This document has been a work in progress. I have been born-again and have done my own Bible study, and I'm happy with what I have written here. I'm trying to speak the truth in mercy. This document shows my current understanding at the time of writing. I'm not judging people. This is just a Bible study. I hope it spreads some light on the Scriptures.
I agree whole heartedly with Keith Green here:
I agree whole heartedly also with MP Nick Fletcher:
I agree whole heartedly with John Piper here:
I've been thinking about belief, faith, works, law and receiving the Holy Spirit! Please let me know what you think if you have the time.
I'm trying to get clearer on this. Please feel free to discuss it with me.
Almost all of verses are taken from the ESV (English Standard Version) bible with the odd NASB (New American Standard Bible), KJV (King James Version), and BSB (Berean Study Bible) used here and there.
I have also used the original Hebrew and Greek from the Interlinear Bible on Biblehub.com a couple of times.
By default I will use the ESV and where it is not from the ESV, I have almost certainly marked it with the alternative version used.
I believe we are set free from being condemned by / under the Mosaic Law to become a slave to Christ Jesus under grace.
Romans 8:1-2 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (ESV)
John 3:18 - Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV)
Romans 15:17-18 - In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,
In Christ Jesus there is freedom from things which were bad for us, including selfishness, sin and death:
II Corinthians 3:17 - Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (ESV)
I believe this. If anyone is trusting that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then they have life in His name. That doesn't mean they have come to know Him yet.
John 20:31 - but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (ESV)
Belief in Jesus Christ turns to obedience, and imitating Christ:
John 14:12 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (ESV)
As we go ahead, we must abide in the teaching of Christ, or we won't have God:
II John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (ESV)
To know Jesus, we must obey His commandments.
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
We have to put sin away after we come to believe in Him:
Colossians 3:5-10 - Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
A new creation lives for Christ:
II Corinthians 5:14-17 - For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Matthew 20:27-28 - and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (ESV)
We must be in Christ Jesus. Those who have been born-again have become obedient to Jesus Christ. We must be born-again. This is Scripture and trumps my own thoughts. I affirm these verses wholeheartedly:
II Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
A new creation has faith working through love and keeps Jesus Christ's commandments:
Galatians 6:15 - For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (ESV)
Out with the old selfish self and in with the new selflessly loving self:
Galatians 5:6 - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (ESV)
Out with the old selfish self and in with the new selflessly loving, and obedient to God self:
I Corinthians 7:19 - For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. (ESV)
That's because God gives us a new spirit to obey Him:
Ezekiel 11:19-20 - And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (ESV)
We receive the spirit by getting Jesus' words into us, believing them and obeying them. Feeding on them, we get Jesus' spirit and life into us:
John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (ESV)
We can repent from sin as an act of obedient faith to God:
Jeremiah 4:4 - Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds. (ESV)
What God does by way of initiative and what we do as a response is inextricably woven together [to the point where our obedience and God's work may be indistinguishable]. God turns our enmity to love and our disbelief to faith:
Born Again - Alistair Begg, Parkside Church - YouTube
Philippians 2:13 - for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
Paul toils, struggling with all God's energy that God works powerfully within him:
Colossians 1:29 - For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (ESV)
Father God in Jesus was also doing His work through Jesus:
John 14:10 - Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. (NASB)
Here it is further echoed by Paul that though these people were acting of their own free will, they were doing God's will:
Paul commends giving oneself to others by the will of God (their will was doing God's will):
II Corinthians 8:3-5 - For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. (ESV)
Paul commends both desiring to do the will of God, and then encourages to complete the work they desire to do, but says that if the will (obedience of heart) is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has:
II Corinthians 8:10-12 - And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. (ESV)
In "The Blazing Center: Part 3 - YouTube" John Piper says, "Maybe my will could correspond to God's will so I could do His will and it would be my will?!" I agree with him.
And through our obedience to Jesus we are saved. The Bible is clear - a works-based gospel based on God working through us saves:
Hebrews 5:8-9 - Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (ESV)
It's actually a faith-based gospel, and the works are a gift. So believing, obedient faith comes first and God works in us to change our heart to be transformed to love in the likeness of Jesus:
Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not 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, that we should walk in them. (ESV)
Therefore, we teach people to both believe and to obey the Gospel. When we obey Jesus' commandments it's actually Jesus working in and through us. We want Jesus to be able to carry out work in us, so we obey Him - our will and God's will come into alignment when we obey Jesus' commandments.
In Christ Jesus, through faith in Him (through trusting Him, believing Him, believing in Him and obeying Him), we have Jesus as our righteousness, and sanctification and redemption:
I Corinthians 1:30 - He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (ESV)
Believing is an initial act of obedience before continuing in the teaching of Christ. If we believe in Him we have obeyed Him, but belief doesn't end there:
John 14:1 - “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe (G4100 pisteuo) in God, believe (G4100 pisteuo) also in Me. (NASB)
As we go ahead, we must abide in the teaching of Christ, or we won't have God:
II John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (ESV)
And our obedience is not burdensome:
I John 5:3 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (ESV)
We receive the spirit by getting Jesus' words into us, believing them and obeying them. Feeding on them, we get Jesus' spirit and life into us:
John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (ESV)
We rest in believing what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, but our heart should have become obedient to Jesus.
It's crucial to keep Jesus Christ's commandments:
I John 3:20-24 - for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (ESV)
Work flowing from obedience is still totally by grace because we needed Jesus to obey God perfectly first! We must still obey Jesus.
Believing in Jesus should result in continued loving obedience to Jesus (following Jesus), and doing the work which is similar to the work that Jesus did:
John 14:12 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (ESV)
I think works that we can expect to come from believers in Jesus are:
- helping to bring about the obedience of faith
- loving selflessly while not breaking faith with God
John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)
The Apostle John also commands us to:
- follow Jesus' commandment to believe in the name of God's Son Jesus Christ, and
- love one another just as He commanded us.
1 John 3:23 - And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. (ESV)
Whoever keeps His commandments (plural) abides in Jesus, and Jesus in them. Yes, so I think we must believe Jesus and obey Him:
I John 3:24 - Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (ESV)
John 14:10-15 - Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (ESV)
John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. (ESV)
John 4:32-34 - But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples said to one another, Has anyone brought him something to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (ESV)
Romans 16:26 - but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — (ESV)
Romans 15:17-18 - In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,
"At one time disobedient…" means we are brought to obedience. Therefore, God's mercy is that we become obedient:
Romans 11:30-32 - Just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. (ESV)
King of Kings {Lyric Video} - Hillsong Worship - YouTube
We trust that our sin is covered by Jesus Christ's blood, as we abide in Him through belief and obedience:
Romans 4:5-8 - And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. (ESV)
Revelation of John 1:4-6 - John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)
In Jesus Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 1:13-14 - He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (ESV)
As we walk in the light, as He is in the light, that is in the Truth, walking in, believing, professing and obeying Jesus Christ in Truth, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin:
I John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (ESV)
We are sanctified in the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ, and for sprinkling with His blood:
I Peter 1:2 - according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (ESV)
Hebrews 7:22 - This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. (ESV)
Hebrews 10:9-14 - then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will. He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (ESV)
We are ransomed:
I Peter 1:18-19 - knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (ESV)
The blood of Jesus secures an eternal redemption:
Hebrews 9:11-15 - But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. (ESV)
The eternal redemption is in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 1:7 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (ESV)
Hebrews 5:9-10 - And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (ESV)
God's commandments are not too difficult to follow.
Love the LORD your God:
Deuteronomy 30:10-11 - when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. (ESV)
Serve God:
Joshua 22:5 - Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. (ESV)
Love God so that we may live:
Deuteronomy 30:6 - And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (ESV)
Love your neighbour as yourself:
Leviticus 19:18 - You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (ESV)
Jesus' commandments us to even love one another, anyone around you, with selfless love:
John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)
And the Apostle John echos that the commandment is still extremely important:
II John 1:5-6 - And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. (ESV)
Loving our neighbour as ourself should look like showing merciful love to those around you:
Luke 10:29-37 - But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back. Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise. (ESV)
Mark 12:30-31 - And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (ESV)
Mark 12:32-34 - And the scribe said to him, You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. (ESV)
We are supposed to fulfill the royal law:
James 2:8-9 - If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (ESV)
The same way that Jesus loved, selflessly:
Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (ESV)
We should aim to fulfill these great commandments while being merciful:
James 2:11-13 - For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (ESV)
It's perfect obedience which only Jesus Christ managed to reach:
Philippians 2:8 - And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (ESV)
We come to having obedient faith in God through obedient faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ obeyed Father God perfectly, and sinners put Him to death, and He became the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him:
Hebrews 5:8-9 - Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (ESV)
John 1:29 - The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (ESV)
Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (ESV)
Just because we're gifted repentance to life, that doesn't mean that to go ahead and obediently repent makes the gift of repentance no longer a gift!
Acts 11:18 - When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.
The Heart of the Gospel - YouTube
We believe on Jesus Christ and receive eternal life, and we are saved through Jesus Christ. We see that Jesus Christ obeyed God perfectly and He is the light. We have our hope on Jesus to save us when we believe on Him. We should trust Jesus enough to obey His commandments when we are presented with opportunities to glorify God with our actions. God works through us as we obey Jesus.
John 3:16-19 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. (ESV)
We must hear the words of God. If we hear them then we are of God. I know I hear them. If we keep Jesus' word (obey Jesus) we will not see death:
John 8:47 - Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. (ESV)
John 8:51 - Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. (ESV)
To keep Jesus' word means to hear them and to obey:
Proverbs 7:1-3 - My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. (ESV)
Keeping means, not only having them but also keeping, obeying them:
John 14:21-24 - Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. (ESV)
I John 5:3 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
John 8:55 - But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. (ESV)
We are not condemned if we believe in the name of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. That's really good news!:
John 3:18 - Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV)
AMEN!!
John 5:24 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (ESV)
AMEN!!
II Timothy 2:11 - The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; (ESV)
Justification comes through through the righteousness of living by faith:
Habakkuk 2:4 - Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. (ESV)
Even the new believer is not condemned:
I Corinthians 3:1 - But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. (ESV)
And as we know, no-one in Christ is condemned:
Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
John Piper - "Mercy means that our obedience doesn't have to be perfect, it has to be penitent."
He paid the price for our sin:
Romans 4:25 - who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (ESV)
And we are justified and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who we are following:
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
II Timothy 1:9 - who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, (ESV)
II Timothy 1:13 - Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
We love our neighbour the way Jesus commanded:
I Corinthians 9:21 - To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. (ESV)
Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (ESV)
John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)
Jesus loved us selflessly. We should love one another selflessly:
John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. (ESV)
II Timothy 2:12-13 - if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. (ESV)
Romans 8:17 - and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV)
But suffering for Christ's sake should be for giving glory to Jesus:
We put our hope on Him to be our High Priest and Advocate, we obey Him as He saves us.
These should really go hand in hand:
- Believing in Jesus Christ for His finished work to receive justification and eternal life and remain in relationship with Father God and with Jesus
- Obeying Jesus Christ to be saved from the wrath of God should really go hand-in-hand.
John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (ESV)
Being justified by Jesus' blood, we are saved by Him from the wrath of God:
Romans 5:9 - Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (ESV)
- Immediately we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
- and then we are saved from the wrath of God by His life.
- Also, we meanwhile rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 5:8-11 - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (ESV)
Jesus' act of obedience leads to:
- justification
- life
- I believe that the life of Jesus helps us to stop sinning
Romans 5:18 - Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. (ESV)
We are saved from the wrath of God by the life of Jesus Christ. I think that's in part saying that the life of Jesus helps us to repent from sin:
Ephesians 5:5-7 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them;
We need to obey Jesus to have the life:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
Being saved by Him I think involves us becoming obedient, and faithfully obeying Jesus Christ our Lord:
Ephesians 5:5-10 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
God is very happy about obedience, and listening to His word. Disobedience is sin, and disobedience is rejecting the word of the LORD:
I Samuel 15:22-23 - And Samuel said, Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king. (ESV)
Leviticus 5:17 - If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. (ESV)
The disobedience of mankind started in the Garden of Eden:
Genesis 3:17 - And to Adam he said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, You shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; (ESV)
Jesus helps us to overcome sin. Jesus delivers us from it:
Romans 7:22-25 - For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (ESV)
God's commandments through Jesus is within the Law of God:
I Corinthians 9:21 - To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. (ESV)
John 3:7 - Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. (ESV)
We must follow Jesus:
John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (ESV)
We must believe Jesus is who He says He is:
John 8:24 - I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins. (ESV)
We must love Jesus:
John 14:21 - Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.
In my understanding, I consider all who are repentantly trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, for their salvation, if they are willing turn to and obey Him, if Father God puts them in, obediently trusting Jesus Christ who is their life, to be in Christ Jesus, no matter what else I say in this document.
I have been just trying to figure out my theology. One God, three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I don't have the say though. God puts a person in. AMEN!!
I Corinthians 1:30 - But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, (NASB)
We are given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cleanses our hearts by faith. As we obey Jesus, going against the resistance, our hearts are being cleansed:
Acts 15:8-9 - And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
If we have faith in Jesus then we obey Jesus' commandments when presented with opportunities. We walk by faith, not sight. When other people discourage you from following Jesus' commandments, but you choose to obey Jesus anyway, this is overcoming the enemy by faith:
II Corinthians 5:7 - for we walk by faith, not by sight. (ESV)
With God's help, we must drop the old selfish self and allow Jesus to come in with the new obediently loving self:
Psalms 37:27 - Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. (ESV)
Selfish people killed Jesus. Jesus was selfless. Jesus was obedient to God unto death. We identify with Christ with a death like His, to be united with Him in a resurrection like His! This is why obedience to Jesus is so important. How can a person be resurrected if they don't die? We need to die a death to be resurrected:
II Timothy 2:11 - The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; (ESV)
Romans 6:1 - What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Nevertheless the one who trusts in Jesus and dies will yet live. AMEN!! And the following verse, I believe actually applies to baptism (identifying with Christ in His death and resurrection)! So a nice way of reading the following is: If someone, while believing in Jesus Christ, dies to their old selfish nature to live as someone who loves selflessly, they will live, and the one who lives abiding in Jesus Christ's love, having died to their old selfish nature, and believes in Him will never die:
John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
I like that way of thinking of it because it encapsulates both belief and obedience to Jesus - both which I think are important.
Jesus' selfless love also faithful to God. Without breaking faith with God, Jesus loved back his persecutors:
Hebrews 5:8-9 - Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (ESV)
To put it another way, while needing to fulfill the law and the prophets, he did not sin, and sinners took his life and even his clothes:
I Peter 2:22 - He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. (ESV)
Matthew 27:35 - And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. (ESV)
I Peter 3:17-18 - For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, (ESV)
And Jesus prayed for his persecutors:
Luke 23:34 - And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide his garments. (ESV)
Likewise, that's the type of selfless love we should have. Selfless love while trying to maintain faithfulness to God:
I Peter 2:20 - For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (ESV)
I Peter 4:19 - Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (ESV)
The purest selfless love loves while not breaking faith with God. Jesus maintained faithfulness to God while maintaining selfless love. We should endeavour to have the same mind:
Philippians 2:5-8 - Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (ESV)
We are commanded to be innocent, and to bear witness of Jesus before men who persecute us:
Matthew 10:16-18 - Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. (ESV)
Philippians 2:15-16 - that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (ESV)
I conjecture that, effectively,
Obedience = Believing the gospel, and Selfless love(no longer serving yourself but serving Christ. It's obeying Jesus.).Nevertheless, where we fall short of obedience, Jesus has us covered. But if we are keeping Jesus' commandments then we're abiding in His love.
Is it crucial to obey the gospel? Yes. Is that a 'works-based' gospel? If we must put a label on it, I'd describe it more of a my-willingness-to-work-serving-Christ-based-on-Jesus'-finished-works-and-God-working-in-me-based gospel.
God works in us to save us. Since obedience to God is faith, God works in us through faith:
Philippians 1:6 - And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Jude 1:21 - keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (ESV)
Although, we will arrive at rest:
Heb 4:1-6 - Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, As I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter my rest, although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: And God rested on the seventh day from all his works. And again in this passage he said, They shall not enter my rest. Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
Heb 4:9-11 - So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
We work then find rest:
Revelation of John 14:13 - And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them! (ESV)
That rest looks like living for the will of God:
I Peter 4:1-2 - Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (ESV)
So it's still extremely important for us to try to keep His commandments, and His commandments are to love God and one another as He loved us, selflessly.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (ESV)
And I wont stop following Jesus Christ until I know Him as personally as possible - I want His thoughts running through my mind like Father God's thoughts ran through His. Anything less than that and I am unsatisfied.
I Corinthians 2:11-16 - For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV)
Jesus knows us and we know Jesus:
John 10:14 - I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, (ESV)
We must be keeping Jesus' commandments for us to be sure that we have come to know Him:
I John 2:3-4 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
Jesus commands us to take His yoke (obey Him) and learn from Him (believe Him):
Matthew 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (ESV)
So receive the words of Jesus and the Apostles to know the thoughts of God inside your own mind:
I Corinthians 2:11-14 - For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (ESV)
We need to perform our salvation in obedience to God:
Philippians 2:12 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out (katergazomai) your own salvation with fear and trembling, (ESV)
Let's see what the word katergazomai (the word for 'work out') means:
-
Philippians 2:12 (Interlinear)
1 5620 27 1473 2531 3842 5219 3361 5613 1722 3588 3952 1473 2 Hōste agapētoi mou kathōs pantote hypēkousate mē hōs en tē parousia mou 3 Ὥστε , ἀγαπητοί μου , καθὼς πάντοτε ὑπηκούσατε , μὴ ὡς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ μου 4 Therefore beloved of me just as always you have obeyed not as in the presence of me 5 Conj Adj-VMP PPro-G1S Adv Adv V-AIA-2P Adv Adv Prep Art-DFS N-DFS PPro-G1S
1 3440 235 3568 4183 3123 1722 3588 666 1473 3326 5401 2532 2 monon alla nyn pollō mallon en tē apousia mou meta phobou kai 3 μόνον , ἀλλὰ νῦν πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ μου , μετὰ φόβου καὶ 4 only but now much more in the absence of me with fear and 5 Adv Conj Adv Adj-DNS Adv Prep Art-DFS N-DFS PPro-G1S Prep N-GMS Conj
Work out (katergazomai) means here to perform your salvation by work (which has yet still been gifted to us, and the salvation which we are working is not the result of works):
1 5156 3588 1438 4991 2716
2 tromou tēn heautōn sōtērian katergazesthe
3 τρόμου τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεσθε .
4 trembling - your own salvation work out
5 N-GMS Art-AFS RefPro-GM3P N-AFS V-PMM/P-2P
1 : 2716 katergazomai kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee
2
3 from 2596 and 2038; to work fully, i.e. accomplish; by implication, to
4 finish, fashion:--cause, to (deed), perform, work (out).
5 see GREEK for 2596
6 see GREEK for 2038
So I think trusting Jesus, obeying Jesus and believing Jesus' words, and believing in Him should be true simultaneously, because people misconstrue Jesus' words to their own destruction.
When we are believing in Jesus Christ's finished work and obeying Jesus, obeying His commandments, it is actually God who is working in us:
Philippians 2:13 - for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
We serve Christ:
Matthew 25:40 - And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. (ESV)
Mark 9:37 - Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me. (ESV)
If a person serves Christ, this is not a dead works-based gospel, but is simply obeying the gospel. That person has been brought into obedience by the grace of God.
II Peter 3:14-18 - Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
We are supposed to then proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light:
I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
God is amazing. Because He made me born-again so I could come into a relationship with Him where I can truthfully say that I was stuck in my sin and God broke that sin off me through making me born-again, and has given me a new Spirit so I can walk in obedience to Him.
