God's Love and Our Salvation

[paul289]

I had a thought the other day that I've been mulling over. Basically, if God loves us, then works cannot save us.

If works could save us, then God would have to set aside his love in order to judge our works for salvific qualities. But because God is perfect, none of our works qualify, so long as we have sinful works. But if God loves us, then he understands our condition and knows that the simple old lady who loves him back can't work hard enough to achieve salvation, and that the intelligent man who studies daily and works hard towards self-enlightenment doesn't have love in his heart. The old lady, despite being poor, has a heart full of love, and God responds to that. Meanwhile the man, who has works, has a heart full of pride which cannot compete with God. God's love moves the Lord to allow us to choose, and he honors that choice. The old lady chose God's love, and the enlightened man chose his own works. But God loved them both enough to allow them to choose. Nature declares that God is love, and so the intelligent man could have understood that works were meaningless in the face of God's love, but he chose himself over God, but the simple old lady knew her limitations, but saw God's love and knew that it was enough.

And if God loves us, then he wants us to spend eternity with him so that he can continue pouring his love into us. To choose works for salvation is to say "No, your gift is not a gift, but a transaction." When we declare that a gift is not a gift, then that becomes true. God honors that contract, because he is love. If it were a transaction from the start, then salvation would be a duty to those who could achieve it, taking away not only from God's love, but his omnipotence, and casting those who are too simple into hell. But for those who accept his perfect gift, they know that they cannot possibly pay, but they know that God's love has paid it all. God's "duty" then becomes self-sacrificial love.

And we know that since God made the universe and us, that he must love us. So by our very existence, we can then know that God loves us. Therefore, God cannot be bound by duty to grant salvation, but his love covers all who accept it.

 

[Everlasting Life]

Meanwhile the man, who has works, has a heart full of pride which cannot compete with God.

But because God is perfect, none of our works qualify, so long as we have sinful works.

Thus truth helped me understand this passage:


For six days work is to be done, but on the seventh day you are to have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord. Anyone who does work on it must be executed. Do not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.”

Exodus 35:2-3

One day while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they discovered a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. The people who found him doing this took him before Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the community. They held him in custody because they did not know what to do with him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death! The whole community must stone him outside the camp.” So the whole community took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Numbers 15:32-36

Coming from a sabbath keeping background it was hard for me to understand this but now I know that this day was a type and example of our eternal rest in Jesus Christ. Any of our own works in exchange for salvation is unnaccepted. Which is why it says of the obedient Servant of Isaiah 50:

Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God.
But watch out, you who live in your own light
and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment.

Vs 10-11

This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls......

Jeremiah 16:16

And Jesus confirms what the Old Testament pointed to:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29