[George]

Hello dear saints in the Lord,

Recently, we've encountered several threads dealing with a WORKS based salvation, so I thought I would express where I personally stand on the issue.

THERE IS a distinct DIFFERENCE in JUSTIFICATION and SANTIFICATION!

You see you cannot MIX the two, because once you do -- you start walking a fine line -- trying to "COMPLETE" your salvation through your works.

Let's go through line upon line and precept upon precept. First of all, salvation is 100% the work of GOD.

Romans 3:24-28 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Ephesians 2:8-9 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.

So the first part to understanding JUSTIFICATION is that it's the GIFT OF GOD, it's not something you CAN EARN -- it's not something you CAN WORK FOR -- you are JUSTIFIED through FAITH!

What is FAITH?

F -- FORSAKING
A -- ALL
I -- I
T -- TRUST
H -- HIM

We live by FAITH, we are JUSTIFIED by FAITH!

So where does WORKS become involved in our walk?

God has sent forth HIS SPIRIT to work in all of us once we become REGENERATED, and become a NEW CREATION! This work of the HOLY SPIRIT is SANTIFICATION! How long does this work of SANTIFICATION continue? YOUR ENTIRE LIFE! So what is SANTIFICATION? Santification is a cleansing of one's mind, one's heart, one's desires from the things of this world and a renewing of their mind, heart, and desires to that of the LORD.

What happens when your mind, your heart, and your desires changes -- so that you put on the MIND OF CHRIST, have a HEART that seeks to LOVE GOD above all -- then your desires will be that of GOD! Your life will START PRODUCING WORKS -- your regenerated life will START PRODUCING FRUIT!

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Do you see the DIFFERENCE?

One is JUSTIFICATION -- how we can be justified before GOD.
The other is SANTIFICATION -- how our lives will change once we've been JUSTIFIED.

Next time, I'll share the DANGERS of trying to be JUSTIFIED with a MIXING of WORKS AND FAITH!

We'll continue this study until we've exhausted the subject so feel free to ask questions,

Your brother in Christ with much agape love,

George

[George]

So you ask what's the dangers of living a life full of works before God? NOTHING as long as you RECOGNIZE that you CANNOT be JUSTIFIED by your WORKS!

Listen to what Paul wrote the Galatian church,

Galatians 1:6-7 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

What was Paul marveling about? That the GALATIAN church in part was being perverted with ANOTHER GOSPEL!

What was the OTHER GOSPEL Paul spoke of?

Galatians 3:1-3 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

What did the GALATIANS get caught up in? They got caught up trying to JUSTIFY themselves by KEEPING the "letter of the law"! TRYING to FINISH the WORK of GOD in their flesh!

You see, one CANNOT finish the JUSTIFYING work of JESUS to save themselves -- there is ONE WAY to enter into the KINGDOM of GOD -- that's by throwing yourselves upon JESUS and believing that HE will save you! It's that utter dependence upon Jesus that SAVES a person from hell -- it's TRUSTING HIM ALONE that saves a person from an eternity from hell!

So how did Paul address this concern of his?

Galatians 5:1-6 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Those are powerful words of Paul's! Listen as believers, we SHOULD go about trying to follow the LAW -- Paul is not preaching be a LAWBREAKER - BUT HE'S EXPLAINING the REAL DANGER in MIXING JUSTIFICATION and SANTIFICATION!

The Holy Spirit's work of santification allows us to keep the law of God upon our hearts -- empowers us to do GOOD WORKS in HIS LOVE. Don't mix the two -- JUSTIFICATION and SANTIFICATION!

If you try to JUSTIFY yourself before GOD through your good works -- you have fallen from the GRACE of God. Do you not know what Isaiah wrote about his works?

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

You better be clinging on the righteousness of Jesus to save you -- because our own righteousness is FILTHY RAGS before the Holiness of God!

Your brother in Christ with much agape love,

George

[nebula]

George, on Jul 6 2005, 05:48 PM, said:

What is FAITH?

F -- FORSAKING
A -- ALL
I -- I
T -- TRUST
H -- HIM

That's cool! :emot-highfive:

[George]

Now you ask, what about James? Faith without works is DEAD!

James 2:17-18 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

James is showing that a walk of FAITH will be shown in WORKS.

Works in FAITH prove the EXISTANCE of FAITH!

Do you see the difference? If one is trying to PROVE their Justification before God by their WORKS -- their righteousness will be seen as filthy rags before the Lord!

But when ONE is truly JUSTIFIED by their FAITH in HIM then the SANTIFYING work of the HOLY SPIRIT will PROVE the EXISTANCE of FAITH in one's life!

Your brother in Christ with much agape love,

George

[EricH]

Great posts

[George]

Let me clarify one point now that I'm re-reading my own thoughts. There's a major difference between the WORKS of PAUL and the WORKS of JAMES.

