Avoiding Both Fear and Failure: Living Faithfully Everywhere
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Hands-on Faith
Avoiding Both Fear and Failure: Living Faithfully Everywhere
by Barry Newton
Destructive extremes have always been easier to
achieve. Living as a Christian is no exception.
The twin ditches of fear and failure all too
readily seek to pull God's people from the road of
healthy Christian living. On the one side of the
path awaits either the crushing weight of fearful
doubt or unjustified arrogance whenever God's
people erroneously perceive themselves as
contributing to their salvation by their ability
to exemplify sacrificial love, evangelistic
fervor, and holy living.
Perhaps more common today is the equally
destructive ditch of comfortable failure. With a
bully grace firmly in hand, every attempt of the
Master's voice to call us to purify ourselves, to
perfect holiness out of reverence for God, and to
carry forth his message becomes muted. Any aroma
of Christ the Christian might have otherwise
carried forth is squelched.
While the truth is that salvation is not by works,
equally true is the necessity of those who follow
Christ to die to their will in order to live for
him who died for them. Thus righteous living is
not an attempt to attain salvation, but to live
out God's purposes for the saved. Our schedule,
our plans, our hobbies, our friendships, our time,
our finances, our goals must all meet Christ in
the crucible of discipleship so that everywhere we
go, the transformed life he makes possible will be
his tool for his purposes. He saves us to serve.
Disciples are to live out their salvation with
reverence for their God who redeemed them. As for
salt, cars, or servants failing to perform the
intended function for which they were purchased,
when discarded in the trash heap they lose what
they had once fully possessed.
"If a man cleanses himself ... he will be an
instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful
to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (2
Timothy 2:21).
"... continue to work out your salvation with fear
and trembling, for it is God who works in you to
will and to act according to his good purpose"
(Philippians 2:12,13).
"if the salt loses its saltiness, ... It is no
longer good for anything, except to be thrown out
and trampled by men" (Matthew 5:13).
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