Your Victory Hangs in the Balance

Oct 15, 2019 | by Anthony Wade

Balance is a big key to a healthy lifestyle.  Lately, it seems like experts in every field of study will offer some variation of that advice.  You can ask any nutritionist and they’ll tell you that you need to consume the proper balance of fats, proteins, grains, dairy, and carbohydrates to function at your best.  A physical trainer will tell you that you need to maintain a proper balance of strength and cardiovascular training to optimize your body’s fullest potential.  It doesn’t stop there, though.  The financial advice this world has to offer encourages you to balance your risk around your short-term and long-term goals, our governmental bodies pass laws that promote balance by providing individual equality while maintaining a sense of order for everyone, and the list goes on.  All work and no play makes... well... I’ll let you finish that sentence.

In our pursuit for balance in nearly every area of life, one place the Body of Christ has missed the mark is where it matters the most.  Most Christians are never taught the proper balance in spiritual matters.  This is so very important because as human beings, we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body.  In order to ensure that we are on the right path, we need to first make sure that we are balanced at the very core of who we are.  For example, you can listen to your stock broker’s advice and balance your portfolio between stocks and bonds.  You can follow his advice on what percentages to put in high-risk versus low-risk and taxable versus tax-deferred versus tax-free vehicles.  In the end, though, if you aren’t balanced spiritually, you can never have the peace about those investments that passes understanding.  Your investments may look to do well on the surface, but you’ll never fully benefit from them.

Ephesians 2:8 says “by grace are ye saved through faith.”  God’s grace is best defined as the unearned, undeserved, and unmerited favor of God.  Our faith is defined as our belief and trust in or our confident assurance of the goodness of God.  In short, GRACE is the part that God plays in this journey that we call life and FAITH is the part that we play.  Notice that we are absolutely saved by God’s grace, but it is received through our faith!

Most churches these days seem to fall into one ditch or the other.  They will either emphasize God’s grace to the point that they’ll say “Well, you know that God is in control and the outcome will be what He chooses.  Just let go and let God handle your situation for you.”  This is dangerous because it encourages spiritual apathy and laziness in the believer.  The other extreme is the person who teaches that “You need to do this and that or these things to see results.”  The implication there is that God wants you to overcome; but only if you pray enough or fast enough or go to the next healing conference.

It is vitally important to see that salvation is not only by God’s grace.  Titus 2:11 says that “the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”  If God’s part was all that was needed, everyone would be saved, but Jesus clearly said that is not the case (Mark 16:16).  It is equally important, however, to see that our salvation is not only the result of faith – or our own strength (Ephesians 2:9).  It is the proper balance of faith and grace that will ultimately bring victory in any and every situation.

It gets better, though!  The Greek word for salvation in Ephesians 2:8 is sozo.  It encompasses healing, deliverance, security, provision, protection, and safety.  So, the really good news is that anything you need today has already been provided for you by God’s grace through Jesus’ finished work at Calvary.  You just have to reach out and receive it by faith!  You don’t have to do anything to deserve it... Jesus already did that for you.  Simply learn to rest in the balance of your faith and God’s grace and your victory will be more than certain!

Today’s Word Study:  Ephesians 2:1-9