(Ephesians 2:8-9) “For by Grace are you Saved through Faith and that not of yourselves. It is the Gift of God, not of Works lest any man should boast”
(Phil. 2:12b) “…work out your own salvation with Fear and Trembling”.
Is it possible that the Apostle Paul is telling the Philippians that our assurance of salvation must be balanced out with, ‘NOT WORKING FOR’ OUR SALVATION‘, because being born-again IS THE GIFT OF GOD’…’BUT WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION‘.
HOW?
WITH ‘FEAR AND TREMBLING’.
God has told us plainly in His Word that we are saved by ‘GRACE’, through ‘FAITH’, and that not of ourselves. And certainly God has told us that we are not saved by ‘GOOD WORKS’.
How then, can we reconcile these two verses, because the Word of God does not work against itself. The Word never contradicts itself.
READ: WALKING IN TWO WORLDS AT THE SAME TIME
Salvation is ‘The Gift’ of God. We can thank Him over and over again that it is. What good work could we do that would be good enough, or great enough that it could earn us salvation? Of course, none whatsoever.
READ: FIVE THINGS SATAN DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW
Whenever someone tries to keep the commandments of God, we hear the loud cry, ‘LEGALISM’.
IS IT LEGALISM TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD?
WHAT DID JESUS TELL THE RICH YOUNG RULER WHEN HE ASKED, “GOOD MASTER, WHAT SHALL I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?
(Luke 18:20) “You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother”.
READ: PUT ON THE GARMENT OF PRAISEhttps://www.portalsofglory.com/2020/01/04/put-on-the-garment-of-praise/
There’s more to the story, but the point is, Jesus made it clear that keeping the commandments did have something to do with salvation, or He wouldn’t have told this rich young ruler to keep the commandments. How can we make sense out of this?
Some might say, well Jesus made that statement while still under the old covenant because Jesus had not died and resurrected yet, and so wasn’t under the New Covenant. No, I don’t think that is the explanation.
We’re certainly not saved by self-righteousness, which would boast and say, “Lord, I have kept your commandments”, see how good I am. See my good works. Lord, if anyone deserves to be saved and go to heaven, I DO”. That’s self-righteousness. That’s pride and arrogance.
But, is keeping the law legalism. Is keeping the commandments self-righteousness? Maybe, but maybe not.
HOW SO, YOU ASK?
If you keep the commandments, depending solely on that act or deed, that is self-righteousness, that is trying to get to heaven by your own goodness and holiness by keeping the law, when the Bible tells us in (Rom. 3:23), “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
(Romans 3:10) “There is none that are righteous, no not one”.
READ: THE FIRE IS FALLING LET IT FALL ON YOU
Again, let me reiterate what I said before, if I depend solely on keeping the commandments to get saved, that will never save me. Keeping the commandments out of trying to work my way into the good graces of God can never happen.
So, then, what does keeping the commandments have to do with my salvation. What does it have to do with working out my salvation with fear and trembling?
READ: THE WORD OF GOD, LIVING, BREATHING, CREATIVE
The correct approach to God is this, I come to God through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I ask Him to forgive me of my sins. I ask Him into my heart. I tell Him (with all my heart) that I will live according to His Word, and follow Him all the days of my life. I will Trust Him as my Lord and Savior, and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me, and make me holy. That is what saves me.
Now, what about the commandments?
We do not keep the commandments in order to get saved, however, we keep the commandments out of obedience to the Lord. Not to keep the commandments is ‘DISOBEDIENCE’, and the disobedient are sinners, and sinners ‘DO NOT GO TO HEAVEN’.
READ: SHOULD I SPEAK IN TONGUES?
(Rom. 6:16) “Don’t you know that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Paul wasn’t speaking to the unconverted, or unbeliever, but to the Christian, the Believer.
Yes, we are to keep the commandments. Keeping the commandments do not save us, but by not keeping them we are being disobedient, and disobedience is sin, and the wages of sin is death.
READ: MERCY, WHERE DO I FIND IT?
Which of the commandments can you violate without sinning? Can you commit adultery and not sin? Can you claim imputed righteousness when you are a law breaker? Can you be jealous or envious without breaking the law. Can you continue to claim you’re saved and continue in these sins and not repent? Read this next scripture and judge for yourself.
READ: ANGELS, ANGELS, ANGELS
(Gal. 5:18-21) “The works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, adultery, fornication, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, ‘THAT THOSE WHO LIVE LIKE THIS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD“.
READ: DON’T DO SPIRITUAL WARFARE WITH DARKNESS IN YOU
Yes, we are saved by grace through faith and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast”. Yet obedience to the commandments of God is the ‘WORKING OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING.
If we claim salvation, we must not yield to the works of the flesh which I have just listed, and Paul tells us that they that do those things ‘SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THAT IS NOT LEGALISM, THAT’S SIMPLE OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD.
(Ezekiel 18:31) “Make yourself a new heart, for why will you die? God can clean us up, but we must choose to repent, follow Him, and walk in the light. It’s not all God, we have a responsibility too. ‘I CALL IT A DIVINE HUMAN COOPERATION’.
Here’s the whole verse, (Ez. 18:31) “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit, for why will you die, Oh house of Israel”.
God actually tells us to ‘MAKE OURSELVES A NEW HEART’. He actually tells us in His Word that we are to cleanse, purify, and circumcise our own hearts. When we determine to do our part, God will then, do His part, by saving our souls, by the power of His Spirit, His death on Calvary, His shed blood, and resurrection from the dead.
(Isaiah 1:16) “Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil”
NOW YOU KNOW.
GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU WALK CLOSE TO YOUR GOD IN LOVE AND OBEDIENCE. GO IN PEACE.
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