Getting Started again

"Getting started with what" you may ask. To talk about holiness you must first see the need for it and that will not happen unless you become saved or are saved. So this first blog will talk about the basics.
1. Salvation. Acts 16:31 says, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Certainly sounds easy doesn't it? However, God's Word also says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19 So exactly what does to believe mean? Throughout the next series of  blogs I hope to clarify exactly what believe means and how to incorporate it into our lives. Consider the following scriptures and their meaning.

Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. {reprobate: or, void of judgment}

Ga 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Salvation is simply the act of asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and accept that forgiveness as the free gift of a loving God who gave up His only Son to die for our sins, yours and mine. It is that easy. "Repent, repent and sin no more!!" cries the preacher man from the street corner. Part of salvation is repenting. Simply put this means to turn away from your old life style and follow Jesus. In the Holiness movement there is what is called two works of grace, salvation and sanctification. Salvation being the first work of grace and sanctification being the second work of grace. Since I have barely covered the bare basics of salvation let me just hit real quickly on the bare basics of sanctification.

It's been over a year since I wrote about Holiness and in that year I have done a lot of soul searching and have come to the conclusion that neither the extreme Holiness nor the extreme "once in grace always in grace" are correct. I started this blog with the purpose of venting my book writing need. I am no writer but I was vexed with so much distress over what I see as the lack of discernment in the lives of fellow Christians and the concern of judgementalism from both "loose" Christians and non-Christians alike that I felt the need to clear the air, as it were.
In Hebrews we are admonished to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us." We all too often do not want to set aside our sin. In James 5:9 we are told, "Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!" With this in mind, I ask one question. If James was talking to Christians, how could they be condemned? Throughout the book of James we are admonished to do good works. Taking one side or the other on this issue of Holiness, judgementalism or grace is not so cut and dry. We each need to mature in Christ and live a life pleasing to Him alone, looking at the whole Word of God, not dividing out what we feel or think is right or what we've been taught.
I hope to do a monthly letter and as a radio program says or used to say, "grow in grace so I don't groan in disgrace."