Posts Tagged ‘works’
Salvation by Grace
by James R. Cope via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 12, October, 1952. In Titus 2:11-13 we read: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and…
Read MoreImagined Sins
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ImaginedSins.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 30:5-6 I. Certain ideas get repeated in the religious world, often enough that people accept them as truth without stopping to ask if this is really in the Bible or not A. “You are saved by faith alone” – despite James 2:24 B. “Baptism is an outward sign of an…
Read MoreHow to be Truly Happy
by Matthew Allen “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln Are you happy? Truly happy? Have you found the joy that is found in Christian living? Christianity contains the keys to true happiness during our earthly existence. It is only in a relationship with God that…
Read MoreHow do I earn God’s love back?
Question: Dear Jeff, I find myself asking you questions in the wee hours of the morning. I get so conflicted with questions and loneliness that I don’t know where else to turn. But anyway, my question is: How do I earn God’s love back? I’ll give context first before continuing. Lately, I’ve been putting God…
Read MoreWhat is exactly meant by works?
Question: I am a member of the Missouri Synod denomination, although I really don’t like to see the denominations as “separations.” I like to see us all as Christians — just Christians with different ideas. Anyway, I had read that faith without works is dead. Which I do agree with. I have always been taught…
Read MoreThe Redemption in Christ: An Examination of Romans 3:19-5:21
by Sean P. Cavender Paul indicted all people, both Jew and Gentile, as guilty of sin before God (Romans 3:19). It is due to man’s ungodliness that the wrath of God is revealed, and He will judge all sin as worthy of death (Romans 1:18,32). The reality of sin is frightening and condemning. What is…
Read MoreFaith and Works
by Keith Sharp The doctrine of salvation by faith alone is fundamental to Protestant theology. The old Methodist Discipline stated, “Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.” The Standard Baptist Manual, by Edward T. Hiscox teaches, “… the great gospel blessing which Christ secures…
Read MoreHow do I find opportunities to do good?
Question: How do I find opportunities to do righteousness when I’m either at home studying or at college or school studying? I mean I need opportunities to practice Christian skills. Should I ask God to help or should I really sort myself out as a Christian and then scour the streets like a modern-day superhero…
Read MoreWhat is a work?
Question: I’m a little confused by works. I understand that faith and works go hand in hand. But I’m the type of person who needs concrete examples. Is reading my Bible considered a work? Is, say, giving turkeys to the poor on Thanksgiving considered a work? Is praying a work? Answer: “Work” is one of…
Read MoreHow can righteousness be apart from works when faith is a work?
Question: “Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin”” (Romans 4:6-8). “Then they said to him, “What must…
Read MoreIs faith a work that God does to a person?
Question: Recently someone told me that they believed that the work of God in John 6:29 means that God makes a person believe. I assume they think the Holy Spirit works in a person making them believe. I know that faith comes from hearing the Word of God but would like to know if there…
Read MoreDid Cornelius need to work before or after his salvation?
Question: Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for the sermons you provide online. I actually came across your web site this evening as I was searching for resources on Cornelius and his salvation, as I think his life greatly parallels many in today’s culture. I do have an inquiry from the 15th paragraph, which…
Read MoreThe Washing of Regeneration
by Jim Ward via The Lost River Bulletin, Vol. 58, No. 4, September 2008. The denominational world has spent centuries trying to oust baptism from God’s plan of salvation. One of the most common efforts centers on works. Notice this argument in syllogistic form: First Premise: Works do not save: (Titus 3:4-6). Second Premise: Baptism…
Read MoreIs Paul saying that only if we don’t work, then God will make us righteous?
Question: Is Paul saying in Romans 4:4-5 that only if we don’t work then God will make us righteous? Answer: “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for…
Read MoreObeying the Lord
by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 8, Feb. 20, 2009. Question: How can one talk about “obeying the Lord” in the light of what is said in Titus 3:5 and Ephesians 2:8? Answer: First, let us notice what these two passages say: “Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to…
Read MoreHow can you beautifully write about the law being nailed to the cross and insist that salvation comes through obedience?
Question: How can someone write a beautiful article like “What Was Nailed to the Cross?” and then insist that salvation comes through obedience to a new set of commands? Answer: Because it is what God stated. See “Doing Our Duty” and “In Word and Deed.” “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but…
Read MoreDoing Our Duty
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/DoingOurDuty.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 17:1-10 I. Many denominations today struggle with the concept of obeying God. A. Oh, they give lip service to the concept, but they find it appalling that anything we do affects our salvation B. Most claim that all that is needed is faith and God does the rest. C. Some realize…
Read MoreWhat would be considered “works?”
Question: I am writing to ask a question, but first I want to say I really like the new look of your web site. Very nice and appealing too. My question may seem elementary, but I am finding that maybe it isn’t for me. I am questioning this: What would be considered ‘works’? In the…
Read MoreHow can faith be combined with works?
Question: I have been reading articles on this web site, especially the one about how salvation comes both from believing and works. My question is this: Did Paul lie to the prison guard when he said: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”? I am having difficulty with the combination of…
Read MoreHow It Works
by David Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 36, Sept. 5, 2008. Churches today are looking for ways to reach out to the communities in which they serve. Some look to the latest book, or the most recent demographics, the best mail lists and so on. I think sometimes we so over-complicate church work…
Read MoreWorking Out Our Salvation
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/WorkingOutOurSalvation.mp3 by Garry Floyd
Read MoreDoesn’t Colossians 2:12 clearly show that baptism is a work of God?
