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Working out your own salvation
....walking in the steps of Abraham
(Part 1) Getting Over the "Works" Phobia
This study is just an honest attempt to look at the Word and gain a true insight into the will of God. Over and over I have heard the term "A Works Salvation" and personally have never understood why what I considered obedience to God was by others considered a heratic taboo. So in response I have prayerfully gone into the Book and looked at what it has to say about "Works" As a foundation that does not need to be relaid let me state it is with no contraversy that we are saved by the finished works of Calvary through God's magnificent Grace. Yet in looking at scripture which plainly upholds this truth I see also another half of the story that goes untold because of this "Works" taboo. In a zeal to preserve the wonderful truth of Calvary it appears that the baby has been thrown out with the bath water and an unjustifyable condemnation of works has been created. Just look at the following outline with some careful consideration.
The Four Types of "Works" defined in the Bible
1) The works of the devil
2) The works of the flesh and of man's hands and imagination
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Col 1:21)
3) The works of the Law (The Mosaic Levitical Law)
For the sake of brevity and not making this longer than it has to be I am 100% certain that there will be no argument in saying that these first three works plainly have no part in the Kingdom of God and should be dealt with accordingly. But then again the next heading plays an vital role in Kingdom that cannot be tossed aside.
4) The works of Faith
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. (John 8:39)
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham......(Rom 4:11-12)
It is at this point of understanding that in our attempt to fully remain faithful in avoiding the first three "Dead Works" we also throw out what I will call "Living Works" because scripture is abundant and clear that these things are fully expected of a child of God.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. (Titus 3:8)
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Mat 5:16)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10)
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim 3:16-17)
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Tim 6:17-19) * note: the connection of good works to a solid foundation and attaining eternal life, and compare with Luke 6:44-49
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1 Pet 2:12)
In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, (Titus 2:7)
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (Heb 10:24)
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)
It is plainly apparent that rather than shun, we are commanded to embrace and multiply in good works. At this point I want to make it clear that when we come into a relationship with Jesus he begins the work of salvation in us and in response to His grace we do good works because we want to make our calling and election sure. Because being void of good works carries a heavy penalty, the loss of our salvation.
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:9-11)
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:7-11)
I believe the blood of Jesus bought and made salvation universally available to all who call on the Name of Jesus but I also believe that all who call on the Name of Jesus do not all attain that salvation, as we can lose salvation by not obeying the commands of God.
Part 2 The Saving Covenant of Faith
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Gal 3:7)
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. (John 8:39)
The promises that God made to Abraham which were sealed by a covenant were not just for Abraham but for the whole world.
Note in particular that God preached the Gospel to Abraham, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..." (Rom 1:16) The Gospel is the message of salvation for ALL people. As we go through this study we will also understand that there has always been only one Gospel message given by God.
Now just looking at some of the things God said to Abraham in Genesis we can see the obvious in that through Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed.
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Gen 22:18)
So we see that God called Abraham and God made promises to him that through him all the earth will be blessed. The Bible says Abraham believed God was able. Not only did God make these promises but the Bible also tells us that God confirmed these promises with a covenant or a binding contract. What wasn't apparent to Abraham was exactly how God would bring all this to pass, this I will get into towards the end of this study.
5 points
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Rev 21:7)
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Gal 3:7)
2) and it (the circumcision) shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Rom 2:29)
3) And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
..... they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:19) ....the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Heb 4:2) For we which have believed do enter into rest.... (Heb 4:3)
4) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Gal 3:16)
5) Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. (John 8:39)
The reality is that the covenant of circumcision was not made between God and Abraham but between God and ALL the seed of Abraham. Abraham just happened to be the first one of multitudes to confirm this contract by circumcision. So the one universal Gospel that God preached to Abraham consists of 1) a promise of the seed, which is Christ. 2) that through this seed, Jesus, ALL the nations will be blessed. 3) and a covenant contract confirmed by circumcision. Note a contract in simplest terms is defined as I will_____ if you will_____ In this case God said I will provide Jesus as Savior and if you will believe me and if you want to be included in the salvation provided then be circumcised as a token of your faith.
