Who Needs Works?

What The Bible Says About ^ | Rev John Odhner

[Jonty30]

Unless a person has become a reprobate, works does not factor in our salvation. However, I do think God wants us to be continually improving.

[Pan_Yan]

Something would be terribly wrong if God could send an innocent, sincere, charitable, helpful person to hell.

Only when judging by man's standards. There is no such thing in the eyes of our perfect God.

[DaveMSmith]

1 Kings 8:46 "When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near; 47 yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, saying, 'We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness';

[.45 Long Colt]

We are saved wholly and completely by grace through the object of our faith—The Lord Jesus. And we are saved unto good works. Until we are saved we have no good works to offer a holy holy holy God. The Bible likens our best works to “filthy rags” and says that not one understands, is righteous, seeks after God, or does good...”no, not one.” Man at his very best is still “dead in trespasses and sins.”

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
—Ephesians 2:8-10

A man who has been born again will indeed produce good works because his nature has been changed. However, a man who has the miracle of the new birth wrought in him by the Holy Spirit, a man in Christ, is fitted perfectly for heaven.

“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” (1 Cor 1:30)

[Nifster]

Our salvation is y the grace of God.... period. We know a tree by its fruits.... therefore once saved by God’ grace. we would want to do His will. All the rest is fuzz and fluff

[DaveMSmith]

How does one become saved? How is one born again?

Repentance?

[AppyPappy]

Works are the fruits of Salvation.
Saying someone is good is too subjective to be a basis for belief.

[AppyPappy]

God does the Saving, not man. With man, it is impossible to be Saved. With God, all things are possible.

[Loud Mime]

bflr

[DaveMSmith]

Colossians 3:8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

[Joe 6-pack]

“Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian home is good actions, or Faith in Christ. I have no right really to speak on such a difficult question, but it does seem to me like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most necessary.”

~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

[Flintlock]

Lemmie see, now.......

Just who is it that will determine where your soul will go?

Who dat?

Gee, I had it right here on the tip of my tongue a minit ago.....

[.45 Long Colt]

We are saved by His grace through the means of faith in Christ Jesus. Regeneration is something God does, it’s not something we accomplish.

Read carefully what Christ said to Nicodemus in John 3. He tells him we must be born again, a statement which puzzled Nicodemus. Then He says in verse 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Being born again is something done in us by the Holy Spirit.

In light of the free will beliefs of most people, what Christ said next in verses 7&8 is perhaps the most astonishing part of that passage:

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

He likened the Holy Spirit to the wind and said no one knows where it comes from or where it goes, and so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Just as God told Moses in Exodus and just as Paul reiterated in Romans 9, God has mercy on whom He has mercy. Men cannot decide by their own free will to be saved. We are born again by the will of a God. (John 1:13)

Christians can go forth spreading the good news with great confidence for when His sheep hear his voice they will follow Him. (See John 10) We know that in the day of His power we are made willing to believe. (Psalm 110:3) Those who don’t believe were not ordained unto eternal life. (Acts 13:48)

[DaveMSmith]

So the question still stands... what is it we DO? Sit slack jawed waiting? What is the process?

[huldah1776]

God saves us by giving us our faith. After accepting this gift, do we not want to do everything for Him? cleaning, playing, reading, sharing, giving, being friendly to those who spit on us, taking care of others, everything. Do all to glorify His name. All. It’s what people who are in love do in response to that love.

[Loud Mime]

First, you have to determine if we have commandments or not. In my personal theological opinion, too many people treat the commandments as suggestions from which they grovel for forgiveness.

If the Almighty is perfect, He will make sense.

[DaveMSmith]

I agree. Paul lists over 95 terms of what a Christian should not be doing.

[Salvation]

**Who Needs Works?**

We all do.

Even God worked six days and then rested on the seventh day.

[Salvation]

BTTT!