My Amish Lifestyle and Salvation

By J.O.

September 1, 2016

Dear Amish Voice: God has revealed to us that our lifestyle has no merits for salvation. Galatians 3:2-3 says, This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Galatians 4:9 states, But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

We now see the lack of spirituality and the way people leaned on and trusted in their supposedly humble lifestyle. Still, we unconsciously cling to that security.

The questions arise, “If we completely lose our lifestyle, where will we end up? If keeping that lifestyle will help us and the next generation stay spiritual, why don’t we consider it as part of our salvation?” Our human tendency is to think that keeping this lifestyle will help us stay more spiritual and more humble, when in reality it takes the focus off God and puts it on human effort. The real focus is drawing close to God in meditation and prayer and service. If we plant Jesus and His word deep in our children’s hearts, we teach them that Jesus is their friend who hears all their prayers, and that He is the only thing in this life that can keep us spiritual. Let’s live and breathe Jesus Christ. He will keep us Godly and humble in a way that no human methods can.

When we think that our lifestyle keeps us close to God, we show our sinful pride in that outward observance as being part of our protection against Satan, when really the only thing greater than the evil one is God who has given us the spiritual armor, His Spirit, His word, and prayer. The armor that we have created is weak and human, beggarly and pathetic compared to God’s wonderful plan of protection. Our old belief system tends to go back to trusting in things that we were taught would protect us, when it is really just Satan’s means of getting our eyes off the real protection - Jesus Christ.

Where is the spiritual fruit that we should be reaping? Many people go from the sin of legalism to the sin of being overly liberal. Both are sins, but the liberality is not as deceptive and will be easier to see. People can live in legalism for years and be oblivious to the fact of their lost condition. Our children down through the generations will be in danger of falling away to either legalism or liberality, so our only means of safety is to teach them to love Jesus, to know and experience His saving power, and to study God’s word and rely on it as the final authority for direction.

— J. O.

Dear Reader, it is not necessarily wrong to have a certain lifestyle. It may even be beneficial and admirable. The problem comes when we trust in that lifestyle instead of in Jesus. In what are you trusting? In your works? In your lifestyle? In your religion? Or in Jesus?

If you would like to write to us or call us, please do. Ask a question, request more information, comment on an article, suggest a topic. We would love to hear from you.

The Amish Voice w P.O. Box 128

Savannah, OH 44874 w (419) 962-1515