07_03_30 Faith And Works

brotherjim Posted on Aug 17 2004, 03:40 AM Well, I would not put it that way. After all, there's nothing whatsoever "easy" about receiving God's Grace. If it were easy, people would be standing in line, which they are not; people would be brimming over with the Love and other Virtues of Christ, which they are not. It's a terrible thing to come face to face with the Living God. It's a traumatic experience. I have had a half dozen mountaintop experiences to date, and each one was a painful ordeal. Our sin is not a pleasant thing to have to look upon. After all, the Word quite clearly states that eternal Life is promised only to those in whom God has been allowed by His Spirit and Grace to perfect His Love (Luke 10:25-25, 1 John 2:3-5, 1 John 4:16-18, Rev. 22:14, John 14:21-23, etc.). And since reality tells us all, that since few know of any one whatsoever who has had this experience, much less even heard such is possible and available, this should quite clearly indicate to everyone that there's nothing "easy" about receiving the "manifold Graces" required to be perfected in God's Love. It IS a SIMPLE Gospel: just receive one Grace after another until all Graces needed to perfect us in God's Love have been obtained. But it should be painfully OBVIOUS that it is not at all easy. This is mostly because, as I've stated before, the receiving of each Grace must be preceded by us being delivered from the enemy of that Grace that still hides in our heart unknown to us. We just are not willing to receive the fullness of God's Love, for example, much less obey it after we have received it, if still in our heart is some enemy to that Love, such as a lust or unforgiveness or some bitterness or envy and strife or whatever. And since we are unaware of this enemy within us, God must first reveal it. We must see the sin, and see it through God's eyes, of just how destructive it is. Otherwise we will not be ready and willing to receive God's repentance from it. (We Love our hidden sins of darkness more than the Light of God.) And otherwise we'll never be on our guard after being delivered. We just will not know enough to keep the heart guarded from that sin re-entering and re-rooting. And since it's many times harder to get rid of something the second time, it behooves the Lord that it be done correctly the first time, at just the perfect time in our life. This is where the pain comes in. This is where we must face what seems like the Lord's terror, for we will briefly come to realize just how much He hates that particular sin, just like we hopefully came to a similar realization of sin--either a specific or in general--when we were born-again. So, yes, to have God's Hand roll back the veil we have hidden our sins of the heart under, and have one or more of those sins exposed for all the S(s)pirit world to see, for us to be briefly made naked before God, is a terror indeed. This is why it is so imperative that we gobble down great doses of the Word that declares who we are "in Christ", and just how much God's Love for us is greater than His displeasure of our remaining sins, prior to our seeking Him for more Grace. So the Christian CAN look at all of this as easy, but I greatly fear that such is most likely just an apathetic handling of what's required, and such passiveness is no more than burying our head in the sand and paying lip service to God and His Grace. No, what is needed is an aggressive pursuit of passiveness: us actively seeking the Graces of God, and the evils of our heart that prevent the apprehension of those Graces. It all begins by committing in the Law of our Mind (Rom. 7:21, 25) to allowing God to manifest the fullness of His Love in us at any and all cost. Then we must enter our prayer closets daily ("deny yourself,

