When God has made you a teacher, and the Sunday morning sermon really fires you up, you might spend some time in prayer in the afternoon, and God might pull something from your memory and give you this:

After Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, the centurion brought him to Governor Felix so that the Jews would not kill him in Jerusalem. Five days later, Felix heard the Jews’ accusations and Paul’s response. He deferred his decision until “Lysias, the commanding officer” could come.

A few days later, Felix, unconcerned about the accusations against Paul, asked “the faith” (Acts 24:24). The one-sentence description of the conversation is surprising, to say the least:

"As [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified." (Acts 24:25)

Wow! Later, before King Agrippa, Paul’s description of his mission is just as surprising:

"I … declared … to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance." (Acts 26:20)

As I thought about where in Acts Paul said such things to the Gentiles, I thought of Acts 17:30-31:

"The times of ignorance … God overlooked, but now he commands that all people everywhere should repent because he will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead."

That paragraph seems to qualify as reasoning about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. It also qualifies as declaring to the Gentiles that they should repent, turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.

I just don’t think “heaven is a free gift” was part of Paul’s Gospel. Rather, by the favor of God, through faith, apart from works and as a gift, God will create you in Christ Jesus so you can repent and do works worthy of repentance (Eph. 2:8-10) and thus be rewarded at the judgment to come with eternal life (Rom. 2:5-8; Gal. 6:7-9).

THE REST OF THE STORY

Everything I wrote above is what the Bible says, so it is true. That does not mean it is complete. It is through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Salvation is an initial glorious reconciliation to God followed by a life in God’s favor and fellowship in which his Holy Spirit lives in you and leads you in a process of growth with help from the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-17), from your friends in Christ (Heb. 3:13), from Jesus living in you (Gal. 2:20), from the power of the salvation you have received (Tit. 2:11-14), and from ongoing forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:7-2:2).

If Jesus asked Peter to forgive others 70 x 7 times, our Heavenly Father has much more mercy than Peter! (Matthew 18:21-22). Our pastor rightly says that the Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon. (I like Colossians 1:22-23 as a reference for that statement.)

Peter wanted to remind us (2 Pet. 1:12-15) that the “works befitting repentance” that must be diligent to be doing (2 Pet. 1:10-11) are things that “increase” in us and ensure that we will never be idle of unfruitful (2 Pet. 1:5-8).

While I do not believe in assurance for those that are not trying (Eph. 5:5-7), I do believe we can be assured that God is trying harder than we are (1 Cor. 1:8-9; Php. 1:6-7; 2:12-13). He is also excited to see us at his “Throne of Favor” when we have sinned or need help (Heb. 4:16). It is the lazy and unruly who must be warned, while the fainthearted and weak are to be encouraged and help. Patience is required for everyone (1 Thess. 5:14, where the Greek word for “unruly” means “disorderly” or “slack” in a military sense; i.e., not following rules you know are important or refusing to do your job).