Walking By Faith!
This is an incredibly profound, rich and enlightening passage of scripture. Every time I read it, I read it several times just to make sure my eyes are not deceiving me. I have been walking with God for 19 years now and every so often God would open up scripture to my understanding that would just thrill me beyond compare. This is one of those passages that never ceases to cause me to rejoice because it reveals the solid foundation of our salvation. I love it!! God help me now to do it justice in explaining what I see.
The Steps of our father Abraham
1) The Grace of God
And he received......while.....yet being uncircumcised
God went to him, and began talking to him, Brother this is grace! God is holy and righteous, nevertheless God chose to aproach this man and begin revealing the most awesome plan of how God wanted to save the whole world!!! All before Abraham had a covenant relationship with God. This is the very exact same thing God does for everyone.
God comes to us when we are all undeserving, and when He comes to us He begins revealing His will. That is God's part and work, that is His grace. What step did Abraham take in response to grace?
2) He received! He Believed! He Obeyed!
Now how do we know he received (took it to heart) the instruction? Because in every step of his walk with God, God spoke and Abraham obeyed. Abraham was accounted as having faith in God because he was able to receive revelation and then act in response to that revelation. This is the very heart of what it means to believe in God. It is clear that in receiving, believing and obeying that Abraham was circumcised in the heart before he was instructed to do it in the flesh. So when God spoke "Walk before me" He was saying you are doing good and going in the right direction, but "Be thou perfect" Don't stop now I have more I want you to do.
" This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised."
In understanding Abrahams walk with God we see that over a long period of time, one step at a time, God revealed something to Abraham and at every step of the way Abraham responded obediently.
"And God said unto Abraham.... Every man child among you shall be circumcised." "And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin."
"And God said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him." (Gen 22:2-3) "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son." (Gen 22:10) "And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Gen 22:12)
For I know him, (Abraham) that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. (Gen 18:19)
The whole lesson here is that the record begins when Abram was 75 and continues untill his death at 175, giving us an account of a 100 year walk with God. Every step of the way God gave revelations of His will, and Abraham responded to those revelations with obedient service. So then this becomes the model of what it means to be circumcised in heart, walking and seeking perfection.
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1 John 2:3-6)
My friend while most will say they are "saved" at the point in time when they accept Jesus and begin their walk, Scripture more clearly makes it understood that during our walk God will speak to us, and perfection will come to those who obediently serve. And to those who do not obey the voice of God?
Saved By Faith in Jesus
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)
Abraham believed in Jesus!
In God's revelations to him, he was told that "In thy seed" (Jesus) "shall all the nations of the earth be blessed"
The Covenant Revealed
A covenant is a binding contract. If we have a covenant with God, God is bound to uphold His end of the bargain as long as we uphold ours.
God told Abraham in order.....that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.... he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith
Now while it is understood that it is not required to have anything physical done to us (because those who were circumcised in the flesh were not faithful) God today reveals to us a spiritual circumcision of the heart which means we believe and have faith in God. Look at the next passage: Note that unbelief causes blindness, and faith causes liberty.
Faith opens our hearts to freely receive from God and as we receive and ACT as Abraham did then "... we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor 3:18)
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Rom 2:29)
As God revealed to Abraham His covenant of salvation for the whole world, Abraham received and acted, expressing his faith in God through his actions. Today God's Gospel instructs circumcision of the heart and not of the flesh. The "Sign" of circumcision in the Old Testament was physical, but today the Bible tells us of another "Sign" of circumcision that is our "Seal of the righteousness of faith"
Just as Abraham received Jesus and believed and showed his faith by signing the contract with circumcision, We express our faith in Jesus and sign our contract by water baptism. (a better deal I think!)
The requirements of the contract
Well look at this! Paul received a revelation! Did he act on that revelation? You know He did! What was involved in the revelation? Turning back to God in repentence and doing the works that prove the repentence was genuine. Which would be eliminating the works of the devil, the works of the flesh, and a false reliance on self righteosness in our personal lives, AND then doing the things that are right in the sight of God.
