Posts Tagged ‘works’
What Martin Luther Taught About Baptism
by Terry Wane Benton While Martin Luther may have taught the idea of salvation by “faith alone,” you might be surprised to learn that he did not think faith alone excluded baptism. It was an umbrella term that included repentance and baptism. So, he didn’t place baptism in the category of works of merit. Regarding…
Read MoreFaith Plus Works?
by Terry Wane Benton Faith-only advocates have actually worked hard to convince themselves that if you include any activity in faith, such as obedience, you have added “you” and your effort to Jesus’ perfect and complete work. Yet, who is doing the believing? You are! How does faith come? It comes by you hearing the…
Read MoreChoose One of the Three
by Gardner Hall via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 1, January 2015 A Hispanic friend who could be described as “progressive” wrote the following, which I’ll translate literally: Three types of believers: With which do you identify? Three types of believers: Those who believe that they are justified only by the merits of Jesus and nothing…
Read MoreThe Ingredients
by Terry Wane Benton The discussion of faith versus works could end if each side took the time to define the proper ingredients of saving faith. Let me illustrate. A Muslim has faith, even in Jesus as a prophet of God. Is he saved? No! He does not have the proper ingredients of faith. He…
Read MoreThe Joys of Involvement
by David Gibson Have you noticed? The happiest Christians are highly involved in the Lord’s work. Why is this so? There is joy in using our God-given talents as He intended for the good of others. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…
Read MoreWorking Together
by Doy Moyer The people of God are characterized by work. This is not a drudgery but a blessing demonstrating God’s fellowship with His people and His people with one another. Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), yet God’s grace teaches us to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright,…
Read MoreHearers Only
by Terry Wane Benton The Holy Spirit inspired James to write: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves“ (James 1:22 NKJV). There are only two choices: self-deception because of only hearing the word and truth because you are a doer of the word. Hearers-only are deceived mainly because of the…
Read MoreWork Out Your Own Salvation
by Terry Wane Benton Paul encouraged the brethren at Philippi to continue obeying as they had in the past to work out their own salvation (Philippians 2:12). This did not mean that they were to work it out on their own, earning or meriting their way to heaven without provisions of grace from the Lord.…
Read MoreWe Depend on God’s Grace for Salvation
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/We-Depend-on-Gods-Grace-for-Salvation.mp3 by Raymond Warfel [The first passage was Acts 15:6-11]
Read MoreBaptism, Grace, and Works
by Andy Belknap There are many people today who believe that baptism (immersion) is not essential to being saved. I truly believe this is one of Satan’s grandest lies that he has successfully spread throughout the ages. What greater way is there to snatch souls away from God than to sow deceit and confusion around…
Read MorePharisaical Works Salvation?
by Terry Wane Benton One fellow said the following: “Terry Wane Benton, why must you be so wrapped up in your salvation by works just like the Pharisees? Jesus despised the Pharisees for this very mentality that you are showing. Grace and grace alone allow you to enter into heaven.” Grace is the only thing…
Read MoreFree Gift
by Terry Wane Benton Some teach that “there are no conditions for salvation” because it is a “free gift.” But free gifts can have conditions for reception. I can put a free gift in the trunk of my car and tell you that if you take my keys and get it, you will have it.…
Read MoreConfessing Jesus as Lord
by Doy Moyer There is no conversion to Christ and His kingdom without recognizing He is King. In the context of teaching the message of good news, peace, happiness, and salvation, the proclamation is made, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7). This is the passage quoted by Paul in Romans 10, showing the need for preaching…
Read MoreIf Baptism Was a Work
by Terry Wane Benton The claim is made that baptism cannot be part of the salvation process (the process from lost sinner to saved and justified in Christ) because it is claimed that “baptism is a work” and “we are saved through faith and not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, this claim is very faulty…
Read MoreTaking the Gifts of God
by Robert F. Turner “And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor” (Joshua 6:2). According to some theories of Gift and Grace, this promise says, “(1) you already have the city and can’t lose it; and (2) no condition could…
Read MoreCalling Attention to the Heart
by Doy Moyer One can work and not have faith, but one cannot have a living faith and not work. One can do for others and not have love, but one cannot love and not do for others. We may be prone to evaluating the outward works, the visible doing, “but the LORD looks on…
Read MoreNot By Faith Only
by Terry Wane Benton When the Bible says, “not by faith only” (James 2:14-24), why is it that you hear major denominations claiming that salvation is “by faith alone”? I would be embarrassed to hold to a doctrine that directly contradicts the word of God. If the Bible actually taught both things, it would be…
Read MoreWorks, Grace, and Faith
by Doy Moyer Works won’t save us, but failure to engage in them can condemn us. Likewise, being moral won’t save us, but being immoral will condemn us (I Corinthians 6:9-10). This is a consistent message throughout Scripture. Salvation is “by grace through faith,” and faith means that we will trust God and seek to…
Read More“Religion says DO, Jesus says DONE”?