First of all, Paul expressed the works of the LAW no man shall be JUSTIFIED.

James is expressing the WORKS of FAITH!

Paul is expressing the JUSTIFICATION before GOD -- salvation through Jesus alone, whereas James is expressing our JUSTIFICATION before men.

For example, James says -- show me thy faith and I'll show you MY WORKS! James is addressing those that have a "profession of faith before men" without any works -- and is saying -- Hey look if you are truly a believer, where is the work of santification in your life? Where's the proof? And if someone were to ask James -- so how do I know you're a believer? James quickly says -- This is why I'm a believer -- His life PROVED his allegiance to the Lord -- the WORKS declared that he was a true believer in the Lord!

I should have started with the differences between the two before writing the previous post.

Sorry,

Your brother in Christ with much agape love,

George

[EricH]

George, on Jul 6 2005, 04:34 PM, said:

Let me clarify one point now that I'm re-reading my own thoughts.  There's a major difference between the WORKS of PAUL and the WORKS of JAMES. 

First of all, Paul expressed the works of the LAW no man shall be JUSTIFIED.

James is expressing the WORKS of FAITH!

Paul is expressing the JUSTIFICATION before GOD -- salvation through Jesus alone, whereas James is expressing our JUSTIFICATION before men.

For example, James says -- show me thy faith and I'll show you MY WORKS!  James is addressing those that have a "profession of faith before men" without any works -- and is saying -- Hey look if you are truly a believer, where is the work of santification in your life?  Where's the proof?  And if someone were to ask James -- so how do I know you're a believer?  James quickly says -- This is why I'm a believer -- His life PROVED his allegiance to the Lord -- the WORKS declared that he was a true believer in the Lord!

I should have started with the differences between the two before writing the previous post. 

Sorry,

Your brother in Christ with much agape love,

George
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Although I suspect in Ephesians 2:8-10 Paul is describing both. The works of the law are not what justify us, but the works of faith are what we were saced for. Does that make sense ? I also suspect that the works of faith and the works of the law may not be a set of different acts. They may be the same acts used for different purposes. The works of the law were used by people to attempt to justify them. The works of faith are those same works not properly inderstood as an outgrowth of salvation

[quadding101]

Paul, if he lived today would be considered a genius. He wrote the bible as he saw it and made it, in many cases, what was simple, hard to understand, I do not know if God wanted it this way to confuse the wise but it is how it turned out. I will tell u the truth but what u do with it is up to u. There r 2 steps to recieving God. If u want scripture for it then look at the gospel of John 1:12 (KJV or NKJV). I do not read the NIV any more it has changed too much. It says (to those that recieve Him (Jesus) r given the power or right TO BECOME a child of God). There is a second step and some refer to it as sanctification, some refer to it as baptism of the Holy Spirit, and some refer to it as the oil (oil refer to God's Spirit in alot of cases). The first step is to repent of our sins and accept Jesus and what He did for us. When u do this 3 things happen. 1- ur sins r forgiven. 2-u become spiritually alive to God (born again). 3-the inborn nature is suppressed, God"s Spirit does not come into ur heart at this time as so many teach, the inborn nature is still in ur heart but suppressed and will still control u. The second step is what I call the real decision. To recieve God's Spirit into ur heart u must make God what is most important to u because what is most important to u will have ur allegiance, the story of the young rich man lets us know this. The young rich man was given the choice of God or his riches and he chose what was most important to him, his riches. But it can be anything or anyone even urself that is most important to u. What is the most important to u? It is what u want more than anyone or anything else, It is what u will give up all else to get and keep, It is what u will do anything to get and keep, It is what u will go anywhere to get and keep. If u have God's Spirit it will come down to, How much do u want God? What happens when God's Spirit comes into ur heart? When God's Spirit comes into ur heart the inborn nature is cast out and ur heart is purifyed. Sin like greed, lust, envy, jealousy etc. is cast out because God will not dwell where sin dwells. When Sin like greed, envy etc. is cast out of ur heart it is no longer in control of u, it is how God makes it possible to say no to sin. As long as the inborn nature is in ur heart the emotions like greed etc. will be in ur heart and they will control u but when God's Spirit is in ur heart these emotions will still raise up but because they r no longer in ur heart u can say no to them and say no to sin (Sin becomes a choice). There is more to tell but u will recieve a book called How much do u want God? that will explain much and answer many of ur questions. I hope this helps u.

[amazingrace]

GRACE:
G God's
R Riches
A At
C Christ's
E Expense

[Remnantrob]

Quote

GRACE:
G God's
R Riches
A At
C Christ's
E Expense

I love that ACRONYM. :)