The debate continues about whether works (fruits) are essential for salvation. I say that a heart (branch) rooted in the Vine will bring forth works (fruit) according to the parent Vine. I contend that such fruit is good works grown forth from the heart of God who empowers true believers by way of the present and perfect Holy Spirit. I radically contend that Holiness is demanded and is the result (fruits/works) of living in obedience to God.
1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm
yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.’
Be clear! The fruits of the Spirit which produce good works are possible only through Love. God is Love. Thus, the Shepherd of our salvation is Love. There is none Good but God. Therefore, the good works are His…coming through man’s heart/hands/feet/mouth only because of the presence of the Shepherd who bids ‘follow me.’ Fruit inspectors will know His sheep by their characteristic Holiness, their power to heal the sick and cast out devils, their propensity for agape love/kindness/meekness/mercy/, their ability to love and promote neighbor as self, and by their willingness to lay down their own life to ‘follow’ the Vine from which they derive Life. Only by/through indwelling Love can one obey God’s command to love the Lord thy God with all thy heartsoul/mind and to love neighbor as self Matt 27: 37-39.
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Popular tradition insists that man cannot overcome his propensity to sin and cannot attain a sanctified state where he is known as righteous/ holy/or ‘perfect as He is perfect’. Tradition insists that the righteousness and holiness of God is merely imputed or assigned to man as a covering to hide his continuing sinful practice. But the Word clearly defines holiness as fruit born by the branches who are rooted in the Vine.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Sanctification/Righteousness/Holiness was attained by the disciples/apostles of the early Church by way of fellowship/relationship with the resurrected
Christ by way of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Fruit production was the result of such relationship. Matt 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; ‘ Too..there is serious peril promised to those who bear no fruit. Matt 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But contemporary doctrine, like that of the Nicolaitanes, has watered down righteousness and holiness to mere shadows and types and rejects the need for real fruits born out of fellowship with Christ. Again, the Word insists otherwise. Ro 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Matt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matt 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Like the Doctrine of Sanctification, the true doctrine of Election has gotten contaminated with a false doctrine which insists that God does not offer redemption to every man. The new Doctrine of Election insists that God chose some to redemption and some to destruction…apart from free will and thereby accuses God of injustice. It insists that Jacob was chosen heir to the birthright over Esau apart from free will…apart from choosing ‘whom to serve.’ Not so!!! The God who created both Jacob and Esau foreknew…saw the future…read their hearts…before they were ever conceived and predestined the Birthright for Jacob. By God’s foreknowledge He knew Esau would despise the Birthright and that Jacob would love the Birthright. Clearly within the context of foreknowledge God says ‘…. Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated Rom 9:13′. Within the context of foreknowledge the Word says, ‘ Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.’
Abraham was counted/measured/weighed/judged righteous because he ‘followed’ God’s desire. As Abraham followed God’s command in offering up Isaac, Rebecca followed God’s command about ‘the elder shall serve the younger.’ Before they were born she believed God about the destiny of the two sons (nations) in her womb. When the time was right, she followed the will of God and obtained the birthright for Jacob. Had she merely believed God and not performed the work of securing the Birthright, she would not be counted righteous. The fruit of her belief…the fruit of her faith in God is her obedient work of securing the Birthright for Jacob. Therefore, fruits of faith…good works through obedience, are demanded by God. Like Jacob, Abel was faithful. Like Cain, Esau served another master. 1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Peter, too, affirms the dynamic of foreknowledge related to Election. 1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…………’
Matt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Jo 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
Jo 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Jo 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
2 Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
God intends Justification to be the forerunner of Sanctification by way of taking up the cross and following Christ through works of obedience born out of a clean heart. Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
2 Ti 3:13 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Tit 2: 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works (Justification through the Lamb) to serve the living God? (Sanctification by way of His Resurrection…by way of doing the ‘greater works’ of the Father).
Rom 6:16 speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1 Thes 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
1 Thes 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
A thorough approach to salvation and faithfulness of our Lord. “You will know them by their love” is a big statement, especially after an open-hearted look at the love relationships with have with one another and with God.
Thanks very much for sharing an incredibly important study.
Blessing to you, my sister~
Mary
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The mystical and moral interpretation of Jesus’ suffering and death cannot even be maintained if it is not acknowledged beforehand that in a legal sense he suffered and died in our place. Now this is what Scripture teaches in the clearest terms, even though it does not use the expression “vicarious satisfaction” any more than the words “Trinity,” “incarnation,” “God-man,” and so on. For when it says that Christ, though personally without sin, has been put forward as an expiation to show God’s righteousness [Rom. 3:25], has been made to be sin for us [2 Cor. 5:21], became a curse for us [Gal. 3:13], bore our sins in his body on the tree [1 Pet. 2:24]; that God condemned sin in his flesh [Rom. 8:3] and punished him with the accursed death on the cross and that through him we now receive reconciliation and forgiveness, righteousness and life, indeed total and complete salvation–then we can construe the interconnection between all these scriptural pronouncements in no other way than that Christ put himself in our place, has borne the punishment of our sin, satisfied God’s justice, and so secured salvation for us.
~Herman Bavinick
We simply need the “orthodoxy” of good theology! 🙂
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Irishanglican, thanks for visiting. I always enjoy your comments.
Carolyn
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Mary, I agree totally ‘you know them by their love.’ My original post discussed that point. But something happened as I published it and I lost portions of it. I discovered it recently and reentered those portions.
Thanks for visiting. Hope you are well.
Carolyn
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Carolyn: You know I am an old theolog at heart! 🙂 I know you would agree that what passes as Christian love today is often a mere sham or hypocritical action. Real grace produces the gift of faith, and true faith produces real love, and real love produces deeds or works of Christian or Christ-like merit!
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