Good works are, well, good right? An unsaved person can help a person and it is a good work; a good thing. Does an unbeliever have NO GOOD WORKS? Yes, of course they do! And this is where confusion begins.
But does an unbeliever’s good works save him from the sins he has committed? No, NEVER! This is the part some find hard to understand. Then they go to church because they seek God and forgiveness and they hear from a pulpit that good works are ‘REQUIRED ‘ for Salvation through Christ. That it is Christ PLUS good works that save. You must do more good works than bad works or you might just not be saved at all.
Friends, I am telling you by God’s Word (not my opinion); THAT IS SUPER FALSE GOSPEL! It is a doctrine straight from the devil, who is orchestrating this subtle LIE to deceive people so they do not actually get saved by Christ’s atonement ! To stop people from hearing the GOOD NEWS; The Gospel Of Grace Through Jesus Christ.
And when a true Gospel believer teaches others that Works are not required for salvation and that if you sin after being saved, that your sins will not mean loss of your salvation, immediately the flesh in their minds shouts that it is heresy. Yet, this is exactly what the Bible teaches!
It is not that it means, go and sin all you want because the grace of God is abounding (Romans 6:1-2) but it is truth. Apostle Paul is clear. What many believers miss, (and it is because of false gospel teachers!) is that there is a difference between a believer’s NEW SPIRIT and a persons MIND. They are not the same.
The Spirit is redeemed but the MIND – needs renewing (Romans 12)! The problem is there is a fine line when sharing the Gospel because many teach works are REQUIRED to be saved and not just belief in Christ – and that is actually FALSE GOSPEL (Galatians 5:4. Eph 2:8-9, John 3:18, John 6:37-40). Apostle Paul says that such false teachers are to be ACCURSED as we read in Galatians 1:8. That is Serious stuff! Paul goes on to state this dire warning,
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4 KJV)
NO EFFECT UNTO YOU! That is not a good place to be. That is relying on our works and not Jesus’ finished work on the cross, paying for the sins OF THE WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2). Believing that works are a REQUIREMENT of Salvation may mean, you did not understand the Gospel of your salvation in the first place. VERY Scary thought! Jesus warned the same in Matthew 7:23. It is God’s GRACE ALONE that saves us through belief on Christ. Do not add ANYTHING to that! Doing so, is the sin of PRIDE. The very sin the devil himself committed. We need to be humble.
The truth is a believer is SEALED in Salvation from the moment of belief in Christ for righteousness (John 3:14-18, John 6:37-40, Ephesians 1:12-14, ) and we are MADE BY GOD the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST (2 Cor., 5:17-21) and are COMPLETE IN CHRIST (Colossians 2) It is by the OPERATION OF GOD that He changes our Spirit, our heart. But Salvation is NOT by our works , nor kept by our works neither! This NEW SPIRIT we have been given as an UNMERITED GIFT from God through belief on Christ alone, by the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Word of God in the Bible, starts to renew our mind (Romans 12).
Our Spirit is PERFECT, redeemed and COMPLETE IN CHRIST and is SEATED WITH CHRIST – right now in the present tense as Paul wrote. But our MIND still has the old DEAD spirit thoughts and beliefs which need to be renewed by who we now are – the righteousness of God, in Christ. This all happens the moment we BELIEVE ON CHRIST. SAVED ETERNALLY!!
This is NOT my opinion. In fact, go read the Bible yourself and see the truth!
Jesus said it very simply and clearly in John 3:18,
“He that BELIEVETH ON HIM is NOT CONDEMNED: but he that BELIEVETH NOT is condemned ALREADY, BECAUSE he hath NOT BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)
As we renew our wrong beliefs and thoughts in the mind, and we find them replaced by God’s truth, we almost effortlessly make RIGHT DECISIONS in our mind which work outwardly to good works. Perfectly, without ever sinning? No. Our mind has the corrupt FLESH in it still and will until we are bodily resurrected. But we should see good works in our life in an increasing way. Not that our Salvation relies on it; it is just outward evidence of our salvation just like the book of James teaches. That is what Apostle Paul was explaining in Ephesians 2. He wrote the words “UNTO GOOD WORKS”.
Salvation and justification with God is ONLY by belief in Christ but because we start changing over time (each of us at different paces), God’s good works start shining outwardly. It is God working THROUGH US! Amazing yes?
GOOD WORKS FLOW FROM THE SOURCE!
Holy Spirit >> The SPIRIT of GOD >> MIND RENEWING >> DECISIONS >> Good works or sin outwardly in the Body.
“Now to him that worketh is the reward NOT reckoned of grace, but OF DEBT. But to him that worketh NOT, but BELIEVETH ON HIM (Jesus) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:4-5 KJV)
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“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 KJV)
GET THIS RIGHT:
IT IS ONLY GOD WHO CHANGES US and KEEPS US SAVED
Yes, GOOD WORKS FOLLOW after our moment of Salvation and conversion in the Spirit. Yet it is not self righteous forced works to ‘remain saved’. We are saved ETERNALLY (John 3:16-18) from the very moment of belief on Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). Instead, it is God’s Works THROUGH US by RIGHT BELIEVING from our redeemed Spirit.
“8 For BY GRACE are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT OF GOD: 9 NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we SHOULD walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)
