The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
August 7, 2005
In
This Issue:
A
Test for Selfishness
by
Steve Klein
Amazing
Grace
by
Stan Cox
A Test For Selfishness
Are you selfish? Few people would answer yes to that question. Yet many people are clearly selfish. What we need is a test that everyone could take to determine whether or not they are in fact selfish.
A simple test for selfishness can be derived from the parable of the "rich fool" found in Luke 12:16-21:
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Was the rich man selfish? We would all agree that he was. He is the epitome of selfishness and self-centeredness. That's easy to see, isn't it? But, what makes it so easy to see? The answer is that the rich man used his wealth solely for himself. His riches didn't make him selfish, but his attitude toward them and his use of them did. Jesus concludes, "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Everyone who "lays up treasure for himself" is just like this rich man -- he's selfish!
Here then is the simple test for selfishness: For whose benefit do you use your possessions, money and wealth? Exclusively for yourself, or for others also? The selfish person will use what he has primarily or exclusively for himself. This past month, once you paid for all of the necessities, how much of your "spending money" was spent on you, and how much was spent on others?
This contrast between selfishness and selflessness is also seen in the qualification of elders found in Titus 1:7-8; qualified men are "not greedy for money, but hospitable." To be greedy for money is selfishness. To be hospitable, sharing what you have with others, is selflessness.
One day a certain old, rich man with a miserable disposition visited a preacher, who took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said. The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the preacher. "I see men, women, and children" answered the rich man. Again the preacher took him by the hand and this time led him to a mirror. "Now what do you see?" "Now I see myself," the rich man replied. Then the preacher said, "There is glass in the mirror, and there is glass in the window. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little silver, and no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, but you see only yourself."
Let us "be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share" (1 Timothy 6:17). Let us work to earn money so that we "may have something to give him who has need" (Ephesians 4:28). Let us be like Christ who "though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).
--Steve Klein
We sing that beautiful song, Amazing Grace. (And the sentiment is a worthy one.)
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but
now I see.
Thru many dangers, toils, and snares, I have
already come;
'Twas grace that brought me safe thus far
and grace will lead me home.
I am afraid that many really do not understand what this song is saying or what the grace of God truly is. I would like to attempt to clear up these difficulties.
In order to do this, we need to first define the term "grace." The word "grace" means undeserved or unmerited favor. Grace is the opposite of Merit. This idea is best borne out with regard to the salvation of man. If any man believes that he can in any way earn or merit his salvation he is sorely mistaken. Paul stated in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Once a man sins, he forfeits his right to an eternity with the Father. In effect, he separates himself from God. When this takes place, a man is without recourse outside of God's grace. There is nothing that he can do to earn his way into heaven.
However, God loves man and does not wish Him to spend eternity in Hell. In order to spare man this final, deserved punishment, He made a way of escape. He gave us an opportunity to miss hell and reach Heaven. That is not to say that all men will go to Heaven. Unfortunately, most men reject that extended grace.
We cannot emphasize too greatly the power of the grace of God. The Apostle Paul, this time in the Ephesian epistle, chapter 2 and verses 8-10, wrote, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." This passage teaches us many things. First of all, we are saved by the Grace of God. It is an undeserved gift from Deity. Second of all, this grace grants us salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Third, it teaches us that man can not "merit" or earn his salvation. Salvation is not of works. This we have already discussed and hopefully shown to be true.
One thing that this passages does not teach us, however, is that obedience is not necessary to be saved or justified. Too many read this passage, seeing Paul state that salvation is not of works, and assume that means that obedience has nothing to do with salvation. Nothing is further from the truth! Paul is simply pointing out that when a man dies, if he goes to Heaven, it is because God gave Heaven to him as a gift, not because he earned it by his works. However, we must understand that obedience is man's way of accepting this proffered gift. You do not earn your salvation by works, but that does not mean that works of righteousness or obedience are not necessary. James understood this, and wrote in his epistle, chapter 2, verses 21-24, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only."
Let us never forget that we are saved only because God extended his grace in love, by sending His Son. Let us never forget that if we make it to Heaven, it will not be because we earned or paid our way there, but rather because of that freely offered gift. And let us never forget our part of this salvation equation. The extension of grace teaches us that we have certain responsibilities to our God. Notice what Paul told Titus in Titus 2:11-12, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age..." The gift has been offered, and it is up to us to accept it through the obedient faith described by James in his epistle.
--Stan Cox