It's only possible through what Jesus Christ has achieved for us on the cross, because the blood of Jesus Christ redeems us as we abide in Him:
Ephesians 1:7 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (ESV)
Even having faith in God through faith in Jesus is obedience according to Romans 16:26. If a person is trusting in Him when they die, they will live.
Romans 16:26 - but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — (ESV)
Therefore, I assert that there's no eternal security for those who are not willing to obey Jesus, or to turn away from their sin. Our obedience is penitent, not perfect.
Hebrews 5:9 - And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Also I conclude that obeying Jesus Christ is having faith in Him.
Why then do people preach to stop 'working for God'? The problem isn't work, but that work not done in faith is sin.
I Thessalonians 5:12-14 - We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (ESV)
Work being done by God in us to sanctify us and bring us everlasting life is work done in faith. So the problem isn't work (even work relating to salvation) but the problem is work that is not done in faith (i.e. dead work).
I believe that anyone who trusts (is trusting) in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, even they have no works, but only a trusting heart, believing what Jesus said, and putting their hope in Jesus for their salvation, repentant and willing to obey (obedient), theoretically are to be in Christ if God does it. I consider that obedience to Jesus and turning away from sin is essential to be found in Him. If someone dies while trusting in Him they will live. If someone trusts in Him while they live they will never die.
Eternal Security - Charles Spurgeon Sermon - YouTube
At the stage they trust in Jesus, they may have no work but I believe at that stage they are justified, when in their heart is obedient, trusting, believing faith in Christ who is their life. But I'm not the one to justify them, God is. And I assume that Jesus knows who those people are - He knows that they are His sheep, and that Father God draws those people to Him. And when they go through Jesus Christ, the door, they are saved.
I believe that if a person trusts and believe on God in their heart, believing that they need saving and that Jesus Christ is their Lord and that Jesus Christ died for their transgressions and was raised for their justification - that they have a hearing heart and a heart that follows Him - that they will be saved.
I simply see no enmity between trusting God for justification through the finished work of the cross by Jesus Christ and trusting God by obeying Jesus Christ. I believe that is a false dichotomy.
Christian love:
John 14:15 - If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (ESV)
For assurance of salvation, here's three indicators:
- Firstly, a change of heart according to the example from Matt 27:43-44.
- the repentant thief had come to a place of humility and fear of God
- he had an awareness of his own sin and the reality of judgement
- he knew that it was only by Jesus, not by his own works that he could be saved
- he affirmed the Lordship and deity of Christ
- The second thing is a hatred of one's own sin
- Thirdly, that you have kept the faith despite trials and testing
1. A change of heart towards humility, fear of God, belief and trust in Jesus to be saved, an awareness of one's own sin and the reality of judgement, and acknowledging Jesus' Lordship and deity:
All the thief could do was look to Jesus and cry out for mercy but thankfully that is all he needed. This was all that was required of him for salvation and the same is true for us.
The thief didn't get to go learn the bible, or get baptised or begin to follow Jesus in the way that he lived, but that is not to say that those things are not important because they are. Those are things that God has commanded us to do, and if we love God then we should want to be obedient in doing those things. The distiction is that those things don't earn our salvation but they are the fruit of a heart that has truly put faith in Jesus. I think that the thief would have gone on to do those things, he just never had a chance. But you might be thinking: I don't always obey Jesus. I still wrestle with sin and the answer is that you won't perfectly obey Jesus. You will still have sin in your life because Jesus will be continuing to work that out in you until the day that you die. But if you desire to know the God of the Bible and to love God and to obey God's word, that in itself is evidence that God is at work in your heart because we cannot do those things on our own. Even if we aren't yet fully where we know we ought to be with those things, the fact that they're there is an indication and that we are continuing to grow in grace.
Both robbers start off mocking Jesus but then one of the robbers has a change of heart:
Matthew 27:43-44 - He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, I am the Son of God. And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. (ESV)
Mark 15:32 - Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe. Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. (ESV)
Luke 23:39-43 - One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And he said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. (ESV)
2. We must have a hatred of one's own sin:
To be a Christian doesn't mean that we are without sin this side of heaven, but it does mean that we have a hatred for our own sin, that we are wrestling with the flesh that is still inside us even as Jesus is making us new, rather than being complacent over our sin.
Romans 7:19-20 - For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (ESV)
It's really important to turn from sin:
I John 3:5-6 - You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
We endeavour to be justified through faithful obedience to Jesus, and if we fall short, we still believe Christ has us covered. But we do endeavour, we do try:
Galatians 2:17 - But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! (ESV)
3. Our faith has been tested, and results in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ:
I Peter 1:6-7 - In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Isaiah 30:20-21 - And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
I believe the above prophetically talks about Jesus. We must obey Jesus. God doesn't guarantee that following Jesus will be easy.
John 6:44-46 - No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. (ESV)
II John 1:6 - And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. (ESV)
II Peter 2:20-21 - For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Matthew 21:32 - For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Obedience to Jesus' commandments (repentance from sin):
Luke 24:46-47 - and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance (G3341 metanoia) and forgiveness (G859 aphesis) of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Obedience to Jesus' commandments (becoming disciples, obeying Jesus' commandments):
Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Obedience to Jesus' commandments (trusting Jesus and being baptised):
Mark 16:15-18 - And he said to them, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.
John 21:15-17 - When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my lambs. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Tend my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Do you love me? and he said to him, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.
The original Apostles were instructed to feed Jesus' sheep with the living bread that is Jesus Christ. Likewise, in living testimony we should teach others to walk the way of righteousness:
John 6:33 - For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
II Timothy 2:24-26 - And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (ESV)
Trust and believe:
Isaiah 53:7-8 - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? (ESV)
Isaiah 53:12 - Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (ESV)
Trust and obey:
II Timothy 3:12-17 - Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (ESV)
Trust And Obey - Big Daddy Weave - YouTube
Jesus is the Word. The world was made through Jesus:
John 1:9-11 - The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (ESV)
Jesus is the divinely appointed servant of God:
Isaiah 53:4-6 - Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (ESV)
Matthew 20:27-28 - and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (ESV)
He's the image of God:
Colossians 1:15 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (ESV)
Let It Be Christ - The Stations - YouTube
Jesus has life in Him, and the life is the Light of men - the true Light.
John 5:26 - For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
John 5:21 - For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
John 6:33 - For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
John 1:4 - In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. (ESV)
John 1:9 - The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (ESV)
1 John 2:8 - At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. (ESV)
John 1:6-7 - There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (ESV)
John 9:5 - As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (ESV)
John 12:36 - While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
We testify about the Light, so that through our testimony, others might believe.
Matthew 5:14 - You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (ESV)
Philippians 2:15 - that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (ESV)
Colossians 1:12 - giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (ESV)
James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (ESV)
I Thessalonians 5:5 - For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. (ESV)
To anyone who receives Jesus, even those who believe on His name, Jesus has given the right to become children of God, to be born of God.
John 1:11-13 - He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe (G4100 pisteuo) in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
I John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (ESV)
I John 2:10 - Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. (ESV)
Yes, I believe that Jesus can save a person who believes in His name. But He is the judge, and it is written in John's gospel that no person who remains disobedient to Jesus Christ will see life, and I believe that.
Revelation of John 3:8 - I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
I think Jesus calls us to pursue perfection through following Him, and we should definitely give it a go:
John 17:23 - I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
We aim for perfection / to be made complete / full restoration:
II Corinthians 13:11 - Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. (KJV)
II Corinthians 13:11-14 - Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. (NASB)
Paul presses on to try to live like Christ, and his rational is that Jesus made him (Paul) his own (i.e. Jesus loved him), and Paul loves Jesus back, so he wants to be obedient out of love for Jesus (I'm convinced that's the motivation). He wants to be with Jesus.
Philippians 3:9-12 - and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
John 8:31 - So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, (ESV)
John 15:8 - By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (ESV)
John 12:26 - If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (ESV)
Jesus' teaching is extremely important for Christians to abide in. Jesus' teaching comes from the same God, Jehovah:
John 7:16 - So Jesus answered them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 - I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (ESV)
II John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (ESV)
I Timothy 6:3 - If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, (ESV)
Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (ESV)
I'm pretty convinced that what Jesus means by the following is that by giving up worldly treasure in the pursuit of Jesus, heavenly treasure is acquired. I'd say it's likely that the heavenly treasure is simply helping those people. Selling what a person possesses and giving to the poor is actually serving Jesus, so doing that is already starting to obediently follow Jesus.
Matthew 19:21 - Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
Jesus' perfect example of patience in mercy towards Paul is to:
- reassure us that we can trust Jesus as we hope for the promise of eternal life to be received from Him,
- for us to see that trusting in Him, we are loved by God and led by His love, following Him in patient [endurance] out of a response of love for Him, trusting in Him, as we receive mercy from Him
I Timothy 1:16 - But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (ESV)
We are set free from sin to become slaves of God. The fruit of being a slave to God leads to sanctification and at its end, eternal life:
Romans 6:22-23 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:7 - For one who has died has been set free from sin. (ESV)
You are not your own:
I Corinthians 6:17-20 - But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (ESV)
We must keep ourselves in the love of God by obeying Jesus Christ's commandments, because we're awaiting to receive eternal life:
Jude 1:21 - keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (ESV)
Keeping Jesus Christ's commandments is a requirement to inherit eternal life:
John 15:10 - If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. (ESV)
Whoever truly believes Jesus trusts in and is obedient to Jesus. We must obey Jesus Christ, and that obedience means being a slave of righteousness, leading to sanctification, which leads to eternal life:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
I think believing in the Son is also obedience, but it is an act of obedience which is a gift to us.
Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (ESV)
John 6:68 - Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (ESV)
Romans 10:17 - So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (ESV)
John 4:14 - but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (ESV)
The word for 'believe' which is used in the New Testament is the verb for faith and actually means to 'trust':
The ancient Greek word for “believe” is pisteuó, which derives from “belief” or “pistis.” The word “/pistis/” stems from peíthō, to persuade or be persuaded.
The Greek word pisteuó carries connotations of deep trust and confidence. It means to believe, to entrust, to have confidence in something.
John Piper - "Faith is the baking our hope on the mercy of God."
John Piper - "Mercy means that our obedience doesn't have to be perfect, it has to be penitent."
God's Delight in Obedience - YouTube
Obedience to God is faith. Abraham went to live in the land of promise by obedience:
Genesis 12:1-8 - Now the LORD said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, To your offspring I will give this land. So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. (ESV)
Hebrews 11:9 says that Abraham went to live in the land of promise by faith:
Hebrews 11:9 - By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. (ESV)
We hear the gospel, and we receive salvation through faith. Reaching it is a journey of applied faith:
Hebrews 4:1-2 - Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. (ESV)
The rest goes to the one who takes Jesus' yoke and learns from Him. Obedience to Jesus will result in finding rest for your soul:
Matthew 11:28-29 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (ESV)
The rest goes to those who have believed. Believing in Jesus is obedience to the gospel:
Hebrews 4:3 - For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, As I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter my rest, although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
We work then find rest:
Revelation of John 14:13 - And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them! (ESV)
That rest looks like living for the will of God:
I Peter 4:1-2 - Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (ESV)
The demons have belief, but they don't have a response of love towards God:
James 2:19 - You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (ESV)
We must know that God loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We must believe:
I John 4:10 - In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
We must obey:
II John 1:5-6 - And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. (ESV)
We must obey Jesus and love one another:
I Corinthians 16:22 - If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! (ESV)
The knowledge comes from having obeyed God's voice. Love becomes perfected in us when we abide in God:
I John 4:15-17 - Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (ESV)
John 8:55 - But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. (ESV)
I agree whole heartedly with John Piper here:
Quote from John Piper:
I'm dealing with the issue of God's glory and our gladness. Can they really be one? And I'm doing that under the bigger banner of "How can I spread a passion for the supremacy of God?" because I think that phrase "passion for the supremacy of God" pulls together the two things:
- "passion" signifies "I'm joyful" and
- "supremacy of God" signifies "he's being magnified".
So my biggest longing in life is to be used by God to help people see him for who he really is in his magnificence, and then have emotions that are appropriate to that magnificence. Why do we watch the World Series? Why do we watch gymnastics when the Olympics rolls around? Why do we go to the Grand Canyon? Why do we go to the Alps? Why do we go to the ocean and look out over… Why do we want to get near bigness and beauty and magnificence and excellence? It's because that's what we were made for. We were not made for mirrors. So I want to be absolutely candid, the Christian Life Is War and I'm in the business of helping people know how to fight in the way that they're supposed to, namely for joy.
There's a text in 2 Corinthians 1:24:
II Corinthians 1:24 - Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. (ESV)
I was amazed when I saw that. Paul says "I'm a worker for your joy" as though Joy requires apostolic work, and if it does for him it does for me. And so yeah there are times in the ministerial life or the Christian Life when we're low. It seems like all the joy is gone we want to quit give up the ministry give up the faith, and at those moments we need to fight like heaven to hold on.
I Peter 1:17-19 - And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (ESV)
Hebrews 5:9 - And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Acts 5:32 - And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
Acts 4:12 - And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (ESV)
It's faith in Jesus' name that is powerful, and it's with faith in Jesus' name that we are saved.
We are granted repentance to life; being a slave to righteousness leading to sanctification and at its end, eternal life. We expect to receive salvation as we have faith in Jesus Christ:
Romans 3:21-25 - But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
AMEN!!
Something like this:
I Thessalonians 1:3 - remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Acts 3:2-9 - And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, Look at us. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk! And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
Acts 3:16 - And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Acts 4:7-10 - And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power or by what name did you do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
Acts 4:12 - And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Keep God's word:
John 17:6 - I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. (ESV)
Be convinced and keep having and doing faith in Jesus Christ. John uses the verb for faith:
John 20:31 - but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (ESV)
His Voice in Yours: How Christ Wins the World
Jeremiah 23:5-6 - Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our righteousness. (ESV)
By God's grace God has saved us and provided us with a means to be reconciled to Him through trusting faith in Him
God has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light:
I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
Saving faith does come (originate) from hearing through the word of Christ:
Romans 10:17 - So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (ESV)
I believe that saving faith must arrive and settle in the heart, and as the heart is made clean, a person's outside changes:
Matthew 23:26 - You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. (ESV)
There are some doctrines that are so essential that to deny them is to not be a Christian:
I John 4:2 - By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, (ESV)
Let's not focus on minimums, but maximums:
John Piper: How Much Error Can I Believe and Still Be Saved? - YouTube
I believe that trusting Jesus and obedience in the heart towards Jesus is required. Obedience to Jesus is love.
I Corinthians 13:13 - So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
John 13:20 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Mark 9:37 - Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.
A person may need to ask and seek to receive Jesus:
Luke 11:10 - For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (ESV)
Romans 8:13-25 - For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father! The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Christ died for us, so through His mercy alone, he purchased us.
Ephesians 1:13-14 - In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
Ephesians 2:4 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (ESV)
I John 4:10 - In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (ESV)
Those who have a heart of faith towards Him (and anyone who He wills) may receive forgiveness of sins through his name
An heart of faith looks like:
- Wanting to do God's will
- Obedience and repentance from sin: even if it just means wanting to turn from sin
- because God makes the new heart to enable the person to obey
- Wanting to follow Jesus
- Accepting Jesus Christ as one's Lord
- Accepting through faith the atonement for sin through Jesus Christ
- Turning away from sin
Return to obedience to God through obedience to Jesus. Turn from sin:
Joel 2:12-13 - Yet even now, declares the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. (ESV)
God provides the new heart, and God works through us:
Ezekiel 11:19-20 - And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (ESV)
So to be saved a person must have an obedient heart, prepared for the good works which are prepared for us to walk in:
Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not 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, that we should walk in them.
I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
The tax collector here has an obedient heart (yielding to Jesus), but the Pharisee in the story has a self-righteous heart:
Luke 18:9-14 - He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.his house justified, rather than the other._ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
It's those that believe in him (trust Him, receive Him, expect to receive Him, have an obedient heart towards Him) that receive forgiveness of sins through his name:
Acts 10:41-44 - not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. (ESV)
John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
We must honour Jesus Christ in our bodies and in our lives - fruitful labour, so that we can be confident with John 5:24. AMEN!! We must be slaves of righteousness, leading to sanctification, which at its end is eternal life:
John 5:21-24 - For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes (G4100 pisteuo) him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
I believe John 5:24 is a true statement and that it should not be read outside of the words Jesus said directly before it (Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him).
We do not nullify the rest of what Jesus has commanded of and asked of us. If Jesus is your judge, then I think it's wise to take on board the rest of what Jesus has said:
Philippians 1:15-22 - Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
Paul and the other faithful Apostles were exhibited as last of all, like men sentenced to death for following Jesus:
I Corinthians 4:9-13 - For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. (ESV)
God still makes apostles and prophetic people:
Ephesians 4:11-16 - And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Daniel 2:28 - but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: (ESV)
God is loving and altogether gracious:
Exodus 34:5-8 - The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation. And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
Ezra 9:13 - And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, (ESV)
Having faith in God involves following Jesus:
Hebrews 10:32-39 - But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
I agree whole heartedly with this guy:
I believe that generally-speaking, there is no difference between being a disciple of Jesus and a Christian.
There is a transformation in the heart of a born-again Christian that involves changing allegiance towards Jesus Christ, resulting in the will to obey Jesus, and God gives us the spirit to help us to obey Him.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 - And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (ESV)
I believe that a loving, trusting ( believing and obedient ) heart for Jesus Christ is essential for permanent abiding in Him
After believing in Him we must go ahead in the teaching of Christ:
II John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (ESV)
Jesus loved us before we loved Him:
I John 4:19 - We love because he first loved us. (ESV)
If someone obeys Jesus they should arrive at belief in Jesus and who He is and what He has accomplished; they should accept Him:
John 8:42 - Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
If a person believes on Jesus and what He has accomplished they should arrive at obedience, and if they want to be counted as a friend of Jesus, they certainly they must obey Jesus' commandments:
John 15:10-14 - If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I think faith in Jesus grows as both of these qualities increase.
- Whoever believes in Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, is not condemned.
- Otherwise, those who don't believe that fully and do not obey the gospel, I think fall into condemnation.
- Those who obey in part yet do not believe the gospel, I think fall into condemnation.
Nevertheless, if someone believes on Him they have begun to obey Him, and so I believe they are in the Lord while they trust in His name, Jesus Christ (Messiah) the Son of God, to be saved, as the following applies:
John 3:18 - Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV)
John 20:31 - but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (ESV)
That's confirmed here by saying that these people are not 'spiritual' but they are still in Christ:
I Corinthians 3:1 - But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. (ESV)
And as we know, no-one in Christ is condemned:
Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So if a person is believing (verb) in Him - I don't think they fall into condemnation, no matter how otherwise disobedient they are.
Actually, at some stage I think we have to just rest in the knowledge that it's all about what He did, as far as being saved goes, not what we've done for Him.
Hebrews 4:10 - for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. (ESV)
God is the justifier, and God is the one who decides who is in Christ.
I Corinthians 1:30 - But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, (NASB)
Love (obedience) and belief:
John 16:27-28 - for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.
John 15:16 - You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
It's possible to follow Jesus' voice even before having come to perfect knowledge and obedience, but Jesus knows His sheep. We must hear Jesus' voice, obey Him, become a slave to righteousness, following His commandments and at its end, Jesus gives us eternal life:
John 10:26-29 - but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (ESV)
Jesus' sheep:
- hear Jesus' voice
- follow Him (they're being obedient)
- Jesus knows them
John 8:47 - Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. (ESV)
I believe that what this says is that at the point Jesus knows you listen to His voice and obey His voice, He counts you as one of His sheep and He will not let you go.
