Bob, the head of the business department

On my first day of studying business in college, the head of the department (we'll call him Bob, partially for anonymity's sake, partially because I'm not 100% certain I remember his name) had the good sense to drop in and give us a "pep talk". Basically, he warned us that if we wanted to stay on the course, we had to act like it. He was a very stern man, and he had a long list of requirements we had to follow.

For the rest of the year, however, he was a pretty chill dude. He was just as friendly as the rest of the tutors, even to those who didn't fulfil his requirements. Don't get me wrong, he did take a number of people off the course, but not because they weren't succeeding; it was because they weren't even trying. Those who heeded Bob's warnings, while none of us fulfilled all of his requirements, at least appeared to be trying. And so, whether we passed or failed, he kept us on the course. But those who didn't take his warnings on board were quite easy to spot. Whether they thought he was joking, or just didn't care, they never tried.

God is a lot like Bob. We can't meet God's requirements. It's not just difficult, it's flat out impossible. Thus, the requirement for salvation is faith, not works. But how do you show that faith? By trying to work. Who cares if Bob had the power to kick us off the course if we didn't believe he would use it? But he did have that power, and those who didn't believe he would use it acted according to their belief, and found out they were wrong. Those who did believe he would use it acted like they didn't want him to, and so they sought to please him.

Similarly, if we believe God has the power to send us to Hell, and especially if we believe that we were on that path, why would it matter if we don't believe He would use it? But what about those who believe He will? What will we do? Work. And not just to show that we take God seriously, but to show how grateful we are. How ungrateful is it to believe God should have punished us, see that He instead punished His only Son, and just wave it off. "Ok, cool, thanks for saving me from the consequences of sin. I'm gonna go wallow in more sin now." I feel dirty just knowing that even having written these words, none of us are without sin, and so it's inevitable that I will be quick to go against them.

But remember what I said: Bob didn't kick people off the course for failing to meet his requirements, but for failing to demonstrate respect for them. Similarly, God won't condemn us for sinning, but for having a "dead" faith. Our works don't save us, they show we are saved. If you're saved, prove it. Work.