The Lowest Bidder

If you've ever heard of public auctions, you very well know that the item goes to the highest bidder, even if they cannot afford it, they made the mistake of outbidding and must live with their decision and choice of what he bought and the consequences.  Salvation is the reverse:  Salvation doesn't go to the highest bidder, though, if you will, because you couldn't possibly bid high enough to pay your ransom price--Christ alone paid the price we couldn't afford or handle, as we were in the red and hopelessly in debt with a debt, we couldn't possibly pay--in effect we were bankrupt! 

But Christ volunteered to pay our debt of sin and didn't have to do it, or it wouldn't be mercy, but justice!  God owes no one salvation, and it is not a payoff for having faith as "good work."  Nothing we did qualified us for salvation--we can not prepare ourselves for it in a "pre-salvation work", nor meet God's standards.  Unless we realize our condemnation, we're not ready for grace.

What is meant by the lowest bidder, who will get saved?  First of all, our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God, and our righteousness is as filthy rags per Isaiah 64:6.  If you will recall the sinner's prayer in Luke 18:13, where the publican prays for God to be merciful to him, a sinner.  Actually, he meant "the sinner," because he loathed his sin and didn't try to justify himself or compare himself to anyone else and think he was better than them.

Unlike the Pharisee who thanks God he is not a woman, Gentile, nor slave, and that God should give him kudos for all his self-righteousness, such as fasting twice a week, and giving of a tithe of everything he owned, while neglecting (cf. Mat. 23:23) the heavier duties of the law:  justice, mercy, and faithfulness--which are the virtues of the redeemed and putting the essence of the law of Moses into action.  All that really matters, according to Paul in Gal. 5:6 is faith being worked out in love.  Why?  Love is the fulfillment of the law!  Did the Pharisee have this attribute?

The lowest bidder seeks no lame excuse for his sin, but comes clean with God and renounces his pet sin as well as his private ones.  We must all disown our old way of life and seek a new life in Christ.  Whenever we justify ourselves and compare ourselves we are not wise (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12).  Now maybe you recall Jesus saying the prostitutes were closer to the kingdom of God than the Pharisees; they knew how empty their lives were with no meaning or purpose, and the possibility of a new life sounded appealing to them and especially being forgiven and set free (recall the woman caught in adultery!).  

In speaking of low bids, we must realize our slavery to sin ("a man is a slave to whatever overcomes him," says Rom. 6:16).  "Some people are enslaved to whatever defeats them," (cf. 2 Pet 2:19).  It's a lot like quitting smoking: you don't know your addiction till you try to stop!  Sin is like that:  you don't know how bad you are till you tried to be good, and you can't be good till you realize how bad you are!  This is like a catch-22.  In the end, what we do in essence is to throw ourselves into God's hands and sue Him for mercy in the heavenly courts.


The lowest bidder is like Paul thinking of himself as the "chief of sinners," and also of John Bunyan, who wrote Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.  This is because the closer we are to God and His kingdom, the more clearly we sense and see our own personal sin, and don't look at the other guy or accuse him. We must acknowledge that only God is good and that we are depraved through and through and can do nothing to please God of ourselves: John 15:5, ESV, says,  "... [F]or apart from Me you can do nothing."   Paul says in 1 Cor. 4:7 that we are the product of grace all the way:  "What do you have that you didn't receive?"  It is the goody-goodies that are more distant from the kingdom of God, being do-gooders and having self-righteousness that is an abomination to God.

We come to God as we are, but we don't stay that way--we are changed from the inside out by a work of grace to change our hearts (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).   If we think we came to Christ of our own power, we probably left Him that way too!   God must woo us and enable us to come to Him (cf. John 6:44, 65).  God can take any heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh according to Ezek. 36:26.  No one is too far from salvation to be saved and faith is something anyone can have as a gift--it's the only way to be saved by grace and not by merit.  For we don't deserve it, cannot repay it, and did not earn it, to begin with--it's all grace from start to finish so that God alone gets the glory (in Latin, Soli Deo Gloria!).

We are bad sinners, but not too bad to be saved, in other words--God's grace can reach anyone!    We are all in the same boat, drowning sinners in the sea of evil, and God rescues us by grace, and we owe it all to Him.    Recall the pertinent praise song:  "All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife..." In conclusion, what does it take to be saved?  The qualification for salvation is to realize you aren't qualified!   We have nothing to offer God for salvation, but He wants us despite ourselves.  He seeks those who are lost and not righteous (cf. Luke 19:10; Matt. 9:13).

