Front load or back load

It is so hard for us to understand grace, and even harder to receive it, or give it. We live in a culture that says in order to get to the top you must earn your way. So each day we try to do things that help us achieve success.

That philosophy infiltrates our view of salvation too. We think a person must do good works, or at least have a history of working hard at doing good things, before Salvation is given to them. We even doubt that they can be saved in a moment of time. Many people front-load the Gospel, sometimes out of a genuine concern to make sure it is sincere. Yet, often because it is just too good, to be free!

Then we have way too many Christians who back-load the Gospel. And that seems to be more prevalent then ever in our world. We try to add to the salvation experience. Everyone has their list too. It's as if that person isn't saved unless you can check off your list.

Yet Salvation is free, we can't earn it, nor can we work to keep it. There is not one righteous act that can do either of those, if we have already been saved by grace through faith.

I marvel at this concept of grace and am immensely grateful for it, but the minute I dare to front-load or back-load to the Gospel it adds works to salvation experience. I must say I am motivated to do good works, because of this grace, and not because I need to do them to keep my salvation! Praising God for his grace this morning!