THOUGH HE SLAY ME

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"

-Job 13:15

We talk a lot about faith, grace, and salvation in Christian circles, but sometimes our understanding of these concepts can get a little hazy. In Mark 5:21-34 the woman put her faith into action and touched Jesus’ garment. Is this passage implying we need to do something to receive God's gifts? There’s a deep and important distinction to be made here between grace, salvation, and faith—and if we don’t get these right, it will send us off in some truly wonky directions.

Grace: The Foundation of Everything

Before we even talk about faith, let’s start with grace. Grace is the unearned, undeserved favor of God. If it could be earned, it wouldn’t be grace at all! Ephesians 2:8-9 spells it out clearly:

“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.” -Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace means that God has done something for us that we could never do for ourselves. We can’t earn God’s favor through our works. We can’t “figure out” the right formula. It’s all about what God has freely given to us through Jesus Christ. This is where we begin: God’s grace is the foundation. Without it, none of the rest of this works. And grace is always, always, undeserved. That’s what makes it so amazing!

Salvation: The Finished Work of Christ

Now, let’s talk about salvation (or, to use another word, justification). Salvation is the act of being in right relationship with God—declared righteous in His sight, not by anything we’ve done (self-righteousness), but because of Christ’s perfect and sufficient sacrifice on the cross as the spotless Lamb of God. Remember Jesus’ words on the cross:

“It is finished.” -John 19:30

That means justification—our being made right with God—is entirely, completely, and exclusively the work of Jesus. It is His perfect life, His death in our place, and His resurrection that saves us and gives us life. There’s no room for us to add anything to it. We can’t work for it. We can’t earn it. Jesus did it all. And because of His perfect sacrifice, we can stand before God, fully justified, fully righteous—because of what He has done, not because of what we’ve done. That’s the heart of salvation.

Faith: The Mechanism That Brings Salvation to Us

Now, let’s get to faith. Faith is the “mechanism” or “instrument” that connects us to the grace of God. It’s not something we can boast about or take credit for. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear:

“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.”

Faith isn’t something we conjure up on our own; it, too, is a gift from God. This isn’t a faith that we earn by being good or clever. Faith comes directly from God to help us receive His grace. It’s like the open hand that takes the free gift God has extended to us. Faith is the way we access the salvation Christ has already won for us.

And here’s the kicker: salvation comes as a free gift—but through the free gift of faith. It’s not by anything we’ve done, not by works, not by anything we can boast about. It’s all a result of God’s unmerited grace. Grace is 100% of God. Salvation is 100% a work of Christ. It's accessed through the gift of faith, which is 100% from God. We don’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. But we receive it. That’s the beauty of it.

Faith Translates to Action

Here’s where we need to be careful: faith always translates into action. We can simply say, “I believe in Jesus,” and leave it at that, but that's not faith. Even the demons do that. Faith isn't just about change either. There are lots of world religions and programs that produce change. Faith is about sanctification, i.e. our being conformed and transformed more and more into the image of our Creator, Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. If whatever we're calling "faith" doesn’t lead us to actually do something that produces in us the character and obedience of Christ, if it doesn't lead us into joyfully gathering, willfully growing, lavishly giving, and courageously going in the power and unity of the Gospel, then we’re deceiving ourselves. James 2:14-26 makes it pretty clear:

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” -James 2:19

James exposed that mere belief—the kind that even demons have—isn’t the kind that saves because it isn't the same as faith. Legit faith is more than simply acknowledging Jesus is real or even that He's God. It’s more than acknowledging He lived, died, rose again, and will return. Even the demons believe all that! Even the demons professed the GOSPEL, publicly declaring, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" True faith goes beyond belief or action (the demons confessed and acted upon those convictions). Faith isn't the same as random acts of kindness or paying it forward. Legit faith leads to sanctification. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:4, "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

Now, here's where we need to be clear: works do NOT save us. We are not saved by what we do; we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to God's WORD alone to the glory of God alone. But, as James says, faith without works is dead (James 2:26). We don't have to work for our salvation, but if our faith is real, it will invariably manifest in our being transformed, conformed, and sanctified into looking more and more like Jesus, the eternal WORD. Faith is always expressed in the reality and overflow of a heart and life truly transformed by the grace of God as the good works God prepared in advance as our new way of life.

Working Out Our Salvation

Maybe you're thinking, “You’re telling me salvation is a free gift, but I have to do something? Isn’t that a contradiction?” Well, no—because our human tendency is to deceive ourselves. Therefore, we have to “work out our salvation” not for our salvation, to avoid falling into the trap of self-deception. The Bible calls us to test our faith to make sure it’s the real deal. Philippians 2:12-13 says:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Working out our salvation through active faith will ALWAYS show up in the way we live. This ensures we’re not being deceived into thinking we’re saved when we’re not living according to God's WORD. Working out our salvation through joyfully gathering, willfully growing, lavishly giving, and courageously going in the power and unity of the GOSPEL is the refiner's fire. It exposes the lies of religious traditions and cultural Christianity. When we truly have been born again by grace through faith, God ALWAYS works in us and through us to accomplish His will according to His good purpose revealed in His WORD. The collective gathering of Christ's devoted saints doing (actually being) that... that's Gospel community. That's His Body & Bride, i.e. the Church.

That's why Paul urges us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to test ourselves and examine our faith... to make sure we’re not just going through religious motions, assuming we have saving faith that isn't producing kingdom fruit in our hearts and with our lives.

The Enemy’s Schemes: Don’t Be Deceived

The first word Scripture used to describe the enemy is עָר֔וּם, it's the Hebrew word "aw-room." That snake in the grass loves to make us think that we’re okay when we’re not. 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, trying to deceive even the elect. That’s why it’s so important to constantly check our hearts against the objective standard of God's WORD rather than human traditions and subjective feelings. In doing so, we're ensuring that what we're calling saving faith and obedience to Christ is genuine.

Our hearts are prone to self-deception because, as Jeremiah 17:9 reveals, it is deceitful above ALL things. Many convince themselves they have “faith” that's nothing more than ideas about who Jesus is without being conformed to the image of Christ. That's what we see in Matthew 7:21-23! If whatever we're calling "faith" doesn't conform, transform, and sanctify us into looking more and more like Jesus, the WORD of God, then we're no better off than the demons who believe, shudder, and even declare the truth of who Jesus is!

Faith Always Transforms

In conclusion, let’s be clear: salvation is ABSOLUTELY a free gift from God, and is only accessed through the free gift of faith by God's amazing grace. We can’t work for it and we certainly have nothing to boast about in receiving it. Christ has done ALL the work. But because of our tendency toward self-deception and our enemy’s schemes, we are called to “work out our salvation.” Not to earn it—but to make sure that the faith we have is genuine, alive, and producing the good works that God prepared for us to do. It is through living out the gift of faith that Christ has given us that it's VERIFIED.

Faith isn’t “thinking rightly” about Jesus. Faith doesn't go through an existential crisis. Faith manifests as adoration, trust, and confidence in Him. Faith leads us to action that ALWAYS produces transformation in us and through us for our benefit and His glory. Are you willing to put your faith, not God, to the test? Are you working out your salvation by the standard of God's perfect and sufficient WORD as a living testimony and faithful ambassador sharing, striving, seeking, setting your eyes on things above, making every effort, putting to death... so that He may increase and you may diminish? That's the kind of faith that's real. That's the kind that can confidently say, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."

Blessings & love,

Kevin M. Kelley

Senior Pastor

BigIslandChristianChurch.com