“We Don’t Have To Preform For GOD!”
False!
I have heard this statement or
something like it, it is part of the “Good Life” doctrine and it is false! It
gives people the idea that we just have to behave, tithe and wait for the
Rapture!
1Ephesian 2:8-9 “For by
Grace you have been Saved through Faith and that not of yourselves; it is the
Gift of GOD, not of works, least anyone should boast.”
Salvation is Free!* Grace is GOD’s
Love for every human being, so He decided before He made anything that exists
in our existence to be born as a human and give His Life in exchange for ours!
(John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:17-21)
The Gift From GOD: not only is
Salvation a Free gift from GOD; GOD Gives us the Faith to actually Believe in
JESUS’ Work of Obedience and Sacrifice, so that we can be Saved! (2 Corinthians
5:20-21)
So Salvation is Free, we cannot do
anything to earn it; we only have to believe, by The Faith that GOD Gives us:
that JESUS is LORD and that GOD raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:8-13)
That is why in his letter to the
Philippians Paul wrote, “…work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is GOD Who Works in you both to Will and To Do for His Good Pleasure. Do
all things without complaining and disputing.” (Philippians 2:12b-14)
That is why James tells us that
Works without Faith** is dead (James 2:14)
Paul tells us that our works (How
we Live and Serve GOD) will be judged. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)***
But, most importantly what did
JESUS say about Faith and Works? Matthew 6:19-24, ending in the most
misunderstood statement, “No one can Serve two master; for either he will hate
the one and Love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve GOD and mammon!” The whole point of JESUS’
statement is that you will be serving GOD doing The Works of His Kingdom in the
earth, (Matthew 6:9-10) or you will be serving the devil, world or flesh!
John 5:19, JESUS “…said to
them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, The
Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees The Father do; for whatever He
does, The Son does in like manner.”
John 14:12, “Most assuredly I say
to you, he who Believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater
Works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
Mark 8:34-38 Lay down your life
and take up your cross!
John 8:28-32 Know The Truth!
John 14:15-18 The SPIRIT of Truth!
John 16:33 “These things I have
spoken to you, that you may have Peace. In the world you will have tribulation;
but be of Good Cheer, I have overcome the world.” Oswald Chambers said about
this verse, “An average view of the Christian Life is that it means Deliverance
from trouble. It is Deliverance in trouble, which is very different!”2
* As in we do not and cannot pay
for our Salvation by any means! Romans 6:23
** James 2:14 3The
Scriptures, “My brothers, what use is it for anyone to say he has Belief but
does not have works? This Belief in unable to save him.”
4The Complete Jewish
Bible (CJB) “What good is it my brothers, if someone claims to have Faith but has no Actions to prove it? Is such
‘Faith’ able to Save him?”
5The Tree of Life
Version (TLV) “What good is it my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has
Faith, but does not have Works? Can such Faith Save him?”
Then James goes on to explain what
he means in verses 15-26, concluding with, “For as the body without the spirit
is dead, so Faith without Works is dead also.”
*** They are not talking about
getting Saved, they are talking about what to do when you are Saved, Repentance
is a lifelong process, we have to continually reject everything of the flesh
and the world and “Seek first The Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness…”
(Isaiah 55:6-7; Matthew 6:33-34).
1 All Scriptures quoted
from New King James Version (NKJV), Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994, except as
noted.
2 My Utmost For His
highest, Desktop Calendar, Garborg’s Heart ‘N Home, Inc., 1988.
3 The Scriptures, The
Institute For Scripture Research, 2024.
4 The Complete Jewish
Bible (CJB), Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2016.
5 Tree Of Life Version
(TLV), Baker Books, 2015.
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