All in all, we must acknowledge our feet of clay and uselessness before God's plenipotence or omnipotence, and Jesus sees through our veneer (we are not basically good, but inherently evil); our radical corruption permeates to the core and we have no island of righteousness to please God (indeed, we are as bad off as we can be, though, because of His restraint, not as bad as we can be!).  Man does have a high opinion of himself, but God's estimation of man is total depravity through and through.   Soli Deo Gloria!

He Makes Something Beautiful

The song goes, "Something beautiful, something good; all my confusion He understood; all I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife; He made something beautiful of my life!"

"I know, LORD, that a person's life is not his own.   No one is able to plan his own course"  (Jer. 10:23, NLT).

"The LORD will work out his plans for my life--for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.  Don't abandon, me, for you made me"  (Psalm 138:8, NLT). 

"How can we understand the road we travel?  It is the LORD who directs our steps"  (Prov. 20:24, NLT).

"John replied, 'God in heaven appoints each person's work" (John 3:27, NLT).  

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified"  (Acts 20:32, ESV).  

"Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm"  (Isa. 7:9, NLT).  

"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls" (Jer. 6:16, NKV).

"Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity"  (Rom. 12:2, J. B. Phillips).

"Does not the Most High send both calamity and good?"  (Lam. 3:38, NLT). "... Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" (Job 2:10, NLT).

We don't need a self-help or self-improvement course to become what God wants us to be, just learn to walk in the Spirit and avail ourselves of His power over sin.  There's always room for improvement and we are all works in progress!  Even Paul never claimed to have arrived and said that he wasn't there yet (cf. Phil. 3:12-13).  Christ exhorts us to be perfect or mature in Matt. 5:48; however, though perfection is the standard, the direction is the test!  Christians aren't perfect, but they are forgiven; there's no such thing as perfectionism, whereby we don't sin anymore:  "Who can say, 'I made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?'" (Prov. 20:9, ESV).  The psalmist in Psalm 119:96 said he'd seen the limit of all perfection.

When we are mature in Christ we will be overcomers and find victory over our private sin:  "I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt [sin]"  (Psalm 18:23, ESV).  As Job said appropriately in Job 14:14 (NIV), "All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come." As Psalm 103:4 (ESV) says, "[He] redeems your life from the pit [of despair or depression]."  Just like the transformation of the apostles after the resurrection to make them bold witnesses, we can count on the same power to change us from within.

Religion is just that:  Reaching out to God and trying to gain His approbation.  Christianity is where God stoops down in grace and reaches out to us, doing a work of grace in our hearts that we cannot do; if we had to do anything for salvation we'd mess it up and fail!  The whole point of salvation is that it's a fait accompli or done deal, it's not "do," but "done!" We don't turn over a new leaf or resolve to make amends, or make New Year's resolutions, but are changed by the same dynamic that resurrected Christ--we are given a new life with a fresh start, freed from our past's power over us. Salvation must be recognized as a gift and we don't earn it, didn't deserve it, and can never pay it back!

Unfortunately, we are incurably addicted to doing something for our salvation, but Jesus said the work of God is to believe in Him (cf. John 6:29)!  In a works religion you can never be sure and never know how much work is enough--Christianity alone, of all faiths, offers assurance of salvation and admonishes to make sure of our calling and election (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10) so we won't be the casualty of Satan and our walk won't be paralyzed or stuck in a rut!

We have three areas of weakness that Satan attacked Jesus on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (cf. 1 John 2:16).  Note that one who is born of God doesn't practice sin or make it his way of living--he has renounced sin!  (Cf. 1 John 3:6).  Knowing ourselves, our adversary the devil and his schemes, and the world-system is key to victory since the best path to victory is to know the enemy! Satan is no original and hasn't thought up any new attacks since tempting Eve in the perfect environment--this means we cannot blame the environment, for we are all depraved through and through by sin's corruption--body, emotions, intellect, and will or volition.  Socrates said that the "unexamined life is not worth living," and the Greeks of antiquity said we must know ourselves--this is true because we are our own worst enemy and Satan knows our vulnerability and weakness and "seeks whom he may devour" (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8-9).


