That is a very good obersvation, because the issue of judgment is somewhat dubious.
The NT says we are to be judged according to our words/deeds
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned -- Mat 12:39
- And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live -- Luke 10:26-28
- And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation -- John 5:29
But then...it says it's according to what we believe
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned -- Mark 16:16
- Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God -- John 3:3
- He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already .... He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him -- John 3;18, 36
Then it also says that those hwo believe are not judged...
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life -- John 5:24
There are more examples of course, each coming wiht its own formula...mumbo-jumbo.
James 2:13 reminds us that
For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy
It seems to me that faith is overridden by deeds and that only those who have true faith never sin and need no judgment, and such as how many? Zero! Yet you are telling me that your sins have already been forgiven, so your words and deeds don't count, and the Bible says otherwise.
I don't know if it is a slam dunk, but there is this: Rev 20:12-13
I don't think so, with all due respect.
I don't understand your distinction. If you believe that you will go to Heaven or hell based partly on your deeds, then what I said is correct. "Worthy", in this case, means worthy of Heaven
We are never worthy; we are simply forgiven. The bible says everyone will be judged according to our deeds and words. There is plenty in each man's repertoire to get him condmened, I am sure. Our only hope is God's mercy and nothing else. But it doesn't mean we cna follow Luther's idiotic pecca fortiter recipe; rather we should be as good as one can be, not as bad as one wants to be. :)
First of all, I like the comparison you made in setting verses up side by side. Thanks for the scripture. On this, it's not that my words and deeds don't count, they do count. The difference is that we believe that God guarantees that there WILL be words and deeds, which count. IOW, if right after my salvation, I went right back to a life of sin for the rest of my life, then I am not saved. Therefore, words and deeds count. But, God promises that He will not let that happen for His elect. They count, but we don't deserve any credit for them.
We are never worthy; we are simply forgiven.
Different words for the same idea I think.
But it doesn't mean we can follow Luther's idiotic pecca fortiter recipe; rather we should be as good as one can be, not as bad as one wants to be. :)
Well, I suppose if he actually meant what you think he did, then it WOULD be idiotic. :) But of course in context, he meant nothing of the sort. I know we've been over this a million times, so ... We should be as good as we can, that is true. It just doesn't merit us salvation by "scoring" high enough on the "deeds list" at Judgment.