The righteousness that comes through having faith in Jesus Christ - faith (not mere belief) is required to have the righteousness - to be found in Jesus:
Philippians 3:9 - and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— (ESV)
Faith is both believing and obedient, even faith in the heart:
| Verse Ref | Believe (Jesus is their Saviour) | Obey (Jesus is their Lord) |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 11:29 | learn from me | take my yoke upon you |
| John 12:36 | believe in the light, that you may become sons of light | |
| John 8:12 | I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness | |
| John 3:36 | Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life | whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life |
| Romans 10:9 | believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead | confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord |
| John 10:26-27 | but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock | My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. |
| I John 3:23 | this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ | and love one another, just as he has commanded us |
| I John 4:10 | he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins | |
| II John 1:6 | this is love, that we walk according to his commandments | |
| John 6:35 | whoever believes in me shall never thirst | whoever comes to me shall not hunger |
| John 4:10 | would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. | |
| John 4:34 | My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. | |
| John 20:31 | by believing you may have life in his name. | |
| Romans 6:22 | you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God | |
| John 5:24 | whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life | |
| Hebrews 5:9 | eternal salvation to all who obey him, |
The drink is to believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, who has come into the world:
John 4:10-56 - Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. Jesus said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. (ESV)
This belief is a free gift which has to be received in faith (you have to believe it):
John 7:37-38 - On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. (ESV)
God wants to bring people to the obedience of faith. We have to hear Jesus' word and believe God who sent Him - we have to believe what God has told Jesus to tell us:
John 5:24 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (ESV)
Therefore, I believe that believing Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, who has come into the world, is God's gift to us and it is a very easy to receive (low barrier to entry) act of obedience to Him:
Romans 16:26 - but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — (ESV)
Obedience should grow. A change should have taken place in the person's life:
John 14:12 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (ESV)
We must have believing, obedient faith in God regarding Jesus Christ His Son as Abraham had faith in God:
Romans 4:9-12 - Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
The righteousness of faith:
| Verse Ref | Believing God as Abraham believed God | Walking obediently in the footsteps of faith of our father Abraham |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis 15:6 | And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness | |
| Genesis 22:17-18 | because you have obeyed my voice | |
| Galatians 3:6 | Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness | |
| James 2:21-23 | Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness | he offered up his son Isaac on the altar |
| Genesis 26:4-5 | because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws |
Abraham had righteousness attributed to him when he believed God, while he had an obedient and faithful heart towards God:
Genesis 15:5-6 - And he brought him outside and said, Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. Then he said to him, So shall your offspring be. And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
The blessing was assured to him by God because of obedience (the obedient works of faith brought him assurance for God's blessing):
Genesis 22:17-18 - I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.
Therefore, we should believe with an obedient heart, and obey to receive God's assurance.
I believe that every one of Jesus' sheep have a believing, obedient heart, and Jesus knows who they are and no-one will be able to snatch them from Jesus' hand.
I personally believe that it's God's role to justify, not ours, and if we want personal assurance that we are saved, we must seek and follow Jesus, and arrive at the door.
Abraham was obedient the entire time, even when God counted Abraham's belief as righteousness. We should, likewise be obedient when we believe. Abraham was justified when He believed with an obedient heart but faith was completed by the works of faith and Abraham was given assurance of the blessing:
James 2:21-23 - Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness—and he was called a friend of God. (ESV)
I'm going out on a limb when I say that without an obedient heart the so-called belief doesn't qualify as belief:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
Eternal salvation goes to those who obey Jesus:
Hebrews 5:8-9 - Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (ESV)
God's commandment is to bring about the obedience of faith (having faith is in God and through Jesus Christ is being obedient to God):
Romans 16:26 - but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — (ESV)
So to be saved a person must have an obedient heart, prepared for the good works which are prepared for us to walk in:
Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not 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, that we should walk in them.
I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
Abraham believed and obeyed:
Genesis 26:4-5 - I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. (ESV)
One of the criminals crucified next to Jesus came to the obedience of faith and obeyed the gospel:
Luke 23:39-43 - One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And he said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. (ESV)
In this way we must have faith in God the Father of Jesus Christ, and believe and obey Jesus because God commanded it.
According to Paul, Abraham trusted God and that trust he had meant he didn't waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he have glory to God.
That's right, and Abraham's faith included:
- faithfulness
- giving glory to God
- obedience
- works of faith
What I mean to say is, the trust in God that Abraham had concerning the promise of God is exhibited plainly in Abraham's action, and was faithful, enduring, unwavering, over an amount of time.
Romans 4:20-25 - No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Therefore, when we trust wholeheartedly in God who has raised from the dead Jesus Christ (who is our Lord, meaning we obey Him), and because we believe, we then inevitably produce working faith.
Our faith is exhibited plainly in our action. Our own actions and way of expressing that faith paint a unique picture, with a faith towards God that may be expressed a little bit differently, in different works of faith, or simply keeping Jesus Christ's words and not denying His name - patient endurance.
Colossians 3:17 - And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
But it is all by God's grace that we are saved. A believing and obedient heart is a trusting heart - a heart of faith - and our obedience gives us confidence. All glory to God alone. We must obey Jesus to become like Jesus:
I John 4:17 - By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (ESV)
We should both believe and obey:
Deuteronomy 30:20 - loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (ESV)
Believe and obey (follow) Jesus:
John 10:24-28 - So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Exodus 33:17 - And the Lord said to Moses, This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.
John 10:16 - And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (ESV)
Jesus knows us and we know Jesus:
John 10:14 - I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, (ESV)
We must be keeping Jesus' commandments for us to be sure that we have come to know Him:
I John 2:3-4 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
Jesus commands us to take His yoke (obey Him) and learn from Him (believe Him):
Matthew 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (ESV)
Whoever believes Jesus obeys Jesus - His sheep hear his voice, trust and obey:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
God loves those who love Him and keep His commandments:
Nehemiah 1:5 - And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
If a person has an obedient and believing heart - a heart of faith - towards Jesus, then they will be saved:
- If a person truthfully confesses (admits) with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, they have an obedient heart.
- This must result in the person obeying Jesus; freely forgiving others, loving others as He loved us, keeping Jesus' commandments
- If they believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, they believe Jesus, and believe God who sent Him.
- This must result in the person accepting forgiveness for sin
Romans 10:9 - because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (ESV)
I believe that a person does not have any security of eternal salvation unless they have in their heart obedient, believing faith in Jesus Christ, and even then there is often a race and a journey to receive it.
The knowledge of the truth is for those who abide in Jesus' word and follow Him:
John 8:31-32 - So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
I believe that obedience is as intrinsic and necessary to faith as belief is.
The good news must be united by obedient faith (putting Jesus' words into action):
Hebrews 4:1-2 - Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. (ESV)
Philippians 2:12 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out (katergazomai) your own salvation with fear and trembling, (ESV)
I believe in 'once saved, always saved, while doing the will of God'. So someone must be a both a believer and a follower of Jesus.
I John 2:17 - And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
As we go ahead, we must abide in the teaching of Christ, or we won't have God:
II John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (ESV)
I think we are permanently saved when we are following Jesus.
We are saved from dying by Jesus giving us His Spirit and then, so long as we are His sheep, coming to Him (by following His commandments), we will live forever, in Him.
John 6:37 - All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (ESV)
I believe that anyone who is trusting in Jesus for His finished work is saved. Believing the gospel is obeying the gospel. I just think there's more to it in terms of abiding forever. Because we must bear fruit etc. and follow His commandments to come to know Him. I don't condemn anyone who is believing on Him for life through His name.
Doing the will of God is what it means to be led by the Spirit. So you have to do the will of God, being a servant of Christ under the law of Christ, to have the blessing of not being condemned by the law of Moses:
Psalms 143:10 - Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! (ESV)
Jesus Christ is the Lord referred to:
II Corinthians 3:15-18 - Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord (Κύριος, Kyrios, Lord, Master) is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)
Walk according to the will of God. Walk the way Jesus Christ has called us to walk. Led by the Spirit = following Jesus:
Galatians 5:16-18 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Jesus' disciples here were being led by Jesus:
Matthew 12:1-8 - At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath. (ESV)
Those who love Him, obey Him:
John 14:15-16 - If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, (ESV)
James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (ESV)
We love God and our brothers and sisters in Christ by following God's commandments:
I John 5:1-3 - Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (ESV)
The crown of life is gifted to those who are obedient, and have been tested:
Revelation 2:10 - Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. (ESV)
And I also think people have free will to sabotage their race.
Clearly 'believe' means also 'to be obedient' to because the ones that follow Jesus (which means obey His commandments) are the ones who are counted as believing (pisteuo):
John 10:26-38 - but you do not believe (G4100 pisteuo) because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.
Those enslaved by corruption are not sons:
II Peter 2:19 - They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
People fall away if they are not freed from sin. We're seeking to be freed from sin:
John 8:34-36 - Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (ESV)
We seek to be adopted as sons. To receive the Spirit of God's Son in our hearts is what I think it means to be set free by the Son:
Galatians 4:4-9 - But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? (ESV)
I guess that means we should become slaves of Christ! We should be overcome by Christ:
Romans 6:22-23- But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
Romans 6:16 - Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (ESV)
Christ's Spirit is a spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" It's not a spirit of slavery. So with a spirit of adoption we are slaves to God:
Romans 8:13-17 - For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father! The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV)
We must be in Christ Jesus as a new creation:
II Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
A new creation has faith working through love and keeps Jesus Christ's commandments:
Galatians 6:15 - For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (ESV)
Galatians 5:6 - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (ESV)
I Corinthians 7:19 - For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. (ESV)
A new creation lives for Christ:
II Corinthians 5:14-17 - For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Following Jesus Christ is not having a religious spirit, but it's serving God in reality.
Galatians 3:26 - for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. (ESV)
Free from Judgment, Fighting Sin, Full Assurance - YouTube
Jesus is asking of us to believe that He is the resurrection and the life; Coming to a belief which [in John's terminology] involves personally committing oneself to Jesus as Son of God, Saviour, Lord, Lamb of God and King:
Jesus has to know us:
Matthew 25:1-13 - Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us. But he answered, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
I believe that Jesus has a lot of grace for the weak and the powerless, the children and the humble:
Revelation of John 3:8 - I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
And it's about the heart:
Mark 12:41-44 - And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. (ESV)
Good work is rewarded. Lazy, disobedient belief is punished, and the worthless servant who was entrusted with some work but was unfaithful with his work (doesn't matter how much work it is) is cast away. Jesus isn't a hard taskmaster but wants our whole heart. Jesus must be our Master:
Matthew 25:14-30 - For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. But his master answered him, You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The righteous obey Jesus, and love our neighbour as He loved them; as He commanded:
Matthew 25:31-40 - When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.
The ones who do not obey Jesus go to eternal punishment:
Matthew 25:41-45 - Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.
The ones who are slaves to righteousness, following Jesus Christ, go to eternal life:
Matthew 25:46 - And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
We need all of these:
- Belief in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice
- Obedience to Jesus' commandments
- Obeying the law of Christ
- Putting a stop to sin
II Chronicles 7:14 - if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (ESV)
Repentance:
- Someone who has only belief in the gift of grace and no obedience to Jesus (which is effectively hating Jesus) must repent and come to have an obedient heart.
- Someone who has only obedience to Jesus' precepts but unbelieving and unsubmissive to the righteousness of God must repent and come to have a believing heart.
John 14:21 - Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. (ESV)
If people from either category do not repent, then beware because God has the ability and jurisdiction to cast that person out - graft them out of Christ. Also, let's not become proud, but stand in awe.
God draws the person to Jesus:
John 6:44-46 - No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. (ESV)
Jesus said He will not cast people out who have come to Him, and it's His sheep who come to Him, those who follow Him:
John 6:37 - All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (ESV)
Coming to Jesus is the requirement for not being cast out, and coming to Jesus Christ means obedience and following Jesus:
Luke 18:16-22 - But Jesus called them to him, saying, Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And a ruler asked him, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother. And he said, All these I have kept from my youth. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
We must be a servant of Jesus to not be cast out. We must have obedience:
John 12:26 - If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (ESV)
Coming to Jesus involves denying ourself and taking up our cross daily to follow Him:
Luke 9:23 - And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (ESV)
Christ Jesus judged Paul faithful - Paul was faithful, and Jesus Christ is Paul's Lord. Paul received mercy to become obedient. Paul received mercy because he was acting ignorantly - behaving in a way which came from disbelief. So then, Christ Jesus displays in Paul His perfect patience to those who would trust in Him for eternal life and be brought from ungodliness into godliness - disobedience into obedience.
I Timothy 1:12-16 - I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (ESV)
You must believe:
Romans 11:20-23 - That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.
You must obey:
John 15:1-6 - I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
We must put a stop to sin:
Ezekiel 18:20-21 - The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. (ESV)
Jeremiah 4:4 - Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds. (ESV)
So I believe that Jesus saves us by giving us of His Spirit and helping us to put sin to death, through obedient faith:
1 John 3:4-9 - Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (ESV)
Walking in obedient faith is walking in forgiveness and love towards other people, forgiveness and love that flows out from having been loved and having been forgiven.
The faith working through love towards God and other people flows out of believing in and accepting Jesus and His atoning sacrifice and from being freely forgiven by Jesus.
I think the person who has arrived at this point has repented from dead work and is now living for Jesus.
We must have a changed heart, which longs to serve the living God, to be a bondservant of Jesus. AMEN!!
God gives us the new heart when we seek to have that new heart.
To be saved we need to have an obedient heart to God.
Will to do God's will - will to be obedient, and God will give you the heart to obey Him.
When you trust Jesus, you will to do His will.
Living as a new Creation in Christ means God has given you the heart to desire to obey Jesus' commandments. We are under Christ's law.
It means, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to no longer practice lying, adultery, idolatry, and covetousness, and to no longer dishonour our parents, and to now honour Jesus Christ in our lives and bodies.
It's going from disobedience to God (as Adam was disobedient) to obedience to God (as Christ is obedient):
Romans 15:17-18 - In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,
I Corinthians 7:19 - For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. (ESV)
Faith works through love; we must be like Jesus - exercising sacrificial, merciful love. The term 'new creature' is used in Galatians 6 after saying we must 'put sin to death and do good', sowing to the spirit and not to the flesh. Sowing to the Spirit is obediently following Jesus:
Galatians 6:7-8 - Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (ESV)
Faith is obedient. Love is applied faith in Jesus:
Galatians 5:6 - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (ESV)
Galatians 6:15 - For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (ESV)
No changed life salvation? Refuting Free Grace and @jacksmack77 - YouTube
Grace is free, but a person must become obedient - God gives the heart to obey, but a person must desire to do God's will to receive it.
Revelation of John 22:3 - No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. (ESV)
We must live for the will of God:
I Peter 4:1-2 - Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (ESV)
If a person doesn't obey Jesus and His commandments then they probably are not saved because they either deny they have the spiritual circumcision which causes us to obey, or they do not have the heart to obey and receive salvation - so they are a goat, not a sheep.
John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
This person worked - served God - and this verse guarantees that the one who tried to work for God is still saved:
1 Corinthians 3:15 - If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (ESV)
John 15:4-8 - Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
We don't try to save our worldly life. We seek the Kingdom of God:
John 12:20-26 - Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (ESV)
AMEN!!
Obey God, obey Jesus:
Mark 10:17-21 - And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother. And he said to him, Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation (stress: power of God for salvation) to everyone who believes:
- salvation from sin, and
- eternal life in Christ Jesus.
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (ESV)
The power of God works in us to sanctify us! We must realise that, that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
We have believing, obedient faith in the powerful working of God:
Colossians 2:12 - having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (ESV)
God works his power mightily towards those who believe:
Ephesians 1:19 - and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might (ESV)
Our faith should rest in the power of God - we should know God's power experientially:
I Corinthians 2:5 - that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (ESV)
Paul toils, struggling with all God's energy that God works powerfully within him:
Colossians 1:29 - For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (ESV)
Paul could noticeably see the power working within him and the others:
Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, (ESV)
The true gospel comes in power:
I Thessalonians 1:5 - because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (ESV)
By the power of God, we share in suffering for the gospel:
II Timothy 1:8 - Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, (ESV)
The gospel allows us to become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the lusts of the world:
II Peter 1:3-4 - seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (NASB)
Some people will deny the power of the gospel:
II Timothy 3:1-7 - But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (ESV)
Jesus Christ bore the punishment for our iniquity to bring us peace with God:
Isaiah 53:5 - But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (ESV)
We must yield to Jesus. The Spirit we receive causes and helps us to obey. Our obedience is accredited to God working through us:
Ezekiel 11:19-20 - And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (ESV)
Jesus does work through us as we are believing in Him:
Philippians 2:13 - for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
Jesus makes it clear that the ones who believe do the same works He does:
John 14:12 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (ESV)
We have always obeyed, participating in the Spirit, having one mind, that of a servant - God works through us:
Philippians 2:1-13 - So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
John Fischer - Naphtali - 09 Live in the Power - YouTube
'Believing obedience' produces work.
We are saved through faith - it's not our own doing - it's not a result of works - the works are a gift:
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (ESV)
Whoever trusts in Jesus Christ shouldn't perish, but they should have eternal life. We've just got to have faith in Jesus:
John 3:16-21 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever (G3956 pas) believes (G4100 pisteuo) in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God. (ESV)
The gospel involves having believing and obedient heart. The entrypoint is believing in Jesus Christ to be saved - that itself is an act of obedience.
John 6:28-29 - Then they said to him, What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him whom he has sent. (ESV)
The obedience of heart:
- having of faith in Jesus and Jesus' name.
The obedience produces work:
- carrying out deeds done in God.
- coming to the light.
If belief and obedience can even be separated, I think being saved starts with belief or obedience and arrives at both belief and obedience. Belief and obedience are both fundamental qualities of faith.
Notice how just after John 3:16 it says, "whoever does what is true comes to the light."
Whoever has faith in and puts their trust in in Jesus Christ is not condemned and should not perish.
We have always obeyed - God works through us:
Philippians 2:12-13 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out (katergazomai) your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
We must honour Jesus Christ:
John 5:21-24 - For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes (G4100 pisteuo) him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
I believe John 5:24 is a true statement and that it should not be read outside of the words Jesus said directly before it (Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him).
We do not nullify the rest of what Jesus has commanded of and asked of us. If Jesus is your judge, then I think it's wise to take on board the rest of what Jesus has said:
Philippians 1:15-22 - Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
We're not justified through the works of the law but through faith, and faith involves obedience to Jesus Christ:
Galatians 2:15-16 - “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
It's by faith in Christ that we are justified, and faith involves obedience (at least of the heart).
John 3:36 - Whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
It's faith in the heart which we need; obedience to Jesus Christ and belief in Jesus Christ in the heart, and belief and obedience to God who has raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)
1 : 4100 pisteuo pist-yoo'-o
2
3 from 4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or
4 thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's
5 spiritual well-being to Christ):--believe(-r), commit (to trust), put
6 in trust with.
7 see GREEK for 4102
1 : 166 aionios ahee-o'-nee-os
2
3 from 165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as
4 well):--eternal, for ever, everlasting, world (began).
5 see GREEK for 165
1 : 2222 zoe dzo-ay'
2
3 from 2198; life (literally or figuratively):--life(-time). Compare
4 5590.
5 see GREEK for 2198
6 see GREEK for 5590
1 John 3:23 - And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. (ESV)
Matthew 22:37-39 - And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (ESV)
Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. Believing on His name is God's will for us, and loving one another is God's will for us as He has commanded. There is more that Jesus has commanded us, too.