God has wonderful plans for us and it is never too late to get on track--He has no Plan B, but if we don't seek His will, He may say, "Okay, have it your way!" which will never work out for us:  We must be convinced that all things work out together for our good according to Romans 8:28, but we can thwart God's preceptive will for our lives.  Psalm 81:12 (ESV) says:  "So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels."  We don't clean up our act and then we are ready to do His will or to be saved, but we are incapable of getting our act together apart from grace:  "Apart from Me you can do nothing"  (cf. John 15:5).

We are either in God's will, or not, and we can't say that we'll settle for God's second-best either!  "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11, ESV).  Job's faith was tested as he couldn't understand why we must accept adversity from the LORD if we accept blessing--He sends both good and bad times.  But God can remake our lives into Christ's image because He is in the resurrection business, and no one is too much of a challenge for Him, Jeremiah proclaims "... Nothing is too hard for you"  (Jer. 32:17, ESV).   God answers  Abraham and Sarah:  "Is anything too hard for the LORD...?" (Gen. 18:14, NIV).

We must realize that Christianity is not a catalog of rules, a list of dos and don'ts, a system of ethics or conduct, a philosophy, but a relationship getting to know Jesus--it's not a creed to believe, but a person to know.  Paul said in Acts 13:38-39 (ESV--italics mine) that "everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." We are set free from sin's dominion (cf. Rom. 6:14) and if Jesus sets us free we shall be free indeed (cf. John 8:36).  Our new life is one of victory and glorifying Christ as we progress from faith to faith (cf. Rom. 1:17) and glory to glory (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18) in our sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

God causes us to triumph (cf. 2 Cor. 2:14) and we "are more than conquerors" (cf. Rom. 8:37).  We don't try hard, but trust in His power to change us from the inside out ("If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.").  We must remember that nature formed us by procreation; sin deformed us in Adam; schools inform us by education; prison can reform us by punishment when evil; but only Christ can transform us by the power of the Spirit.

Where does this power come from?  The Word of God, the Spirit, God through Christ.  The Word is alive and powerful (cf. Heb. 4:12); the Word is able to work within us for our good (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13); and the same power of the Holy Spirit that resurrected Christ is at work within us--no one is too big a challenge!  (Cf. Phil. 3:10).  He's still in the resurrection business, and changing lives is Christ's vocation.  Jesus is in the business of changing lives!  We can do all through Christ, who strengthens us (cf. Phil. 4:13).

We must rely on the power of God in us and walk by the Spirit, not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh (cf. Gal. 5:16); for as many, as are led by the Spirit are the sons of God (cf. Rom. 8:14).  We are transformed by the renewing of our mind, done by the power of the Word sanctifying us (Jesus prayed in John 17:17:  "Sanctify them by Your Word, Your Word is truth").  Note that no problem is too big a challenge for God, but the change doesn't come all at once either!

We must be overcomers over the sin that easily besets us (cf. Heb. 12:1), and even our pet sin and let no sin have dominion over us (cf. Psalm 119:133). In the same vein:  "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleanse me from these hidden faults.  Keep your servant from deliberate sins. Don't let them control me.  Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin"  (Psalm 19:12-13, NLT).   Paul writes:  "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful, All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything."  It is important to realize that our sin doesn't demonstrate our freedom, but proves our slavery and we can be set free (cf. Rom. 6:14).  "You are slaves to whatever you choose to obey" (cf. Rom. 6:16).

We can be set free from the vicious circle of sin and death (cf. Rom. 8:2).  Anyone who has faith can overcome the world and no evil can control us because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (cf. 1 John 4:4).  There is no temptation that we cannot overcome and find a way of escape that we can endure it (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13) and nothing will overwhelm us:  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and your troubles will not overwhelm you"  (cf. Isa. 43:2); "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you, When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown..." (Isa. 43:2, NLT).

We have three enemies of our sin nature, the flesh; the devil and his minions and cohorts; the world-system itself that we are not to love what it has to offer (cf. 1 John 2:15).  But our worst enemy is ourselves and we will find more trouble with ourselves than with anyone else! It has been said facetiously that "We have met the enemy and he is us!"  We live in enemy-occupied territory, or Satan's turf and are on his hit-list. When we get saved the battle has just begun, but remember, "The battle is the Lord's."  Martin Luther sang in "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God":  Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.

