Working in prisons exposes individuals to questions from inmates that take practical answers. Many questions a prison minister is asked concern how a person can be a religious zealot and still not be saved. One of these questions concerns the role of good works in salvation.
“If I am a nice person and do good things, I will earn enough good points to go to heaven” is an often-heard declaration by anyone serving in prison.
Many have asked how a person could be so zealous for God that they go on mission trips, yet remain unsaved.
We should learn how to answer those who feel good works are necessary to make it to heaven.
The Holy Spirit specifically designed Romans 10 to answer this question. This develops what Paul teaches in chapter four, that a person who does not work, but believes, has faith credited for righteousness.
A person who tries to establish their own righteousness is always doomed to fail. Only by believing in our hearts that the righteousness of Christ is the complete payment for all sin can we receive the righteousness solely found in Christ.
This righteousness changes religion into a relationship with Almighty God and relieves questioning hearts that wonder whether they have earned enough good points to buy a heaven ticket or have kept their ticket by being good enough.
Feeling saved has nothing to do with the once-for-all imputed righteousness given when baptized into Christ at salvation. Our service after salvation provides crowns, not a righteous standing before God Almighty.
Remember, as you go through life, your service doesn’t have any part in your righteous standing before God. Jesus completely took care of that on the cross.
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
The Rev. Dr. Bob Segress served as a licensed psychological clinician for twenty-five years. Upon retiring, he served for fifteen years as a prison minister. Retiring again, he began writing full-time after a period of boredom. He has written: The Biblical Approach To Psychology while serving as a college educator, The Shelton Series, and, in 2012, Ten Years Inside Shelton Prison. Currently, he writes for several publications such as Halo Magazine.