The promise to Gentiles:
Galatians 3:8 - And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, In you shall all the nations be blessed. (ESV)
Genesis 12:3 - I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (ESV)
Because Abraham obeyed God's voice:
Genesis 22:18 - and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. (ESV)
Repentance from sin, repentance from disbelief, and coming to the light are absolutely part of the gospel!
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, (ESV)
John 8:34-35 - Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
The grace given to Paul allowed him to turn from his evil ways and pursue Jesus, working diligently for Jesus. Therefore, the grace given to Paul was not in vain, because Paul responded well to the grace:
I Corinthians 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (ESV)
Acts 2:47 - Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (ESV)
II Timothy 3:1-7 - But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (ESV)
Godliness (behaviour in accordance with the knowledge of the truth) has the power to change a person's life to go from being selfish to selfless.
We have knowledge of the truth through obedience to the gospel.
Faith is disqualified in people who disregard the teachings - they never arrive at the knowledge of the truth
II Timothy 3:8-12 - Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, (ESV)
Galatians 2:14 - But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews? (ESV)
II Timothy 3:13 - while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (ESV)
- To be Jesus' disciple, we must abide in Jesus' word / obey His commandments.
- Have love for one another.
- Love Jesus as He loved us.
- Carry our cross:
- bear one-another's burdens.
- renounce all that we have.
- Put following Jesus before all else.
- To come to know the truth, we must be Jesus' disciple.
- To be set free, we must know the truth.
John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)
John 8:31-36 - So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. They answered him, We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, You will become free? Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (ESV)
Luke 9:23-24 - And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (ESV)
Luke 14:26 - If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (ESV)
Luke 14:27 - Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (ESV)
If someone exhibits love toward others, learns and lives the expectations unearthed in Scripture, denies self in all situations, has as their first relational allegiance Jesus Christ, and will die for the cause of Christ, then they can rest assured, they are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
See:
Romans 6:22-23 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:7 - For one who has died has been set free from sin. (ESV)
Change your mind and He will change your heart
The High Cost of Following Christ | Billy Graham Classic Sermon - YouTube
Luke 14:27-33 - Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (ESV)
Do not love the world:
- do not love desires of the flesh, and
- do not love the desires of the eyes, and
- do not love pride in possessions
I John 2:15-17 - Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (ESV)
Romans 12:1 - I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (ESV)
II Corinthians 10:5 - We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (ESV)
Proverbs 16:32 - Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (ESV)
The free gift is to be set free from sin to be a salve of righteousness - that is received through faith, received by those who obey Jesus.
The faith that receives the free gift of salvation is obedient to Jesus.
So when the Spirit begins working in you, and you obey, you are receiving the salvation.
Is this considered being saved by works or being saved by faith?
This is considered being saved by faith and not by works.
We must now consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. We must now present ourselves as obedient slaves to righteousness - yes, practicing personal righteousness in accordance with Jesus Christ's commandments.
Romans 6 - What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
Therefore, to be in Christ Jesus our Lord, God puts us in and we then have a change of mindset, presenting ourselves as obedient slaves to Jesus Christ. Is that considered a bad thing to be a slave to righteousness? No, it's considered as being in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit in us is the gift which is in us:
II Timothy 1:6-7 - For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)
II Corinthians 1:21-22 - And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (ESV)
God poured out His Holy Spirit richly on us through Jesus Christ our Saviour. This would not be possible without having sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins and be raised for our justification. To be able to be justified is pure grace. To be able to have faith in Jesus is pure grace. But we must put our faith in Jesus Christ!
Titus 3:4-7 - But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (ESV)
So we should ask God to receive the Holy Spirit, and believe He will give the Holy Spirit to us:
Luke 11:13 - If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (ESV)
This says Father God gives the Holy Spirit to His children. Then we should seek to behave His children and ask Him.
I John 3:10 - By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (ESV)
Who receives the Holy Spirit? The ones who obey God!
Acts 5:32 - And we are witnesses to these things, and so is he Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. (ESV)
The Holy Spirit is received through faith:
Galatians 3:14 - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)
We receive the spirit by getting Jesus' words into us, believing them and obeying them. Feeding on them, we get Jesus' spirit and life into us:
John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (ESV)
So to receive the Holy Spirit:
- Have faith in Jesus,
- believe Jesus,
- obey Jesus,
- practice righteousness, and
- ask God for the Holy Spirit!
A religious spirit is:
- not being a servant
- neglects the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness
- an emphasis on outward appearances over inner transformation
- hypocrisy
- uses the law as a beating tool on other people
- they use the law superficially
- but are lawless in reality
- their relationship with God is really busted up - not being faithful to God
True religion:
- focuses on purifying the heart, and obeying God's commandments in truth, accountable to God
- as far as the law is concerned
- externally prioritises justice, mercy and faithfulness
- inwardly tries to maintain a holy heart, and a relationship with God
- serving Jesus
- avoids judging people with the law to cut people down, but encourages people to be accountable to God with it
- bear one another's burdens
We're under the law of Christ, and that shouldn't be a heavy burden:
Matthew 23:4 - They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. (ESV)
Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
I John 5:3 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
You must obey Jesus, and that is choosing light and choosing love:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
Matthew 23:11-33 - The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath. You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath. You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets. Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? (ESV)
Matthew 7:13 - Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Matthew 7:14 - For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Luke 13:24 - Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
The Way is Jesus Christ - believing in and becoming obedient to Jesus Christ.
It's being begotten as a servant of God, a disciple of Jesus, one of Jesus' sheep.
Believe:
I John 4:9 - In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
Obey:
I John 5:3 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Believe and obey:
I John 2:5 - but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him:
Jude 1:21 - keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Either of:
- Pursuing holiness without submitting to the righteousness of God
- This is denying Jesus and becoming guilty of sin by denying the atonement
- John 15:22-23 - If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also.
- Pursuing justification without becoming obedient to God
- This is being cast out and withering and being thrown into the fire
- John 15:5-6 - I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
A person needs to have obedient, believing faith in Jesus Christ to take the narrow gate.
These people did not obey Jesus, and produced bad fruit:
Matthew 7:13-16 - Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
These people did not believe, and their works were not done in faith:
Matthew 7:21-24 - Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
These people didn't endure in faith:
Matthew 7:13-14 - Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
These people just sat around watching Jesus but didn't obey Him:
Luke 13:24-26 - Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us, then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. But he will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!
Hebrews 3:18 - And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? (ESV)
Ezekiel 33:31 - And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. (ESV)
Jesus' sheep follow Jesus. Jesus knows them:
John 10:25-28 - Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. But you do not believe (G4100 pisteuo) because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow (G190 akoloutheo) Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. (NASB)
1 : 190 akoloutheo ak-ol-oo-theh'-o
2
3 from 1 (as a particle of union) and keleuthos (a road); properly, to
4 be in the same way with, i.e. to accompany (specially, as a
5 disciple):--follow, reach.
6 see GREEK for 1
People who do not serve the Lord Jesus, and do not obey Jesus, are deceivers. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with those who serve Him, and common grace even to the one who hasn't arrived [yet] at serving Jesus.
I Peter 5:14 - Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Romans 16:17-20 - I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
II Chronicles 7:14 - if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (ESV)
Let us continue following and obeying Jesus, and not turn back:
John 6:66 - After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
Luke 9:62 - Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. (ESV)
Judas betrayed Jesus after being chosen:
John 6:70-71 - Jesus answered them, Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil. He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.
Hebrews 6:4-8 - For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. (ESV)
John Piper - God's Delight in Obedience - YouTube
I Samuel 15:22-23 - And Samuel said, Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king. (ESV)
Matthew 7:13 - Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
I'm not the judge. But Jesus's words which He left us will be the judge.
II Peter 1:10 - Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. (ESV)
Hebrews 4:11 - Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (ESV)
I Corinthians 9:24-27 - Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (ESV)
Philippians 2:12-13 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
Asking Jesus to save me:
I can only say that salvation was a total gift for me, an unrighteous sinner. But I'm still working it out.
The narrow gate vitally requires submitting to God's righteousness. We need God's forgiveness and His justification that comes through faith
Romans 10:3 - For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. (ESV)
Like the following example of the tax collector, we must submit to God's righteousness:
Luke 18:9-14 - He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Jesus is the Lamb of God. We must accept God's forgiveness through faith in Jesus:
John 1:29 - The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
God's righteousness is received by faith - through obedience to the gospel:
- Romans 3:25 - whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV)
We must receive atonement for sin through faith.
The tax collector in the story above has an obedient and believing heart. The tax collector has faith. It's not our own righteousness which is sufficient, but Jesus Christ's righteousness imputed onto us when we are in Him. We must have faith in Jesus.
I accept that I need Jesus to have mercy on me. Because my own righteousness isn't good enough. I want to obey Jesus for the rest of my life, and live for Him, and I trust Him because I believe His gospel. I know that the Holy Spirit goes to those who obey Him.
Luke 18:15-17 - Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
And I'm still trusting and having faith in Jesus Christ even up until now. So while through obedience to Jesus we are saved, Jesus is still the source of that salvation:
Hebrews 5:9 - And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Acts 5:32 - And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
He is the Light, and He wants to give us the light of life but we have to allow Him to lead us:
John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (ESV)
We have to obey Jesus and take heed to all that He has said. Those who don't take heed to His words walk in darkness:
John 3:19 - And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.
Jesus is God's Son. Jesus is the Lamb of God.
We must receive the redemption that is in Christ Jesus through faith:
Romans 3:22-25 - the righteousness of God through faith (G4102 pistis) in Jesus Christ for all who believe (G4100 pisteuo). For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
All of these I believe belong under the umbrella of faith, not works:
- Taking communion is not 'dead works'. It's obedience.
- Getting baptised is not 'dead works'. It's obedience.
- Obeying Jesus Christ's commandments are not 'dead works'. It's obedience.
Faith presses on to walk the same way Jesus walked:
Philippians 3:9-12 - and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
God will be the judge of who has had faith in Jesus; who has obeyed Him and who has trusted in Him and who has made Him their Lord and who has accepted Him as their Saviour.
John 12:48 - The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
Hebrews 10:10-17 - And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds, then he adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.
Hebrews 10:26 - For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
We must love Jesus and follow Him. Jesus is the judge. Our obedience to Jesus matters. Because the righteousness of God is received through faith. We are implored to strive to follow Jesus to our best ability:
John 5:17-29 - But Jesus answered them, My Father is working until now, and I am working. This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (ESV)
II Thessalonians 1:4-8 - Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
I Peter 4:12-19 - Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
God will be the judge of who has had faith in Jesus, and who has obeyed Him. I wouldn't take obedience lightly
Luke 20:13-18 - Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him. But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours. And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, Surely not! But he looked directly at them and said, What then is this that is written: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.
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Jesus was extremely humble here. Likewise, we should be able to recognise that we need Him as our Lord looking over us
Also, Jesus didn't actually deny that He is good:
Luke 18:18-19 - And a ruler asked him, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
Isaiah 64:6 - We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (ESV)
Nevertheless, we should follow Jesus.
I John 3:21 - Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
Hebrews 3:14 - For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
I John 4:17 - By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
We must recognise that where our efforts to obey falls short, Jesus's blood covers us. But we must still have the heart to make Jesus our Lord and King, and be following Him
But we must be walking in the light, just as He is in the light.
I John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
So the blood of Jesus covers us while we are following Him.
John 8:16-18 - Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.
Luke 6:37 - , Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; (ESV)
Jesus is also extremely merciful to the woman who was brought before Jesus:
John 8:10-11 - Jesus stood up and said to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more. (ESV)
I John 1:1-3 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (ESV)
That is why we must believe in Him and obey His commandments:
I John 5:3-5 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (ESV)
John 8:21-24 - So he said to them again, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. So the Jews said, Will he kill himself, since he says, Where I am going, you cannot come? He said to them, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.
We must follow Jesus for eternal life:
John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
Jesus knows Father God, and Jesus keeps His word. Likewise, we must follow Jesus and keep His word. Jesus is obedient to Father God. We must be obedient to Jesus Christ:
John 8:55-58 - But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.
John 10:27-29 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Jesus is One with Almighty God and their will is in perfect alignment.
John 10:30 - I and the Father are one.
Father God keeps us in His name so that we may be one with Them:
John 17:10-11 - All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. (ESV)
By posing the question, Jesus doesn't deny that he is good:
Mark 10:18 - And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (ESV)
I believe there is only one good shepherd, and that is Jesus Christ, Immanuel (God with us, God incarnate, and not merely in the flesh, but the Word became flesh):
John 10:14-15 - I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (ESV)
John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV)
Jesus makes intercession for those who draw near to God through Him:
Hebrews 7:25 - Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Likewise, the Holy Spirit is Almighty God.
Isaiah 48:16-17 - Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there. And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. (ESV)
Matthew 3:16-17 - And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. (ESV)
This quite clearly shows that Jesus Christ is Almighty God:
Zechariah 12:10 - And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (ESV)
I affirm the Nicene creed wholeheartedly:
1 We believe in one God,
2 the Father almighty,
3 maker of heaven and earth,
4 of all things visible and invisible.
5
6 And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
7 the only-begotten Son of God,
8 begotten from the Father before all ages,
9 God from God,
10 Light from Light,
11 true God from true God,
12 begotten, not made;
13 of the same essence as the Father.
14 Through him all things were made.
15 For us and for our salvation
16 he came down from heaven;
17 he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
18 and was made human.
19 He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
20 he suffered and was buried.
21 The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
22 He ascended to heaven
23 and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
24 He will come again with glory
25 to judge the living and the dead.
26 His kingdom will never end.
27
28 And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
29 the Lord, the giver of life.
30 He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
31 and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
32 He spoke through the prophets.
33 We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
34 We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
35 We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
36 and to life in the world to come. Amen.
AMEN!!
"Agnus Dei" with Michael W Smith & the First Dallas Choir & Orchestra - YouTube
Hebrews 1:3 - He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Jesus proceeded forth from Father God, and returned to Father God:
John 16:28 - I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father. (ESV)
Jesus Christ is with us in Spirit:
Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (ESV)
Jesus' Spirit may be inside us!
Galatians 4:4-9 - But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? (ESV)
John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (ESV)
Jesus is sitting in power.
Hebrews 1:13 - And to which of the angels has he ever said, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?
I affirm the doctrine of the Trinity:
Thus, the Son is not one-third of the being of God; he is all of the being of God. The Father is not one-third of the being of God; he is all of the being of God. And likewise with the Holy Spirit. Thus, as Wayne Grudem writes, “When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone” (Ibid., 252).
There is only one God. If each Person of the Trinity is distinct and yet fully God, then should we conclude that there is more than one God? Obviously we cannot, for Scripture is clear that there is only one God: “There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other”.
Zechariah 12:10 - And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (ESV)
Isaiah 45:21-22 - Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. (ESV)
Isaiah 44:6-8 - Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any. (ESV)
Jesus was with Father God in the beginning:
Proverbs 8:22-32 - The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man. And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. (ESV)
John 1:1-2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (ESV)
Exodus 15:11 - Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (ESV)
Deuteronomy 4:35 - To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 32:39 - See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. (ESV)
I Samuel 2:2 - There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. (ESV)
I Kings 8:60 - that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. (ESV)
AMEN!!
Jehovah is God Almighty:
Exodus 6:3 - I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. (ESV)
I believe that Jesus Christ is Jehovah. Jesus is God the Son.
Romans 9:4-5 - They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (ESV)
John 8:18-19 - I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me. They said to him therefore, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also. (ESV)
I Corinthians 10:9 - We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, (ESV)
I John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (ESV)
I John 5:11 - And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (ESV)
To have the Spirit of Christ is to have the Spirit of God:
Romans 8:9-10 - You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (ESV)
God sends the Spirit of His Son into our heart, crying, "Abba! Father!" We experience this as our own cry. This is how we are given the assurance that we are the children of God:
Galatians 4:1-7 - I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (ESV)
Romans 8:13-17 - For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father! The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV)
The Spirit in Us Cries 'Abba Father': Galatians 4:1-7, Part 5 - YouTube
I really want to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit cry 'Abba Father', and acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
I John 4:1-3 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (ESV)
As of now (18 April '24), though, I have not actually heard that confession through the Spirit that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh - just being honest,
I still profess that Jesus Christ is the Only-Begotten Son of God who has proceeded from Father God, come from heaven to hearth in the flesh, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified and died for the sins of mankind and raised from the dead on the third day and has ascended to the Father and sits at His right hand.
But I am still seeking hearing that acknowledgement by continuing in Jesus' word, endeavoring to keep Jesus' commandments. I certainly have heard many false and deceptive voices, even blasphemy. So I mean, if the devil or evil spirits can speak lies to me then I just have total confidence that at the right time I'll hear from God. Therefore, I will continue to endeavour to keep Jesus' commandments:
John 14:21 - Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. (ESV)
So it's really important that I remain faithful to Jesus and do my best to not compromise or be swayed by people who deter me from keeping Jesus' commandments.
Jesus Christ is our God. Forever, He is Father God's revelation to us of Himself.
Revelation of John 7:9 - After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, (ESV)
Revelation of John 7:10-12 - and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen. (ESV)
Revelation of John 7:17 - For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (ESV)
Revelation of John 19:4 - And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, Amen. Hallelujah! (ESV)
Revelation of John 22:3 - No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. (ESV)
Luke 18:18-22 - And a ruler asked him, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother. And he said, All these I have kept from my youth. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
Proverbs 7:1-3 - My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Jesus' word:
John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
These Jews had believed but didn't abide in Jesus' words, and so prove to be Jesus' disciples:
John 8:31-32 - So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
They didn't believe they needed Jesus to set them free from sin:
John 8:33-36 - They answered him, We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, You will become free? Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
We need to believe Jesus is who He says He is:
John 8:24 - I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins. (ESV)
We need to keep Jesus' word until we are set free:
John 8:51 - Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. (ESV)
They couldn't accept that they needed to be saved:
John 8:37 - I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
Jesus speaks of what He has seen with His Father:
John 8:38 - I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.
We need to love Jesus because He came from God, to show us the Way as the Light of the world.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life:
John 8:39-42 - They answered him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing what your father did. They said to him, We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God. Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
John 8:43 - Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
We must obey His commandments to walk in the same way He walked so we get to know Him and are sanctified by faith in the truth, which leads to eternal life:
Hebrews 5:8-9 - Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (ESV)
Luke 9:35 - Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”
John 8:44-47 - You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.
John 8:48-49 - The Jews answered him, Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
John 5:21-24 - For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes (G4100 pisteuo) him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 8:50-51 - Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.
John 8:52-59 - The Jews said to him, Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be? Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, He is our God. But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Even those who have faith in Jesus Christ's name may have the right to be born of God and become children of God
The worldly people rejected Him. Neither did His own people receive Him.
John 1:1-13 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens (G5461 photizo) every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
1 : 5461 photizo fo-tid'-zo
2
3 from 5457; to shed rays, i.e. to shine or (transitively) to brighten
4 up (literally or figuratively):--enlighten, illuminate, (bring to,
5 give) light, make to see.
6 see GREEK for 5457
John 5:17 - But Jesus answered them, My Father is working until now, and I am working. (ESV)
I Corinthians 10:1-7 - I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
Revelation of John 3:8 - I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
AMEN!!
John 6:27 - Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. (ESV)
John 7:34-39 - You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come. (ESV) The Jews said to one another, Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, You will seek me and you will not find me, and, Where I am you cannot come? On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Certainly, people are judged on their faith in Jesus:
John 5:28-29 - Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Whoever honours Jesus by obeying Him, honours Father God. Whoever hears these words from Jesus and trusts Father God has eternal life and doesn't come into judgement; When we start trusting (believing and obeying) Jesus, we have passed from death into life.