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and pick up your cross daily") and actively seek the Lord in prayer to reveal what is still lurking within us that is preventing the fullness of His Love from being manifest. It may take days or weeks or months before we have been made ready to receive the divine revelation of what enemy of Love and of the Cross is within and needing to be removed but . . . "Where are we to go, Jesus, and what else can we do? You alone have the Words of Life." (Para.) The above is the only Way. bj I added this to my posting: Brother Jim, good essay about the Christian shoulds. We do have a great responsibility of commitment to righteousness since we are special children of God. Kerry and others are wrong to say that everyone is a child of God. Adam, you posted this. ***Obedience*** Obedience is simple. It literally means in the original, "Under-Hearing". All God wants is for us to be listening to Him. With a positive, open, receptive, trusting heart. That's obedience! It's not some outward adherence to a law I can't keep. It's not outwardly trying to live up to a few rules which God gave, knowing no one could keep them. Rather, it's being under hearing. Receiving His Word by the Holy Spirit. And the spontaneous result of that, is living in the new commandment, believing God, and loving by the Holy Spirit. It is not Biblically supported. Jesus Christ said that the Holy Spirit would guide believers to all truth that He gave Him for each. He did not say to listen to the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit was the only way to receive the Word. I am writing an essay about how to discern thoughts that come to our mind. Many say that the spiritual ones are from them listening to the Holy Spirit (without hearing an audible voice). But just because they are spiritual thoughts doesn't mean they are from Him. Remember what Satan did with Eve and Jesus. We need to do our own study in the Bible in order to be able to discern such. I will try to post the essay when it is completed. Faith and Works I have been saved since May 25, 1967 and I believe in eternal security for true Christians, but I also believe that the sanctification process for me and the others is not automatic. I am glad for the Holy Spirit guidance in helping me become more Christ-like and in doing the predestined good works indicated in Ephesians 2:10. When I obey, I get at least divine peace and usually divine joy too. That goes along with Romans 14:16-19. But too many pastors and denominations, who love persuading and controlling, are requiring obedience to certain religious rules-- legalism. But if you read Hebrews 10:19-27, Romans 8 and Ephesians 4-5, you will see that a true Christian will be for self-cleansing via confession and repentance even before going to church meetings and should want to learn more about such in church. That goes along with what the high priest in the Old Testament needed to do in the Tabernacle and true Christians are part of the holy priesthood of Christ Jesus. Since I am a child of God, I love pleasing my Lord Jesus Christ. When I was with my parents, I enjoyed pleasing them by being good, but now it is so much easier for me to be such in pleasing God because of my knowledge of the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Now look at Ephesians 1:3. Note: In any church, a lot of the following qualities are in them. Why?

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[B]What Will Not Be in Heaven[/B] Note: The below is from (the Amplified Bible. 1. Matthew 5:17-30-- self-righteousness, selfish motives, spiritual hypocrisy, anger, ridicule, and character assassination 2. Matthew 11:23 & Romans 1:17-32-- homosexuality, hindering of truth, unthankfulness to God, futile living, vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, stupid speculating, boasting, hero and animal worshipping, lusts sexual impurity, body dishonoring, unrighteousness, iniquity, covetousness, greed, malice, envy, jealousy, murder, strife, deceit, treachery, ill will, cruel ways, secret backbiters and gossipers, slanderers, hate, insolence, arrogance, boasting, inventors of new forms of evil, disobedience to parents, unfaithfulness, and those who condone the above behaviors. 3. Galatians 5:15-21-- partisan strife, selfish cravings, immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, divisions (dissension), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. 4. 2 Timothy 3:1-5-- stress, troubles, self-love (self-centerness), loving of money, desiring for wealth, pride, arrogance, contemptuous boasting, abuse, blasphemy, scoffing, disobedience of parents, ungratefulness, unholiness, profanity, unnatural (callous) affection, promise breaking, slander (false accusing and trouble making), intemperance, uncontrolled brashness, hating of those who do good, betraying, self-conceit, loving of sensual pleasure and vain amusements more than and rather than loving God, doing piety religion, denying the power of God for righteousness. Note: Some of the indicated verses below are only for before true Christian Salvation, but the rest of them are for after such. And Jesus said, "If you love Me you will keep My commandments." And then the Apostles Paul, Peter, James, and John amplified on that with specifics (mostly for attitude changes). PFHL Course 132-- The Commandments of Jesus (source unknown and resorted) Directions: First try to determine why each verse is in the section it is in and how it can be applied to living in today’s world. By these Biblical statements, take inventory of your allegiance to and obedience to Christ. If you really believe most of the quotes in this paper, please tell me which ones and indicate any questions or doubts you might have about the ones you don’t. Or/and write an essay as if you had the opportunity to try to persuade a new Christian to want to be more Christ-like everyday. This assignment is worth 3 units, so write at least 4 quality pages (single spaced lines and no redundancies). Covetousness 1. Luke 12:15 2. Matthew 6:19 3. Matthew 6:20 4. Matthew 23:23 5. Matthew 5:42 6. Luke 11:41 7. Luke 14:12-13 Hypocrisy 1. Luke 12:1 2. Luke 20:46-47 3. Matthew 23:2-3 4. John 2:16 5. Matthew 6:1-4 6. Matthew 6:5-6 7. Matthew 6:16-18

