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By Rob Des Cotes
Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Phil. 2:11
The gift of salvation is a very easy thing to take for granted. Evangelicals are especially apt at knowing the terms of the new contract with God, and feeling secure enough to never have to think again about the ongoing work of their own salvation. Fear and trembling can seem like an odd and unnecessary disposition with which to approach God.
Paul's word to the Ephesians, however, certainly presumes otherwise. Recognizing our tendency to take our spiritual lives for granted, St. Alphonsus Liguori, an 18th-century doctor of the Catholic Church, taught that we should pray daily for four graces that are related to working out our salvation. The four graces that we should seek a new each day are:
for the forgiveness of our sins
for growth in our love for God,
for growth in our love of prayer
for final perseverance.
To pray for such is to recognize that any grace depends solely upon God granting it, and that we should not presume upon our possession of it. The practice of seeking these four graces will impress this upon our tendencies to think otherwise.
The forgiveness of our sins is the first grace that St. Alphonsus recommends. To seek this grace daily ensures that we are not simply resting on theological presumptions. To participate in Christ's purifying work implies a continual state of rebirth and renewal that can only come from daily seeking and then receiving forgiveness for our sins. Our weekly celebration of the Eucharist is such a time when we renew, in our experience, the assurances of God's forgiveness. It is only to the degree that we recognize our need for such renewal that we can truly celebrate the mercy offered through this gift.
The second grace we should seek daily is that of a continually growing love for God. The disposition to seek this grace comes from there cognition that we do not love God as we ought to, or even wish to. Our love for God is something that can continually increase, and to desire this is, in itself, an expression of love.
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The third grace that of a growing love of prayer is one that comes from, as well as leads us to, the love of God. Prayer is a journey heavenward and its destination is nothing short of an eternity of loving communion with God. To pray is simply to respond to God's perpetual call within us that draws us in the direction of this union the ultimate purpose of our creation. With this in mind, we ask for increasing grace that we would love prayer as an expression of our desire for God to dwell deeply in the temple of our lives.
The final grace that St. Alphonsus Liguori counsels us to pray for is that of final perseverance. This grace is one that recognizes that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and that He alone can lead us to a good end to our life. In Matt. 10:22, the Lord says that who ever stands firm to the end will be saved. To pray for this is to recognize that we cannot presume upon our own strength or abilities to finish well in life. We know well our weakness and how feeble our faith is. In seeking such a grace, we acknowledge our dependence on God to sustain us, and we recognize that, ultimately, final perseverance is a gift from God. This is what Jesus Himself prayed for us when He asked His Father, to keep them by the power of Your name the name You gave me (John17:11). The apostle Paul also encourages us to anticipate this grace and to be confident that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6).
These four graces appropriately reflect our daily disposition as recipients of the free gift of salvation in Christ. As we accept the wisdom of this teaching it will counter any presumptions that might otherwise meditations for spiritual direction take root in us. And we will grow in freedom, as we become more and more dependent on God for the working out of our salvation.
 Rob Des Cotes is a spiritual director and pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He teaches Contemplative Traditions at Trinity Western University, as well as courses on spirituality and the arts at Carey Theological College and Columbia Bible College. Rob also directs Imago Dei (www.imagodeicommunity.ca) a network of faith communities that encourages the practice of prayer and a transforming relationship with God. Rob is a regular contributor to canadianchristianity.com. To obtain 'Higher than I' go to: www.clementspublishing.com
April 24/2008
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