Hard
worker? What can you do to earn your salvation?
Response to
comment [from a Christian]: "Can it really be that simple? Can it be that the
Grace of God is sufficient? Can it be that we do not have to do anything
to be raised up in Christ and sit with Him in the Heavens? Can it be that our
trust in His work can bring us into a newness of life and calm our minds
with the knowledge that our eternal salvation is utterly and forever secure?
Yes. It is that simple."
Darn tootin'.
[The Rich Young Ruler
Luke 18:18-23]: "Three of
the four gospels contain an account of the young man who asked Jesus a very
important question: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (v. 18). A ruler
with a great wealth, he considered himself a moral man because he had kept God's
commandments.
However, he was operating under the false assumption that good works bring
salvation. He seemed to be asking Jesus what else he had to do to secure his
place in heaven--besides all the good things he'd already accomplished.
This is what I refer to as the "great deception"--the false belief that eternal
life can be earned through our own efforts. If we give credence to this lie,
then we do not understand the problem of our sin and how it separates us from
God. Scripture tells us that we have inherited a sinful nature from the first
man (Rom
5:12). Ever since that time, humanity has been
in rebellion against the Lord and under His judgment. There is nothing we can do
to pay for our sin.
If this were the end of the story, we would be a people without hope for today
or the future. But the good news is that the heavenly Father recognized our
plight and mercifully provided the way to haven (John
14:6)." In Touch Magazine July 2010.
Response to
comment [from other]: "You are not earning 'eternal life' through your efforts
directly. Because the deciding factor is the Shema faith..."
Works are insufficient for salvation (Psa.
49:7, 8; Psa.
127:1, 2; Eccl.
1:14; Isa.
43:26; Isa.
57:12; Isa.
64:6; Ezek.
7:19; Ezek.
33:12–19; Dan.
9:18; Matt.
5:20; Luke
17:7–10; Luke
18:9–14; Acts
13:39; Rom.
3:20–31; Rom.
4:1–8 vs. 9–22.; Rom.
8:3; Rom.
9:16, 31, 32; Rom.
11:6; 1
Cor. 13:1–3; Gal.
2:16, 19, 21; Gal.
3:10–12, 21 vs. 1–29.; Gal.
4:9–11; Gal.
5:2, 4, 6, 18; Gal.
6:15; Eph.
2:8, 9; Phil.
3:3–9; Col.
2:20–23; 2
Tim. 1:9; Tit.
3:4, 5; Heb.
4:3–10; Heb.
6:1, 2; Heb.
9:1–14; Jas.
2:10, 11). Swanson, James ; Nave, Orville:
New Nave's. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, 1994
We come to the Lord his way (Eph
2:8-10).
See:
What does it mean to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and
strength?
Response to
comment [from other]: "...[W]hat exactly are you fearful of..."
A Christian has
nothing to fear.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Ps 23:6).
Response to
comment [from a Christian]: "...[W]e are fallen, because we are sinful..."
Ask GodRulzRandomThoughts if that's true (Ge 5:3; Job 15:14; 25:4; Ps 51:5).
Mother Theresa
never did a good work. She was a universalist. She never preached the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
See:
Feeding of the 5000, Part 1 -7a by Darrell Ferguson
Hard
worker? What can you do to earn your salvation?