The Law and Salvation

November 21, 2007

Dear Friend,

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a friend who shared something that she has heard many times before regarding her faith. Perhaps you have heard this, too. I know I have.

“You Adventists only focus on the law and the Sabbath. Don’t you realize that we are saved by the blood of Jesus and what He did for us?”

In answering this point, I think it’s important to look at two different areas. First of all, why do you keep the law and remember the Sabbath? This might surprise you. It’s not in order to be saved. We don’t keep the law so that we will be in the kingdom. The reason you will be in the kingdom, and the reason I will be there, is summed up in one word: Jesus.

When we are on our deathbed and we begin to think back over our lives and see the mistakes and sins we have committed, we might have reason to despond except for one word: Jesus. That is the reason we can be saved. And when you get those thoughts that most of us have sometimes: “I’m doing pretty good. I keep the commandments. I think I have a good chance of being saved. Just look at all the other people who don’t keep the commandments...” you need to remember that keeping the commandments will save no one. “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21). The reason anyone will be saved in heaven is through faith in Jesus.

So why do we keep the law then, if salvation comes through Jesus? It’s because Jesus said that we must love God with everything we have and our neighbor as ourselves. And how do we do that? So we bring oranges and set them out for God? Do we hug everyone? Is my job done if I show my love to my neighbors by giving them half of my money? It could be confusing if it was left up to me to decide, but it’s not. You see, the way we show God we love Him is by keeping His commandments. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

So the way I show my love for God is following the first four commandments. No other gods. No idols. Not disrespecting His Name. And not working on His holy day so that I can spend time with Him. “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2, 3).

Did you catch that? What is love for God? Obeying His commands. Does a man give his wife flowers and birthday gifts in order to be married? No, he does it because he is married, and he simply does it to show his love for his wife. Adventists keep the commandments not in order to be saved. We are saved through faith in Jesus. And we keep the commandments because we love Him.

The second thing to remember about this statement is that we are partly to blame for the impression that Adventists only focus on the law and the Sabbath. I think in our desire to help people see the need for keeping the law we can sometimes neglect even more important things. Remember the Pharisees and church leaders of Christ’s day? They focused so much on tithe paying that they forgot justice, mercy, and faithfulness. So Jesus told them they needed to readjust their focus and do the more important things, at the same time not leaving the other undone (Matthew 23:23).

And that applies to us today. It’s easy to become unbalanced and only focus on and talk and preach about the need to keep the commandments and we leave out the love of Christ and salvation through Christ alone. We need to become balanced and not only preach it but show it in our lives–the balance of the gospel: faith and works, love and obedience.

Now, I know it’s easy to say this, and we hope the pastors get it. But this message isn’t for the pastors and the leaders in church. Each of us needs to live it out in our personal lives. How is it in your life? Do you focus more on works and obedience than on faith and love? Then you need to readjust your focus. Start spending time in the gospels, seeing how Jesus treated people; and read that classic little book Steps to Christ. Your love for Christ will only grow.

Do you find yourself only focused on faith and love and there is no obedience in your life? Again, the recipe for balance is the same for you. Focus on the gospels and Christ’s life, and read the book Steps to Christ. Pray that God will help you to do the things that He wants you to do. If you come to the Bible with the desire to do what it says, God will meet with you there at its pages and show you His will.

It matters not where the person is. They can be focused on the law until their whole life is absolutely dry, or they can be thinking that loving Jesus can simply be exhibited in singing great praise songs once a week. The solution is always the same. Focus on Jesus. Make time for Him every single day. And He’ll bring your life into balance. Jesus Himself said that if He is lifted up, He’ll draw people to Himself.

Are you lifting Him up in your day? Each day?

Mark

Read Steps to Christ online...