SPA

(Proverbs 19:16 KJV)  He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.

We see another example of the imagined tension between faith and works.  The same word is used for “keeps” (8104) both times.  As to the “commandments” (4687), so to the “soul” (5315).

I say “imagined tension” because it is an artificial separation of two Biblical truths.  As Protestants we tend to emphasize Ephesians 2:8

(Ephesians 2:8 KJV)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

This is one of the great comforts in my life.  There are times when all I can see is my failure.  I look at my life and wonder how God could ever care about me.  Then I am reminded about grace.  I am reminded that,

(Romans 5:8 KJV)  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Those are awesome moments.

Yet while I realize that I can never earn my salvation and my entrance into eternal life is not based on my strength or effort there is still this resounding truth all through scripture.  “Keep the commandments.”  As much as I believe that it is God’s grace that makes salvation possible, I believe that His grace continues to operate in my life so that I can exhibit the fruit of the spirit and demonstrate the love of God. 

So?  Rejoice.  Jesus saves.  It doesn’t depend on your SPA (Spiritual Point Average).  God also expects us to live like we are saved.  That may be different in some areas for each of us.  We are at different interchanges on the freeway of life, but we need to be on the way.  Join me on the exciting journey.