Keep On Keeping On!

John 15:14

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

There is an old joke about a Marxist who was presented with an eminently practical plan for the public good which looked great, functioned well, and had all the earmarks of success except for one thing — it was not based on Marxist ideas.  The Marxist reviewed the plan and remarked, “Sure, it works in practice.  But will it work in theory?”  Many Christians take something of a similar approach to their theology.  They read a verse somewhere in the Bible and erect an elaborate theory declaring that somebody who has “confessed Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior” can never, ever lose their salvation again, no matter what.  This theory of “eternal security” makes of the single word “faith” the same sort of false god that Marx makes of the single word “economics.”  Today’s verse is the cure for this odd “legal contract” view of salvation.  It reminds us that a relationship with God is more than simply having prayed a prayer once upon a time.  Rather, it is like breathing: it matters more that you keep doing it than that you did it once at the moment of your birth.  What is Jesus commanding you to do today?

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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