Aug 17, 2018
We have put our faith
in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the
works of the law. Gal 2:16
Good works don't save
us... Surrendering to Christ in faith saves us and results in good works.
People tend to view work in one of two ways:
1.
Work is necessary to accomplish our dreams or
pay for our desires – so I will do what is required to get what I desire.2. Work is my purpose – it is the measure of my success in life – so I will work to prove myself.
God didn’t create work to be our identity, or to be our
necessity. Work was created as a gift to
be connected with the Creator, and a tool for worshipping God. Adam was given the assignment of work to not
only provide purpose & pleasure, but to help him know the Father and be a
part of His Family. Work was a blessing –
but it wasn’t the purpose – it was a method to support man’s purpose: to Worship
God.
In spiritual terms, the word work is also what we call religion. Works are the actions and behaviors we do to
serve God and bring Him worship. Get This:
Works are NOT separate from faith, and they should not be absent from our life. They are the flip side of the same coin
called faith – one side is belief, the other is works. A person saying they are spiritual but not interested in religion
is just deceiving themselves and has neither.
Some people want to see works
done BEFORE there is acceptance in the Kingdom of God – i.e. Work is necessary
for salvation. (You hear that out of
people who want others to change behaviors before being baptized – as if a sick
person must be healthy before going to the doctor.) Works don’t save us, they are a sign of our
salvation.
Other people want to throw out works (religion) and dismiss
it as manipulative or unnecessary.
However, that goes against everything God said to His people and all
that Jesus taught His disciples.
God saved the Israelites, then called them to show their love THROUGH
their works. Jesus taught His
followers to show their love BY their obedience. Works is not manipulation, it is
expression. The best demonstration of
our belief is seen in our behavior.
Paul tells the church in Galatia not to put their security in works, because their works always fall short. Instead, put their hope and security in
Jesus, and allow their works to be a growing sign of that faith. Likewise, we should stop using works as the method of proving salvation, and start showing our works as an offering of love. The fact is:
the more we choose to show our love to God, the better and more constant
our works will be!
You were saved by Grace, so show your love through your
works.
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