by Terry Wane Benton People come up with the strangest viewpoints and don’t realize how unbiblical those ideas are. I keep passing a sign that says the above but offers no scripture reference. Because the Bible is the final authority, I would suggest that both Jesus and His religion say, “Do the will of the…
Read MoreFaith, Works, and Grace in Romans
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 1:1-17 I. In understanding biblical writings, it is important to remember that God is the author A. II Timothy 3:16 – All the written writings are breathed from the mouth of God B. This was Paul’s point in I Corinthians 14:33 when discussing roles and organization of the worship service. 1. God…
Read MoreWhat Calvinists call “the Finished Work of Christ”
by Terry Wane Benton The Calvinists are often heard making of “the finished work of Christ” something that was never intended. They say there is nothing we can do to be saved. They say all doing is “finished” by what Christ did on the cross. But that is a misuse of the verses. Sure, Christ…
Read MoreLearning from Noah
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Learning-from-Noah.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreSalvation by Grace (Bassford)
by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I have become an even louder proponent of grace, indeed of the naked necessity of grace, than I ever was before. I can tell from the comments I’ve been getting on social media that this has made some good brethren nervous. They reply with variations of, “Yes, but you have…
Read MoreEvery Good Work
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Every-Good-Work.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 111 I. From the beginning, God has given men work to do A. Adam was to care for the garden – Genesis 2:15; 3:17-18 B. As Christians, we are commanded to work – I Thessalonians 4:11 C. We are being disobedient if we do not work – II Thessalonians 3:6-13 II. This…
Read MoreAre You a Good Samaritan?
by Jefferson David Tant If you know anything about the Bible at all, you probably know the story of The Good Samaritan as recorded in Luke 10:30-37. But before we get to that, please read the story about a young boy in Leeds, England. Chivalry Is Not Dead In Leeds, on a very wet wintry…
Read MoreFruitful Christians
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Fruitful-Christians.mp3 by Jeffery W. Hamilton Text John 15:1-8 I. We know that Jesus’ words in John 15 concerning the vine and branches are dealing with individual Christians and not denominations. A. Jesus is the vine, each one of us are branches off that vine, and God is the vinedresser. B. But don’t get so caught up in…
Read MoreAre good works the result of salvation?
Question: Are good works the result of salvation? I was in a discussion earlier with someone of the Baptist faith who used Ephesians 2:10 to say that good works are the result of salvation and not required for salvation since Paul is referring to us being saved in Ephesians 2:8-9, then immediately talks about how…
Read MoreBut It’s a Good Work
by Jefferson David Tant From time to time, when discussing the mission and work of the church, questions are raised about certain practices that some will claim are not authorized in Scripture. The response often given is “But it’s a good work.” This has been a standard thought when discussions arise about orphan homes, “Christian”…
Read MoreJustification by Works in James
by Matthew W. Bassford Earlier, I wrote about Paul’s discussion of justification by works in the first four chapters of Romans. In it, he says that justification by works requires perfect obedience to God, which no one but Jesus has achieved. Thus, Christians must seek salvation by faith apart from works. Similarly, baptism for the…
Read MoreJustification by Works and Baptism
by Matthew W. Bassford At the end of Romans 3 and the beginning of Romans 4, we encounter the most famous of Paul’s teachings: justification by faith in Jesus. Throughout the context, he contrasts it with justification by works. Abraham was not justified by works, nor was David, nor can we be. From this magnificent…
Read MoreObligations of Grace
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Obligations-of-Grace.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 18:21-35 I. Every person is important! A. “Well, of course!” You might be thinking. “I’m glad someone sees my worth.” B. But Jesus told a parable – Matthew 18:12-14 1. When one person gets himself into trouble, it is God’s will that he be rescued, if possible. 2. And that will mean…
Read MoreDisobedience and Unbelief
by Matthew W. Bassford The epistle to the Hebrews might be the most tightly reasoned book in the whole Bible. Sentence by sentence, clause by clause, the Hebrews writer constructs intricate arguments that establish the superiority of Christ over Moses and the folly of Christians returning to Judaism. The more closely we read Hebrews, the…
Read MoreWhere God Put Water
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Where-God-Put-Water.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreHow Noah Was Saved
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/How-Noah-Was-Saved.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 3:18-22 I. In our reading, Peter draws on the account of Noah’s salvation to illustrate how the Christian is saved. A. Many people object to the straight forward reading of I Peter 3:21 because it stands contrary to what they have accepted. 1. To many people, baptism is simply…
Read MoreWhy would we need to work out our salvation when God is working in us?
Question: In Philippians 2:12, we are told to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. But verse 13 says “for it is God worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” I have never, to my knowledge, heard verse 13 quoted before. It seems most stop at verse…
Read MoreFreedom in Christ (Bassford)
by Matthew W. Bassford A few days ago, I posted a bulletin article about Galatians 3:23-25 and Paul’s proclamation that we are no longer under the Law of Moses. In particular, I applied this to the use of instrumental music in worship and explained that the use of the instrument in Psalms and elsewhere is…
Read MoreBlessed in What He Does
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Blessed-in-What-He-Does.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 1:21-25 I. Sin is the breaking of law – I John 3:4 A. Sin is universally found in mankind – Romans 5:12 B. Thus, we cannot be surprised that rebellion (going against authority) is also widespread C. Obedience then is submitting to authority. It is subjecting your will to the will…
Read MoreFaith Is Active
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, June 2000 “Faith is always active,” the speaker declared. “It is never passive, but always indicates a spirit of obedience,” he quickly added. He is not the only preacher I have heard who has said such a thing, nor will he be the last. There is something in the concept that…
Read MoreRomans 12
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Romans-12.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreTo Whom Shall We Go?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/To-Whom-Shall-We-Go.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 6:48-69 I. When Jesus feed the 5,000, his popularity was at an all time high A. Some of the people decided it was time to make Jesus their king – John 6:14-15 B. Jesus left because the people’s motivation was wrong. They were only thinking of the free food Jesus…
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