And in obeying Jesus we are performing good works which are works done in faith towards God.
John 5:17-29 - But Jesus answered them, My Father is working until now, and I am working. This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (ESV)
Having faith (living in accordance with the truth, and in relationship with God) is asked of us - faith continues
What I mean by relationship is:
- being obedient to God,
- abiding in Jesus
- being accountable to God,
- waiting on God,
- trusting on God,
- being led by the Spirit of God,
- etc.
Led by the Spirit of God is doing God's will:
Psalms 143:10 - Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! (ESV)
II Corinthians 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)
II Corinthians 3:6 - who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (ESV)
From our perspective we are obedient as we are participating in the Spirit, but God works through us:
Philippians 2:1-13 - So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
We must obey! This obedience is being led by the Spirit.
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We must abide by his teaching
We must abide by Jesus Christ's teaching. Whoever does not abide in Jesus Christ's teaching does not have God.
II John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Matthew 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (ESV)
We must obey righteousness:
Romans 2:6-8 - He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (ESV)
It is a gift to be able to be obedient to Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in Him so that we may become obedient to Him:
Romans 6:22-23 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
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We must live sowing to the Spirit
Galatians 6:7-8 - Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (ESV)
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We must be servants of Christ
Also, from the heart:
Ephesians 6:5-6 - Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, (ESV)
Revelation of John 22:3 - No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. (ESV)
John 12:23-26 - And Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
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We must remain ultimately faithful to Jesus Christ, and never deny Him as our only Master and Lord
Jude 1:4 - For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (NASB)
Colossians 2:18-19 - Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
Revelation of John 2:10 - Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. (ESV)
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We must endeavour to live faithfully to our Jesus Christ
Acts 11:21-24 - And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. (ESV)
II Timothy 2:13 - if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself. (ESV)
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Christian faith looks like this
We worship God by the Spirit, following Jesus, not the flesh:
Philippians 3:2-3 - Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— (ESV)
Paul says that pursuing the righteousness that is by Mosaic law, is placing confidence in the flesh:
Philippians 3:4-7 - though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (ESV)
But to put confidence in the Spirit is to not to abandon obedience, but to seek instead to know Christ Jesus, our Lord, with obedient faith to Jesus:
Philippians 3:8-11 - Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)
The righteousness from God that depends on faith, faith in Christ:
- Know him and the power of His resurrection
- Share His sufferings
- Become like Him in His death
Jesus literally commanded us to behave in this way, so keep Jesus' commandments:
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
One example of a command from Jesus:
Matthew 5:42 - Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. (ESV)
Mark 12:30-31 - And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (ESV)
We are commanded to be innocent, and to bear witness of Jesus before men who persecute us:
Matthew 10:16-18 - Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. (ESV)
Philippians 2:15-16 - that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (ESV)
Matthew 10:39 - Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV)
Matthew 16:25 - For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV)
It's the same gospel:
Mark 8:35 - For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. (ESV)
Mark 10:19-30 - You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother. And he said to him, Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, Then who can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God. Peter began to say to him, See, we have left everything and followed you. Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (ESV)
Mark 13:9-10 - But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. (ESV)
Luke 9:23-26 - And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (ESV)
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We should clean ourselves with the aid of the Word and the Holy Spirit
We should clean ourselves up:
II Timothy 2:21 - Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
Through faith, the Holy Spirit cleanses us:
Acts 15:8-9 - And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
By obedience to the word of God:
Ephesians 5:25-27 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
By the Holy Spirit washing and renewing us:
Titus 3:4-6- But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
It's the will of God:
I Thessalonians 4:3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Our will must align to God's will:
Psalms 143:10 - Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! (ESV)
Jesus' words speak for themselves:
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (ESV)
Paul echos this - a willing mind (readiness to obey). They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by God's will to us:
II Corinthians 8:3-12 - For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. (ESV)
And doing the will of God is what it means to be led by the Spirit of God:
Psalms 143:10 - Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! (ESV)
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We must clean ourselves up with God's help
Daniel 12:9-10 - He said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.
Revelation of John 21:27 - But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation of John 22:14 - Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. (ESV)
Philippians 2:13 - for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
We must look upon Jesus and stop sexual immorality and stop idolatry. The stories mentioned here are examples for us to follow:
I Corinthians 10:1-7 - I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
We must take heed of this, because we don't want to fall:
I Corinthians 10:8-13- We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
II Peter 2:2-4 - And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
II Peter 2:19-20 - They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
Therefore, the way of truth involves following Jesus and putting a stop to sin.
I agree with Billy Graham:
Revelation of John 21:8 - But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (ESV)
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We should put the ignorant to silence through doing good
I Peter 2:15 - For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
Jesus says you must obey God to be part of His family:
Luke 8:21 - But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Jesus implies you must obey Him (Jesus) to be part of His family:
John 7:16 - So Jesus answered them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
I Peter 1:14-16 - As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
I know I can testify to this fiery trial being a real thing:
I Peter 1:17-19 - And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (ESV)
The sons of disobedience are the ones who are conformed to sexual immorality, impurity, or covetousness, etc.
Ephesians 5:5-7 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them;
Matthew 7:21-27 - Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (ESV)
Luke 6:46-49 - Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. (ESV)
You can't have an abundant life without knowing Jesus, so we must have faith in God and follow Jesus' commandments to get to know Him:
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
You must obey Jesus:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
We must obey God. We have faith in God who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification, and having faith in God is having faith in His Son which is believing in and obeying Jesus Christ:
Romans 4:23-25 - But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (ESV)
We must obey Jesus' commandments to know Jesus, just as Jesus obeyed Father God's commandments, and knows Father God:
John 8:55-58 - But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.
Jesus' sacrifice is the only atonement for our sin we need. It's comprehensive. It must be received through faith in Jesus Christ - and that is not mere belief but obedience:
Romans 3:25 - whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV)
We have been crucified with Christ and we died to sin, as Jesus cancelled our debt, so now we must cease to walk in sin, and not go back to the vomit:
Colossians 2:13-14 - And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
We should do what is valuable in stopping the indulgence of the flesh, and not what is invaluable from human precepts, but instead we should following Christ and His teachings, and His example of what love looks like:
Colossians 2:21-23 - Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Instead, let's follow Jesus Christ's teachings:
Colossians 3:1-4 - If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
If people including free-grace Christians do not repent from sin, they will still be repaid impartially, and on account of sinful things the wrath of God comes. We have to put to death sin:
Colossians 3:5-10 - Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Absolutely:
I Peter 4:17 - For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (ESV)
Matthew 5:21-22 - You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, You fool! will be liable to the hell of fire. (ESV)
Ephesians 5:5-7 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them;
John 3:36 - Whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
Colossians 3:23-25 - Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
We must serve our Lord:
Colossians 3:23-24 - Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Walk how Jesus taught us to walk, with faith in Him, and receive
I John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Be led by God's Spirit by doing God's will:
Psalms 143:10 - Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! (ESV)
We receive reconciliation through Jesus Christ who is our Lord:
Romans 5:11 - More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (ESV)
We are being made into people who walk in the light, not just intellectually but actually obeying God's commandment to love Him and to love one another:
Romans 5:19 - For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. (ESV)
Our loving obedience abounds more as we grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness which looks like stopping sin and being obedient to Jesus, letting Jesus' righteousness shine through us:
Philippians 1:9-11 - And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Follow Jesus through the new and living Way:
Hebrews 10:19-27 - Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
1 : 1941 epikaleomai ep-ee-kal-eh'-om-ahee
2
3 middle voice from 1909 and 2564; to entitle; by implication, to invoke
4 (for aid, worship, testimony, decision, etc.):--appeal (unto), call
5 (on, upon), surname.
6 see GREEK for 1909
7 see GREEK for 2564
Confessing that Jesus is Lord is becoming obedient to Him:
Romans 10:8-9 - But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”– that is, the word (G4487 rhema) of faith (G4102 pistis) which we are preaching, that if you confess (G3670 homologeo) with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe (G4100 pisteuo) in your heart (G2588 kardia) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (NASB)
It's faith in the heart which we need; obedience to Jesus Christ and belief in Jesus Christ in the heart, and belief and obedience to God who has raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (ESV)
Jesus has been perfectly obedient, so Jesus speaks what Father God speaks, and when someone seeks Jesus Christ, they see Father God, because Father God has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The Father is in the Son. The Word is God.
Also, through perfect obedience, Jesus has spoken Father God's commandment of eternal life, which is what He has said:
- "the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak._"
Whoever has faith in Jesus, has faith in God. Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father:
John 12:44-48 - And Jesus cried out and said, Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
Jesus' words bring eternal life. The commandment which Father God gave Jesus is eternal life and the commandment is the words that Jesus Christ has spoken, so we need to abide in Jesus Christ by letting His words abide in us, believing Him and obeying Him; doing what He said:
John 12:49-50- For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.
Jesus has the words of eternal life.
We need to obey Jesus Christ and walk and believe as God has commanded and spoken through Jesus:
John 14:6-11 - Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
We must believe Jesus, and have faith in Jesus Christ, obeying Jesus, and that is obeying God and having faith in God:
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (ESV)
Therefore, to arrive at the knowledge of the truth, you've got to have an obedient heart.
How can they call on Him whom they have not had faith in?
How will they have faith in Him whom they have not heard?
How will they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14-15- But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!
Confess:
1 : 3670 homologeo hom-ol-og-eh'-o
2
3 from a compound of the base of 3674 and 3056; to assent, i.e.
4 covenant, acknowledge:--con- (pro-)fess, confession is made, give
5 thanks, promise.
6 see GREEK for 3674
7 see GREEK for 3056
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Baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience through the [death and] resurrection of Jesus Christ's, taking part in it
I think baptism of water is an appeal to God and identifying oneself into Christ's death and resurrection but the sacrament maybe is not strictly required to be saved (as far as I understand).
To be baptised is an act of obedience.
I definitely believe that "believer's baptism" is the right way to perform baptism. Baptism does save.
Romans 6:3-4 - Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (ESV)
I Peter 3:18-21 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
I Corinthians 6:14 - And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. (ESV)
Obedience - A heart of obedience is the start of faith, and belief is the start of continued obedience
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (ESV)
God's commanded is for everyone to come to the obedience of having faith in Him through Jesus Christ
Romans 16:26 - but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — (ESV)
Isaiah 11:2 - And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Even after Jesus has come, the fear of the Lord is still important in getting God's attention. We still must obey God by obeying Jesus:
Psalms 34:11-22 - Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
We make it our aim to please him:
II Corinthians 5:9-12 - So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 2:5 - then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Proverbs 10:27 - The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.
Proverbs 14:27 - The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
Proverbs 15:33 - The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 19:23 - The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.
Luke 24:46-47 - and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance (G3341 metanoia) and forgiveness (G859 aphesis) of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Malachi 4:4-6 - Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. (ESV)
Matthew 11:12-14 - From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
Mark 9:11-13 - And they asked him, Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come? And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.
Matthew 11:21-21 - Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
Paul the Apostle met James, brother of Jesus:
Galatians 1:15-20- But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! )
Interestingly, James believes that a person is justified not by faith alone, but by works of faith:
James 2:21-24 - Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Fear-of-God:
Romans 4:5-8 - And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.
AMEN!! But this doesn't mean the other elements of working faith can't play a part.
We may rest from our labors when we die in the Lord:
Revelation of John 14:13 - And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them! (ESV)
Circumcision of the flesh does not matter:
Romans 4:9-12 - Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe (G4100 pisteuo) without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
We must share the faith of Abraham to receive the grace:
Romans 4:13-17 - For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, I have made you the father of many nations—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
In hope, Abraham believed against hope. He didn't weaken in faith, even when it seemed impossible. He trusted and believed God, and grew strong in his faith and gave glory to God. We should do the same.
We must believe on Him (God) who raised Jesus from the dead, with the faith that Abraham had - Abraham's faith was working, but it wasn't the works that justified Him, it was the faith.
If a person lives their life as a living sacrifice to honour and serve Jesus Christ, which is honouring and having faith in God, then all of that is analogous to Abraham's works of faith.
We must trust God in hope against hope, and not weaken in faith, and trust God's promise, and honour Jesus Christ with our lives - that is what I believe.
The most important thing is this faith - but God certainly uses our works of faith:
Our salvation comes from faith alone in God for the promise of forgiveness from sin and hope of eternal life with Christ Jesus for those who believe in God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
It's because of what Jesus Christ has done that we are justified, not because of anything we have done. We must trust in God to justify us we hold to our faith.
Romans 4:18-25 - In hope he believed (G4100 pisteuo) against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, So shall your offspring be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Therefore, do not put your hope on how little faith you can have for Jesus Christ to scrape through (because Jesus Christ is the judge), but instead live for Him sincerely, doing as He has instructed us.
To follow and obey Jesus Christ with the same type of faith that Abraham had - that is what we should be doing - that's saving faith, I think. Our justification is based on what Jesus Christ has done.
Now as we live by faith, we are justified by this faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ who we are believing, following, obeying and honouring.
And we only have access to the grace if we have faith:
Romans 5:1-2 - Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Faith involves obeying Jesus Christ:
I John 2:3 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
I John 5:3-4 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Acts 5:32 - And we are witnesses to these things, and so is he Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. (ESV)
Galatians 3:14 - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)
Jesus says you must obey God to be part of His family:
Luke 8:21 - But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Jesus implies you must obey Him (Jesus) to be part of His family:
John 7:16 - So Jesus answered them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
So obeying Jesus Christ is having faith in God:
Romans 4:23-25 - But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (ESV)
I Peter 1:14-16 - As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
Repentance from sin, obeying Jesus Christ, making Jesus your Lord and Saviour:
Luke 19:1-10 - He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today. So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (ESV)
Hebrews 6:20 - where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (ESV)
Matthew 5:20 - For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (ESV)
Matthew 7:21-27 - Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (ESV)
Luke 6:46-49 - Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. (ESV)
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
You must obey Jesus:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
We must obey God. We have faith in God who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification, and having faith in God is having faith in His Son which is believing in and obeying Jesus Christ:
Romans 4:23-25 - But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (ESV)
pisteuo is the faith verb.
So the promise is for all who put their faith in God by obeying Jesus Christ with the faith of Abraham to a greater or lesser degree.
The sons of disobedience are the ones who are conformed to sexual immorality, impurity, or covetousness, etc.
Ephesians 5:5-7 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them;
If we are led by the spirit then we are not under the Mosaic law. So we should stop sinning as it is described by such works of the flesh as listed:
Galatians 5:18 - But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The law (Mosaic law) is laid down for those who are lawless and disobedient!:
I Timothy 1:9 - understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, (ESV)
Sin is lawlessness:
I John 3:4 - Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (ESV)
We are under Christ's law, not the Mosaic law:
I Corinthians 9:21 - To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
In His flesh the emnity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances is abolished:
Ephesians 2:14-16 - For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. (NASB)
Instead of being under the law, we seek to live for Christ, and follow Christ's teaching:
Galatians 6:12 - It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. (ESV)
Within Christ there is peace:
Galatians 5:13 - For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (ESV)
We follow Jesus and obey His commandments:
Galatians 5:14 - For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (ESV)
Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (ESV)
We must feed on His flesh to abide in Him:
John 6:53 - So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. (ESV)
John 6:55-56 - For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. (ESV)
Jesus' flesh is the way into the holy places:
Hebrews 10:19-20 - Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, (ESV)
Jesus suffered in the flesh, and we should too, and stop sinning:
I Peter 4:1 - Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (ESV)
Colossians 1:24 - Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, (ESV)
We're justified by our faith in Christ. We simply follow Jesus:
Galatians 5:4 - You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (ESV)
There are lawless spirits (spirits which work things like idolatry, and falsehood; anything which is against the truth):
II Thessalonians 2:7-13 - For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. (ESV)
Lawlessness includes idolatry:
I Peter 4:3 - The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. (ESV)
If idolatry is lawlessness then so is falsely witnessing, so is sexual immorality, adultery, murder/hate, etc. And the Apostles in the New Testament and Jesus, and the Bible generally testifies that we must stop being lawless!
Lawlessness includes hate/murder:
Matthew 24:10-13 - And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (ESV)
We are commanded by Paul the Apostle to present our members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification - that's called repentance from sin, folks!:
Romans 6:19 - I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. (ESV)
We were purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ and we are supposed to be changed and purified to no longer being lawless!
Titus 2:14 - who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (ESV)
We must not allow ourselves to be conformed to or carried away by the error of lawless people. The error is their lawlessness:
II Peter 3:17 - You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. (ESV)
We must follow Jesus, and obey Jesus and stop sinning!
Matthew 7:21-24 - Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (ESV)
Part of the will of Father God is that we repent from sin:
I Thessalonians 4:3-7 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. (ESV)
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- Rejecting Jesus
- John 15:22-23 - If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also.
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- Disobeying God - absolutely 100%
- Romans 5:19 - For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
- Breaking God's law? Sure.
- Breaking the Mosaic Law is sin for Jews and disobedient people.
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- An evil heart or mind which is hostile to God
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- Evil deeds. Absolutely How is that defined though?
- I would say it's breaking the Great Commandments
- To not love God with all one's heart, mind, soul and strength, and to not love their neighbour.
Job 10:14 - If I sin, you watch me and do not acquit me of my iniquity. (ESV)
Job 14:16-17 - For then you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin; my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity. (ESV)
Psalms 38:18 - I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. (ESV)
Psalms 51:2 - Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! (ESV)
Jeremiah 17:10 - I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. (ESV)
Proverbs 5:21 - For a man's ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. (ESV)
Job 10:4-8 - Have you eyes of flesh? Do you see as man sees? Are your days as the days of man, or your years as a man's years, that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin, although you know that I am not guilty, and there is none to deliver out of your hand? Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. (ESV)
Sinners:
- the lawless and disobedient,
- the ungodly,
- and sinners,
- the unholy and profane
I Timothy 1:9 - understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, (ESV)
Matthew 5:21 - You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. (ESV)
- doing and devising and being evil
- disobedience to God
- divination
- iniquity
- idolatry
- profaning what is holy
- lies
- adultery
- murder
- strengthening the hands of evildoers - supporting evildoers
- self-pride, and prideful sin
- evil thoughts, inventing evil
- sexual immorality
- theft
- false-witness
- slander, gossip
- works of iniquity
- thoughts of iniquity
- in the heart, breaking God's 10 commandments
- envy, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
James 2:11 - For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. (ESV)
Romans 13:9 - The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (ESV)
John 8:44 - You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (ESV)
Matthew 15:19 - For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (ESV)
Romans 1:26-32 - For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (ESV)
I John 3:15 - Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (ESV)
I John 3:12 - We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. (ESV)
Revelation of John 22:15 - Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (ESV)
Revelation of John 9:21 - nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (ESV)
Isaiah 30:9-13 - For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, Do not see, and to the prophets, Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel. Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant; (ESV)
1 Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king. (ESV)
Jeremiah 14:7 - Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you. (ESV)
Jeremiah 14:10 - Thus says the LORD concerning this people: They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. (ESV)
Jeremiah 14:14 - And the LORD said to me: The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. (ESV)
Isaiah 32:6 - For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink. (ESV)
Psalms 36:2 - For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. (ESV)
Psalms 10:10-11 - The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. He says in his heart, God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it. (ESV)
Isaiah 13:11 - I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. (ESV)
Ezekiel 13:22 - Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his evil way to save his life, (ESV)
Isaiah 31:2 - And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. (ESV)
Isaiah 59:4-8 - No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch adders' eggs; they weave the spider's web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. (ESV)
Jeremiah 23:14 - But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah. (ESV)
II Samuel 7:14-15 - I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. (ESV)
Psalms 53:1 - The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. (ESV)
Leviticus 19:8 - and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from his people. (ESV)
I Samuel 3:13 - And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. (ESV)
I John 3:4 - Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (ESV)
Isaiah 53:6 - All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 9:7 - Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. (ESV)
Joshua 1:18 - Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 13:5 - But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. (ESV)
I Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king. (ESV)
Isaiah 59:7 - Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. (ESV)
Colossians 1:21 - And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 4:3 - But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. (ESV)
Jeremiah 21:12 - O house of David! Thus says the LORD: Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds. (ESV)
Colossians 1:19-23 - For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (ESV)
Isaiah 57:17 - Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. (ESV)
Isaiah 59:4 - No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. (ESV)
Jeremiah 16:18 - But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations. (ESV)
I Corinthians 10:7 - Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. (ESV)
I Corinthians 10:8-9 - We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, (ESV)
Revelation of John 21:8 - But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. (ESV)
John 7:7 - The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. (ESV)
John 15:18-19 - If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
I John 3:13 - Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
Paul and the other faithful Apostles were exhibited as last of all, like men sentenced to death for following Jesus:
I Corinthians 4:6-16 - I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. (ESV)
Now God commands all people everywhere to repent:
Acts 17:30-31 - The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. (ESV)
Acts 14:15-17 - Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. (ESV)
God's common grace extends to even the evil:
Matthew 5:44-45 - But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (ESV)
Mercies {New Every Morning} {Live from Trafalgar Square} - Matt Redman - YouTube
We are meant to exercise common grace to other people.
