Posted on 09/19/2017 6:22:17 PM PDT by hiho hiho
Ok... so you say that helping someone who needs help is a work of faith.
James 2
14 What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him? 15 And if a brother or sister be naked, and want daily food: 16 And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit? 17 So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.
2. Is this to say that someone who does not believe in Jesus or God for that matter is saved if they help someone who needs help??? They DID complete a work of faith did they not???
No, if they do not believe it would not be a work of faith
also maybe some of those people who you think don`t believe does believe.
There are many believers who just tries to do what Jesus said and keeps their mouth shut, i wished i could be more that way.
Other people just tries, and some people just has it in their mind to do good, maybe that is enough.
Maybe you do not help any one, but if you pass some one by who you know needs help you most likely feel bad about it?
That is why God is the Judge we are not.
Nice.
>>> some people just has it in their mind to do good, maybe that is enough.
I would submit that those who do good out of true love already have Jesus in their heart, whether they know it or not... and their truly selfless works are evidence of what has already happened... not the other way around.
Those who do good simply to impress others or do demonstrate their own spirituality do not have the truth in them.
It is this difference which is described in Matthew 25 to which you referred. All of your other supporting scriptures also back this up.
A work of faith is evidence of God’s presence in the person’s heart. Helping someone who needs help in and of itself, whether born out of true love(faith) or not, does NOT atone for sin.
I think we pretty much agree, i just believe the reason James wrote the way he did was because he most likely heard people boasting that they did not have to do anything and maybe they was even making fun of those people who believed in trying to do good.
I have experienced the same thing and believe it or not ( from Preachers ) and i have also experienced the opposite
Mathew 26
41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Romans 7
21 I find then a law, that when I have a will to do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, that is in my members.
24 Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with the mind serve the law of God; but with the flesh, the law of sin........
Paul was unhappy with himself as any one who fails to do what they know to do will be.
We are saved by Grace only,
John 6
39 Now this is the will of the Father who sent me: that of all that he hath given me, I should lose nothing; but should raise it up again in the last day.
40 And this is the will of my Father that sent me: that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in him, may have life everlasting, and I will raise him up in the last day.
Do i really believe in Jesus? Jesus knows.
Mathew 7
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
I believe that most of our so called doctors of religion should admit they do not know every thing.
We should not be boasting that we are saved by our faith, we should be ashamed that we are not even fit to do the little things Jesus said to do, just speaking for myself.
.
>>> Mathew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
I think it would be beneficial to zoom in on something here...
“...will of my Father”
What does this really mean?
What does it comprehensively entail?
Does it mean “Don’t sin”? surely.. but is that all?
What about where Jesus said Love god and love your neighbor? Obviously.
But is there more? I think so.
God’s will I believe includes hearing his voice on a daily basis, and doing what He wants us to do without question... even if it is something which seemingly has no impact on anyone or anything from our own perspective.
Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice...”
When Jesus asked Peter who he said He was, and Peter replied “You are the Son of God”... Jesus then said “The Holy Spirit has revealed this to you...
So we see that it is the Holy Spirit Who is the voice of God’s will... and He instructs us daily on what His will is and what we are to do... whether it be to comfort a stranger, or speak against someone’s Heracies.... or share a thought about God’s word.
Point being is this... The way I read Matthew 7:21 is that the one who does the Father’s will is the one that literally hears His voice every day.
How can you do the Will of the Father if you cannot hear His voice?... Yet again we see that righteousness (salvation under the Blood of Christ alone) comes first... then the action.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
If you ask these people how much faith they had they would surely tell you that the evidence was Proof of much more than i could ever hope to have.
But regardless of the mighty works they did they obviously were not doing the will of God and they were not saved.
“...will of my Father”
John 6:40
For this is the will of God, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
You wrote. God’s will I believe includes hearing his voice on a daily basis, and doing what He wants us to do without question... even if it is something which seemingly has no impact on anyone or anything from our own perspective.
So we see that it is the Holy Spirit Who is the voice of God’s will... and He instructs us daily on what His will is and what we are to do...
If that works for you, that is what counts, but i believe God talks to me through the scriptures by his prophets and i believe the holy spirit directs me to Christs word once in a while.
You
Point being is this... The way I read Matthew 7:21 is that the one who does the Father’s will is the one that literally hears His voice every day.
How can you do the Will of the Father if you cannot hear His voice?... Yet again we see that righteousness (salvation under the Blood of Christ alone) comes first... then the action.
I agree on the Blood of Christ alone) comes first... then the action.
Christ was the word so his voice was heard when he was here, he then sent the holy spirit to teach. but it must not be real obvious how the holy spirit was to teach or why would more people not see it the same way?
My daughter is a spiritualist and God talks to her so she believes she is the only one who knows the truth and as far as i can tell it almost always disagrees with the Bible.
So i am a firm believer that there is nothing wrong with having ones personal belief ( as i have mine also )but we should never teach anything unless it is taught in very plain words from the Bible.
>>> If that works for you, that is what counts, but i believe God talks to me through the scriptures by his prophets and i believe the holy spirit directs me to Christs word once in a while.
I did not discount this. Check my post again.
There are many who can quote the bible far better than I... but they don’t know what it means because the Truth is not in them.
There are many who can quote the bible far better than I... but they don’t know what it means because the Truth is not in them.
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