we are saved from the judgment of fire in hell, our sins forgiven, we become holy and we become a new person. These we freely received in exchange for the sacrificial works of Christ. However, in natural realm or in reality, all of us have sinned, keep sinning and getting enslave by sin. This is the truth that even we, as a believer, still commit sin. Is there among us who never commit sin? There is none! It is so sad to think that many Christians continued to commit sin and enslaved by sin. If not, however, they ceased to grow and always return to committing sin again and again. It is also sad that for many, serving and worshipping the Lord has been only a ritual. This is because of the Sting of Death, which had clung and deeply ingrained in to one person, has never been completely removed. This disease or this “cancer of the soul” is very dangerous and contagious that if not completely treated with a right andperfect cure death and the fire of hell might awaits.
Another important thing that we need to understand is that the Sting of Death is the reason why we become slaves of sin. Our sinful nature have been there of long ago even when we were still in our mother’s womb. This is the main reason why man continued to commit sin ever since childhood. Even becoming a Christian, we continued to commit sin. When we became children of God, we did not immediately change in an instant. In fact, when we became born-again, we start as a “spiritual babies” born in the family of God. Just like a baby it needs to feed and grow and become a mature man. As a born again Christian, we also need to grow and mature on the things of God. Thus, a Christian needs to continue to work in order to progressively free himself from the slavery of sin until he is completely saved from the ‘’Sting of Death’’.
Working out your salvation is more appropriate to examine and focus the study on the Apostle Paul mentioning the law, the sin and his experience in struggling with sin. In the proceeding paragraphs we will look at the writings of the Apostle Paul to the Romans about those matters. We will analyze about what he found out about to himself during in his struggles with sin in which eventually he overcome. Likewise, we will fully understand that we need to work continually in order for us to be completely saved.
Buod· Salvation is “Sola Fide”.
· Ang kaligtasan na tinitukoy dito ay ang kaligtasan sa “Kamandag ng Kamatayan”, na malalim na nakaukit at nakabaon sa buong pagkatao.
· Sa kalagayang espirituwal tayo ay banal, matuwid, pinawalang sala, bagong nilalang , etc.etc., subalit sa kalagayang natural, tayo ay nagkakasala at naaalipin ng kasalanan na ito ay dapat nating matakasan at mapagtagumpayan ng lubusan.
The Law, The Sin and the Struggle WithinThe fact remains that when a Christian still commits sin and yet still saved is quite understandable because no Christian is perfect. However, when a born-again Christian had been for many years continually, habitually and intentionally committing sin and still goes to church, praising God, give tithes and offering
and shouting halleluiah amen, that’s a different tale to tell. We could think and ask ourselves, are they really Christian? Are they truly saved?
Actually we cannot tell what and who they really are because God only knows and besides if we directly pinpoint them we are prejudice for we have no right to judge anyone. If we judge them it will boomerang to us. The only thing we could properly do is we better give them the benefit of the doubt. Let us presumably think that maybe they are false convert or belonging to the so called ‘’stony christian’’ or the ‘’thorny christian’’. Much better, for us not to become judgmental of others, let us think that maybe they are the kind of Christians who have been struggling in their spiritual life.
Struggling with sin is what the apostle Paul has been went through when he became a Christian. From being a baby Christian and growing up to the faith and in the knowledge of God until he became powerful in the Word of God, he eventually passed through and overcome the sin he said are living in the members of the body. He found out the truth and came to the understanding of himself in relation to the law, the sin and the struggle with sin. In Rom.7:7-25, apostle Paul clearly expound on that matters, and by thoroughly studying on that context we would come up to a point that we need to ‘’work out our salvation’’ to be save completely from the ‘’sting of death’’ which is the sin.
The Law, The Sin and The Struggle with Sin Rom 7:7-25 NIVRomans 7:7
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."
We know killing a person is murder and taking other man’s wife is adultery. But as we come to the knowledge of the Word of God and his law, we have known better than before about the law. We come to know that anger is also a murder and lustful look is the same as adultery (Matt.5:21-22; 1 Jon 3:15), we haveknown what sin really was.
Rom 7:8-9
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetousdesire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came,sin sprang to life and I died.Out of the ‘’sin of omission’’ that we have ever since from our childhood, now comes out more sin, such as the ‘’sin of commission’’ and many other sin (as in the figure page 5) in which sprang to life. It’s like to a sleeping giants that had been awaken from a very long sleep and it turns out that we could not help ourselves and we could not resist but to submit and be a slave. There’s nothing we can do to escape from the slavery of sin. The sin becomes our master. Therefore, the more knowledge of the Word of God and his moral and spiritual law, the more sin of omission and sin of commission we have, and the more sin we have the more death on our spiritual life.
