Not By Works
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L
God is no longer concerned with our flesh/works/obedience/repentance/sacrifice/sin.
He is concerned with our Spirit. He wants us to trust in Him, believe in what he accomplished for us, He no longer relates to us on the basis of sin or works.
That is why He forgave all sin, so that our and His focus could be on our spirit and our relationship with Him. So He can participate in our lives, and we can participate in His work.
The Gospel is so simple.
Bad news :Sin and Death.
Good news, forgiveness of sin and Life.
Our lives then become a matter of our hearts. When we receive the Holy Spirit, He starts to change our hearts. He will finish the work. The scriptures clearly states that He will complete the work that He started in me.
I trust Him, I have stopped "looking". I have stopped "doing". I have stopped "searching" the wilderness for His will.
He will reveal to me when I will be useful. I will rest in His mercy and grace and I will learn to listen, and when He speaks I will move. That doesn't mean that I am a hermit, I still live my life, I still help when I can, but I am not judged by ANY of that.
This will be my final judgement: I now have eternal life with Him (started at the point of salvation), because I know Him, and He knows me, NO ONE can or will be able to take that away.
He is concerned with our Spirit. He wants us to trust in Him, believe in what he accomplished for us, He no longer relates to us on the basis of sin or works.
That is why He forgave all sin, so that our and His focus could be on our spirit and our relationship with Him. So He can participate in our lives, and we can participate in His work.
The Gospel is so simple.
Bad news :Sin and Death.
Good news, forgiveness of sin and Life.
Our lives then become a matter of our hearts. When we receive the Holy Spirit, He starts to change our hearts. He will finish the work. The scriptures clearly states that He will complete the work that He started in me.
I trust Him, I have stopped "looking". I have stopped "doing". I have stopped "searching" the wilderness for His will.
He will reveal to me when I will be useful. I will rest in His mercy and grace and I will learn to listen, and when He speaks I will move. That doesn't mean that I am a hermit, I still live my life, I still help when I can, but I am not judged by ANY of that.
This will be my final judgement: I now have eternal life with Him (started at the point of salvation), because I know Him, and He knows me, NO ONE can or will be able to take that away.
Just a point to ponder.....did the following men rake false teachers and prophets over the coals.....with both pointed and indirect statements and or sarcasm?
Jesus
Jude
Elijah
John the Immerser
John the Apostle
etc......Yes there is to be unity within the ranks of biblical Christianity, but it is NOT UNBIBLICAL TO CALL OUT HERETICAL VIEWS AND OR RAKE SAID TEACHERS OVER THE COALS......
Jesus
Jude
Elijah
John the Immerser
John the Apostle
etc......Yes there is to be unity within the ranks of biblical Christianity, but it is NOT UNBIBLICAL TO CALL OUT HERETICAL VIEWS AND OR RAKE SAID TEACHERS OVER THE COALS......
Fran....both were saved just as in every true church you have saved people who have trusted Christ...some are faithful and serve...some are not so faithful and their service is poor....serious.....how is it I need to explain this simple truth.....
Jesus SPOKE at length on this subject....
Gold, silver, precious stones<----study, walk faithfully, biblical, godly etc.
Wood, hay and stubble<---worldly, never study, pew warmers, hap hazard in their service
Jesus SPOKE at length on this subject....
Gold, silver, precious stones<----study, walk faithfully, biblical, godly etc.
Wood, hay and stubble<---worldly, never study, pew warmers, hap hazard in their service
Hi L
What do you mean that God will reveal to you when you will be useful?
You said you will learn to listen and when He speaks, you will move.
We're useful every day.
He wants us to move every day.
Everything we do unto God is useful for the Kingdom.
If there's a special job for you to do, you'll know it --- most people don't get to do special jobs.
But to God, every little thing we do for Him is special.
What do you mean that God will reveal to you when you will be useful?
You said you will learn to listen and when He speaks, you will move.
We're useful every day.
He wants us to move every day.
Everything we do unto God is useful for the Kingdom.
If there's a special job for you to do, you'll know it --- most people don't get to do special jobs.
But to God, every little thing we do for Him is special.
Galatians 3:12-18 (NKJV)
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The Changeless Promise
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.
18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
The word promise in these verses, is referring to God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
This promise was given approximately 2000 B.C., preceding by centuries the Law of Moses which came at about 1450 B.C.
Judaizers argued that the giving of the law changed that original covenant of promise. Paul emphatically argues that it did not.