Question: Doesn’t the following verse very plainly show that baptism is not a work of man, but rendering obedience to God’s will? “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). God is not the author…
Read MoreWorks in the Book of Romans
by Irvin Himmel via Truth Magazine XXIII: 2, pp. 43-45, January 11, 1979 Frequently Paul mentions works or deeds in his epistle to the saints at Rome. Whatever he means by “works,” the term expresses something opposed to grace and faith. He insists that justification does not find its source in works. Let us take a look…
Read MoreDo you believe that the only way to heaven is by accepting Jesus as your Savior and not by good deeds or grace?
Question: Does the church of Christ believe that the only way to heaven is through the Lord Jesus Christ, by accepting Him as your Savior and not by good deeds or grace? Thanks. Answer: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). You cannot claim to accept the Lord as your Savior if you…
Read MoreDid the thief on the cross work when he rebuked the other thief?
Question: I noticed your ‘Is water baptism is a work?’ and I found it very insightful. I was curious about the thief on the cross. Did this thief do a ‘work’ before he died by rebuking his neighbor? Answer: Obviously the thief demonstrates faith in Jesus. “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying,…
Read MoreFaith and Works
by Carey Scott Many people reject the idea that these two words should be found in the same context. The reason is that while we need faith to receive God’s blessings and approval, we also realize that God’s grace is what saves us instead of works. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2 that we…
Read MoreThe Harmony of the Scriptures
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 30:2-9 I. The denominational world has long debated the relationship of faith, works, and grace in man’s salvation. A. Some argue that salvation is by faith alone while others argue the necessity of works. Some turn their attention to grace and argue that grace alone saves men. B. The problem has…
Read MoreNot Our Workmanship, But His
Bill Hall via Gospel Power, Vol. 13, No. 33, Aug. 13, 2006 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). When one is baptized he becomes a new creation, but he is not the creation of any man. He…
Read MoreWhat saved Joshua and Caleb?
Question: While teaching then the book of Numbers last evening all went pretty well until we arrived at chapter 14. The question was asked: “Apparently, what saved Joshua and Caleb?” I said that it was Moses because he was their mediator and interceded for the people. Several in the class disagreed and said it was…
Read MoreFaith Only
by Mark Russell published in Biblical Insights, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2005 Even Martin Luther didn’t deny baptism as an expression of faith and as necessary to salvation. There were five Latin phrases, known as the “Five Solas” that became the mantra of the Protestant Reformation. These five ideas developed through the years and summarize…
Read MoreWould an atheist be saved if he did good deeds during his life?
Question: If an atheist has always done good deeds during his life (abided by God´s rules preached by all religions), where would God (if there is any) allocate him after his death — heaven or hell? I personally believe that God, being so gracious as we have been told, will place him in heaven as…
Read MoreIs it too simple to say we are to believe and we will be saved by God’s grace?
Question: I’m concerned that purgatory does not exist in the Bible. I believe that imaginary doctrine can be changed, as has the belief of Limbo, with innocent newborn babies, who have died prior to baptism, no longer going to Limbo. I always thought that God has told us to believe in Him and we will…
Read MoreThe Obedience of Faith
by Steve Dewhirst via Gospel Power, Vol. 12, No. 17, April 24, 2005. How odd, that one of the Bible’s most fundamental teachings should have become so puzzling to folks. God is not the author of confusion, but man is. And during the centuries since Jesus walked the earth, the very nature of the faith…
Read MoreHow Did Jericho Fall?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Joshua 6:6-20 I. The record of the fall of Jericho is familiar to many people. A. It was an impressive victory for the people of Israel who had recently entered the land. B. Despite the fact that the city was heavily fortified – Joshua 6:1 C. It was completely destroyed – Joshua 6:21…
Read MoreThat’s More Than I Am Supposed to Do
by Harry E. Rice Practically all progress in the world has been made by those who did more than their share, “more than they were supposed to do.” Our independence was won by George Washington and his men who “did more than they were supposed to do” as they suffered privation at Valley Forge while…
Read MoreSince teaching is a work, then it doesn’t save. Right?
Question: Telling others about Christ is a work. “For by grace we are saved through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast ” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Answer: There was a branch of the Baptist denomination that fully accepted the idea that being saved was entirely a work of God…
Read MoreThe Work of Baptism
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 6:1-11 I. A frequent objection raised to baptism is that it is a work A. “We are not saved by works.” we are told. 1. Romans 4:4-5 – Faith justifies 2. Ephesians 2:8-9 – Saved not as a result of works B. Now certainly baptism is something done, hence it is a work.…
Read MoreSalvation by Grace Through Faith
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 I. When we read Ephesians 2:8-10, there are four important words which stand out: grace, saved, faith, and works. A. The gift mentioned in verse 8 is the gift of salvation given to us by God’s grace. 1. Grace is an unmerited favor. a. It is an action distinguished by justice.…
Read MoreIf I do all the commandments, when will I do enough?
Question: If I do all the commandments, when will I do enough? Answer: In asking this question, you have started off in the wrong direction. Essentially you have asked what is the minimum that I can do to be pleasing to God. Yet God doesn’t want our minimum effort. When a lawyer asked Jesus what…
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