General OSAS Questions

Are Good Works & Never Sinning Required To Be Saved?

Don Gerrity General OSAS Questions, Q&A: Salvation , , ,
Are Good Works & Never Sinning Required To Be Saved?

First Let Us Read Scripture. My Opinion Means Nothing.

“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.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

 

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And BY HIM ALL THAT BELIEVE ARE JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” (Acts13:38-39 KJV)

 

“For the law of  THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS hath MADE ME FREE from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2 KJV)

 

“For there is ONE God,and ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;  Who gave himself A RANSOM for all, to be testified in due time.  (1 Timothy 2: 5-6 KJV)

 

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” (Philippians 3:9 KJV)

 

“Now to the one who WORKS, his wage is NOT RECKONED on the basis of GRACE, but as what is DUE. But to the one who DOES NOT WORK, but BELIEVES in Him (Jesus) WHO JUSTIFIES the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:4-5 KJV)


THE GALATIANS


Apostle Paul Taught Against ‘Good works For Righteousness’


Apostle Paul Taught Against the false ‘Works for Salvation’ gospel and gives stern warning to the Galatians, where false Judiazer teachers were telling them that following good works of Law were also requirements of their salvation and not faith in Christ ALONE. This is what Paul had to say about it:

“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. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.” (Galatians 1:6-8 KJV)

 

“Knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, but BY THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have BELIEVED in Jesus Christ, that we might BE JUSTIFIED by the FAITH OF CHRIST, and NOT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW: FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.. But if, while we seek to be justified BY CHRIST, we ourselves also are FOUND SINNERS, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make MYSELF a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COME BY THE LAW, THEN CHRIST DIED IN VAIN.” (Galatians 2:16-21 KJV)

 

“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? Have ye suffered so many things IN VAIN? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by THE HEARING OF FAITH? Even AS ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, and it was ACCOUNTED TO HIM for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are OF FAITH, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would JUSTIFY THE HEATHEN THROUGH FAITH, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be OF FAITH are blessed with FAITHFUL Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are UNDER THE CURSE: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW in the sight of God, it is evident: for, THE JUST SHALL LIVE -BY FAITH-. And the law is NOT OF FAITH: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.” (Galatians 3 KJV)

STERN WARNING…

“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.” (Galatians 5:4-5 KJV)


Jesus warned the same in Matthew 7:22-23:


“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done MANY WONDERFUL WORKS? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV)

 

What is the iniquity Jesus is telling the Jewish people in His Earthly ministry? The INIQUITY is the FALSE TEACHING of works for salvation; following the Law of Moses for Salvation. Salvation is not BY good works, nor Law following for righteousness, nor is salvation kept BY good works.
These are not my words.  It is the Gospel truth from Scripture, read in proper context.


ARE YOU SAVED BY DOING GOOD WORKS?


The Answer is a resounding NO! This is such an important issue because if a person believes that works are a requirement for salvation, such teachers are giving them a false Gospel. Apostle Paul is clear, the wages of sin is NOT good works, nor being a good person.

“…the wages of sin IS DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV).


This death Paul spoke of, if you look in the Greek, is ‘Eternal Death in condemnation’ . It is Spiritual death. Believing our good deeds will save us is no different than trying to save our self through our OWN EFFORTS – which is basically following the Law which the Bible calls “the ministry of death” and the “ministry of condemnation”.

“But if the MINISTRATION OF DEATH, written and engraven in stones (Don: Ten Commandments), was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:  How shall not the MINISTRATION OF THE SPIRIT be rather glorious?  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.”  (2 Corinthians 3:7-9 KJV)

Do NOT continue in the Ministry of death, trying to keep the Ten Commandments for our salvation as if we could actually do so with our sin nature. Impossible!


We should not think that we are a “good person” or that we are better than anyone else regarding our sin. We should not be using a human standard to compare ourselves with “other evil sinners” while we think we are good using human standards. Human standards regarding our sin are MEANINGLESS. God is perfectly HOLY and JUST.


It is against God’s own character of perfect Holiness that we should be comparing our self with – and believe me WE ALL FAIL MISERABLY! We are all SINNERS. Before accepting Salvation through Christ crucified, we have a sin nature at our core (The Spirit of Adam) within us and it is impossible to never sin – even after becoming a Christian! And of course to make things worse there are those who believe in a works based salvation and believe they are better than others when the fact is they are completely wretched within.

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 KJV)


Paul makes this clear. The LAW (Ten Commandments) SAVES NO ONE!  The Ten Commandments are like a mirror so we can see how terribly sinful we actually are.

