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Salvation through works???

by Fergus Davar  
1/18/2010 / Bible Studies

Hi people, how are you doing? Hope all is well? I am writing after 3 weeks. It may be a small time for you but it was a life time of a nightmare for me. I was praying that God would give me the opportunity to write again but this Sunday's Word only highlighted the gaping wound that lies within me. This Sunday's word was from a young visiting preacher. Well he said that he was supposed to preach on suffering but after he recently found a soul mate, a good partner he then decided to preach on love. However I will not be writing on love because 1) I have already written on it & 2) Being single, I don't want to rub salt in my own wounds. So what will I write on? I will write on a small study about people who preach salvation through works from the Bible

Now before you proceed to read further it is important to note that the Bible teaches that we are all saved by grace not by works (Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7). Meaning salvation is something you cannot earn by works, be it by prayer, charity, visiting holy places, good deeds, sacrifices, fasting or whatever. The Bible says that it is by grace that God has chosen you (Eph 1:4) and brought you to know truth about the price God paid for your sins (John 6:44). It is only when God opens your eyes that you are able to see & it is with this spiritual vision that a believer confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes God raised him from death. This person is now saved (Romans 10:9). This declaration is one which is done in faith. It is something a believer comes to learn under the apprenticeship of the Holy Spirit. It is not forced into him. A Christian will defend His God given faith with love. We do not believe in winning arguments. No one can be argued to heaven. There is victory in accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If Christians were to preach the Gospel on the basis on winning arguments then that would mean that people who lost the argument would be going to heaven to live happily ever after, in defeat and shame, which is one big contradiction. What we believe in is saving souls in the name of Jesus because Salvation belongs to Him (Revelation 7:10).

Coming back, this is the verse which I would like to expound upon.

Philippians 2:12-13
12 So then, dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation, 13 because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.

This is taken from the letter Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippi Church. You may notice in verse 12 "Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation," This almost feel like Apostle Paul is saying that you need to work for your Salvation but in Ephesians (2:8) Apostle Paul clearly says that you are saved by grace not by works. However reading into verse 13, Apostle Paul clearly takes you into the direction of what he means. He says that for those who have accepted Christ, God (Holy Spirit) is always at work in them to make them willing and able to obey Him. Allow me to clarify this with Ephesians 2:10.

Eph 2:10
10 God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.

The God's idea of the body of Christ, which is Biblically known as the Church is His people who are commissioned into service for Him. There is nothing in this world that exist that has no purpose be it living or non-living. In the same way everything that exist in the kingdom of God play its part in the body of Christ. The good deeds mentioned above have been set aside for us, God has declared that we would do them, it says so in Philippians 2:13. I am not saying that God orders us to do it and that it. It is like this God commands and it is done. When God created the world, God just said let there be light and there was (Genesis 1:3). He says and it is done, His will be done. In the case of us he makes us willing and able to do the good deeds and declares that we do them. His Spirit begins to dwell in us when we accept His Son as our deliverer. The Son saves, the Spirit works within us & the Father declares by His will that we will do all the good that he has set aside for us.

So does this mean that it is the good that we do that saves us? Can we go to heaven and have eternal life by just doing good & not accepting and trusting in Jesus. Let me ask you something, if there were a family whose son (Ravi) sacrificed his life to save a certain person (Harish). Now if Harish denies that Ravi lost his life saving him. In this case would any good done by Harish, please the family of Ravi? I don't think so. It is the same way with God. You can do all the good in the world but if you deny the sacrifice of His Son to save you then there is no place in the House of God for you.

The above paragraph is just to show you that, good deeds without accepting and trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Savior does not please the Father. However I would like to close saying that good will only yield good fruit if it has a Jesus cause behind it. Tell me can a person be called a government employee & get a government salary if the work he does is not connected with the government. The Body of Christ which consists of everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus alone, from which ever background Parsee, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist or from whatever they may come. The parallel I am trying to bring about here is that you cannot be called a servant for God & receive His abundant blessing, if the work that you do is not connected to Jesus.

1John2:22-23
22 Who, then, is the liar? It is those who say that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such people are the Enemies of Christ they reject both the Father and the Son. 23 For all those who reject the Son also reject the Father; those who accept the Son have the Father also.

Putting Jesus first is putting the Father first (John 14:6).

By Fergus Davar (Saved by HIS grace), just a pen in His Hand.

Psalms 144:1
Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;

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