Rom 7:10-11
I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.The law that supposed to bring us life were actually brings death and the law that supposed to set us free makes us a slave to sin. Something goes wrong, that was because the law deceive us but it doesn’t mean the law is evil. It simply means, that the devil that was at from the beginning that deceive Adam and Eve, was
the same devil who deceive all mankind including us and all generation to come. By his all craftiness and deception, satan makes us in the beginning a ‘’childhood-well used-sin of omission-sinful nature-mindset’’ to a severe state as of being a ‘’childhood-demonic-worldly-anger-murderer-mindset’’. The devil took the advantage of the law, and it seems just like this: Satan says, ‘’Don’t kill, don’t murder but you can be angry, that’s ok, and that’s it. Satan business is to tell the truth but not the whole truth, the truth that he always tells is actually a lie. So then, that’s what he did to all the rest of the commandments. He uses the law to deceive,
destroy and bring a spiritual death to us.
Rom 7:12-13
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.Not only the law is holy, righteous and good, much more it is perfect (Psa 19:7). When we are not yet a believer, we knew something about the law. We know lying is evil, we know stealing is evil, to kill is evil and to take man’s wife is evil, perhaps that’s all we know. But as ourselves becoming a believer we came to
know God and his law even much better than we have known it. We eventually understand and recognized all kinds of sin. Such as anger is also murder, lustful look is adultery and much of the other commandments. We begun to realize many sin we have against God and to others. Also we prove that the sin is really sinful and evil because it doesn’t do good and better for us as well as to others. We have seen that sin oftentimes resulted to a broken relationship among the brethren and to individual .The presence of God and the interest on the things of God fade away that consequently leads to death- lack of spiritual life.
Rom 7:14
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
As we grow in the knowledge of the Word of God, we look the law as it was not just the same as natural asthe way we look at before. When Jesus said, ‘’You have heard that it was said long time ago...then, ‘’But I tell you now..., it means Jesus had taken the law for himself from the natural and bring it into spiritual law.
So the law that was well explained and well defined must be obey not in the natural way, not in literal way but beyond of what the natural and carnal man can do. It must be done in spirit (by faith) and in all truth as of what the commandments really means and says so, and as what was expected of God. It must be pleasing
and acceptable to him, and can only be done with faith. For without faith it is impossible to please God.
In other words, surpassing the law is what God required from us. We must surpass the law by faith accompanied by works of the law- The 10 commandments.
Surpassing – Outstanding: of a quality far superior than others. (Encarta Dictionary)
Surpass – To go beyond what was expected; do better than somebody; be beyond somebody’s ability
Rom 7:15-20
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not wantto do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is
good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to dothis I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Anyone who wants to be a disciple of Christ will be like as what Paul went through. Whenever he desire to do good he did evil instead. The same is true that happens every time we desire to do good. We desire to read the bible and pray but instead we always ends up having more time watching T.V. Inwardly we agree with the Word of God and everything we’ve learned from it, all are good and right to do but we oftentimes
do the opposite.
Our situation turned much worse, and there’s one thing that we must understand in ourselves. The sin that we do is not actually us who do it but it is the sin living in the members of our body (the hand and the eyes). The sin that awakens and arises was indeed the sin that does evil. Jesus said, ‘’It is better to lose one part of the body than for your hole body to go into hell’’’ Mat 5:29-30. It means there is a sin (of lust) living in the parts of the body, particularly in the hands and in the eyes that causes to do evil. This body that has a sinful nature lives nothing good. That is the real situation of our body and the best thing we could do is to put the body (flesh) to a total death. We must continually put to death the misdeeds of the body.
Rom 7:21-23
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.There are 3 laws at works in our whole being:
1.God’s law which is, ‘’The 10 commandments’’,
2.Law of mind which is ‘’The mind agree with the law’’
3.Law of sin which is ‘’The wages of sin is death’’ (spiritual death/physical death).
These 3 laws are always goes opposite to each other or the so called, ‘’Waging war within us’’.
Our whole being is consist of 3 parts: 1 Thess 5:23
· Spirit – ‘’We are born in Spirit’’ Jon 3:3-5 / Inner being that delights in God’s law / Desirous of God’s will /Want to do good
· Soul (lat.word-psyche) – Mind – The place where the struggle always begin / A constant battle int he mind / The major point of attack of satan is in the mind / Idle minds is satan playground
· Body (flesh) – Parts of the body that by nature is sinful: Eyes, Hands, and Tongue / slave to sin / the part that actually do evil / destined for destruction and hell / Nothing good lives there
According to Gal 5:17, the body is contrary to the Spirit and they are in conflict to each other. There are actually in our whole being an occurring constant battle, a war between Spirit and the flesh, a war within. Therefore we could say that our real enemy is not on the outside but is on the inside.
Again, anyone who wants to be a disciple of Christ will be like just Paul. In some degree or another, every Christian will experience a struggle with sin. If not there’s a problem with them (they are spiritually blind). All will pass through on an experience like Paul and there’s no one is exempted.
The good news is, struggling with sin is a good indication of spiritual growth. Similar to a caterpillar that struggle to come out from the cocoon to become a beautiful butterfly, so we too, we will pass through on a experience of struggle to get out from the ‘’cocoon of sin’’ that enslaving us a long ago. Then, ‘’for a
while’’ and as we ‘’practice thereby’’ and as we press on we shall come forth as a newness of the creation.
