Good Works Follow Faith

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you... I will save you from all your uncleanness... I want you to know that I am NOT doing this for your sake... I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it." (Ezekiel 36:26-36)

The above was written to Israel who was promised a New Covenant where God would save them by his GRACE after they learned they could not save themselves by doing the WORKS required in the Old Covenant. 

God saves ALL people the same way…by His Grace. When he gives us the FAITH to realize we have been saved, our hearts are "established" by His grace, and we experience the peace and joy of the salvation freely given us by GOD through CHRIST JESUS. 

"…it is good that the heart be established by GRACE." (Hebrews 13:9)

Salvation does not follow good works…but what tends to follow the realization of our Salvation is good works done in appreciation to God.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

I Was Crucified – And So Were You!

The Cross of Jesus Christ. What should I do with it or because of it? What can I do to receive its benefits or be worthy of its glory?

Wrong questions. Jesus was not crucified to get people to Do anything. It happened for our sin, and because we are included in what happened, there is nothing left for sinners to DO, despite what you may hear otherwise.

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” (Galatians 2:20)

You do not have to crucify yourself or keep the law – you were "crucified with Christ". And it was done for you whether you like it or not, whether you believe it or not, or whether you accept it or not. Nothing you can do will change what has already happened. It is finished! And since sinners have been crucified with Christ, our past sin, and the sin we will do going forward, will no longer have “dominion” over us. We no longer need to fear death. We will die, but will not perish (stay dead).  We have, right now, apart from works, new life guaranteed.  The Crucifixion of and with Christ took care of our sin problem. We now live with the assurance from God that we will be resurrected with Christ.

“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism (identification with Christ - has nothing to do with water). And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power over our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin…Sin no longer has dominion over you, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:4-7,14)

Come on Man, surely we have to do something…join the church, repent, confess – something?

Nope, we got crucified with Christ. But it is OK to pray “Thank You Father”, help me live worthy of what Jesus did for me.

Sinners Made Righteous

"For by GRACE are you saved..." (Ephesians 2:8)

“So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19)

Is the sin of men greater than the grace of God?

Christianity seems to think so. They teach that the one sin of Adam put all men under "condemnation", yet deny that the "one act of righteousness" done by Jesus resulted in the "justification of life to all men". Doing so denies the very gospel Christianity is claiming to evangelize it seems to me.

Again, what does the Bible say above? It says that "all men" who received "condemnation" are the same "all men” who received "justification of life". When you read all of Romans Chapter 5 this truth becomes abundantly clear. I suppose the confusion occurs because of the word "many" in the above verses. But it clearly says that the same "many" who "were made sinners" are the same "many" who "will be made righteous".

"...but where sin increased, GRACE abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so GRACE would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21)

That may not be good news for Christianity but it is the really good news for sinners.

Kindness and Tolerance

"Do you suppose, O man…that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3)

Paul is talking to everyone here, both believers and unbelievers. So, what judgment is he talking about that they will not escape? The Scripture says that the judgment of God on sinners is death.

"For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a)

The only reason we are not dead yet is His "kindness, tolerance and patience."

"Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)

Understanding and acknowledging this "kindness of God" leads us to repentance in this present age. Repentance includes thinking differently about God. To think of Him as our Father who loves us and provides the final sacrifice for our sin. In Old Testament times, God laid all the sin of Israel upon a sacrificial animal once a year on the Day of Atonement, which cleansed them all from year to year. But the blood of Jesus, the true lamb of God "that takes away the sin of the WORLD", has washed every sinner, both Jew and Gentile, clean for all time.

"Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world…not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place ONCE FOR ALL, having obtained eternal redemption." (John 1:29; Hebrews 9:12-26)

Repent of sin, sure, but also think differently about our Father God. He is not the stern, angry, false god of man made religions. Rather, He is a loving Father, full of GRACE whose "kindness and tolerance and patience...leads you to repentance". And this "lovingkindness is everlasting" - a phrase repeated 26 times in Psalm 136 alone.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting...the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ of Lord" (Psalm 136:1; Romans 6:26b)"

Enemies of the Cross - Righteous Men

"The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord...For it is by GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift from God..." (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8)

Being "SAVED" refers to what happens to people after they die.  Jesus, the Son of God, became a mortal man to SAVE the world.  So Jesus died as the "wages" for our sins (since he had none of his own) and was buried.  Yet three days and nights later God raised him to immortal life. This salvation from death was a "gift from God" his Father, God's righteous reward for one sinless life sacrificed to save "all" sinners, not just a few.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are JUSTIFIED FREELY by His GRACE through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24)

The Greek word for "JUSTIFIED" is "dikaioo" and literally means "I regard as righteous". By the Grace of God, sinners are regarded as righteous (pronounced not guilty) by God as a result of "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus".  