“For no one is put right in God’s sight by DOING what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make man KNOW that he has sinned.” (Romans 3:20 KJV)

 

“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might ABOUND. But where sin abounded, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND:” (Romans 5:20 KJV)

 

“”The sting of death is sin; and the STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)

 

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the DEEDS OF THE LAW there shall NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his sight: for by the law is the KNOWLEDGE of sin.  But now the righteousness of God WITHOUT THE LAW is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  Even the righteousness of God WHICH IS BY FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST unto all and upon all them THAT BELIEVE: for there is no difference:  For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  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. (Romans 3:19-28 KJV)

 


BEWARE THE FALSE GOSPEL THAT IS RUNNING RAMPANT IN MANY PULPITS… YOUR SALVATION IS AT RISK!


Do not take as truth, everything a pulpit is teaching! It is our individual responsibility to read the Bible and see if what is being taught is correct in Scripture, read in proper context. Do not even take my word for it! Let the Scripture read in proper context be truth.

 

What Did Jesus Mean By ‘We Are Servant Slaves To Sin’? What Is Being Positionally Righteous?

Don Gerrity General OSAS Questions, Q&A: Salvation
The Blessed Hope

“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” (John 8:34 KJV)

The Greek for the word ‘servant’ in this passages is ‘doulos‘ and means ‘a slave, bondman, man of servile condition’. This idea of being a servant and who we are being a servant to is key in understanding Salvation as being an eternal state – never to be lost.

Lets look at Romans in the Bible and see what Apostle Paul is telling us. In the Book of Romans we see the word SIN is used 48 times by Apostle Paul. The Romans Road to Salvation is something many use to bring people to Christ and so let us get this right!  If you read Romans believing all instances of the word SIN have the same meaning; that is where confusion starts. The fact is that not all instances of the word SIN has the same meaning. Most believe all instances are used as VERBS describing the individual sins that we all commit. We sin because of a sin nature. We do not have a sin nature because we sin. This is important to realize. And because of this we see many pulpits teaching falsely that if we do not REPENT and CONFESS every single sin we commit, that we forfeit our Salvation. If SIN is used as a verb throughout Romans, it is easy to see why people believe that. Other passages by Apostle Paul refute that idea but not everyone sees those passages in their studying and others blindly just listen to Bible teachers thinking they must be correct based on Romans use of the word SIN.

Yet, here is the shocker. There are TWO  Greek words for SIN in Romans and they are hamartanō  – a verb and hamartia – a noun).  What is the ratio of use between these two words of either SIN as a noun or SIN as a verb? Hamartia (a noun) is used 46 out of the 48 times! Apostle Paul is talking about SIN as a noun…as a WHOLE, as a place.  As in SIN, in it’s entirety, not each and every sin we commit. Now, of course every SIN (verb) we commit is included in the noun SIN. As a noun we can look at it as a place as well.

There are two main types of people in the Bible; The Wicked and The Righteous. This not about a person who does evil deeds or good deeds as humans think. The Bible says we all have sinned right? Each one is in a place spiritually speaking. The Righteous are in a place which is IN CHRIST; a place of the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST. The Wicked are in a place called SIN; a place of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. These two abodes of SIN and RIGHTEOUSNESS are places very separate from each other. Which place your spirit resides depends not on what you DO but on whether you believe on Christ and accept the only payment for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2). If we are in the place called SIN and have not believed on Christ yet, will our good deeds merit us to be deemed RIGHTEOUS? According to the Bible the answer is an emphatic NO.  By the same way then, if we believe on Christ for Salvation and have become the Righteousness of God, IN CHRIST, will we be placed back in the place of the unrighteous and be deemed part of the place of the Wicked by our deeds? The answer is also, NO!

You see, those called the unsaved, are in a state of spiritual unrighteousness and in the place called SIN, with many sins committed in the flesh – prisoners and slaves to sin. We sin because we are sinners at our core being sin nature; we do not have a sin nature because we sin. There is a boundary and unbelievers are stuck in the place called SIN because of their debt of sins against a Holy God which cannot be erased by their own effort, leaving them headed for the full wrath and Holy judgement of God. No one can escape this place by their own effort, try as a person may by performing good deeds or religious rituals and activities.

