BEING a Child of God, Works

Work because of what God did, not to receive, what God did. 

I know you have heard it said over and over, works will not get you to Heaven. There is nothing you can do to earn your way to Heaven. They quote Ephesians 2:8-9. But wait? Another Christian comes along and says this is nonsense. They say you must do works to enter Heaven.

So which is it? According to the Bible.

"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." Ephesians 2:8-9

Then it also says this.

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.." James 2:17

So? Which is it?

There are NO contradictions in the Bible. No not one. There are misinterpretations, misunderstanding of Scripture, and willful twisting of Scripture. But there are NO contradictions. Also? They are actually both correct. It is not either-or. Here is where the misunderstanding comes in.

First.

"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."

According to 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."

If you have heard the word, "God so loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son," the gospel, and do not believe that Jesus came to earth and lived the way He did and died the way He did, and more importantly, raised from the dead as He did, then you cannot possibly accept His sacrifice for you and your sin. You have to first hear and accept these things on faith that they are true.

"and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" You cannot do anything, or be good enough, to earn your way to Heaven. It does not matter what you do. It matters what you believe. God gave the gift of salvation to all that asks Him. It is all-inclusive and very defined. Accept Jesus and live, reject Jesus and die.

"Not of works, lest any man should boast." Not of religion. It does not matter what religion you claim. It does not matter if you are a good little Muslim, Jew, Christian, It is not about religion. It is about a relationship with God through Jesus the Christ. It does not matter what man says about anything. It is simply faith that you are saved by the grace of God.

Now after you are saved? Then this applies.

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.." James 2:17

Go to James 2. Start at verse 14

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:14-17

What good does saying you have faith in a loving, caring, saving God, if you have means to love, care for, and lead others to salvation, and yet, you CHOSE to do nothing? Well, I have compassion?

Compassion = Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

We must have compassion for others. But what does that actually mean? What it most definitely does not mean, is good intentions. Or, saying you have compassion without doing anything about it. What do I mean?

"I have compassion for the poor." OK? And? "What do you mean?" So you have compassion for the poor? That's good. But? What do you do about it? "Wait, what do you mean? What are you implying? That I do not care? How dare you. I care. I understand. Something needs to be done to help the poor in this or that area." Again. What are you doing? "Don't turn this around on me. YOU hate the poor. YOU are evil. Look at you. Judging me. You arrogant, close-minded, racist. After all, who is the poor? Yeah, minorities. You hate them because you hate anyone that does not look like you. At least I care."

This is the world we live in today. So Joe liberal cares about the poor. Cool. But when you look at his bank account, and or, the sum of his ACTIONS towards the poor, we see the truth. There is nothing. Zero. Oh, he, sorry, my Six Years of politics sometimes creeps back, he may propose a Bill increasing the sales tax a penny, with the proceeds going to build a homeless shelter. Or he may suggest something needs to be done to clean up the downtown area and set aside somewhere where the homeless can be safer. Then he can go home feeling good about himself that he is trying to do something for the poor. He can even brag that he is trying to do something.. But? What is HE actually doing?

Jesus said this,

"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? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." Matthew 7:15-20

When someone looks at you and your life, can they tell the difference? Seriously. Look in the Mirror, I'm talking to children of God here, look in the mirror. Do you see any difference between you and the world? Do others? How are you living your life? What fruit are you producing?

Back to James 2

"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. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 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. 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 another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." James 2:18-26

Even devils know there is a God. Think about that. Satan was there in the beginning. He knows God is there and real. He has seen Him face to face. He was there when the Bible was written. He can quote it word for word. Does this make him good and is he saved? God gives us many examples of Faith in Hebrews 11. Noah building the Ark on a Sunny day, Abraham going out, Sara becoming pregnant in old age, ETC. I encourage you to check out Hebrews 11.

Jesus gave us a way of escaping Sin and death. He gave us Eternal Life. He set us free. However, He also gave us The Great Commission.

"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." Matthew 28:19-20

We do not do works, or we should never try to do works, to get God to do something for us. We do good works BECAUSE of what God already DID do for us. It was never meant for you to believe, "I got mine, I'm good." The word declares that you died with Him. You died with Jesus. Now you have risen with Him, You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10} It is not now nor has it ever been, about you.

You cannot be saved without faith. There is nothing you can do to inherit Eternal Life. However, once you are saved, you must not be content with merely that. Remember, Jesus even warned us that we will be judged by what we do.

"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.’

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.’." Matthew 25:31-45

Be careful, child of God, that not only do you believe and accept your salvation but that you also have works to show for your faith. Be the good tree. Be the child of God you are. Once you are truly saved, you should have a desire to do good works. Now go forth and do them. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, maybe you are just hearing this today for the first time. Then say this prayer with me now.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I believed He raised from the dead. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!!