Quid Pro Quo … Yes or No? ~ blog

Tomorrow, the United States House of Representatives will begin the public trial of Mr. Donald Trump to determine if his actions as President are impeachable offenses.  If the House determines that is true, the US Senate will vote whether or not to impeach.

At the heart of the matter is have there been actions taken by the President that reach the level of High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

For several months now we have heard the words Quid Pro Quo more than almost anything else.  Democrats are licking their chops hoping to get rid of Trump while Republicans are sticking their heads in the sand and both clinging desperately to their party line.  All I know is there are going to be some very interesting days ahead in The Swamp that was supposed to be being drained when instead the drain seems to be plugged by the plumber himself.

The water in the swamp is kept at a comfortable degree and everyone who seems to get there will do almost anything to remain.  As the temperature increases toward the boiling point, it will be interested which frogs will jump from the swamp and which ones will cook to death.

Now I am not here to write about politics because that is finding oneself skating on rather thin ice.  My only hope is that the truth is revealed, and justice served. It is certainly a time to be praying for our leaders and that the truth will rule over partisan politics for the overall good of the nation in which many of us live.

However, there is one Quid Pro Que that I am very interested in and that is the one in relation to our relationship with God through our Savior Jesus Christ. By definition a quid pro quo legally means;

In common lawquid pro quo indicates that an item or a service has been traded in return for something of value, usually when the propriety or equity of the transaction is in question. A contract must involve consideration: that is, the exchange of something of value for something else of value.”

Is our salvation a free gift by the grace of God or was the sacrifice of Christ given for us and applied to us only if we, in turn, give to Him our life?  Now this question is more complicated than it seems.

On the one hand, we read in Ephesians 2:8-9 that salvation is the free gift of God;

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

So, one might argue that there is no quid pro quo because salvation is a free gift that we receive and there is nothing we can do to earn it.  If salvation is something we earn by doing something for God in return then it is not a free gift at all.  It comes with strings attached and then becomes an exchange of goods or services with both Christ and us with skin in the game.

I have come to the conclusion that it is both.  I know … that sounds ridiculous and impossible but let me make my case before you impeach me from your life by unsubscribing from my daily emails.

Just as there are three Latin words in the phrase Quid Pro Que so there are three parts to our salvation.  They are …

First The moment when we place our faith in Christ and are born again by the Spirit of God, and we begin our salvation. The theological word for the event that happens at a point in time of our life is called our Justification.  And in that moment of being saved by grace through faith one receives the free gift of salvation to all who believe.  We go from being spiritually dead in our sins to being alive in Christ by being Born Again by the Spirit.  Also, at that moment the Spirit of God enters our bodies and seals us as God’s guarantee that we are going to heaven.

Second – This is the phase of our Salvation that began the moment we accepted the free gift of our salvation and will end the moment we die and go to heaven. The word that describes this period of our lives is called our Sanctification. This is a process that is one of the quid pro quo.  There are things that God will do both in us and through us, but unless we are giving ourselves to Him and doing what He has said we must do we will not experience the abundant and Spirit-filled life that Jesus has offered to us.

Third – The final phase of our Salvation is called out Glorification. This phase begins the day we die and ends … well, it never ends.  Our soul and spirit leave our body, we are met by Jesus (See John 14:3), and He takes us to a place He has prepared for us.  No quid pro quo here.  This eternal life forever in Heaven with Him is part of our eternal salvation.  It will certainly be the longest part.

To summarize …

Justification – No Quid Pro Quo

Sanctification – Quid Pro Quo

Glorification – No Quid Pro Quo

 So let us rejoice in the free gift of our salvation as well as be filled with and walk in the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh and become more godly followers of Jesus.

 

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