Dear Tracy,

My name is Gabe and I stumbled across an article of yours on hismin.com a few weeks ago. I just wanted to let you know that your article told me something I had sorely needed to hear for a long time, and that is still helping bring me peace of mind weeks after I read it.

At the time, I was deeply frustrated that I had no idea what God wanted me to do with my life, fearing that I wasn't doing enough or the right things, that I would never know how God wanted me to use my time on earth or that he had given up on me since I wasn't seeing any clear signs. Despite the fact that I have never been a Mormon or considered Mormonism, I felt compelled to read your article start to finish. It wasn't until the very end that I got the clincher: "Coming to know God and receiving eternal life is simple, as simple as trusting the Lord completely for salvation and not relying on our own efforts."

Even though I had "known" this for years, somehow the meaning of that statement hadn't hit home until that moment. As I read on, and considered the verses at the bottom of the article, I realized it was exactly true. Although I hadn't realized it at the time, all this time I had been trying to earn salvation by doing the "right things." I should have realized from the start that trying to earn salvation by our own merits is futile. It was as simple as trusting in the Lord, admitting I couldn't earn salvation on my own, and that I needed only to look, believe, and trust; nothing more.

Since then,my lifehas assumed more direction and purpose, I have been much more at ease, and ironically, I feel that I am finally learning to spend my time in ways that are more attuned to what God wants for my life. All by just letting go and admitting I couldn't figure it out on my own, but that I didn't need to, because God loved me all the same.

I know that your site is more targeted at questioning Mormons than people like myself, but I wanted to let you know it touched me all the same. Thanks for being there. :)

G___

 

Dear G___,

Thank you so much for writing. I was truly blessed by your email. God is so awesome to answer prayer, isn't He?

One of the things that helped me clearly see that my own goodness gets me nowhere was to hold myself up to God's standard. Of course there are the Ten Commandments, but Jesus took it even farther than that to show how wretched we are. If a person tells even one lie, that makes him a liar. If he steals just one thing, no matter how small, that makes him a thief. If a person looks at another with lust, he has committed adultery (fornication) in his heart.

The whole purpose of the Law (commandments) is to be a schoolmaster that brings us to the foot of the cross. There is no "statute of limitations" on sin. One sin condemns an individual and that person must be judged. If a person commits a murder and then for ten years becomes a model citizen, doing volunteer work, helping the poor and needy, etc., the law will still put him in prison if his past deed is made known. Without the blood of Christ we are doomed, because God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.

Scripture says that all our righteous acts are as filthy rags (Hebrew = used menstrual cloths). Yet, God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God tells us that although our sins are as scarlet, we shall be made white as snow (Isaiah 1:18)!

Jesus told a parable about a wedding feast. A king sent out invitations to special people to come attend his son's wedding. Each of his invited guests made excuses as to why they could not attend; they had other things to do. The king became angry, and told his servants to go out into the streets and invite all who would come; beggars, prostitutes, riff-raff, and the poor. Each of these people accepted the invitation! Wow! Good food! Entertainment! A chance to partake of the king's riches! Each guest was provided with a wedding garment. They were not to wear their own clothes, but only the garment provided by the king. One man refused the garment; he insisted on coming in his own clothes. The king commanded that the man be cast out!

There are a couple applications behind this parable, but the one I want to bring out is that we will not be admitted to the "wedding supper of the Lamb" (heaven) wearing our own garments (our works). We can only be welcomed into the celebration by putting on the wedding garment provided by God (we become clothed in Christ's righteousness).

We do good works as a RESULT of our salvation; not as a means to earn salvation! What a wonderful God we have!

God bless you, G___, and please stay in touch!

Tracy

 

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