Hello there Michael deKruif

The comments below relate to postings made between you and your brother Jan Mikael ("Two different events - times"). From what he has written I come to the following conclusions.

1. He agrees with you that salvation is a free gift. Or to put it another way he doesn't believe that one can be put right with God by good works. Like you he accepts that salvation can only be received by faith.

2. But the "work" that he is referring to is not as a means to salvation but rather as a result of salvation in anticipation of what is shortly to come. He seems to be saying that a person can be born-again but be still caught unawares. Or to put it another way, salvation is free but after that there's work to be done - evangelism, prayer, missions, personal development, healing of broken relationships etc., in anticipation of the return of the king.

3. Therefore, "work" to him post-salvation, includes watching and praying. It is a broad definition of "work" that I have little trouble accepting. As he wrote "I believe that in this days we now are living in, it is time to pray, to forgive, to open eyes, ears and hearts for the voice of the Holy Spirit, listen and obeying and just looking for Jesus, because He could come any second now!" (22 Feb 07).

4. It is also a broader definition of "salvation" that Jan takes when he refers to Paul's letter to the believers at Philippi - "Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation" (Phil 2: 12b). In other words salvation is both a one time event and also a life-long one. You can't have one without the other.

5. I think that he is exhorting us all to examine ourselves so that no stone in our lives is left unturned. He isn't questioning whether we are truly saved, but rather are we prepared for the return of the king. That's two different things.

Finally, I agree with you that we all have a inbuilt tendency to want to work and earn our way through life. The world is full of people working, working, working, trying to earn their way into heaven. Simply accepting something like God's gift through Christ is not easy to understand, let alone accept. So we need to be reminded of the free gift of salvation that cannot be earned. This is what you have done.

Behold, thy king cometh! Hosanna Messiah ben David! God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Glory to God in the highest!

Timothy