The salvation from death because of our justification, granted freely to all sinners, is also a "gift", but "not of yourselves".  It is only by the "GRACE" of God and "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus". We deserve to stay dead but God is going to save us anyway. This is the gospel, the good news we are to teach and place our "FAITH".

"Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep...For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all be made alive...so that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

We should believe what God says.  The cross of Christ was sufficient.  Those requiring sinners to become righteous men in order to be saved are "enemies of the cross".  

"For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weaping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on early things." (Philippians 3:18-19)

Those "enemies" think the cross was insufficient, teaching that sinners must DO something righteous, by their own free will, and should join in the activities of the local congregation of righteous people.  They should beware that their genuflection does not identify them as an enemy of that cross...

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven...Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full." (Matthew 6:1-5)

The righteousness of men is not a bad thing.  We need good people doing unselfish things, both inside and outside of church.  But the praise of men for such righteousness will be "their reward in full". 

In seeking God with all our heart we find "the righteousness of God" only in what the sinless Jesus has done, not in our own righteous acts. 

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...He made him who know no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

Believers in this age are "justified freely" in His righteousness, not in what they do, and...

"...He is a rewarder of those who seek HIM..."  (Hebrews 11:6)

God has a plan for sinful mankind, all of us.  Our only "hope" is in His plan, rather than any of the noble plans conceived by political or religious men...

"For I know the plans that I have for you declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart..." (Jeremiah 29:11-13) 

Few seek him in this present evil age, but after the resurrection, all mankind will seek and find God, and when found they will glorify Him as they realize they are saved and reconciled to God, not by any righteous decision or acts that they have done, but by God's unmerited favor - "GRACE" - and they will joyfully confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and give the glory to God our Father.  

"...at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11).

Trust God and "beware" of Righteous Men.

Why Does God Save Sinners?

"...so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His GRACE in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7)

Because the salvation of a sinner is by the GRACE of God, good works can have no part in their salvation.

"And since it is through God's kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God's grace would not be what it really is--free and undeserved." (Romans 11:6 NLT)

Yep, "free and underserved", a "gift" from God.

"For by Grace are you saved...the free gift of God is eternal life..." (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23)

Destined To Be Delivered!

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of tresspasses, according to the riches of his GRACE that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:7-8)

What Jesus did brought "redemption" to mankind and our sins are now forgiven.  What he did was to shed his blood for our sins. And his motivation was simply "the riches of his GRACE" - his unmerited favor toward mankind. 

He has "committed to us" this "word of reconciliation"...

“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. He made him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

The whole world is reconciled to God and the righteousness of Christ is now ours, and because of "His great love for us" God will resurrect and transform us from the status of "dead in our trespasses" into a righteous new creation destined to do the good works which He has prepared for us to do.

"...because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in MERCY, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus...For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance.." (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Did you notice that our deliverance is so certain that Paul speaks of it as if it were already completed and that God has already "seated us with him in the heavenly realms".  

Therefore, according to the "riches in GRACE" of Christ Jesus, we are destined to be delivered from death by our God who is "rich in mercy".

Questions Questions

Is your faith in the "wise men" of your particular religious faith? And when what they say does not seem right are you reluctant to speak about it among your family and friends? 

An example of this from my experience comes from wise men in my church who teach that Romans 10:9-10 tells us what we must do to be saved. They even label it the "Roman road to salvation":

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10 KJV)

Assuming that the above is what one must do to be saved, here are two questions I asked myself:

1. If one must confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, can anyone who died prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus be saved?

