Powerful Statement on the Relationship Between Salvation and Good Works.

I doubt if I have read a more compelling excerpt on the topic of Christianity and ethical, moral conduct than in this book, entitled "The Colson Way: Loving Your Neighbor and Living with Faith in a Hostile World" [1].   The author, Owen Strachan has written a stimulating biography of Chuck Colson’s joyful and determined life of Christian witness and service.  This excerpt should not be missed:

"Too often, Christians treat the gospel and ethics as if they are separate matters. Some believers like preaching the word of Christ; some like thinking about traditional ethical topics. There doesn’t seem to be much connection between the two. In reality, the gospel creates ethics. When Jesus saves you, you emerge from the experience a new person with a new set of priorities and beliefs. You can no longer treat life lightly (Ps. 139). You are given a great love for the natural family, which owes to God’s intelligent design (Gen. 2:14–25). You seek to advocate for religious freedom because you recognize that without it, people will wither and suffer (Matt. 22:21).

The gospel creates ethics. It brings to life our best instincts. The message of Christ creates in the redeemed a thirst for racial unity (Eph. 2:15). It overcomes tension between the sexes (Gal. 3:27–28). It removes barriers between social classes (Philem. 1:16). It gives us a hunger to work and a zest for creativity (Col. 3:23). It makes us weep for every human person, made in the image of God, who suffers under the curse, and it causes us to want to do good to everyone (Gal. 6:10). It awakens us to the duties of citizenship and the need to pray for political righteousness (Rom. 13; 1 Tim. 2:2). In sum, the gospel causes us to want to be salt and light in a darkened world in every possible way (Matt. 5:13–16)."



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1. Strachan, Owen. The Colson Way: Loving Your Neighbor and Living with Faith in a Hostile World (pp. 72-73). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.