Amen brother,sounds like you have had a great last few days. I always love it when the Lord starts downloading things to your spirit, its something I long for. What I find funny is how when He does things like this, you look back to who you were before and you say something like this " man I had no idea who Jesus was or what He did for me, I was barley a christian back then." Praise be to Jesus how He continues to renew us like this,just another amazing thing He does for us.
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. 2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
__________________
Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
Titus 3
5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
That's right, we're saved by grace through faith, but we know that faith without works is dead. If works aren't present, then there's a problem. I'm agreeing with you. Sounds like you're looking at it correctly.
__________________
Today' s small bucks are tomorrow' s trophies.
[image]http://www.whitetails.com/deer8.html[image]
Grace and works are like oil and water. They will not mix. I will show you my works according to my faith. No man can work himself into heaven, or not work enough to lose salvation... and you can't be saved one day and lost the next... then saved again and lost... What kind of wacky God would we then serve. If you believe that you looking salvation though mans eyes!
Some of you are trying to be pleaser's of men, and conform to cultist ways. One reason I don't come in here very often, many of you have strayed from the TRUTH! A long way from where some of you were five or six years ago.
I calls em how I sees em!
Chuck my friend, I couldn't agree with you more. If I may add one more analogy to your post. Grace is the tree, rooted and grounded in God's love. Our works are simply fruits of the tree or the True Vine if you will. It's like I have been preaching for years; we are not saved because of our works, we do the works because we are saved. It's all about the choice of love. One more thing grace has accomplished, it has freed me from the bonds of sin!
Blessings.....Pastorjim
__________________
Mere religion is just hanging around the cross.......True Christianity is getting on the cross.
Chuck my friend, I couldn't agree with you more. If I may add one more analogy to your post. Grace is the tree, rooted and grounded in God's love. Our works are simply fruits of the tree or the True Vine if you will. It's like I have been preaching for years; we are not saved because of our works, we do the works because we are saved. It's all about the choice of love. One more thing grace has accomplished, it has freed me from the bonds of sin!
Blessings.....Pastorjim
Thanks Jim, exactly what I should have said.
Chuck, I wasn't directing anything to you brother. I've just seen tooooooooo many post on works on this forum.
You are talking about motivation. I'm asking what a "work" actually is. Is it something we do? Is it a specific task or type of task we do? Or ???????
Of course you know where this is going, because we've talked about it before, and nobody can answer this simple question. In order to recieve salvation, do we do something, or do we do absolutely nothing?
Either a work is something we do, or it isn't. If it's something we do, then the commands to hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized, and continue in the way are works. If our salvation just happens, through no physical or concious act of our own, either everyone is saved or the lucky ones are saved, and there's nothing we can do about it either way.
The same phrase I use every time that cannot be addressed logically or scripturally. Either we do something, or we do absolutely nothing. If we are required to do anything at all to recieve the gift of salvation, then it could be called a work.
I'll use the same examples as before. Naaman obeyed, then was cleansed. The Israelites obeyed, then the walls of Jericho fell. The Eunich obeyed, then went on his way rejoicing.
The Bible is consistent throughout--God says do it, we obey, then we recieve the gift. There's not one example where God said do it, we recieve the gift, then out of love or grattitude or whatever we obey.
Does that mean we are earning salvation? Of course not. That is impossible. It's a gift, and was bought and paid for by Christ. That doesn't exclude us from having to obey the rules set forth in order to recieve it.
Just like an inheritance. Your grandfather, by grace, leaves you the family farm. You did nothing to earn it, you could never have bought it yourself. It's yours, but....you are still required to sign the paperwork to obtain ownership. Or you are drowning, and someone throws you a rope. All you have to do is grab it and you will be pulled to safety. By signing your name, are you working for it or earning it? By grabbing the rope, did you work for or earn salvation from drowning? Of course not, no more than you are earning salvation by obeying the commands God set forth to recieve it.
Again, we either do something, or we do absolutely nothing. It can't be both. If we do absolutely nothing, what is the point of posting on this board? Nothing anyone says or does can change a thing. If we do something.......well, point proven.
Chad
__________________ If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
Grace and Works
