Well.....not according to God.
According to God, He saved you with the blood of Jesus...
According to God, He Himself, as Christ on the Cross, said..>"it is finished".
And that is Salvation finished, 2000 yrs ago.
And THAT Salvation is a Gift given for the last 2000 yrs. Its "the gift of salvation", "the gift of Righteousness".
Its the Blood Atonement, its the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.
When we are born again, we are '"made righteous", as its not by our "works , but according to God's mercy""
Being "made righteous" is not temporary, and God didnt cause this to happen to us because we were good enough.. to deserve it. He did it for us on the Cross, because we were going to hell,> UNGODLY.
If i said, "i am saved by what i do", then how am i agreeing with God that Jesus is the "only way" To Him? John 14:6.
A way to think about this verse...>"present your body as a living sacrifice".. is to see it like this..
Can you do that and not be born again?
Can you be a disciple of Jesus, and not be born again?
Yes you can.
Just ask Judas.
Here is another way to think about it..........If God does not accept our works before we are born again, to save us, then why would God need your works to keep you saved after He saved you??
How can it be, that what can't save us, before we are saved.......how can these same works keeps us saved after we are born again?
The blood of Jesus does not change our works, it changes our SPIRIT.
Its not our works that are born again, its our SPIRIT.
Its not our works that become "ONE with God, in Christ", its our SPRIIT.
Good works do not cause our SPIRIT to be born again, so, works are useless regarding salvation.
It take GOD on the Cross making us Righteous to get us into heaven.
Commandments, Law, good deeds, need ......not.......apply.
Everything that you can do for God, after you are born again, you can do, and not be born again.
All of it.
Commandment keeping.
Living for the Lord.
Church going.
Bible reading.
Posting on Christian forums.
Teaching Sunday School.
Translating Greek into English
Giving to the poor.
Praying..
We can do all that SELF EFFORT, and not be born again....so, if all that can't save us to begin with, then us trying to do it after we are born again, is the same MOOT Situation.
"faith.......without works"........."without". as this is the GRACE of God.
All our works have nothing to do with God on the Cross,
Salvation is all of God.
Discipleship is all of us, with God's help.
They are not the same.
Salvation is not discipleship.
Salvation is what God provides from the Cross, as a GIFT, and Discipleship is what we do, because we have the GIFT.
"the GIFT of Salvation".
And a person says......"so, are you saying that we are not supposed to present out bodies as a living sacrifice"...
No, im saying that we present our bodies and take up our cross, not to try to stay saved, but because we ARE Saved.
You've read this verse? "depart from me i never KNEW YOU"?
Those people were trying to be Christians.
They were doing the works., and God said..>"GET OUT" !!! "depart" !
And why?
Because God does not accept our works to save us. He only accepts His own blood and death given on the Cross, as the "gift of salvation" as the only reason He accepts us.
Salvation is JESUS., Himself..........not what we do. John 14:6