Luke 6:35-36 - But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (ESV)
When we pray, we should desire to do God's will, as Jesus has prayed for us to remain here to do His will:
Matthew 6:9-12 - Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (ESV)
Jesus has us remaining here to be sanctified in the Truth:
John 17:15-17 - I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Jesus wants us to do God's will, and love Him and be obedient to Him:
John 8:41-44 - You are doing what your father did. They said to him, We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God. Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
God has common grace for evildoers, and for the unjust, and Jesus wants us to help work that common grace into the lives of other people:
Matthew 5:44-45 - But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (ESV)
See, our actions reflect who our Father is:
Luke 6:35-36 - But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (ESV)
Christianity is God saves us & we respond to obey, not the other way - YouTube
Jesus is God revealed in the flesh.
I think, that means that if a person loves (is obedient to) and has faith in Him, they are most likely saved.
Galatians 3:11 - Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for The righteous shall live by faith. (ESV)
Habakkuk 2:4 - Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. (ESV)
II Corinthians 5:7 - for we walk by faith, not by sight. (ESV)
Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (ESV)
Being firm in our faith, we can resist:
I Peter 5:8-9 - Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (ESV)
Ephesians 2:18 - For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. (ESV)
Ephesians 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: (ESV)
Romans 8:1-2 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (ESV)
Colossians 1:14 - in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (ESV)
Colossians 2:10 - and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (ESV)
II Corinthians 1:21 - And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, (ESV)
Colossians 3:3 - For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (ESV)
I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
Hebrews 10:38 - but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. (ESV)
Romans 1:17 - For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith. (ESV)
I Corinthians 6:11 - And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (ESV)
We are justified by faith in God who delivered up for our trespasses and raised Jesus Christ from the dead for our justification
Galatians 5:4 - You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (ESV)
Galatians 2:16 - yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (ESV)
Galatians 3:24 - So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. (ESV)
We have to have faith which is characteristic of Abraham's faith, but with regards to following the Lord Jesus.
Our justification comes from having trusting faith in God our Father, who has raised from the dead Jesus Christ our Lord (our brother who we obey); the Jesus Christ who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised from the dead for our justification.
Obeying God is obeying Jesus. Having faith in God is having faith in Jesus.
He was raised for our justification; now in order to be justified by faith, we simply need to put our faith in Him and follow Him.
We have to die to our old self and live for Christ, simply abiding in Him.
II Corinthians 5:14-15 - For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
If we walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised, but having faith in God by obeying Jesus Christ who was raised for our justification then we have Jesus Christ's righteousness; we have the righteeousness of faith in God.
Romans 4:22-23 - That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, (ESV)
And the promise will be ours also, because Jesus is our Lord, and we belong to Him.
Romans 4:24-25 - but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (ESV)
Romans 4:9-12 - Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
So what Jesus is saying is quite similar - we must have the faith that Abraham had when he put Isaac on the Altar, but in regards to following Jesus. We must give up our old life to live for Christ:
Luke 9:23-24 - And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (ESV)
Matthew 12:37 - for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (ESV)
Titus 3:7 - so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (ESV)
We have peace with God:
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
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Justified by obedience (working faith)
James 2:25 - And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? (ESV)
The same Apostle Paul wrote these:
Romans 5:1-2 - Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:6-9 - For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:9 - Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (ESV)
The way that Jesus went is the way that we go. The new and living way is the Jesus way:
- self denial
- Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (ESV)
- obedience
- sacrifice
- death
We are sanctified by the Father in the way that Jesus was made perfect. We are made perfect the same way He was made perfect, by the sufferings that come through obedience to God's will.
Hebrews 2:10-11 - For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, (ESV)
Matthew 26:39-42 - And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. (ESV)
Thee same way Jesus went is the Way, the new and living way, the Jesus way:
Hebrews 5:8-9 - Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (ESV)
Receiving this is a mixture of belief and obedience towards Jesus. Faith is a mixture of belief and obedience.
I Peter 2:21 - For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (ESV)
Obedience to God is an act of faith: (Hebrews 11). On the flip side, disobedience flows from unbelief/faithlessness:
I Timothy 1:13 - though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, (ESV)
Acting in accordance with faithlessness is sinful behaviour:
1Ti 1:13 - even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted (G4160 poieo) ignorantly (G50 agnoeo) in unbelief (G570 apaistia, faithlessness, disobedience);
1 : 570 apaistia ap-is-tee'-ah
2
3 from 571; faithlessness, i.e. (negatively) disbelief (lack of
4 Christian faith), or (positively) unfaithfulness
5 (disobedience):--unbelief.
6 see GREEK for 571
- bibletools.org - apaistia: faithlessness
The wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience:
Ephesians 5:5-7 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them;
That means that justifying faith involves obeying Jesus:
Romans 5:8-11 - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
The free gift of justification is received through faith.
And I believe we need an obedient heart towards Jesus to receive.
It's not about obedience to the law but about obeying Jesus / loving Jesus / trusting Jesus.
The justifying work is finished - Jesus finished it, now we follow Him through the same way he went, by obeying Him.
Now we need faith to receive it and I believe that faith necessitates love for Jesus, which includes obedience to Jesus, and it's the heart that matters most, because all the work may be burned up but we are still saved, because it's not the work that saves, it's faith, but I believe that faith necessitates love/obedience to Jesus, as one of His sheep.
Romans 3:21-25 - But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV)
We had faith in him. We had a faithful, obedient heart, and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit:
Ephesians 1:13-14 - In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
I Corinthians 12:13 - For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (ESV)
Paul 'hears of their faith' (their working faith; faith works; otherwise, what is to hear about) and their love toward the saints. (ESV)
Faith in the Lord Jesus means obedience:
Ephesians 1:15-16 - For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, (ESV)
Knowledge of Him results in the heart being enlightened:
Ephesians 1:17-20 - that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, (ESV)
Names have power. Jesus' name is above every other name:
Ephesians 1:21 - far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (ESV)
Acts 4:12 - And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (ESV)
Philippians 2:9 - Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, (ESV)
We must live under law of God:
Proverbs 28:9 - If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. (ESV)
Christians are under the law of Christ, which is within the law of God:
I Corinthians 9:21 - To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
Christians are not under the Mosaic law because we are under Christ's law, but we don't despise the Torah, nor annul it, nor teach others to annul it
I enjoyed this video, but I still am of the opinion that following the full Mosaic law is not necessary, (but not prohibited, so long as it is pursued by faith and submits to God's righteousness):
Public Debate - Should Christians Keep The Law? - YouTube
Relying on the 'works of the law' for one's righteousness puts a person under a curse:
Galatians 3:10 - For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.
The whole world is accountable to God over the law of God:
Romans 3:19-20 - Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (ESV)
The law is still used in judgement, but the one who has faith in Jesus is not condemned.
The law is good and just and Jesus both obeyed it flawlessly, but He also fulfilled it like a prophesy.
The Didache's estimated range of dating is 50-120 A.D, according to earlychristianwritings.com.
What I like about the Didache is that it upholds righteous living and following God's Great commandments and precepts.
Didache: The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations
I think it's important to live righteously out of love for God and one's neighbour, and out of faith.
That being said, I think God does justify through faith, and I believe faith works. And working may indeed be called faith if the work is done in faith. I also think God likely saves through works because it may be their way of demonstrating faith to Jesus.
Through faith we are justified, but we should absolutely stop sinning
We are sanctified by the Spirit and faith in the truth (taking God's words as True and using them to combat lies):
II Thessalonians 2:13 - But we should always give thanks (G2168 eucharisteo) to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning (G746 arche) for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith (G4102 pistis) in the truth (G225 aletheia). (NASB)
- And the Spirit is the Truth
- And God's Word is Truth
- God's Words are Truth
- Jesus is the Truth
- We must have faith in the truth (i.e. believe and trust in the truth)
Deuteronomy 13:4 - You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.
Think of Jesus here:
- keep His commandments
- obey His voice
- serve Him
- hold fast to Him
Christians must do this.
It's Jesus' words are forever true:
Matthew 24:35 - Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (ESV)
We will be judged by Jesus' own words which God gave Him, unless we accept Him, and accept His words:
John 12:48 - The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
I believe the following indicates the law exists pretty much forever - there probably isn't an expiry date:
Luke 16:17 - But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
Psalms 119:160 - The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (ESV)
John 17:17-19 - Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. (ESV)
Those who are in the faith can't do anything against the truth.
I think the Apostle here understands that we must test ourselves to see if we are in the faith, and encourage others to test themselves. But interestingly, he says, "not that we may appear to have met the test", and "though we may seem to have failed", as if it may appear and seem as though others have failed, but that we should test ourselves.
Though there may seem to be apparent paradoxes, and apparent contradictions in the Scripture, I think they either resolve or we rest in God, not relying on our own understanding. But I confidently affirm God is True, though I don't understand everything, and I affirm that my spiritual eyesight is getting cleaned up by the Spirit, through faith, and by the washing of the word, and I have confidence that Jesus Christ is in me:
II Corinthians 13:5-8 - Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
Because truth is truth, it is imperishable:
I Peter 1:23-25 - since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you. (ESV)
I Corinthians 15:51-58 - Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (ESV)
Stop sinning by faith in the truth - by faith in Jesus, and trusting obedience in God's words:
1 Thessalonians 4:3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; (ESV)
Mark 10:19 - You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother. (ESV)
1 John 3:4-9 - Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (ESV)
Jesus' words will not pass away:
Matthew 24:35 - Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (ESV)
John 6:68 - Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (ESV)
I Peter 1:23 - since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
I Peter 1:25 - but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Ephesians 1:13,14 - In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
Adhering strictly to the Mosaic law is not needed to be justified by God if we believe in and follow Jesus:
Galatians 3:15-18 - To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, And to offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one, And to your offspring, who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
The Mosaic law is not really in the same category as the 10 commandments, I believe. The 10 commandments if obeyed in truth from the heart would result in a clean heart, I think. So it serves to describe what a pure heart looks like, and the laws we should always try to keep whether Gentile or Jew.
We obey the Truth. We obey Jesus Christ. We obey God. We believe and trust God, even for His finished work on the cross:
I Peter 1:22 - Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
Matthew 5:28 - But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Revelation of John 2:23 - and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.
II Peter 2:14 - They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!
II Corinthians 5:11-12 - Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.
We are given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cleanses our hearts by faith. As we obey Jesus, going against the resistance, our hearts are being cleansed:
Acts 15:8-9 - And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
If we have faith in Jesus then we obey Jesus' commandments when presented with opportunities. We walk by faith, not sight. When other people discourage you from following Jesus' commandments, but you choose to obey Jesus anyway, this is overcoming the enemy by faith:
II Corinthians 5:7 - for we walk by faith, not by sight. (ESV)
Do what Jesus says and receive eternal life - obey Jesus:
Romans 6:13-23 - Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed*, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Being a slave to righteousness is possible without adhering to the Mosaic law, by being led by Jesus' Spirit
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. (ESV)
God through Jesus is the source of our personal righteousness, and He is our righteousness:
Philippians 1:9-11 - And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
We are set free from sin and become slaves of God (so we obey God!!) and the obedience leads to sanctification, and leads to righteousness:
Romans 6:16 - Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (ESV)
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If a person is led by the Spirit then the Lord Jesus is in control of their life, which means that person obeys Jesus' commandments:
Faith is the action word. We must be followers of Jesus Christ, not putting ourselves back under the law.
Faith receives and continues to receive the supply of the Spirit and we are led by the Spirit:
Galatians 3:1-5 - O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— (ESV)
The Law Refutes Justification by Law: Galatians 3:6a??9, Part 1 - YouTube
Faith receives and continues to receive the supply of the Spirit. So a person needs to be having faith in Jesus to be led by the Spirit.
Sanctification is personal righteousness that is fruit that comes from being in Jesus Christ, Him being our righteousness - we're grafted into Jesus like branches on a tree and become healthier. We must and should stop sinning.
We are saved from our sins, and from our evil practices.
Jeremiah 7:9-10 - Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered!—only to go on doing all these abominations? (ESV)
We are made a new man in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 12:33 - Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. (ESV)
John 10:27 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (ESV)
- Holiness Demanded - Charles Spurgeon Sermon - YouTube
- Eternal Security - Charles Spurgeon Sermon - YouTube
We must simultaneously make the tree good (abide in Jesus) and make the fruit good (be sanctified and glorify God and Jesus in our hearts, minds, bodies and actions).
Matthew 12:33-37 - Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (ESV)
As we make the tree good, we make the fruit good!
I still think the 10 commandments are special, and following them in truth is repenting from sin.
Mark 10:19 - You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother. (ESV)
Acts 15:28-29 - For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.
Luke 18:8 - I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?
Will anyone be believing and obeying Jesus?
God's law is still used in judgement, but the one who has faith in Jesus is not condemned because they abide in Jesus, are Jesus' sheep, and are led by the Spirit, obeying and following Jesus' voice:
- Whoever is actively believing/trusting/obeying Jesus is not judged.
- Whoever is disbelieving/distrusting/disobeying Jesus is judged even now.
John 3:18 - He who believes (G4100 pisteuo) in Him is not judged; he who does not believe (G4100 pisteuo) has been judged (G2919 krino) already (G2235 ede), because he has not believed (G4100 pisteuo) in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (NASB)
If people including free-grace Christians do not repent from sin, they will still receive the wrath of God:
Colossians 3:5-10 - Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
1 : 2919 krino kree'-no
2
3 properly, to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by
4 implication, to try, condemn, punish:--avenge, conclude, condemn,
5 damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law,
6 ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.
1 : 2235 ede ay'-day
2
3 apparently from 2228 (or possibly 2229) and 1211; even now:--already,
4 (even) now (already), by this time.
5 see GREEK for 2228
6 see GREEK for 2229
7 see GREEK for 1211
John 3:19 - This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (ESV)
Matthew 12:36-37 - I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
When one speaks evil against a brother, they become a judge of the law.
James 4:11 - Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (ESV)
Eternal judgement:
Hebrews 6:2 - and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
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I believe I was saved and born-again by seeking Jesus and calling on the name of the Lord
Acts 2:17-21 - And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
I prayed a sinners prayer in my own room, and I had begun trying to repent from sin, but I was still stuck in it and I needed help.
And when we are born-again and given a new heart we should continue in obedience.
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We should not rebel against the law - but we should obey the truth in truth
Matthew 23:2-7 - The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. (ESV)
We should not live a double-life. We should not deny in our private life what we preach in public.
I'm not a perfect person. I'm writing this document as I am learning, and interpreting as I go. And I am trying to clean myself up in my own private life.
Luke writes that Peter says the Holy Spirit goes to those who obey Jesus. If the book of Acts is finished after Paul went to Galatia, then it is in knowledge of the letter to the Galatians, where Paul says the promised Spirit is received through faith.
Acts 5:32 - And we are witnesses to these things, and so is he Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. (ESV)
Galatians 3:14 - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)
Or since Paul's journey to Galatia happened after Peter said the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Jesus, and Paul writes that the promised Spirit is received through faith, even in these two passages, it's doubly confirmed that faith necessitates obedience.
Acts 16:6 - And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Jesus says you must obey God to be part of His family:
Luke 8:21 - But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Jesus implies you must obey Him (Jesus) to be part of His family:
John 7:16 - So Jesus answered them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
Love Jesus (being obedient to Him) and believe that He came from God:
John 16:25-27- I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
I Peter 1:14-16 - As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
The sons of disobedience are the ones who are conformed to sexual immorality, impurity, or covetousness, etc.
Ephesians 5:5-7 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them;
Matthew 7:21-27 - Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (ESV)
Luke 6:46-49 - Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. (ESV)
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
Matthew 7:21-27 - Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (ESV)
You must obey Jesus:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
We must obey God. We have faith in God who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification, and having faith in God is having faith in His Son which is believing in and obeying Jesus Christ:
Romans 4:23-25 - But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (ESV)
- Be a disciple and representative of Jesus
- Obedient to Jesus
- Being a servant to other people
- Sticking up for truth
- Be faithful to Jesus
- Be personally accountable to God and to Jesus
- Do not deny Jesus
- Be faithful to Jesus
- Have a pure heart
- Obey God, being accountable to God
- Have Jesus' heart
- Serving Jesus
- Endeavour to please God
- Be holy
- Be godly (behaviour in accordance with the knowledge of God)
Galatians 1:10 - For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (ESV)
James 1:27 - Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)
Matthew 15:8-9 - This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (ESV)
1 Samuel 16:7 - But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. (ESV)
I do actually consider theology to be quite important but we should not be whitewashed tombs.
I think the person's lifestyle should be 'pure and undefiled religion' as James defines it.
I should probably actually do my own Bible study though because there's a lot of false religion out there. Rather than fill my mind with other people's doctrines and religion, we should obey God, knowing God knows.
Also endeavor to also do lots of service as that is what Jesus' Kingdom is all about.
1 prodigal
2 Wasteful.
3
4 Spending money or using resources freely
5 and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.
6 "prodigal habits die hard"
7
8 A person who spends money in a recklessly
9 extravagant way.
10 "he hated rich prodigals who lived
11 useless, imprudent lives"
The story of the prodigal son is about a person coming to repentance, and there is great joy over it. It's not saying that following God's commandments are wrong. It's not even saying that 'rulekeeping' is wrong. It does say that sin leads to destruction. It also says that God and the angels are overjoyed when people repent from sin and turn back to Him, and that God forgives and welcomes us back when we do this.
Luke 15:7 - Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:10 - Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Luke 15:24 - For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate.
The father was always happy with the obedient son, but he was simply full of joy that his wayward son had returned:
Luke 15:31-32 - And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.
Obtain a faith of equal standing with the Apostles by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ
II Peter 1:1 - Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
We obtain a strong faith by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
This requires obedience to Jesus.
Romans 6:16 - Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Faith:
- Belief and Obedience => true knowledge => fruit
- Belief and obedience leads to true knowledge, and after true knowledge, fruit
John 8:31-32 - So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Also, the Old Testament speaks a lot about how to walk in righteousness:
II Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
This is why it's a good idea to study the Old Testament including Old Testament law, the nature of faith etc. and God's character, precepts and statues, to love God and one's neighbour.
Suffering for righteousness sake (suffering for being Christlike).
