I was reading about the Protestant Reformation and Martin Luther. There was this whole debate about if could you reach salvation through faith alone or did you have to have faith and good works. I think it came about because at the time the Catholic Church was selling indulgences, which essentially made it where a man could go sin all he wanted to and then he would just buy indulgences and supposedly because of his “faith” he would be forgiven. I can see why Martin Luther and others would have a problem with the selling of indulgences, but at the same time I have a problem with the idea that my salvation depends on both faith and good works.
First, if a baby is born and dies within minutes of being born, then that child has no time for good works. Second, in the story of the passion, there was a criminal who was crucified right next to Jesus. He professed that he was a sinner and that he was sorry and asked for forgiveness. Jesus told him that on that very day he would be with Jesus in Heaven. If anything, this story tells me that even up until the last minute of my life, I still have time to profess my faith in God and be saved.
I believe that it all comes down to being true to yourself. If I strive to live by my faith and want to be that person God knows that I can be, then the good works will follow. And if for some reason tragedy befalls me or if I screw up my life somehow (make a mistake, take a wrong path, etc.), then even if those good works don’t follow, my soul isn’t lost. God forgives. He recognizes that we are all sinners, and we make mistakes. As I take my dying breath, the only person who will know if I am truly sorry for my sins and that I truly accept God into my heart is me. No one else can know what is in my heart.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
