A State of Grace

A conversation I had on Sunday just wrecked me and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. A lady approached me after the service and said - "I'm not sure you're going to be able to solve my problem, so I'll only take up 60 seconds of your time." I had no idea where this was going. She went on - "I'm leaving for a trip this week and I'll be flying halfway across the country. I'm a Christian. I believe in Jesus. I know that I'm saved. But I just need you to reassure me that if my plane goes down I'm going to be OK. Am I going to heaven?" My first thought was - I wonder why she has this fear. So I asked her - "What makes you think you wouldn't be OK?"

She began to tell me that according to her family's religious viewpoint, because she hadn't attended their church or received communion at their church in years, she was no longer in a "state of grace." And because of that, they could make no guarantees about her eternity. The pain and worry on her face was obvious. The tears proved it. She loved Jesus so much. Her faith was real. But here she was, getting ready to board a plane for a trip that most people would envy, and all she can think about is she hadn't done enough.  Here's what I told her...

Do me a favor. Take your Bible with you when you get on that plane. The whole time you're in the air, flip through the pages and try to find one verse that says going to church and taking communion saves you. You do that until you get tired of looking. And when you get tired of looking for that verse, I want you to try my verse. Ephesians 2:8-9..."God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." Jesus didn't die so you would have the ability to save yourself by going to church and taking communion. Jesus died so that sin and death would be defeated once and for all. To accept grace and live in it means you let Jesus do what only He can do and that's deal with your sin. That frees you up to do what only you can do and that's follow Him. So go on and have a great trip this week. And if that plane goes down...I'll see you in heaven.