2. Can a child be saved before being able to confess and believe?

When read in the context of the whole book of Romans I learned that the above verses relate to the condition of ISRAEL, and what God will do for ISRAEL on this earth when they finally accept Jesus as their Messiah. This subject runs from Romans Chapter 9 through Chapter 11. God has blinded them for now but eventually all Israel will be saved:

"...blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Romans 11:25-29)

As for the answers to my above questions, I learned from the letters of the Apostle Paul that salvation is not a matter of what we do, but a matter of what God through Christ Jesus has done. All Israel and all Gentiles are beneficiaries of what God has done.

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men...For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not)" (1 Timothy 2:1-7)

Scared Straight

"So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God...For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

The above is scary enough to curb some peoples actions. Even those faithful to their particular religion are scared because none of us are perfect. Especially when taught that if you are not really, really saved, off to hell you go into eternal conscience torment for even one unrepented sin. Even the most holy people wonder whether they are really saved, so their evangelists use "damnable doctrines" to get some folks Scared Straight and back to the religious assembly.  And it works sometimes...for about a month or so. 

A.E. Knoch (1874-1965) once said in his work, Solid Comfort for the Bereaved:

"Men have corrupted God's holy Word. The Bible has been mistranslated to agree with the damnable doctrines of degenerate men. They have changed Him from a God of boundless love who wills the salvation of all to a demon of damnation, more dreadful than all of the idols of the heathen. They have altered His temporary discipline into endless punishment and eternal torment. But they have not succeeded in blotting it all out. The Bible still teaches that all shall be saved (1 Timothy 4:10) and justified (Romans 5:18) and vivified (1 Corinthians 15:22) and reconciled (Colossians 1:20), and thus contradicts the false "hell" and the fictitious fire of eternal torment." 

Mr. Knoch was right on course - and could not be Scared Straight.

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11)

Mankind Is Linked To God

"GRACE is better than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have a common bond, the LORD is the maker of them all." (Proverbs 22:1-2)

Religions have this common. Each seem to think that what separates them from sinners is their membership in their religion. However no one escapes death which is the judgment of God on sin. Mankind is linked to each other by sin and its ultimate penalty. God created us that way so He could demonstrate His "MERCY TO ALL".

”For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show MERCY TO ALL. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! ...For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever." (Romans 11:32-36)

Mankind is not only linked to each other, we are also linked to God by the fact that He is "the maker of them all". In other words he is our "Father".

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)

The Greek word for Father is "pater" and means to bring into being in order to pass on the potential for likeness. (Strong's Concordance #3962).

Most importantly, mankind is linked to God by the fact that He is our "Savior".

"And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior, there is none except Me..." (Isaiah 45:21)

A Savior saves. If one attempts to save but fails, he is not The Savior but just the god of religious men - and a failure. We are assured in Scripture that God will not fail. He has the desire and power to save mankind from the "wages of sin" - which is death.  He  will deliver us from death through resurrection, just as He has done for our "mediator", the "man Jesus Christ", who gave himself as a ransom for "all" resulting in the "free gift of eternal life" for all mankind.

"This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time...For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord " (1 Timothy 2:3-6; Romans 6:23)

License To Sin - Conditional Salvation

"...ungodly persons who turn the GRACE of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:4)

These "ungodly persons" were the Jewish religious leaders of Israel who apparently had embraced Jesus as the Messiah but were denying that his death, burial and resurrection was the "atoning sacrifice" for the sins of all Israel and the "whole world".

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (Israel), and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world...a gift by His GRACE through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as an atoning sacrifice..." (1 John 2:2; Romans 3:24-25)

These "ungodly men" ridiculed those Jewish believers who trusted solely in the "GRACE of our God" for salvation, apart from the works of the Law. They preferred the Conditional Salvation provided under the Law of Moses.  In denying salvation by grace alone, these religious men are called "ungodly" because they have turned "the GRACE of our God into licentiousness" thereby denying "our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

I have been warned by religious men that if people are told they have been saved by the "GRACE" of God without repentance of sin and a free will choice, they would have an unrestrained License to Sin. Paul was warned about this in his day...

"Why not say, as some slanderously claim we say, let us do evil that good may come? Their condemnation is deserved" (Romans 3:8)

I respect their concern but would remind them that adding repentance and a free will choice, or any other work as a condition to salvation looks a lot like the teaching of those "ungodly men" Jude was condemning. Paul clearly states...