The good news is that the opposite is also true. The saved person, who accepted the GIFT OF SALVATION by belief in Christ’s atonement for sin on the cross, was translated from the spiritual place called SIN and unrighteousness to the new place of RIGHTEOUSNESS having been made a new creature in the Spirit, who is now created with righteousness where God abides. And those saved have a new boundary of being 100% forgiven and righteous…and the saved cannot not escape this wonderful place by their own efforts either! Salvation through belief on Christ is eternal (John 3:14-18). Christ made sure of that on the cross!

Jesus says clearly,

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37 KJV)

Those who turn to God, and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Those that believe Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. That Jesus is the Son of God, God come in the flesh. Those that believe that Jesus died on the cross and at that time accepted the punishment for the sins of the whole world and took upon Himself our sins. Instead of God punishing us for our sins, He became a human (Jesus the Christ) and bore our deserved punishment so that His perfect justice would be served. Those that accept this eternal pardon of sins are now called now ‘the saved’, ‘the redeemed of God’ and the ‘righteous‘. Fro the very moment of belief on Christ they were saved eternally and have The Holy Spirit indwelling them. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

God Is Not Just Wanting A Change Of Behavior. God Wants To Transform Your Very Core Spirit Being

It is not working your way out of a sinful flesh nature – which is a hopeless endeavor. It is not a religious thing; it’s a relational, positional issue between you and God Almighty. It is a PRISON TRANSFER sort of speaking and transferring a person from one place (SIN) to another place (RIGHTEOUSNESS). It is by faith, believing in the grace and mercy of God toward us, and by believing and accepting this great gift of forgiveness; believing in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Saviour from what? From your sin debt!

“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 3:36 KJV)

“Being then MADE FREE from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18 KJV)

As Christians, we did not make ourselves free from sin! It says we were MADE FREE. By whom? By Christ Jesus! The saved have become a servant slave to righteousness! And before accepting Christ as Lord and savior Paul says in Romans 6:20, “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” There you can see the big flip in our relationship with God! It is a positional change. A prisoner transfer from the prison of unrighteousness, separated from God to the prison of righteousness with God. What a gift!

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: BUT THE SON ABIDETH EVER.  If the Son therefore shall MAKE YOU FREE, ye shall be FREE INDEED.” (John 8:31-36 KJV)

The prison of righteousness is a prison of FREEDOM from our initial sinful nature in the flesh. Notice that even though God loves you and I, and even though God is perfectly merciful towards you and I, He did not forgive us in a wishy washy way. That is, the punishment for your sin and my sin, still had to be PAID IN FULL. God is perfectly just right? He is not going to just say, ‘well you did some good deeds to make up for your sin, enter heaven’. NO! God is perfectly Holy and perfectly JUST too! The reality is that God loves you and I so much that He sent His own begotten son to take upon Himself, the punishment we deserve. Jesus, the second part of the trinity of God, who never sinned, became the perfect ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2 – ALL OF IT!) so we could be 100% forgiven for all our sins. And WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH ON CHRIST has been transferred to the place of RIGHTEOUSNESS with eternal life in Heaven.

“That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:15-17)

That is what true salvation is all about. It is a loving and merciful and UNMERITED GIFT FROM GOD through Jesus on the cross, not anything we do or did. It is not due to any self righteous acts we have done. It is not through our good works, nor our doing penance, nor any religious rituals. It is a GIFT. And as a gift, it must be received. Will you receive God’s gift of eternal life?

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 KJV)

We Were Given The Righteousness Of Christ

Jesus received the punishment we deserved as sinners and so we are now saved from our sin debt. We are completely forgiven in Christ. Many stop there but there is more to it then just this awesome gift of love toward the whole human race. We were not only forgiven by this great act of love. There is more to this gift from God! In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it reads,

“For he hath MADE him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be MADE the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)

An exchange was made when Jesus on the cross cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) These three words in the Greek it was penned literally mean PAID IN FULL! Christ redeemed us from our punishment from our sins and then we became the very Righteousness of God, in Christ. This is the divine exchange that freed us from the prison of the flesh and sin in an unrighteousness state of being and placed us within the prison of a newly created Spirit with a new righteous state. What a gift God has provided us with. Believers have and are a newly created Spiritual being, in Christ. We still have fleshly sinful bodies until at the Rapture, when our corrupt fleshly bodies and minds catch up completely to our Spiritual change when will be just like Jesus is.

In the meantime, between being born again in Christ and the Rapture and resurrection of the body, there is a struggle within the believer in Christ as Paul explains the doctrine of the Two Natures of the believer in Romans 7:

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:14-25 KJV)

The Apostle John states,

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2 KJV)

What a blessed hope!