Struggle- throw one’s limbs or body about in violent effort to get free; strive hard
Struggling – ‘’waging war’’ (We must wage war against the sin, the devil, and the flesh)
Rom 7:24-25
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.We must see ourselves how wrecthed man we are (as Paul sees himself) in the sight of God because of our sinfulness. We must see ourselves as lost and in danger of the fire of hell. We need to see ourselves as helpless to escape from the slavery of sin living in the members of our body and nothing we can do about it. In that point, it is where now we begin to look for help (that’s what Paul did) and there’s no one else we can turn except to God. That is the moment God will begin to move within us thus godly sorrow that leads to genuine repentance will allow for us. Then, if we continually humble ourselves and be diligent to surpass the law, God will gives us the will and the devine enablement to overcome “little by little” the sin that brings
death until we reach the goal of our faith-Salvation (save completely from the sting of death).
Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! We need not to become fell guilty anymore and we need not to be intimidated from the accusation thwarts by the devil in our mind day and night. We can resist him and he will flee indeed. Just let us continue to “work out your salvation”.
Summary of the Paradox of the Biblical Salvation1. Salvation is ‘Sola Fide”
2. The Paradox of the Biblical Salvation is that salvation is by faith and equal by work.
3. Salvation is not made complete if faith is not made complete. Faith will be made
complete if it will accompanied by the works of the law, pleasing and acceptable to God.
4. In spiritual realm, we are righteous, holy, perfect, justified, new creation and so on, it is because of the sacrificial works of Christ but in the natural realm or in reality, we are slave to the sin living in the parts of our body (hands, eyes and tongue) wherein we must overcome it completely.
5. We have the two unchanging position or two distinct character-sinners and saint.
6. Work out your salvation, means to work out our faith w/c must be accompanied by works of the law, thereby removing completely the “sting of death” that was ingrained and deeply rooted in our whole being.
7. Faith is the important substance if we will work the law for it surpasses the natural or the literal form of the law.
8. Therefore, faith and work must go hand in hand. Because faith without work is dead while work without faith leads in hypocrisy.
9. The more knowledge of the Word of God and His Law, the more sin awaken
and arise, the more struggle w/ sin.
10. Like the Apostle Paul, in greater degree or another, anyone who want to be a
disciple of Christ will experience a struggle w/ sin.
11. As Jesus fulfill and surpass the law, we must do the same also.
12. Surpassing the law is a process of works “for a while”
wherein a Christian is passing through on the judgment of God to the sin.
13. Surpassing the law is tough undertaking as well as painstaking.
14. As far as entering heaven is concern, faith alone is the key to salvation and as far as the “sting of death” is concern, work is needed to escape from the slavery
of sin, thus making the salvation complete.
15. The law of the lord is perfect to convert (to renew) the soul-psyche-mind.
QUOTES:· There is a work or business which men must enter upon and accomplish, in order to their salvation.- Men have no reason to expect to be saved in idleness, or to go to heaven in a way of doing nothing. No; in order to it, there is a great work, which must be not only begun, but finished. (Jonathan Edwards)
· Salvation is the great thing we should mind, and set our hearts upon; and we cannot attain salvation without the utmost care and diligence. (Matthew Henry)
· God and man must both do something before a man can be saved (John G. Reisinger)
· We are never to sit down and fold our arms, and say, “My lifework is over. I am saved. I have no pilgrimage to make to the Celestial City. I wage no war for driving out the Canaanites.” O Beloved, the time of rest will come on the other side of the Jordan, but as yet it is for you to press forward like the racer whose prize is not yet won, and to watch like a warrior whose conflict is not ended! Your own salvation is your first concern. ( C.H. Spurgeon)
· “Your own salvation,” the text says, and that is correct enough. Holiness is salvation. We are not to work out our salvation from the guilt of sin—that has been done by Christ. We have now to work out our salvation from the power of sin. God has, in effect, worked that in us—He has broken the yoke of sin in our hearts. It lives, and struggles, and contends—but it is dethroned and our life is to be the
continual overthrow and dethronement of sin in our members. A man may be saved from the guilt of sin, and yet at present he may not be altogether saved from the power of pride. For instance, a saved man may be defiled by being purse-proud, or proud of his position, or of his talents. (C.H. Spurgeon)
· No, you don't work for your salvation. There is no salvation by works.
So he's not saying, "Work for ...work at...work up your salvation," he's saying, "Work out." What does he mean? Well, this verb is important to note. It's a present-tense imperative verb which means it is a command that has a continual emphasis...keep on continually making the effort to work out your salvation. Now what does it specifically mean? Let me see if I can help you. The verb, as far
as I understand it, always means to bring something to fulfillment, to fullness or completion...to bring something to fulfillment, to fullness or completion. And what he is saying is this, the salvation that is in you needs to be brought out all the way to its fulfillment, to its fullness. It really is a command for sustained effort and diligence in working out what has already been planted within.
(John McArthur)
· The Quietist says "do nothing." The Pietist says "do everything." God says, "You do everything and I'll do everything and we'll effect sanctification." (John McArthur)