Philippians 3:8-11 - Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)
It involves:
- believing the truth
- sanctification while believing the truth
- putting a stop to sin
- becoming holy
- being a slave to righteousness, obeying Jesus
- being obedient to Jesus, instead of being obedient to the world
- loving selflessly as Jesus loved
Jesus didn't sin. We need to have the same way of thinking as Jesus had. We need to attempt to cease from sin, and live for the will of God.
1 Peter 4:1-2 - Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (ESV)
II Thessalonians 2:13 - But we should always give thanks (G2168 eucharisteo) to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning (G746 arche) for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith (G4102 pistis) in the truth (G225 aletheia). (NASB)
Jesus has enabled us to die to sin and live to righteousness:
1 Peter 2:24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (ESV)
Matthew 25:46 - And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (ESV)
Cleaned up by having faith in the truth.
Faith in the truth - strong faith word! Belief and ongoing faithfulness, trust, reliance.
1 : 4102 pistis pis'-tis
2
3 from 3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious
4 truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially
5 reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such
6 profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth
7 itself:--assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
8 see GREEK for 3982
II Thessalonians 2:11-14 - Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We want to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ - we do this by being Christlike through obeying Jesus Christ, which brings glory to Jesus and glory to God. We obey when we believe and are being sanctified.
Ephesians 6:14 - Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
We must have faith in Jesus for the righteousness of God that comes by faith. We must believe what He's achieved, and we must be born-again of the Spirit.
Romans 10:4 - For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (G4100 pisteuo has faith in Jesus).
Saved, and being saved. Being cleaned while believing.
Jesus is our High Priest.
Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:3-4 - For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus condemned sin in the flesh. Now we walk according to the spirit so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.
It's still really important to put a stop to sin! And we must walk according to Jesus' commandments:
John 14:24 - Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
When we repent from sin we allow Jesus' holiness to shine through us increasingly.
Therefore, it's really not our own holiness or power that is responsible for miracles that happen through us or in cooperation with us, but it is Jesus' power and holiness.
Jesus is the True Vine. We are the branches. AMEN!! We can do nothing apart from Him. AMEN!!
Acts 3:12 - And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? (KJV)
Everyone who names the name of the Lord must depart from iniquity:
I Corinthians 6:17-20 - But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
II Timothy 2:19-22 - But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: The Lord knows those who are his, and, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Our bodies are a vessel for Jesus' holiness to shine out of. It's the vessel of the Holy Spirit:
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own (G1438 heautou) vessel (G4632 skeuos) in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; (NASB)
We should not deceive our brothers by lying about the matter of sanctifying our bodies:
I Thessalonians 4:6-7 - and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. (NASB)
Jesus is the light in us, and we must let our light shine:
Luke 8:14-16 - And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. , No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. (ESV)
Matthew 5:15 - Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (ESV)
Luke 8:21 - But he answered them, My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.
The power comes from Jesus:
Luke 8:46 - But Jesus said, Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.
When we repent and clean ourselves up, we allow Jesus' light to shine through us. The sanctification process is like cleaning a muddy window.
Luke 6:40 - A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Luke 6:41-42 - Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
John 15:5 - I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Luke 6:43 - For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
We are the temple of God:
I Corinthians 3:17 - If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. (ESV)
Philippians 2:15-16 - that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (ESV)
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We approach Christ's very image
Romans 8:29 - For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Hebrews 2:11-12 - For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise. (ESV)
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Repentance: Put off the old self
Colossians 3:4-9 - When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
- Stop sexual immorality.
- Stop idolatry.
- Stop gossip and slander.
- Stop being hateful of people.
I Corinthians 10:7-14 - Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
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Put on the new self: Christ-likeness
Colossians 3:10-17 - and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We must receive Jesus' words through faith, walk in them through faith and come to know in truth (we must truly know) that Jesus came from God, and continue in faith, continuing to be sanctified.
We must practice the truth.
John 3:21 - But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Hebrews 10:14 - For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
This is what we must come to know in truth - that Jesus came from Father God, and that Father God sent Him - it is Father God's will:
John 17:8 - For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
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Come to the knowledge of the truth
I Timothy 2:3-6 - This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Therefore, we should receive Jesus' words and obey Jesus and arrive at the truth. Obedience is an essential part of faith. Like Abraham obeying God, or like Israel crossing through the Red Sea, it's obedience which leads to sure belief, and obedience that leads a person into sure knowledge of the truth, and obedience which cooperates with sanctification by the Spirit.
Exodus 14:31 - When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed (H539 'aman) in the Lord and in His servant Moses.
John 8:31-32 - So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (NASB)
The true knowledge of Jesus grants us everything pertaining to life and godliness, allowing us to partake in the divine nature:
II Peter 1:3-4 - seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (NASB)
Being set free through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is at least in part being set free from the defilements of the world.
II Peter 2:20-21 - For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Then we continue to add Work/Love/Virtue to be fruitful:
But we must practice Jesus' commandments even before we have arrived at the knowledge of the truth, in order to arrive at the knowledge of the truth:
II Peter 1:8 - For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge (G1922 epignosis) of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I John 2:3 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
We come to know Him through obeying Him. He is the Truth. God sent Him. The point at which we have come to know Him is if we are managing to actually keep His commandments.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (ESV)
Jesus is the living Word. He obeyed God perfectly, and fulfilled the Law, Prophets and Psalms.
Psalms 119:160 - The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting. (ESV)
John 17:17-19 - Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. (ESV)
Jesus is eternally our Great High Priest. I believe this says Father God has sworn and will not change His mind.
Psalms 110:4 - The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 4:14 - Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Hebrews 5:9 - And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
And the obedience doesn't end. We continue to be sanctified through faith. We are saved from darkness, and saved from sinning, and even start doing good works pleasing to God.
II Peter 1:1-11 - Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
II Thessalonians 2:11-14 - Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Continuing to be sanctified by faith is a process where a person continues in Jesus' words because they are sanctified by faith in Jesus and that means ongoing trust and faithful obedience.
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (ESV)
To be sanctified by faith in Jesus is an applied process, I think:
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (ESV)
In similar fashion to Jesus continually obeying Father God as he endured suffering, I think we should learn to submit and follow Jesus' commandments
Hebrews 5:7-10 - In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
I believe that after being born-again of the spirit, I had (with very little knowledge of Jesus' commandments) had to learn Jesus' commandments and apply them, and I believe the Holy Spirit taught me to obey Jesus as I read Jesus' sayings and was subsequently tested on those sayings. For example, if I read that we must give to all who ask, and then the Lord sets up a situation where someone asks for money, then I have a choice to obey Jesus, which means resisting those who try to deter me from obeying Jesus. Upon being tested, someone would offer worldly wisdom in an attempt to deter me from following Jesus, and as I obey God I am led by the Holy Spirit, and taught by the Holy Spirit. And this is an ongoing process. I say this for others' sake to explain how I have come to know how faith in Jesus, following Jesus, works practically, that it is more than mere intellectual belief to be led by the Spirit, but it is also obedience, and a process of sanctification, and walking in the light.
II John 1:1-11 highlights:
- knowing the truth
- the truth abiding in us
- walking in the truth
- we are commanded to do so
- love one another and loving one another is walking according to Jesus' commandments commandments
- we are commanded to do so
- lose not what we have worked for, but may win a full reward
- to not abide in this teaching is to work wickedness
II John 1:1-11 - The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. (ESV)
Paul has taught the Ephesians to follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus:
Acts 20:35 - In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (ESV)
As we go ahead, we must abide in the teaching of Christ, or we won't have God:
II John 1:9 - Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (ESV)
Definitely stop sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth:
Hebrews 10:26-29 - For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? (ESV)
Hebrews 10:16-18 - This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds, then he adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
To know if Jesus' teaching comes from God, one must desire to do God's will.
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (ESV)
Therefore, to arrive at the knowledge of the truth, you've got to have an obedient heart.
Psalms 141:5 - Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. (ESV)
We are being prepared to be presented to Jesus:
Colossians 1:21-22 - And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, (ESV)
Ephesians 4:30-32 - And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (ESV)
Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)
Believe in the power of God's Word, allow myself to be corrected, and sanctified by the washing of the Word. Actually read the Scriptures to see what God is acceptable:
Ephesians 5:26 - that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (ESV)
We are being prepared to be presented to Jesus:
I Peter 1:13 - Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
II Timothy 3:8 - Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. (ESV)
Colossians 2:18 - Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, (ESV)
I Timothy 6:5 - and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. (ESV)
I Timothy 3:2 - Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (ESV)
Colossians 3:2 - Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (ESV)
Philippians 3:19 - Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. (ESV)
II Thessalonians 2:1-2 - Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (ESV)
I John 3:7 - Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
I John 3:10 - By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
I Peter 2:24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
We must die to sin and practice righteousness.
Then while practicing righteousness after dying to sin, we may suffer for practicing righteousness. Therefore this righteousness is a personal righteousness, which we practice after dying to sin.
I Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
Faith working through love is obeying Jesus.
Galatians 5:5-6 - For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Paul awaits Christ to be formed in the person:
Galatians 4:18-19 - It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 - But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. (ESV)
II Thessalonians 2:13 - But we should always give thanks (G2168 eucharisteo) to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning (G746 arche) for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith (G4102 pistis) in the truth (G225 aletheia). (NASB)
Faith in the truth - strong faith word!
II Thessalonians 2:11-15 - Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. (ESV)
Hebrews 10:10 - And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 4:3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; (ESV)
Abstain means stop.
God is the source of our life in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the source of our wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. (ESV)
He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
Yes, but that means we must have faith in Him, obeying Him and becoming like Him, and that brings us confidence, because He's in us, and we don't have our lamp hidden, but are cleaned up:
I John 4:17 - By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (ESV)
We are wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15 - and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
We must put our trust in Jesus and believe Him and obey Him, and be cleaned up, shining His light:
I Corinthians 1:28-29 - God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
Psalms 5:5 - The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. (ESV)
The cross means a changed life, becoming like Jesus, keeping Jesus' commandments:
Galatians 6:13-15 - For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (ESV)
I Corinthians 7:19 - For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. (ESV)
Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God
Jesus is the source of our personal righteousness, and He is our righteousness.
Philippians 1:9-11 - And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
II Thessalonians 2:13 - But we should always give thanks (G2168 eucharisteo) to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning (G746 arche) for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith (G4102 pistis) in the truth (G225 aletheia). (NASB)
Cleaned up (stop sinning) by having faith in the truth.
Faith in the truth - strong faith word! Belief and ongoing faithfulness, trust, reliance.
1 : 4102 pistis pis'-tis
2
3 from 3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious
4 truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially
5 reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such
6 profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth
7 itself:--assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
8 see GREEK for 3982
- Lust is super bad, even after born-again.
I John 2:15-17 - Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
II Peter 2:19-21 - They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Deuteronomy 11:13 - And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deuteronomy 30:6 - And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Joshua 22:5 - Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Luke 10:27 - And he answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
Leviticus 19:18 - You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Jesus makes it clear that the ones who truly believe in Him will do the works which He does:
John 14:12 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (ESV)
James believes that faith is really substantiated by works:
James 2:22-26 - You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (ESV)
But works by us done in righteousness are not the reason God showed mercy on us to save us. God in His mercy simply gave us His Holy Spirit in abundance to wash us, to regenerate us and to renew us, and He did this so that being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. We were once really disobedient, but by God's grace through faith in Jesus we are now obedient. The faith was becoming obedient to Jesus, and out of it flows good works and obedience:
Titus 3:3-8 - For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. (ESV)
So Jesus saves us to become set free from various passions and pleasures and to become far more obedient to righteousness, and this is done through faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in Jesus Christ is the entry point for the salvation that is through Him.
So the point I'm trying to make is that the free gift of the Holy Spirit is received by faith alone, just be trusting in Jesus Christ to be saved, but Jesus Christ helps us to become slaves of righteousness which leads to eternal life.
Therefore I still think there's a false dichotomy between faith and works - because obedience is intrinsic to faith, but the gift of the Holy Spirit remains a completely free gift which is received through faith and that merit by works of righteousness is not the reason why it's given to us, but nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him.
Acts 5:32 - And we are witnesses to these things, and so is he Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. (ESV)
Galatians 3:14 - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)
Some people think that this obedience means it's no longer a free gift, where I do not agree with those people. I think that the obedience to Jesus is receiving the free gift through faith.
John 6:28-29 - Then they said to him, What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him whom he has sent. (ESV)
True faith is always obedient; faith is always prepared to obey more:
John 7:17- If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
You can't even have faith in God without obeying Jesus because the one who has faith in God has already obeyed Jesus whether they know about Mark 11:22 or not. So it's not a dead work.
Philippians 2:12 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out (katergazomai) your own salvation with fear and trembling, (ESV)
And justifying faith is having obedient faith in God with regards to the promise given to Abraham.
Obeying God is having faith in God. Obeying God is loving God. AMEN!!
Mark 11:22 - And Jesus answered them, Have (G2192 echo) faith (G4102 pistis) in God (G2316 theos). (ESV)
pistis is the faith noun.
John 14:1 - “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe (G4100 pisteuo) in God, believe (G4100 pisteuo) also in Me. (NASB)
pisteuo is the faith verb.
echo means 'to hold' - so in Mark 11:22 Jesus says 'hold faith' in God. And in John 14:1 Jesus tells us to 'do faith' in God and to 'do faith' in Him.
If you are believing in Jesus, then you are obediently working.
To be justified, a person must walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Romans 4:9-12 - Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Having faith in God is obeying God. Loving God is obeying God. AMEN!!
So what Jesus is saying is quite similar - we must have the faith that Abraham had when he put Isaac on the Altar, but in regards to following Jesus:
Luke 9:23-24 - And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (ESV)
Now about the following:
Romans 4:4 - Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
I believe that what Romans 4:4 is saying is that before accepting God's forgiveness yourself, submitting to the righteousness of God, believing that you were in need of God's forgiveness, anything you try to give God is simply giving God what is due to Him, and that you will never be able to return enough stolen goods to God to ever be justified. Nor would you ever be able to forgive enough other people to attain that justification. You ultimately need God's forgiveness. However, forgiving others is still required if someone wants God to forgive them.
Mark 11:25 - And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Matthew 6:12-15 - and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (ESV)
I believe that obedient action which includes seeking God is an important part of faith.
I believe obedience is intrinsic to faith, actually.
True faith is always obedient; faith is always prepared to obey more:
John 7:17- If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
Obedient action is not dead works, and I believe that obedient action is just working faith.
Being disobedient to Jesus means disbelieving in Jesus:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes (G4100 pisteuo) in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
Romans 4:2 - For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
Paul doesn't deny that Abraham could have been justified by works, but he claims that Abraham doesn't have anything to boast about before God. AMEN!!
Because he offered nothing to God through his work other than what was asked of him.
Jesus was perfectly faithful to God by being obedient:
Philippians 2:8 - And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (ESV)
Romans 9:15-16 - For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (ESV)
AMEN!! But that doesn't mean human will or exertion cannot be utilised by God.
God rewards faith and may choose to reveal Himself after a while serving God in faith instead of immediately.
Matthew 25:19 - Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Acts 20:35 - In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
In God's mercy He has shown us the Way to be reconciled with Him. He has given us Jesus. He has told us what to do, and we can choose to be obedient or to not be obedient.
Jesus is the author of our faith, so having faith is grace from God, and even if works are working with our faith, it's all by grace and we still can't boast before God because our faith and our works are all gifted to us from God.
For example, Noah's works of building the ark was given to Him by God. God even outlined every detail.
Hebrews 12:1-2 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Obedience belongs inside faith because
-
God commanded it and complying is not really bringing anything to God which He hasn't told you to bring to Him.
- So it's just acting in faith
- If God commands you to build an ark, and you build it exactly as specified, is that considered dead works? No, it's just doing exactly what God said. It's faith.
- If God commands you to wait 5 days before going into battle but you think 8 days would be better, thinking God needs the extra time so you can be more prepared so you wait 8 days then that is no longer faith because it's disobedience.
- Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, and Abraham did offer Isaac out of faithful obedience.
- Genesis 22:2 - He said, Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.
- James 2:22 - You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
- But if Abraham thought he could get even more rewards from God by trying the same thing again and putting Isaac on the altar again without God even commanding it, then that is like trying to justify yourself by doing dead works (i.e. deeds without faith).
-
Choosing to obey God's commandments even when no-one is watching (aside from God) is having faith in God.
- For example, not stealing from your employer.
- Therefore, there is a way of abiding by God's commandments which is faith and not works.
- To not steal is to love God and have faith in God.
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- Seeking God in action belongs in faith because:
- When someone wills to do God's will, they come to know the truth
- John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (ESV)
- When someone has faith, they believe that God exists and that in seeking God, God rewards them:
- Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
- When someone wills to do God's will, they come to know the truth
Salvation is the gift, and faith implies an obedient heart. Works can be dead works when they're not done in faith. Faith is what justifies. But faith works. Faith requires obedience to God. Faithless works do not justify:
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (ESV)
With an obedient heart, a person will receive revelation as they hear the teaching of Jesus.
A person must be at least willing to do His will - obedience is the essence of faith:
John 7:17 - If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.
Therefore, faith quickly progresses into good work, serving the living God:
Hebrews 9:14 - how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
'Believing in rewards from God for seeking Him' belongs in faith, or it's not faith anymore, even in regards to justifying faith.
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:24-26 - By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
We should pursue Jesus Christ similarly. God commanded it.
Mark 9:7 - And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son; listen to him.
Luke 9:35 - And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!
1 Timothy 1:15-17 - The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)
John 15:5 - I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (ESV)
Obedience is good.
Psalms 40:6-8 - Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. (ESV)
'Working' for God is OK when it's done in faith. Obedience is intrinsic to faith.
Hebrews 11:31 - By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
And after a time, the LORD visits and judges on deeds, and on words:
Revelation of John 3:2-3 - Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
Jesus judges on deeds and on words (possibly on the way you judge others, the same standard is measured back to you; also important is confessing Jesus Christ before others):
Matthew 12:35-37 - The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
Matthew 25:19 - Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Matthew 25:21 - His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.
The LORD God judges impartially according to each one's deeds:
I Peter 1:17 - And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 - The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes: fear God and obey His commandments- the only hope for a good life - YouTube
We must follow the way righteousness, repenting from sin, and following Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is Lord:
II Peter 2:1-3 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
II Peter 2:20-22 - For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.
Since Jesus has made the way, we serve God with good works. We have received mercy. We should then be merciful:
I Peter 2:10 - Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Luke 6:36 - Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
We have to submit to God's righteousness, accepting that we are sinners, and accept God's forgiveness through the atonement that comes through Jesus, and be obedient to God through being obedient to Jesus.
Mark 2:17 - And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
Luke 5:32 - I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Romans 10:3-4 - For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (G4100 pisteuo has faith in Jesus). (ESV)
Philippians 3:8-11 - Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)
What is wrong is trying to establish a righteousness of one's own apart from submitting to the righteousness of God - it's saying, "God, I think you should have this, or, God I think I'm righteous because I did this for you." rather than, "here is what you asked of me, LORD."
Work not done in faith:
Leviticus 10:1-2 - Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
I Samuel 15:22-23 - And Samuel said, Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king. (ESV)
God didn't ask for the offering which Nadab and Abihu offered.
Ananias gave to God unfaithfully, in a manner similar to Cain.
Acts 4:32 - Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
Acts 5:1-5 - But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. (ESV)
Cain was half-hearted with his offering to the LORD, as Ananias was:
Genesis 4:3-5 - In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. (ESV)
1 John 3:12 - We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. (ESV)
Hebrews 6:1 - Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Dead works are works not done in service to God, but works done in service to God, He may accept.
Hebrews 10:8 - When he said above, You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings (these are offered according to the law),
Hebrews addressed the same passage which Jesus addressed:
Matthew 12:3-8 - He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.