Paul argues that you can't change a covenant. A third party can't come along later and declare something agreed upon before to be null and void. God made the covenant with Abraham. The will cannot be broken.
The inheritance stands as God intended it to. It was a covenant of grace, based on God's promises to Abraham which Abraham received in faith.
Abraham did not initiate the covenant, buying from God His favor on the basis of all the good he would do. Paul writes:
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
both Old and New Testament statements declare without question that we are justified by faith, not by works. We are clothed in the righteousness which Christ earned on our behalf on the cross. Not by our feeble efforts at earning a righteousness based on our adherence to the Law.
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The Changeless Promise
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.
18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
The word promise in these verses, is referring to God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
This promise was given approximately 2000 B.C., preceding by centuries the Law of Moses which came at about 1450 B.C.
Judaizers argued that the giving of the law changed that original covenant of promise. Paul emphatically argues that it did not.
Paul argues that you can't change a covenant. A third party can't come along later and declare something agreed upon before to be null and void. God made the covenant with Abraham. The will cannot be broken.
The inheritance stands as God intended it to. It was a covenant of grace, based on God's promises to Abraham which Abraham received in faith.
Abraham did not initiate the covenant, buying from God His favor on the basis of all the good he would do. Paul writes:
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
both Old and New Testament statements declare without question that we are justified by faith, not by works. We are clothed in the righteousness which Christ earned on our behalf on the cross. Not by our feeble efforts at earning a righteousness based on our adherence to the Law.
We do works before AND after we're saved. To me, good works is helping people. Whether it's volunteering somewhere,mowing someone's lawn, etc... Those are works. Are they needed FOR salvation? NO. Are they needed to KEEP salvation? NO. However, we are to continue to do good works, because it is a command of God. 
NOT because we are hoping to maintain or receive salvation.
NOT because we are hoping to maintain or receive salvation.
You say works are not needed for salvation --- OK.
Then you ask if they're need to KEEP salvation and you say NO. However you say we should keep them because it is a command of God.
§So if God commands it and we don't do it, where does that leave us.
God commands us not to kill. If we go around Killing people, do we still get to go to heaven?
1 Corinthians 9:1-13
Paul and Peter and James, and every writer, beg us to continue in our faith and to do what is good so that we may be sure of our calling.
2 Peter 1:5-10
Peter tells us that IF we do the things he speaks of, we will never fall, and that he will keep reminding us of these things - that's how important it is to do the works.
What things?
Moral excellence
Knowledge
Self-Control
Perseverance
Godliness
Brotherly Kindness
Love
Without these qualities we are unfruitful in the Kingdom.
2 Peter 1:8 WITH these qualities we will NOT be useless.
I would suppose that we could consider these works.
We are exhorted to do them.
What God commands of us, we should TRY to do. BUT they are NOT necessary to gain or keep salvation. This is what you seem to have trouble understanding.
All God asks of us, is to TRY and keep his commandments. Even if we don't do many works, that doesn't mean that we get unsaved or lose our salvation. To use your example, if we go around killing people, will we go to heaven? YES, IF we are repentant and ask God's forgiveness. God forgives all sin, EXCEPT for the sin of denying Him.
You seem to think that if we don't do works, we won't get into heaven. That is absolutely not true, because works have NOTHING to do with getting saved, or gaining salvation, or keeping salvation. The ONLY way you CAN lose salvation is by denying God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
All God asks of us, is to TRY and keep his commandments. Even if we don't do many works, that doesn't mean that we get unsaved or lose our salvation. To use your example, if we go around killing people, will we go to heaven? YES, IF we are repentant and ask God's forgiveness. God forgives all sin, EXCEPT for the sin of denying Him.
You seem to think that if we don't do works, we won't get into heaven. That is absolutely not true, because works have NOTHING to do with getting saved, or gaining salvation, or keeping salvation. The ONLY way you CAN lose salvation is by denying God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
E
I still do not get it.
They say they trust christ in everything,, Even their walk.
But they do not trust Christ when it comes to their salvation. When he says he has perfected forever those being sanctified, When he said you HAVE eternal life. When he says he has given you everything he has.
How can they make these claims with a straight face is what I want to know.. How can they say things which are obviously not true?
They say they trust christ in everything,, Even their walk.
But they do not trust Christ when it comes to their salvation. When he says he has perfected forever those being sanctified, When he said you HAVE eternal life. When he says he has given you everything he has.
How can they make these claims with a straight face is what I want to know.. How can they say things which are obviously not true?