How do we agree to and sign the contract?
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:4)
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29)
The reward of signing the contract
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (Rom 6:3-5)
For IF we have been planted (baptized, signed the contract) THEN we shall go up in the first resurrection. (Be Saved)
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? (1 Cor 15:29)
Our being baptized is our expression of faith that says we believed God is going to destroy death and raise us up in the resurrection!! So as Jesus gave us the example of dying and being buried, saying "I will be raised the third day" So we repent, die to dead works, are buried in baptism, putting off the old man, and then faith is made perfect as we put on Christ walking in the newness of life, with the contract promise of our ultimate resurrection.
The Name on the dotted line
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:11)
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. (Zec 14:9)
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. (Amos 9:11-12)
Notice that the Apostles quote this verse:
The church is known as the Body of Christ, as we have seen it is baptizm that puts us into Christ. We also know that the Head of the church is Jesus. Now let me ask you, Does someones body have a different name than their head? Even as the Bride of Christ, Doesn't the Bride take the name of the husband? So who is the Head, and who is the Husband? Jesus!!! The evidence of the irrefutable proof is found that in actual practice the Apostles all baptized in Jesus Name.
Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) (Acts 8:14-16)
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. (Acts 10:45-48)
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 19:2-5)
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 22:12-16)
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Cor 1:13) These questions are rhetorical, the indication here is plain that the Corinthian church was baptized in the Name of Jesus.
There is only one Name on the contract! Jesus Name! Because what baptism represents is we are dying to self so that Christ will live. We are denying and crucifying the flesh and then taking on His identity and Name that God may be all in all. We are being made one with God!!! And this is what we are agreeing to in our contract with God.
Part 3 The Spiritual children of Abraham
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. (Gal 4:28)
Even though we know Abraham believed the promises of him becoming the father of many nations. We also know that he strugled with how God would bring this to pass, at one point he tried to help God along. Both Abraham and Sarah being in their ninties didn't help them much either I'm sure. Here is an example of God speaking and Abraham hearing and having faith, but the fullness of everything that God had in mind was fuzzy. We having the benefit of hindsight are able to look back and realizing that not only was God speaking of the natural nation Israel, but included in God's plans was the Gentile church being the spiritual children of promise. Only in the New Testament teachings is all the fuzziness eliminated and full revelation of God's will is made known.
This next section is going to tie the whole package together and show exactly how God's promise to Abraham is fulfilled in the New Testament gospel message. In the early stages of Abraham's walk we gather that he believed that the children God promised would be Abraham's own natural children. It was at this point that he attempted to help God by taking on Hagar and producing Ishmael. It was after this fact that God pointedly clarified His will by stating: "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him."
Note*
1) They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:
2) but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
3) The promise is: "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Gal 3:16) So the promise to Abraham is that in Jesus Christ he would become the spiritual father of many nations.
I'm sure you are wondering why I am being so redundant in repeating the same things over and over, but let me assure you that with each stroke of the brush the picture is painted, and I want a picture that is perfectly clear. Please bear with me.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29)
Becoming Christ's
So then with the advent of Jesus finally come we find Him teaching the priciples of being "Born again" and as we examine these principles we see how God's promise is able to be accomplished.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (John 3:4) This Brother is still thinking with a natural logical thinking. Same as Abraham in the beginning which got him into trouble.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5) Jesus now gives us the two elements involved, being born of water and Spirit, and explains further.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6) Note the confirmation "They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God" but they that are born of the Spirit, are the spiritual children of promise.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)
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. (John 3:8) Here Jesus gives us a description of those being born of the Spirit as making the sound of the wind, which I will get to later.
We have already been made to know the vital role of water baptism as the first part of this Born Again experience, so then let's focus on the spiritual rebirth.
Note in the next verse that Jesus will pray for God to send the Comforter which is identified as the Holy Ghost.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:16-17)
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)
Note here that now the Holy Ghost is called the promise
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (Acts 1:4-5)
Note that after praying that God would send the Holy Ghost, finally on the day of Pentecost the outpouring of the Holy Ghost was indeed made available.
