Newness of Life

In the early 16 th Century the Reformers rediscovered the great biblical doctrine that salvation is a free gift of God, which is received through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This salvation is not based on our good works, but on the perfect work and righteousness of Jesus. He is the righteous One and we are clothed in His righteousness when we place our trust in Him as our Savior.

This doctrine of free salvation led to a serious misconception by some people. They wrongly concluded, “If salvation is not based on my works and performance, but is based on the work of Christ, then I may continue to live in sin and still be redeemed.” They continued their fallacious reasoning by saying, “In fact, my sin increases God's grace and that brings glory to God. Therefore, my sin is a good thing.” This is an old heresy called antinomianism, which is still with us today.

The apostle Paul, who preached justification by faith, was criticized in the same way. St. Paul 's initial response was, “Certainly not!” (Romans 6:2) The very idea is preposterous and those making such a charge do not understand the Gospel at all.

There are two facts about the Christian which we need to see clearly. The first is that a Christian has a new principle of life. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) We have died to sin, i.e., guilt has been removed and the power of sin has been broken in our lives. The old person that we were has died with Christ and we have been granted a new life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The second fact has to do with motivation. A Christian has a new motivating power within and a new set of desires. The old motivation to do good works was the desire to earn salvation. The new motivating force is totally different, because salvation is a gift, not something earned. We have a threefold motivation to live a holy life. The first is gratitude. We are grateful to Christ for salvation and desire to please Him. We please Him by endeavoring to do His will. Secondly, we are motivated by love. Christ loves us and we return that love by striving to be like Him in righteousness. Thirdly, we are motivated by a desire to honor God. A life of sin does not honor God who is holy. Righteous lives bring honor to God.

Salvation is a free gift of God's grace; unearned and undeserved. That, however, does not mean that a Christian is unconcerned about living a righteous life. A Christian is a new creature in Christ Jesus and desires to please the One who gave him newness of life.

by Rev. F. M. Levi

St. Andrew's Preschool

The preschool open house on August 29, 2004 was very well attended. Classes began September 7, 2004 with an enrollment of 50 children. Do be in prayer for the children as we seek to educate and develop them spiritually.

New Member

Barbara Smith, wife of our Curate, was formally received into the membership of this parish on Sunday, August 29, 2004 , having transferred her membership from Holy Trinity Cathedral.

New Director of Music

We welcome Sunny Stiklius as our new Director of Music. Sunny began her duties on Sunday, September 12, 2004 .

New Mission Update

Good news! Despite an initial setback, the new mission has been moving forward! We have secured a place to meet: the conference room at the LaQuinta Inn on Higgins Road in Schaumburg , right off of Interstate 290. Our first service is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Sunday October 3 rd . Please be in prayer for this evangelistic outreach of St. Andrew's, and the growth of God's Kingdom.

Spaghetti Dinner

October 30, 2004 , 5-7 p.m. in the Parish Hall.

Episcopal Visit

The Rt. Rev. Daniel Morse, Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Mid-America, will be at St. Andrew's on Sunday, November 7, 2004 .

Homecoming Sunday

November 7, 2004 . Plan now to attend and invite others. There will be a luncheon following the service.

“Shield of Faith”

The television ministry of St. Andrew's may be seen on WJYS Channel 62, Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. We are receiving an increasing number of contacts from viewers. Do be in prayer for this ministry. Video and DVD recordings of the programs may be purchased by contacting the church office.

Website

Learn more about St. Andrew's through our website: www.andrewrec.org

Missionary of The Month

Greg & Helena Wright, their children Geneva and Timothy. Home Office Computer System. Arab World Ministries, P.O. Box 96 , Upper Darby , PA 19082 .