"...there was an introduction to The Written Law that sin would increase, and wherever sin increased, the GRACE superabounded.  That as sin reigned by death, in this way GRACE shall reign by righteousness to eternal life by our Lord Jeshua the Messiah...and sin has no authority over you, for you are not under The Written Law, but under GRACE" (Romans 5:20-21; Romans 6:14 Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

Regardless of any license to sin, my personal experience is that the ones who come to believe that salvation is a free gift of the "GRACE" of God do not deny the "atoning sacrifice" of our Lord Jesus Christ "for the whole world" thus "bringing salvation to all men".  All of them live in this age according to instruction of the "grace of God"...

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age…” (Titus 2:11-12)

We are told in Scripture that Salvation is not "a result of works", but by the "GRACE" of God. Not religious faith, but the faith "OF Christ".

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works…that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ, not of works." (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16 KJV)

Finally, we are instructed by God not to mix grace with our own faith and works in order to qualify for salvation - that is no gospel at all…

"...if it is by GRACE, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace..I am astonished how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is not even a gospel.." (Romans 11:6; Galatians 1:6-7)  

It appears to me that the religions of the world who teach some form of Conditional Salvation are the ones dishing out the proverbial License to Sin. 

We Should Not Bring God Down To Our Level

"For you know the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

God wants us to "know" about His Grace. Grace is what sinful people need and what God provides them as a "gift".

“For by Grace you are saved…and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)

God loves His "enemies" and is "gracious" to those who are "ungrateful and evil". 

"But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil." (Luke 3:35)

God would like for us to love our enemies - but we don't...only God does!  We want to argue with our enemies or worse. That is the norm in this age, for we just cannot measure up to God in character.  However, we should not bring our loving, gracious and merciful God down to our level with doctrines of self righteous men.  Instead, we should rejoice that He intends to raise us up to His level - not now but in those ages beyond this "present wicked age".  

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives himself for our sins that he might extricate us out of this present wicked age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for the ages of the ages. Amen"  (Galatians 1:3-4 CLNT)

This Hope Gives Me Peace

"To me, the very least of all saints, this GRACE was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Messiah..." (Ephesians 3:8)

I agree with Paul. The "riches of Messiah" are truly "unfathomable".

It was his privilege to preach to Gentiles in places where it had never been heard.

"My goal was to spread the Good News where the name of Messiah was not known." (Romans 15:20)

He did so "all over the world" and in his final letter to Timothy he states that he "had kept the faith" and his job was "finished"...

"The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it...the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (Colossians 1:23; 2 Timothy 4:6-7)

So was preaching such good news a resounding success - apparently not for he also says at the beginning of that last letter to Timothy...

"You know that everyone in the Province of Asia has deserted me" (2 Timothy 1:15)

He means they had deserted the message he had preached to them - the message of God's gift of salvation to all mankind and the future reconciliation of all creation to God through the "riches of Messiah". Faith in that message has continued to be mostly abandoned to this day in favor of the various religions of the world. That is not surprising for even Jesus himself had lamented...

"...when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8)

I sometimes wonder what Paul would say about the preaching of today with its mixture of law and grace. Most likely the same thing he said to those who mixed it up in his day...

"I am astonished how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Messiah and are turning to a different gospel— which is not even a gospel...You who are trying to be justified by the Law have been severed from Messiah; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness." (Galatians 1:6-7; 5:4-5)

Our salvation has been promised based solely on the "grace" of God and His Messiah.  It will not be completed until we have been raised from the dead.  And it is by this "faith" that we "eagerly await" that event, and have peace and joy in our  "hope of righteousness".

Each New Years Resolution

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth..." (Colossians 3:2)

Do so without getting lost in the thoughts and actions of religious men!

Remember the "grace" of God revealed to us through the Messiah, who will save and reconcile all mankind to God and each other.

While we wait for the return of the Messiah and the peace of that final salvation and reconciliation, we will be wise to draw strength from, and be "content" in our "Messiah"...

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content...I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me." (Philllipians 4:11-14)

And as we set our minds on the "things above" and "the grace of our God" we should thankfully heed the instruction of His "grace"...

"...the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior..." (Titus 2:11-12)

And to... 

"...make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands." (1 Thessalonians 4:11)