Bible Study Are works important or not?

[Christ_empowered]

jim parker...

i know my life is much, much better because of a christian named Verna. Here I am, a much despised, former (all kinds of things), saved in part due to her prayers and frienship, and now...

The Lord has moved mightily in all aspects of my life, and I see now the kind of Christian I need to be...a mix of who verna has been to me, and who and what the "church people" around me never were to me, at any point.

Thanks for this, btw.

 

[Jim Parker]

jim parker...

i know my life is much, much better because of a christian named Verna. Here I am, a much despised, former (all kinds of things), saved in part due to her prayers and frienship, and now...

The Lord has moved mightily in all aspects of my life, and I see now the kind of Christian I need to be...a mix of who verna has been to me, and who and what the "church people" around me never were to me, at any point.

Thanks for this, btw.

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[dirtfarmer]

dirtfarmer here

Ephesians 2:10, what was ordained before: that we should "walk" in those good works that were created in Christ Jesus. Is there a difference between "walking" in good works that Christ Jesus does and "doing" those good works ourselves?

 

[Papa Zoom]

Then you agree that faith without works will not save anyone.

What I would say is that faith is dead if it's absent of works as work demonstrates faith. Loving one's wife and family is a work. So I doubt that many believers are absent of any works.

How do you reconcile the idea that works are not important for salvation with the fact that all mankind will be judged by their works as to whether their eternal existence in in the Kingdom of God or the lake of fire?

One enters into the Kingdom of God because of Jesus. Works bring rewards or absence of.

Ah! You assume that you have made made it.

Well Peter said we can know.

Paul was not as confident as you until the end of his life when he was in prison waiting to be martyred for the faith.

Paul testified that to die for him, would be to be with Christ. But that it was better he remained in the body for now.

Phl 3:8-15
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus told us that we are the light of the world and so, we are to let our light so shine that people see our good works and praise God. (Mat 5:14)

I'm doing some of that and working on doing more and trying to exhort others to do the same.

that's all.


That's good.
Here's some direction for all of us that God had Matthew write down: give water to the thirsty, feed the hungry; clothe the naked, shelter the stranger, visit the sick and imprisoned. (Mat 25:35-36) To give water, food, clothes and shelter there are many organizations which do that and we can support them financially. Visitation takes personal action. You have to apply for clearance and go through their training to go into prisons.

There is so much emphasis on "works-free" salvation that I decided to do this thread. The world really needs to see and experience what a Christ-like person is. People's lives need to be better because they encountered Christians. We should be turning the world upside down (Act 17:6) instead of arguing about how we don't have to do anything to be saved.

I don't equate works with salvation. I equate it with the Christian life which is following Jesus and doing the kinds of things He commanded us to do and to follow His example of serving others.

 

[Jim Parker]

One enters into the Kingdom of God because of Jesus. Works bring rewards or absence of.

One does enter the kingdom because of Jesus.
Jesus said He would judge people based on their works; not for "rewards", for eternal life or eternal condemnation.
He said that several times as did the apostles.
(Mat 25:31-46; Jhn 3:36; 5:28-29; 8:51; Ro 6:2-10; 8:12-14; 2Cor 5:10; 1 Pet 1:17; 1 John 2:17; Rev 20:12-13; 22:12 - 14)
There is one verse that connects works and reward.
Mat 16:27 “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."
At Mat 25:31-46 Jesus makes it clear that those "rewards" are either inheritance of the kingdom or hell.

Well Peter said we can know.

So you are more confident in your salvation than was the apostle Paul until his very last days when he knew he would be a martyr!

Paul testified that to die for him, would be to be with Christ. But that it was better he remained in the body for now.

Oh! So are you saying we can just ignore what he said to the Philippians?

I don't equate works with salvation. I equate it with the Christian life which is following Jesus and doing the kinds of things He commanded us to do and to follow His example of serving others.

That's nice.
Scripture equates it with eternal life.

But, for some reason, you don't want to know that.