Meekness (Humbleness) 1. Matthew 11:29 2. Matthew 20:25 3. Mark 10:43-44 4. Matthew 23:8 5. Luke 14:8-11 6. Luke 10:20 7. Luke 17:10 Prayer 1. Luke 21:36 2. Luke 22:40-46 3. Luke 10:2 4. Luke 6:28 5. Matthew 6:6 & John 16:24-26 6. Matthew 6:9-13

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7. Matthew 6:7-8 Searching the Scriptures 1. John 5:39 2. John 15:20 3. Luke 9:44 4. Luke 8:18 5. Mark 4:24 6. Matthew 16:6-12 7. Matthew 7:15-17 Supreme Love to God 1. Mark 12:30 2. Matthew 4:10 3. John 4:23-24 4. Matthew 23:9 5. Matthew 4:7 6. Luke 12:5 7. John 5:22-23 Faith 1. Mark 11:22 2. John 20:27 3. Luke 12:29 4. Matthew 6:25-34 5. John 14:1-27 6. Matthew 14:27 7. Mark 5:36 & Luke 12:4-7 Believe (Trust for Your Life) 1. Mark 1:5 2. John 14:1 3. John 6:28-29 4. John 14:11 5. John 10:37-38 6. John 12:36 7. Mark 11:24 The New Birth (“Born Again From Above”) 1. John 3:7 2. Matthew 23:26 3. Matthew 12:33 4. John 15:4 5. Mark 9:50 6. John 6:27 7. Luke 10:20 Repentance (Change) 1. Matthew 4:17 & Revelation 2:5 2. Matthew 11:28 3. Matthew 6:33 4. Matthew 11:25

5. Matthew 16:24 6. Matthew 7:7 7. Luke 13:24 Following Jesus 1. John 12:26 2. Matthew 3:13-15 & 28:19 3. Luke 22:17-19 4. John 13:14-15 5. Luke 9:23 6. Matthew 11:29 7. John 15:9 Perfect Love 1. Matthew 5:48 2. Matthew 19:21 & Luke 12:33 3. Matthew 5:44 & 26:52 4. Luke 6:27-28 5. Luke 6:35 6. Matthew 5:39-41 7. Luke 21:19 Receiving the Holy Spirit 1. John 20:22 2. Mark 7:27 3. John 7:37-38 4. John 14:15-17 5. John 16:24 & Luke 11:5-13 6. Luke 24:49 7. John 15:26 Letting Your “Light” Shine 1. Matthew 5:16 2. Luke 11:35 3. John 15:16 & 8 4. Luke 6:36 5. Mark 5:19 6. John 4:35 7. John 12:35 Our Duty to God and Others 1. Mark 12:17 2. Matthew 5:34-37 & Mark 4:22 3. Matthew 19:5-6 4. Matthew 5:25 5. Mark 9:38-40 6. Luke 10:8 7. John 6:12 8. Matthew 19:17 Our Love for Other Christians 1. John 15:12 2. Matthew 18:10-14

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3. Mark 9:50 & Matthew 5:24 4. Matthew 18:15 5. Luke 17:3-4 6. John 7:24 & Matthew 7:1-5 7. Luke 6:37

3. Matthew 28:19 4. Matthew 28:20 5. Matthew 10:27 & Mark 4:22 6. John 21:15-17 7. Matthew 10:8

Our Duty to Our “Neighbor” 1. Matthew 19:17-19 2. Matthew 19:18 3. Matthew 19:18 4. Matthew 19:18 5. Matthew 19:18 6. Matthew 19:19 7. Luke 6:31

Wisdom 1. Matthew 10:16 2. Matthew 10:17 3. Matthew 15:12-14 4. Matthew 7:6 5. Luke 22:35-36 6. Matthew 10:11 7. Luke 9:5 & 10:10-11

Faithful Unto Death 1. Revelation 2:10 2. Revelation 3:11 3. Luke 6:23 4. Matthew 10:23 5. Matthew 10:19 6. John 6:41 7. Luke 21:28

The Second Coming of Christ 1. Revelation 2:25 & 3:2-3 2. Luke 12:40 3. Luke 12:35-36 4. Luke 21:34 5. Luke 17:31-32 6. Luke 21:8 & Mark 13:5-6 7. Mark 13:34-37

Preaching the Gospel 1. Mark 16:15 & Matthew 10:7 2. Luke 24:46-47

Final Look-ups 1. John 14:23

2. Matthew 7:21-24

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