The only way to sure victory is to be armed with God's heavenly armor:  "Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might"  (cf. Eph. 6:10).  Our only offensive weapon of choice is the Word of God and this is how Jesus defeated Satan, by quoting it:  "It is written!"   We must have our defenses intact too:  the shield of faith; the belt of truth; the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace; the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation!   So get in uniform with other believers and you'll be ready to wage war on Satan!   Christians are set free form evil and the evil one cannot touch them (cf. John 17:15; 1 John 5:18)--knowing the truth of the matter will set us free (cf. John 8:32).


Everyone has a crutch and it is no shame to lean on the Lord and the Word of God as comfort; He'll never leave us nor forsake us (cf. Heb. 13:5), and will be with us to the end of the age (cf. Matt. 28:20).  'The Lord is my strength and my song, and my salvation" said David in Psalm 18:2.  Our Rock is Christ (cf. Psalm 18:31, 46; 1 Cor. 10:4).  If you don't trust in the Lord, you will trust in man or yourself, and they are not rocks at all.  The biggest reason believers fail is a lack of knowledge and that they don't know the Lord (cf. Hos. 4:1, 6, 14).  As Sir Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is power" referring to Proverbs 24:5.  Our God is not a throwback to our need for a Father-figure!  He is not a projection that we imagine because we have nowhere else to go!  God can be experienced and made real--He will authenticate Himself to any earnest seeker who is not a trifler (cf. Heb. 11:6)!  "Taste and see that the LORD is good"  (cf. Psalm 34:8, NIV).  There are perks and fringe benefits to knowing the Lord:  "What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?"  (Psalm 116:12, ESV);  "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits"  (Psalm 103:2, ESV).

And so salvation is freedom from guilt, sin's power, condemnation, and the penalty of sin with the promise of being delivered finally from its presence in glory!   Many Christians live defeated lives and fall prey to the devil's schemes of divide and conquer mind games, and deceit or lies.  The best offense is to be armed with the Word resident in our souls to give us the divine viewpoint and worldview to see him at work and fight him and his influence.  Our faith is not a do-it-yourself proposition or lifting ourselves up by our bootstraps, but a work of grace transforming us into new creatures in Christ or being regenerated by the Spirit.   We are saved, we are being saved, and we shall be saved, praise the Lord!   We must give God all the credit, our righteousness is as filthy rags and any goodness we have is God's gift to us, not our gift to God:  "Who makes you to differ?  What do you have that you didn't receive?"  (cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).


In perspective, man ruins his own life and blames God (cf. Prov. 19:3), and when he's a success he gives himself the glory and credit, not realizing that God gives them success (cf. Deut. 8:17; Psalm 1:3; Josh. 1:8;  Jer. 29:11).  It is said that modern man is like the Englishman:  a self-made man who worships his creator!  In contrast note Psalm 100:3 (NKJV):  Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture."  That is:  God is the Potter; we are the clay!   Note God's providence; we need to realize our lives are ultimately in God's hands (cf. Psalm 31:15):  "The course of my life is in Your power..." (HCSB); "My future is in your hands..." (NLT); "My times are in your hand..." (NIV, NKJV).  God orchestrates our lives and plans out each day before we were yet born (cf. Psalm 139:16).  We have a destiny with God in control, not a fate with no input--viva la difference!

In conclusion, seven rather obscure passages come to mind with italics mine:  "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:  thereby good shall come unto thee"  (Job 22:212, KJV); I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me"  (Psalm 57:2, ESV); "But He gives more grace..." (James 4:6, NKJV); "... [But] the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways..." (Daniel 5:23, ESV); I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living"  (Psalm 27:13, NKJV, italics in Bible for part A); "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever"  (Psalm 16:11, NLT);  "Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future lies before those who love peace"  (Psalm 37:37, NLT).  Finally, quoting Paul in 1 Cor. 15:10 (NIV, CAPS MINE):  "BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM...."  Soli Deo Gloria!

A Contrite Heart

"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret..." (2 Cor. 7:10, ESV). 

"... 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'"  (Acts 11:18, ESV).

 "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart And saves such as have a contrite spirit"  (Psalm 34:18, NKJV).  

