"Our knowledge that we are saved is not because of having reached a certain degree (25% 50% 75%) of obedience to Christ. It is because we know we are committed to be 100% obedient, despite our recognition of our own weakness, which results in failures.
It is a covenant relationship””and thus a conscious commitment is made and maintained. When you marry, for example, you make such a commitment. There are obligations to each person's role in the marriage. I would like to think that I fulfill my role in marriage 100%, but that probably is not true. Even if I found that my fulfillment of my role was only at 60% (obviously, a totally unacceptable level), I am still married, so long as I am committed to the marriage and to my duties. My failure is not proof of my abandonment of my vows””only that I need to do better.
However, if I see myself as truly married, I have a determination to fulfill 100% of my obligations in my role. My falling short is a matter of weakness, not of abandonment of the relationship. If I am committed to my marriage, I am not okay with being less than 100% a dutiful participant. If I recalibrate my commitment, I might say, "I am probably at the 60% level of being a perfect husband. It seems to be working out at that level. My wife could have done worse. She should be happy that I'm doing as well as I am! Let's just redefine the norm as 60% from no on..." If I would do this, it means that I am no longer committed to being married””since I am content to be 40% deficient in my obligations.
All people fall short, but there is a world of difference between one who falls short despite his best efforts to reach 100% (on the one hand), and the one who falls short because he has no intention of fulfilling 100%. If that is how it is with one's commitment to Christ, he or she might be in that class to whom Jesus will say, "I never knew you."
I talked recently to a young man I had not seen for some time. He had been married, but his wife and he now lived far apart for years and were both content living with other lovers. In our conversation, I said something about "When you were married..." He said, "Oh we're still married..." I was amazed that he would speak this way. Being married actually means something””and it doesn't mean living contentedly in a situation where you are not giving a thought to your vows! That kind of reminded me of how some people claim to be Christians””but nothing in their attitude resembles that of one committed to the lordship of Christ.”
~~Steve Gregg