God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
Jesus' gospel of forgiveness is not unrelated to the Bible's demand for holiness. Obedience is not a 'second step' added to our faith, so that 'accepting Jesus as Savior' must be supplemented by 'accepting Jesus as Lord.' We are not saved by grace and then sanctified (made holy) by our own works. Being a Christian is not a matter of adding our will to God's, our efforts to His. Rather…'putting away sin,' which is faith in action, is the means to persevering, which we do by depending on Jesus from beginning to end. In other words, repenting from the disobedience of disbelief, and the life of persevering faith that this brings about, which entails obeying God, are all one expression of 'looking to Jesus.' One cannot exist without the other… There is only one thing, not two, that we must do to be saved: trust God with the needs of our lives. This one thing in God's provision (now supremely manifested in Christ) will show itself, from beginning to end, in our many acts of repentance and obedience.
We must never forget – if we are to grow in grace, and therefore grow like Christ – that the One we trust, love, and serve is a crucified Savior. To follow Him means taking up the cross, as well as denying ourselves. It means a crucified life.