Works and faith can't exist apart from one another because even to believe in Jesus is a work, and if the belief is true then the obedience continues.
John 6:28-29 - Then they said to him, What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him whom he has sent.
To be justified, a person must walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Romans 4:9-12 - Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
So what Jesus is saying is quite similar - we must have the faith that Abraham had when he put Isaac on the Altar, but in regards to following Jesus:
Luke 9:23-24 - And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (ESV)
Even the demons believe God is one and they shudder. The faithful believe God and love God (a totally different response). Love is obedience to God, and includes accepting and having faith in the one who God sent, Jesus.
James 2:19 - You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
John 8:42 - Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
I John 5:2-3 - By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Faith doesn't exist without obedience. Obedience doesn't exist without faith. The obedient will love Jesus, obeying Jesus, having faith in Jesus.
James 2:18 - But someone will say, You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Romans 1:5 - through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, (ESV)
God's commandment is to bring about the obedience of faith (having faith is in God and through Jesus Christ is being obedient to God):
Romans 16:26 - but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — (ESV)
We go from performing 'dead works' to 'faithful works'.
Hebrews 9:14 - how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Matthew 25:21 - His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.
We stop doing dead works to serve the living God, which I believe is obedience, which is really similar to work but it's obeying. Obedience gives glory to God.
John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)
Obeying Jesus' commandments are not 'dead works'.
Exodus 20:12-17 - Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.
Jesus said:
Mark 10:19 - You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother. (ESV)
Obeying God by following the 10 commandments properly, in truth, is not performing 'dead works'.
The Holy Spirit cleanses our hearts by faith:
Acts 15:8-9 - And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
Hebrews 9:14 - how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Service to God is obeying God through Christ's commandments. It's being a bond-servant of Christ.
Also, the following means that having faith in Jesus is tightly coupled to doing the works that Jesus did - to acting like Jesus - to obeying His commandments.
John 14:12 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Whoever has faith in Jesus, the works that Jesus does, that person will do. Pisteuo (pisteuōn) = faith.
John 14:12 - Truly (G281 amen), truly (G281 amen), I say (G3004 lego) to you, he who believes (G4100 pisteuo) in Me, the works (G2041 ergon) that I do (G4160 poieo), he will do (G4160 poieo) also (G2548 kakeinos); and greater (G3173 megas) works than these (G3778 houtos) he will do (G4160 poieo); because (G3754 hoti) I go (G4198 poreuomai) to the Father (G3962 pater). (NASB)
1 : 4100 pisteuo pist-yoo'-o
2
3 from 4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or
4 thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's
5 spiritual well-being to Christ):--believe(-r), commit (to trust), put
6 in trust with.
7 see GREEK for 4102
If someone trusts their Lord then they do what their Lord does and has commanded.
Psalms 31:23 - Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. (ESV)
Jesus's Lordship is not merely His authority over us, but us yielding our lives to Jesus - us wanting to do His will, and us wanting to obey Him
Luke 6:46-49 - Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. (ESV)
I John 2:4 - Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
Even the demons are subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.
So are you are demon or are you one of Jesus' sheep?
John 6:70 - Jesus answered them, Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil. (ESV)
You can't have only half of Jesus. Jesus both protects us and disciplines us:
Psalms 23:4 - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (ESV)
I believe a heart must be both believing and obedient to receive the grace through faith, since I believe true faith is both obedient and believing.
After receiving justification (counted not guilty) through obedient and believing faith, we should continue in obedient and believing faith but the work we do is to be tested and is not essential to our justification:
1 Corinthians 3:15 - If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (ESV)
We love (obey) because He loved us first, and through obedience we are sanctified, which leads to eternal life.
Heresies:
- free grace without Lordship (without sanctification by the Spirit)
- the person in this category abides in Jesus extremely precariously, and only if they are actively trusting in Jesus.
- Trusting and obeying Jesus qualifies, but belief without obedience or trust in the heart doesn't qualify.
- Lordship without free grace (working to be forgiven, without belief in the truth)
- Well, I mean, they are actually trusting in Jesus if they are following Jesus and doing what He said.
- But if they are just doing good works to get to heaven then I think that's not really right.
I believe that either of these heresies fall under this strong delusion category:
2 Thessalonians 2:11-13 - Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. (ESV)
I Timothy 6:3-11 - If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (ESV)
II Peter 2:6 - if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
Jude 1:4-5 - For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
I'd rather be a doer than merely a hearer.
Correct Christology is important, but so is obeying Jesus' commandments, and obeying Jesus' commandments is possibly even more important than belief:
Matthew 21:28-31 - “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.
We must keep ourselves in the love of God by obeying Jesus Christ's commandments, because we're awaiting to receive eternal life:
Jude 1:21 - keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (ESV)
Keeping Jesus Christ's commandments is a requirement to inherit eternal life:
John 15:10 - If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. (ESV)
Whoever truly believes Jesus trusts in and is obedient to Jesus. We must obey Jesus Christ, and that obedience means being a slave of righteousness, leading to sanctification, which leads to eternal life:
John 3:36 - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
Submit to God's will:
James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (ESV)
Proverbs 3:6 - In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)
Submit to Jesus' lordship:
Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (ESV)
Sow your own life as an investment for Jesus' sake:
Matthew 16:25 - For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV)
John 12:24-26 - Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (ESV)
Seek God:
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (ESV)
Accept God's plans:
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (ESV)
Psalms 23:3-4 - He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (ESV)
Desire to do the will of God, and allow God's word to teach you what that is:
Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)
Actually practice faith, and don't over-intellectualise God:
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)
John 5:39-44 - You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (ESV)
Yield to God:
Isaiah 45:9 - Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, What are you making? or Your work has no handles? (ESV)
Luke 14:33 - So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (ESV)
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)
Fear of God or love for Him in obedience or thankfulness is work which comes out of belief. But faith works, even saving faith works. Saving faith especially requires obedience, I think. Faith without work doesn't exist I think because the work of God is to believe on who He has sent - Jesus.
Exodus 14:14-16 - The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.
Jesus' blood applied to us can sanctify us:
Hebrews 13:12 - So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. (ESV)
With Lazarus - Jesus performed the miracle so the people watching could believe and have faith. Jesus wept before he raise Lazarus from the dead, and many other people believed in Jesus and were saved, I assume.
John 11:41-42 - So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.
I Corinthians 13:13 - So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
John 11:35 - Jesus wept.
John 11:41-42 - So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.
And Jesus is able to save a person out of Jesus' own will, as he resurrected Lazarus.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=49JgVR30bLA
John 11:43 - When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
The account of Jesus itself when it's read, and Jesus' words, are enough to inspire faith. Therefore, faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.
Jesus calls persistent endurance a work. It's also required to keep our confidence:
Hebrews 10:35-36- Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Faith is like Peter stepping out on the water. Faith works. But I think sometimes to create faith someone just has to actually believe Jesus because Jesus performs the miracle / the work.
The LORD did something similar for the Israelites when He parted the Red Sea. The Israelites obeyed God, and their obedience led them to sure belief. Obedience, belief and trust are all important in faith.
Revelation comes as we do what God commands us:
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (ESV)
And I feel like we just need to start obeying God and obeying Jesus in order to be saved. Obedience is steps of faith.
Exodus 14:14-16 - The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.
Exodus 14:21-30 - Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians. Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
Exodus 14:31 - When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed (H539 'aman) in the Lord and in His servant Moses.
1 : 539 'aman
2
3 a primitive root; properly, to build up or support; to foster
4 as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or
5 faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet;
6 morally to be true or certain; once (Isa. 30:21;
7 interchangeable with 541) to go to the right hand:--hence,
8 assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful
9 (of long continuance, stedfast, sure, surely, trusty,
10 verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the
11 right.
12 see HEBREW for 0541
Exodus 15:2 - The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.
Salvation is the gift, and faith implies an obedient heart. Works can be dead works when they're not done in faith. Faith is what justifies. But faith works. Faith requires obedience to God. Faithless works do not justify:
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (ESV)
-
The obedience of faith
A person must be at least willing to do His will - obedience is the essence of faith:
John 7:17 - If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.
I think Ephesians 2:8-9 when it says 'through faith' doesn't actually exclude obedience (obeying Jesus), because I think obedience is intrinsic to faith.
Exodus 14:14-16 - The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.
When it says "not a result of works", I believe that something more like, even if works were tied into the faith, it's by grace. If a person's saving faith included works then that is fine.
I Corinthians 4:7 - For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (ESV)
Our works have been gifted to us by God's grace - works of deed and word:
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)
God chose us and called us out of darkness into His marvelous light to proclaim His excellencies:
I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
Faith-in-God is hearing God's word and believing it, and even acting on it, or at least the readiness to act on it. A person may act on faith in their heart by arriving at conviction. But it has to be faith in the truth. Then, like Peter stepping out on the water, or like the woman at the well going in to town to tell people about Jesus, or turning from sinful things, it produces more obedience.
Matthew 14:27-32 - But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. And Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, Lord, save me. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
And there is an amount of faith, and true belief is all that's required to be saved, but Faith is so tightly linked to Obedience like Faith is linked to Hope. True belief is enough because it accepts what Jesus says, as a child believes. But I don't think this discounts that the same faith continues and increases through obedience.
Some people never seem to arrive:
II Timothy 3:6-9 - For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
But the ones who do arrive actually follow the teaching:
II Timothy 3:10-13 - You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Peter demonstrated obedience. A changed heart is essential to be saved, I think, because it must produce more obedience.
II Corinthians 10:5-6 - We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Hebrews describes faith as the hope and conviction we need to draw near to God because we need to believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 also describes many 'acts' of faith.
I Corinthians 13:13 - So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Timothy 1:5 - The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (ESV)
Luke 8:21 - But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
- The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Jesus.
- The Holy Spirit is given to those who have faith in Jesus.
You can't have faith without obedience.
Keith Green - To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice (live)
Acts 5:32 - And we are witnesses to these things, and so is he Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. (ESV)
Galatians 3:14 - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)
I Corinthians 13:2 - And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (ESV)
1 Faith-in-God = Hope-from/in-God * Work/Love
2
3 Hope-from/in-God = Belief(believing God) * Truth(God's word is truth)
4
5 Work/Love = Obedience * Faithfulness * Fear-of-God * Response-of-love-to-Jesus * Patient-Endurance(time)
6
7 Obedience = Submitting to the Righteousness of God * Turning from sin, loving, showing mercy, etc.
8
9 Fear-of-God = e.g. The poor in spirit recognise their need of God's mercy and tremble at His Word: "beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"
10
11 Response-of-love-to-Jesus = e.g. praise, thankfulness, obeying His commandments
12
13 L ∝ f
14 Love is proportional-to the baggage which has been forgiven
15 Love ∝ forgiven-baggage
16
17 Obedience ∝ Love
18
19 F = H * L
20 Faith = Hope * Love
21
22 Faith-in-God when tested by God is found to be true Faith in God.
23 Faith-in-God must submit to the Righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ,
24 Jesus Christ having paid the price of sin, enabling a relationship with God.
Something like this:
I Thessalonians 1:3 - remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
As the LORD's works are done in faithfulness, our work should be done in faithfulness towards God. Everything we do should be done in faithfulness to Him.
Psalms 33:4 - For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. (ESV)
Even after arriving at the true knowledge through obedience, faith is further supplemented/nourished/aided by virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love:
II Peter 1:3-7 - His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (ESV)
The true knowledge of Jesus grants us everything pertaining to life and godliness, allowing us to partake in the divine nature. We should then reinforce the divine nature with such things:
II Peter 1:3-4 - seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (NASB)
Because, having arrived at the true knowledge of Jesus, we are partakers of the divine nature, in order to be fruitful we should supply to our faith those qualities:
II Peter 1:8 - For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge (G1922 epignosis) of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 : 1922 epignosis ep-ig'-no-sis
2
3 from 1921; recognition, i.e. (by implication) full discernment,
4 acknowledgement:--(ac-)knowledge(-ing, - ment).
5 see GREEK for 1921
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Work/Love
II John 1:5-6 - And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. (ESV)
We must love in the same way Jesus has loved us - sacrificially, obedient to God - showing God's truthfulness, serving others:
John 15:12 - This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Matthew 19:17 And he said to him, Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.
Matthew 22:37-40 - And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
Mark 10:19 You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.
Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, Which commandment is the most important of all?
Mark 12:31 The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
Jesus' commandments are consistent with the rest of God's commandments:
John 12:49-50 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
John 14:15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.
John 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
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Fear-of-God
Romans 4:5-8 - And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.
AMEN!! But this doesn't mean the other elements of working faith can't play a part.
Without love, faith is dead:
I Corinthians 13:1 - If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
John 6:28-29 - Then they said to him, What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him whom he has sent. (ESV)
pisteuois obedient faith as it is the verb for faith (pistis).James 2:22-26 - You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness-and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (ESV)
Without faith, work is dead. Whatever actions we make outside of faith is sin:
Romans 14:23 - But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
But the work of God is to believe in whom He has sent. So even believing in Jesus is work that is done in faith:
John 6:28-29 - Then they said to him, What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe (G4100 pisteuo) in him whom he has sent. (ESV)
Deeds, love, faith, service and perseverance are not mutually exclusive. They're all important to God and overlap:
Revelation of John 2:19 - ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.
There is a relation here:
I Corinthians 13:7 - Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Timothy 1:5 - The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (ESV)
I Corinthians 13:13 - So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Belief and action are like a vector.
1
2 Faith plane __
3 Serving God plane /|
4 / From past
5 / baggage o _
6 An obedient __ __/ persecuting / /|
7 and believing /| 1x Love /| 2x Love Jesus / /
8 heart / / to receiving / → /
9 _ / / forgiveness / /
10 /| / / and loving |/_ /
11 o o o Jesus o
12
13 --------------------------------------------+-------------+----------------------------
14 | Dead faith | Impossible to be
15 Faithless plane | | simultaneously
16 Serving yourself plane | o |
17 Justifying yourself plane | | yoked to God _
18 __ | disobedient | (led by) /|
19 /| Dead works +-------------+ /
20 / | while o
21 / | /
22 / These are entirely worthless | |/_
23 x | (led by)
24 | yoked to money
Faith has 'substance/magnitude' and may be described as a vector:
- The origin of hope/belief is represented by the point.
- On the Faith plane, positive magnitude comes from trust in God
- Hope-from/in-God is the direction.
- Work/Love/Obedience is the magnitude.
I want to be clear, having faith in Jesus Christ is not dead faith. Dead faith is precisely not having faith in Jesus Christ.
An obedient heart is required for it to not be 'dead faith'.
John 7:17 - If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
Faith in the wrong thing:
- On the Faithless plane, positive magnitude comes from trust in something else, i.e. money or self
But it's God that tests the faith, and God that justifies. That's why I don't like making an assertion on the exact way that God justifies, because God is the justifier.
Galatians 5:5 - For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
Galatians 5:18 - But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
We must be doing the will of God to not be under the law:
Psalms 143:10 - Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! (ESV)
John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
Righteousness is the free gift to be received through obedience:
Romans 5:17 - If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Jesus made the Way - He is the Way:
Romans 5:18-19 - Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
The Way is available to walk for everyone who is obedient.
Doing the will of Father God:
- obedience to Jesus leads to righteousness - obedience/faith to receive the gift, even of the Spirit
- led by the Spirit, obeying Jesus' words
- being led by the Spirit and obeying Jesus' words are in alignment and do not contradict
- led by the Spirit, obeying Jesus' words
- slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification
- at its end, eternal life
- sanctification leading to eternal life
- sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth
- knowledge of the truth
- justification
Romans 6:13-23 - Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed*, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The love of the truth must be received and accepted to be saved:
II Thessalonians 2:10 - and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. (NASB)
People will trust in what is false:
II Thessalonians 2:11 - For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe (G4100 pisteuo) what is false (G5579 pseudos), (NASB)
Those people who did not have faith in the truth but took took pleasure in unrighteousness may be condemned:
II Thessalonians 2:12 - in order that all may be condemned who did not believe (G4100 pisteuo) the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
But God chose some to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth:
II Thessalonians 2:13 - But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
So that they may be obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ:
II Thessalonians 2:14 - To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We live by the Spirit:
Ephesians 2:18 - For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
We are made alive by the Spirit so we should walk by the Spirit:
Galatians 5:25 - If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
If we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh:
Galatians 5:16 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
There are sinning people that alienate themselves from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart:
Ephesians 4:18-29 - They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
But having been taught in Jesus, the truth which is in Jesus, to put off the old self and to be renewed in the spirit our our mind, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness:
Ephesians 4:21-24 - assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Speak the truth and do not sin:
Ephesians 4:25-27 - Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Ephesians 1:17 - that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
The outcome of being set free from sin and becoming a slave to God is receiving the gift of eternal life:
Romans 8:33 - Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. (ESV)
Romans 6:22-23 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (BSB)
A person must do the will of Father God (not their own will); They must be obedient. Faith and obedience are inseparable.
To be fruitful, a person must be further obedient after arriving at the knowledge of the truth and supplement their faith with Christian virtues:
II Peter 1:8 - For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge (G1922 epignosis) of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus has immortality and gives eternal life, but we must come to Him in obedience, and follow Him, to receive it
John 5:39-44 - You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (ESV)
We must take hold of the eternal life to which we are called. We made the confession to eternal life, and we must now fight the good fight of the faith, until after being slaves to righteousness, obeying Jesus, we are sanctified and receive eternal life.
I Timothy 6:11-16 - But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
Matthew 7:21-23 - Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. (ESV)
So those people doing works in Jesus' name were still disobedient, similar to the following example:
Leviticus 10:1-2 - Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
John 11:41-42 - So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.
The works have to be the will of Father God. Initially, and ongoing, this is believing in Him whom He has sent. It's believing in Jesus, and continuing to believe in Jesus, putting your trust in Jesus, having faith in Jesus, obeying Jesus and submitting to the righteousness of God.
John 6:29 - Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. (ESV)
Being a servant of Christ from the heart is doing the will of God.
Ephesians 6:6 - not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
Repenting from sin is doing the will of God.
I Thessalonians 4:3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Doing good is doing the will of God.
I Peter 2:15 - For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
Doing the will of God, a person will have eternal life.
I John 2:17 - And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (ESV)
Surely, the Bible teaches that all of these together are the will of God, and not simply one of them without the others.
Do not doubt, and believe that you have received it, even acting in a way in which it is already received
James 1:1-5 - James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
The one who does not doubt is unwavering and is not tossed around by the sea. Therefore, it's an ongoing thing.
James 1:6 - But he must ask in faith (G4102 pistis) without any doubting (G1252 diakrino), for the one who doubts (G1252 diakrino) is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. (NASB)
But for our prayer requests to be answered this way, we must be keeping His commandments and do what pleases Him:
I John 3:21-24 - Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (ESV)
Proverbs 14:26 - In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. (ESV)
Faith begins and continues:
- be walking in obedience
- no doubting
- no wavering
- no withdrawing
- no hesitating
Mark 11:22-23 - And Jesus answered them, Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
Walk in what you have asked for in prayer:
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
It's important to forgive others in order to move forward, because unforgiveness I think may inhibit moving into what you have asked for in prayer:
Mark 11:25 - And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
We must receive Jesus' words, walk in them and come to know in truth (we must truly know) that Jesus came from God.
John 17:8 - For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
Therefore, we should obey Jesus and arrive at the truth. Obedience is a part of faith. Like Abraham obeying God, or like Israel crossing through the Red Sea, it's obedience which leads to sure belief. And the obedience doesn't end.
John 8:31-32 - So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (NASB)
I Corinthians 3:9-15 - For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he wi