Note that repentance (metanoia--to change your mind or "re-think"--in Koine Greek) is a recurring motif in the New Testament, mentioned seventy times and also in juxtaposition with faith so that the two complement each other and are both works of grace:  true conversion involves either believing repentance and penitent faith if you will.  True repentance has fruit as its poof:  They are "[Performing] deeds in keeping with their repentance"  (Acts 26:20, ESV).  God doesn't want your apology, but your conversion!  Note: there can be no genuine repentance without saving faith!    If you don't believe it, it's because you won't repent, and vice versa.  

According to Psalm 51:17, God doesn't despise a broken and contrite heart--no matter the sin!  We can never exhaust the mercy of God, who delights in mercy because all of our sins were paid for at the cross and God knew about them before we were even saved--we don't surprise or shock Him with new sins! Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost, and the prerequisite for salvation is to realize you don't qualify for it all; we ought to be like the publican who pleaded for mercy:  "God me merciful to me, the sinner!"  Salvation goes to the lowest bidder, i.e., the worse off we realize we are the closer we are to salvation (that's why Paul's estimation of himself was as "the chief of sinners!")--and that's why some prostitutes may be closer to the kingdom of God than respectable people who are self-righteous. 

We ought to beware of thinking too highly of ourselves than we ought to, which is pride!  Remember the Bill Gaither Trio song that goes,  "Something beautiful, something good, all my confusion He understood, all I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife and He made something beautiful of my life..." Then, the more highly we estimate ourselves to be ("some who are first shall be last!"), the further we are to heaven's kingdom--we don't need self-esteem, but God-esteem; not self-confidence, but God-confidence.

The whole point of conversion is change, and change from the inside out, not self-improvement or reformation-- a transformation of the whole person so that we become a "new creation per 2 Cor. 5:17.  After salvation, we have a change of heart, new convictions about what sin is, and a whole different worldview or frame of mind and mentality.   We don't just change our opinion, but get convictions from the Holy Spirit--there's a difference:  you hold opinions, while convictions hold you!

Repentance is one way of looking at conversion because it's the flip side of faith, whereby we turn from sin to God.  It's a turnaround, an about-face, a 180-degree turn, or a U-turn!  (Note that there is no genuine repentance without saving faith--they go hand in hand and are complimentary.)  Repentance is not remorse nor fire insurance either!  We come clean with God and own up to our sins, even being willing to right any wrong we've done by restitution. Jesus said, "that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:47, ESV).   We must realize that repentance is granted by God leading to a knowledge of the truth according to 2 Tim. 2:25, and it is a gift of God that comes with faith in God's work and act of regeneration, which is passive on our part.

There is contrition, which is true sorrow over sin, and then there's attrition--spurious repentance like Esau and Judas had--i.e., being sorry you got caught and don't want to be punished or the consequences (like getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar!). True repentance involves the whole heart: emotions, will, and intellect.  We must be willing to resolve to turn from our sin and be aware of what they are by conviction with real heartfelt sorrow or regret.  

We must renounce sin and hate it with no excuses!   We must have relinquishment, surrender, and yielding to God's will for our life (i.e., put Him in charge)--that doesn't mean accepting the status quo in a complacent manner.  What does God want?  He wants you, and that you be faithful in what you have been given as a steward.  This is our sacrifice to God in return:  a broken and contrite heart.  Our reasonable service is to "offer our bodies a living sacrifice," God doesn't expect us to die for Him, but to live our lives for His glory per Rom. 12:1!

We can relate to David asking for the joy to be restored, as Peter said:  "Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..."  (Acts 3:19, ESV).  Note that both the ministries of John the Baptist, Christ's herald, and Jesus both started out preaching repentance: "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand! [Jesus added that we believe in the gospel]."

We can never lose the Spirit though, for Jesus will never leave us, nor forsake us (cf. Heb. 13:8), but we can lose the joy of our salvation (cf. Psalm 51:12) and "joy of the Lord is [our] strength" (cf. Neh. 8:10).  Christ gives joy that no one can take away!   David prayed that he wouldn't lose the Spirit, as a consequence of his sin, but the Spirit never left him:  "And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward..." (1 Sam. 16:13, ESV).   We are in a similar condition since God has given His Spirit to us and Jesus will be with us, even to the end of the age (cf. Matt. 28:20).   We can lose out on fellowship with God and believers when we sin, but we can be restored (cf. Gal. 6:1) by confession (cf. 1 John 1:9).