Finally Paul explains to us that those who have been born of the Spirit are the children of promise.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Rom 8:14-16)
So we see that Abraham becomes the Father of the faithful not by natural conception, but by the supernatural conception of being born again of the Spirit of God, adopting us into the family of God all being given the family name of Jesus through baptism. " For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" So now we see the "How" employed by God in blessing all those who have faith in God, making Abraham the father of many nations.
How are those Born of the Spirit Identified?
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. (John 3:8) Here Jesus gives us a description of those being born of the Spirit as making the sound of the wind.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
Not only are we given a new family name, but a new family language also! Paul describes it as the tounges of angels. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels...." (1 Cor 13:1) Everywhere in Acts where it says they were filled with the Holy Ghost it also says they spoke in tounges. Which is a fulfillment of this scripture type:
...At the door (the mouth) of the tabernacle (our body) of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. (Exo 29:42-43)
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Rom 8:26-27)
This is incredibly beautiful! When we are filled with the Holy Ghost we become the temple of the living God, and out of His temple God speaks!
Walking in the light of revelation
Plainly scripture teaches that we are to walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham. Plainly Abrahams steps were not just lip service but faithful obedience and action. His life reveals the grace of God in choosing, calling and speaking to him. But it also goes on in teaching that as God revealed step by step, Abraham responded with obedience step by step. This then becomes the perfect model of what it means to have true faith in God. So the truest understanding of his life reveals that we are saved by faith in action and nothing less. To this agrees the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles which states:
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:9-10)
Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. (Acts 13:43)
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:21-22)
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Rom 11:22)
I think you can see the operative phrase is God's insistence that we continue, in the word, in obedience, in love, in grace, in faith, and goodness. THEN shall we be His diciples indeed. It is very important here to understand what a disciple is, the Strong's dictionary gives us this definition:
Disciple: Greek word mathetes, math-ay-tes'; a learner, i.e. pupil:--disciple.
Note very importantly is that to be a learner is in the present tense. We are to be always presently learning. We are not being a disciple if we base our relationship with God solely on what we learned in the past, but the indication is that being a disciple is to be in an ever present state of learning. Which makes it absolutely necessary for us to respond to whatever God is teaching us TODAY. Can you see how God moved Abraham along in their relationship? If Abraham would have stopped being willing to continue with God what do you suppose his fate would have been?
Friend of mine I have presented an exhaustive argument for the absolute need for the "Saving works of Faith" My intent is that God shower you with blessings and revelations. My desire is for you to walk, continuing in the faith and steps of Abraham. Do not be afraid of being zealous for good works because we are saved by "Works of Faith"
What are works of Faith?
Works of faith are whatever actions we do that make us like Jesus Christ! We are to love, because He is love. We are to be kind, gentle, and generous because He is these things. We are to be holy in all manner of life, because He who called you is Holy. We get baptized because He showed us his example of obedience. We forgive because He forgave us. On and on I could go. We act according to the knowledge and revelation of who and what He is. Why? Because through baptism, by contract we have agreed to "Put on Christ" We take on His Name and identity. Why? Because individuals are not saved by their own merit. Let me explain.
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)
No man has ever, can ever, or will ever by his own merit ascend into heaven. Our salvation is based entirely on our being found "IN HIM" He is the ark of our salvation that will carry us into the heavenlies.
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (Eph 1:10-11)
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (Col 2:6)
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: (Col 2:10)
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Th 1:12)
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1 John 2:4-6)
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28)
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. (1 John 3:24)
Of every Man ever born or ever will be, there has only been ONE who was sinnless and merrited ascention into heaven of course this is Jesus Christ. Salvation comes to us all because we become members of His body through baptism.
This is the truest understanding of the grace of God, not that He allows us into heaven but that He allows us into Christ who brings us all into heaven with Him as one. Putting on Jesus saves us!
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, (Jesus) which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (Col 3:9-15)
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