Basic Spiritual Maintenance

Prelude:

Speaking of maintenance, before I start into the text I just want to apologise for my failure to maintain this blog over the last few months. I found the daily effort to make time to squeeze in my blog writing, (which would inevitably run on and on as I got more into my subject) was proving difficult at best. I took a week off due to some tricky personal circumstances at that time  but found I had little will to return to making that effort again.

I have resolved that I will continue here, hopefully on a daily basis, but in (slightly) reduced form. These blogs will hopefully now be a bit more 'bite sized' .



For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ~ Romans 3:28

I think those of you who have followed my blog and/or share my theological leanings will understand the concept of justification by faith. I have already unpacked it several times in this series in Romans, but here I just want to take a moment aside to focus on one word. That word is 'Maintain'.

If a car is not maintained it is liable to break down, as I found out to my detriment when my cam belt snapped and took out 12 valves from the engine of the most expensive car I have owned, thus writing it off. The cost of replacing the cam belt was negligible. The cost of not replacing it was thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Why does Paul state that he maintains this truth? He returns to it. He services it. he tweaks his thinking to ensure it is in line with it.

Because, though only one small part of the overall doctrine of faith, it is a vital one. Like the oil I neglected to put into my little Ford Fiesta (and killed it) it ensures the smooth running of everything and stops our faith from breaking down entirely.

I can testify, after many spells in the wilderness, that we 'who place no confidence in the flesh' need to rely on this truth more than anything else. That Jesus Christ is 'all our righteousness'. That apart from his work on the cross and his grace by which we have been saved into, through faith (which is not from ourselves that we may boast) we are lost sinners unable to set one foot into his presence.

The moment we lose sight of that it all starts to fall apart.

And if we do, in our arrogance, if we start to trust in our own goodness, it turns to pride. And pride sets us up for a fall. God opposes the proud.

But God's grace keeps us humble.

It struck me recently, after having 'blown it' in some way or other, how having been caught up in sinful behaviour, I felt like such a wretch and I longed to feel good about myself again, like I did before, that truly this was arrogance, that in my 'goodness' I felt alright, but truly I was just as dependent on grace then as now, only now I was more conscious of my sin. And which, I asked myself, is the more dangerous state of affairs.

In some ways, better to be a wretched sinner who knows it, than  a saint who thinks they have arrived.

No, I do not set aside the grace of God.

I am justified, not by my works but by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself before me.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

I  maintain this truth because it maintains me.

If I start to drift from it, I need to secure my moorings.

Keep this truth because it is keeping you.

You are made holy and acceptable to God through Jesus' blood alone.

Nothing you can do or add to please or atone.