In summation, it is important to realize that repentance is progressive--not a one-time act performed at salvation--and we are to walk in the Spirit with a continual attitude of repentance and short accounts of confession of all known and convicted sin.    Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Obedient Believer

"And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him"  (Acts 5:32, ESV).
"[T]eaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Matt. 28:20, ESV). 
"And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal [not temporary, probationary, nor provisional!] salvation to all who obey him" (Heb. 5:9, ESV).  
"For they have not all obeyed the gospel..." (Rom. 10:16, ESV).
"[I]n flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus"  (2 Thess. 1:8, ESV).

"... [A]nd a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith"  (Acts 6:7, ESV).  Unbelievers are called "sons of disobedience" in Eph. 2:2 and God delights in obedience:  "To obey is better than sacrifice..." (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).  Jesus said that you cannot love Him and be disobedient, for if we love Him we will obey Him as the proof of the pudding.  Christ doesn't give suggestions, hints, or good advice, but commands!  He instituted two ordinances to be done in His name and memory (baptism and communion).  Jesus said, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me..."  (John 14:21, ESV).  What are these commands that are so pivotal to our salvation being fulfilled?

Jesus did say that His yoke is easy and His burden is light in Matt. 11:30, and John said in 1 John 5:3 that His "commands are not burdensome."  "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us"  (1 John 3:23, ESV). Note that in the Upper Room Jesus instigated a new command:  to love one another as Christ has loved us.  He who loves another has fulfilled the Law!  Paul says in Gal. 5:6 (NIV) that the only thing that matters is "faith expressing itself through love."

At the Bema or tribunal of Christ, our works will be judged, not our shortcomings and mistakes or sins, because they were judged at the cross, and this includes sins of omission.  If Jesus commanded us to do something and we fail, it's a sin of omission.  He is not going to inquire as to what school of theology or denomination we subscribed to, but will be interested in granting us rewards for the deeds done in the Spirit--the ones done in the energy of the flesh will be burned as wood, hay, and stubble in a fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-13).  Sin can be defined as knowing the right thing to do and falling short or not doing it.  There is a legitimate place for ignorance if it's not willful.

There is a danger in sectarian pride and bias, such as feeling you're right and everyone else is wrong or disobedient to the Word of Truth.  Churches aren't saved en masse, but members individually as if going through a turnstile one at a time.  A good believing and faithful Lutheran has the edge over a disobedient Baptist because churches don't save and aren't necessary for salvation, as Roman Catholics espouse, Christ alone is the Savior.  However, it is important to remain faithful to the faith you were taught and to abide in the truth without apostasy or heresy.  A church is a cult when they get exclusive and think they have a monopoly on the truth, or think they are superior to other churches or denominations.

The real reason we get baptized is that we are disciples who desire to follow our Lord and His example in baptism to inaugurate or make our testimony official and public.  We should never feel that it is just a hurdle to jump over or test to pass to get accepted and that we "have to do it for salvation."  Grace-oriented believers never feel they "have to" but that the "get to" or "want to" obey their Lord and do as He did, following in His steps.  Baptism is a chance in a lifetime to get on track and give your testimony in public in order to be welcomed with "the right hand of fellowship" per Gal. 2:9 (ESV).

There are many measures and standards of obedience, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes: "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him"  (Acts 5:32, ESV).   Whether we pray regularly and walk in the Spirit, abide in the Word, witness and fellowship and worship through association with the body of Christ are also crucial factors to weigh and consider.

You cannot say that Baptists are the obedient believers because they are correct in this ordinance (i.e., baptism), while Lutherans are disobedient.   There are way too many aspects of obedience to just label believers like that due to sectarian bias.  As Paul says in Rom. 1:5 that he wants to "bring about the obedience of the faith," he is primarily concerned with the entirety of the person's walk--the whole package, net effect, or sum total and result.

The church needs to fulfill the Great Commission to be obedient as a body, though individuals can do it, it's usually a joint and cooperative effort to evangelize, preach, teach, baptize, and disciple.   As Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much is required."    But teachers are especially responsible for disseminating sound doctrine and being good examples to the flock.  Soli Deo Gloria!