by Greg Tidwell

How can I know I am saved? In answer to this question, some have looked to themselves, seeking to earn or deserve salvation. This is legalism, and it is wrong.

Salvation is by the grace of God. As we sing in the old hymn: "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe." There is nothing I can add to the work done for me by Christ. As the apostle wrote: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:8,9).

Grace, however, is conditional. Not everyone will be saved, but only those who accept God's free gift through repentance and faith, as expressed in the good confession, in baptism, and in the faithful life which begins with baptism's new birth.

The Community Church movement, however, cheapens grace by teaching a gospel devoid of penitent faith. Using "grace" as a catch-phrase, they dismiss any call to obedience as "legalism".

Perhaps no holy word has been more desecrated in the current apostasy than the word "grace". Sometimes I hear people complain that the Community Church teaches too much about grace. This, however, is not possible. As we sometimes sing:

"could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky."

The problem is never that truth is taught too much, but rather that what is taught is not true. God's grace, in Scripture, means forgiveness of error. In the Community Church movement, grace has come to mean acceptance or indifference towards error.

While the Community Church confesses Christ with its lips, its heart is far from him. For healing to come, hearts must be changed. There must be both repentance and the fruit appropriate for a penitent heart.

The Bible is a book of grace, revealing our Lord as the loving husband who buys back the unfaithful wife. This is the power of the restoration principle: not that we are perfect, but that we aspire to the perfect standard. If we are faithful in the small things, God's grace will permit us to be faithful in much.

The Community Church Movement, however, does not stress repentance, but rather acceptance as a response to grace. This emphasis comes through clearly in the hallmark question of the Community Church Movement: "Is that a salvation issue?" Implicitly, this question consigns most, if not all, doctrinal and moral matters into the dustbin of irrelevance.

Selective obedience is the greatest legalism threatening the church today. Rather than believing God's objective way of salvation, the Community Church movement has presumed to decide for themselves who is saved and who is lost. Setting themselves up to decide which commandments are required and which are optional, they set themselves up to play God. The way of faith accepts God's right to command without question. The concept of selective obedience springs from a lack of faith.

In contrast to this infidelity, the Bible shows clearly that repentance is a salvation issue. A Christian, bought and paid for by the blood of Christ, is not free to indulge in selective obedience. If it is the will of God that I sing to him without instrumental accompaniment, for example, I disobey God's will in this matter at the risk of my soul. Every aspect of our obedience to God is a salvation issue, not only the things which are culturally convenient, but (more importantly) those aspects of obedience which cause us to deny ourselves.

None of us is perfect. We are not perfect in our doctrinal understanding, so we continue to study the Scriptures. We are not perfect in our attitudes nor in our actions, so we continue to repent and to rely on God's mercy. We are sorry we have failed in our service to God. Loving the Lord, we want to please him in every way.

The Restoration ideal is simply applied repentance, recognizing that God's way is right and must be followed in all things. Such obedience is not legalism. It is humble service before a gracious God.

by Tim Hall

""Fail" is a word that makes me cringe. My experiences as a student in school were often made tense by the prospects of failing an exam, or even failing a class. I certainly did not want to be a failure, though I'll have to admit I failed on a few occasions.

There's a distinction that we must be careful to make: "failed" vs. "failure". The old adage is true which says "to err is human". But no one has to accept being a failure. It just doesn't have to be.

Some of the most famous people in history have failed on numerous occasions. Abraham Lincoln tried his hand at political office many times, and many times failed in his quest. But who would look back over his terms as President of the United States and call Mr. Lincoln a failure? Rather, he set the standard for all who would follow him in that office.

Some of the greats of baseball have also made marks at failing to hit the ball. Ever heard of Babe Ruth? Few have struck out more times than this legendary player. But only one has hit more home runs, and that's the thing for which we best remember Babe. He did not allow his many times of striking out to consign him to "failure" status. He kept on swinging.

The apostle Peter - did he not fail on many occasions? Granted, his heart seemed to always be in the right place, but how often he missed the mark! Jesus once told him to "Get behind Me, Satan" (Matt. 16:23, NKJV) for resisting the plan of God. He earned a place in the Hall of Shame for denying Jesus three times in one conversation. But who could match Peter's contributions to the early growth of the church? Yes, he failed; no, he was not a failure.

You and I will also see times at which we fail in our various quests. But are we failures? Only if we allow that title to stick inside our minds. As long as we determine to keep on trying, we can, with the help of God, rise above past failed attempts. "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory . . ." (Eph. 3:20,21). It's not about us, you see; it's about God, and His willingness to use flawed and broken vessels to accomplish His will.

Don't dwell on the times you've failed in the past. Instead, focus on God's promises to be with you in the future, and to give you the power you need to succeed. It's the difference between realizing you've failed (inevitable for any of us) and considering ourselves failures (a choice we need not make).