As we read through the Bible, we must be impressed with the fact that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17) that man has ever had, has, or will have. These blessings are of God. Is man passive in all of these? Consider just a few examples of the blessings that are of God that involve man’s action or cooperation in receiving the blessing.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). For our part, when we are troubled with anxiety, we need to request help from God by praying with supplication and thanksgiving. The promised result tells us of God’s part – that His peace will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). See again God’s part and our part. Our part is to make His kingdom, doing His will, our priority above all else. God has promised to take care of the material things we are sometimes anxious about.
We are commanded to pray in this manner: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). Surely God supplies us the food we eat. Yet we are commanded to work: “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Eph. 4:28). There’s no contradiction; we see God’s part and man’s part.
Speaking of God, the Bible says, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5). Peter wrote to Christians “who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5). See God’s part in our keeping for salvation as well as our part. Our part is to remain faithful – “through faith.”
It would seem that most will admit the cooperation of man’s part with God’s part in being fed, in being cared for, and in the relief of anxiety. But for some reason, when it comes to being saved and being saved eternally, the Bible teaching of man’s part, which we might call man’s response, is often rejected, and salvation is thought of as all God’s doing.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). While salvation is a gift of God, the Bible says there is something we must do to obtain it. A repeated question of people who wanted to be saved was “what must I do,” or “what do you want me to do” (Acts 2:37; 9:6; 16:30). Men were told to do something in order to be saved, and what they were told lined up with what Jesus said they needed to do (e.g. Mk. 16:16).
Man must do something to be saved and he must continue to do something to be saved eternally (Rev. 2:10). This does not discount the truth of what God has done and is doing, including His grace, His mercy, and His love, for man’s response makes no sense without first having God’s part.
Salvation and continued blessing is of and from God; but that does not mean it requires none of me.
-Larry Jones