WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE, TO BE HIS SERVANTS!

We are blessed of Almighty God to live in what has become known as the Church Age, or the Age of Grace.  The resurrected Lord directed His Apostles to proclaim the Gospel message, the good news, that He has provided salvation to all who will call upon His name (Rom. 10:8-17)!  Salvation is a gift to all who will trust in Jesus Christ as the risen Lord  (v. 9, 13)!  No where is it stated more clearly than in Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man should boast." 

And yet, from the earliest days of the Church, there have been men known as Judaizers, who insist that Christians are still bound by the Law of Moses.  They demand that Christians be circumcised and that they worship on the Sabbath (Saturday) rather than Sunday.  The irony in this is the fact that this was all settled during the Church Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-29; Gal. 2:1-9)!  These legalists cannot comprehend that being born again is by faith in the risen Christ, and not by religious works. 

That being said, the Gospel does call Jesus Lord!  He is Lord over the Church, which is composed of born again believers (1 Cor. 10:16; 12:27; Eph. 4:12; Col. 1:18; etc.).  And as Lord, all Christians are to recognize that we are His servants.  We are to obey Him.  I mentioned Ephesians 2:8-9 above, but Ephesians 2:10 needs to be understood as what begins when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior:  it reads, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  God, from the moment we believe, begins molding us and remaking us into the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:28-29; Phil. 1:6)!  We have been saved to serve God!  Here are a few clear examples that teach this truth:

Acts 4:29 - "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word."
Acts 16:17 - "The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation."
Romans 6:16, 22 - "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

1 Peter 2:15-16 - "For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:  as free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."

Revelation 1:1 - "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John."

Revelation 2:20 - "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."

Revelation 22:6-7 - "And He said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done.  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."

 

That is why we should long to hear Him say,

"Well done, good and faithful servant!"