A booklet by Charles Philip Mawungwa
In November 1971, a Sunday school teacher shot and killed his wife, his mother and his 3 children. Next to their bodies he left a note to his pastor saying he had done it to save them from losing their faith, and that he was going to meet them in heaven.
This is quite a disturbing and extreme story but it gets us thinking. Was this man saved? Can we be able to judge someone’s salvation based on their works? Does salvation by grace mean you will go to heaven no matter whether you have good works or not?
There is need for a balanced, bible based teaching on what exactly salvation by grace is and how works come in. The bible warns us that in the last days, the Christian faith will get a bad reputation because people will be teaching grace, as an excuse to sin, which in effect is a denial of the Lord Jesus.
Jude 4 New International Version (NIV)
4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
2 Peter 2:2 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
2 And many will follow their immoral ways and lascivious doings; because of them the true Way will be maligned and defamed.
We shall start by studying salvation, grace then the judgement of works.
Salvation alone is a topic for which we can write many books. In order to keep the section from becoming too long, I will merely reference some of the scriptures in this section and only share a few in full.
Definition
The word Salvation is translated from the Greek word Soteriawhich means to rescue from destruction, to provide deliverance from something harmful, to put in a safe place or to preserve.
The Fall of Mankind
According to the scriptures, Adam sinned in the garden and died (Gen 3-4). He ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which brought his flesh into a separation with the life of God. Adam and his descendants were banned from God’s paradise and separated from the glory that comes from a vital union with God. Because of his actions, death came to all his decedents because they all have his sinful flesh.
Romans 5:12 English Standard Version (ESV)
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
The Challenge
Humanity needed a saviour who could reverse the effects of Adam’s sin. None of the descendants of Adam could save humanity because they themselves were born with sin in their flesh.
When Adam obeyed the word of the serpent, he unwittingly surrendered his authority and dominion over the earth to Satan and man became a slave to the devil.
Romans 6:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
By God’s principles only another human being could take back this authority on behalf of all human beings. But all people were sinners because they have Adam’s sinful flesh, and therefore all men were slaves to Satan. (Lev 25:47) So no man could be found in heaven, or on earth who could save mankind. (Rev 5:3).
The Solution
Because mankind had been tricked into being a slave to sin and a slave to Satan, God put into effect, his plan for salvation.
So the Logos of God himself, who was God in nature, became a human being and was born of a woman. (Joh 1:1-14; Gal 4:4-5) This child who was born was to be called the son of God. This child was born in the form and with frailties of fallen flesh. (Rom 8:3;Heb 2:11; Heb 4:15)
Luke 1:35 New King James Version (NKJV)
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Because this child’s flesh came from heaven, he was born sinless and unfallen. This child who was born was named Jesus at his birth. Jesus means Jehovah is our Salvation. (Mat 1:21)
All of what we call salvation was contained in this child, such that when he was born, salvation was born.
Luke 2:27-31 New King James Version (NKJV)
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
However, by being born of a human woman, and adopted by a human father, and he himself having become a human being, Jesus became a son of Adam by maternal line and by adoption. He is Ben Adam which in English is Son of Man.
Jesus, who was sinless and perfect, was the only human being since Adam to be in vital union with God and thus spiritually alive. (Eph 2:1, Col 2:13)
When Adam sinned, he was given the penalty of death. Both physical and spiritual death. Jesus, then took all of Adam’s punishment of death. He then suffered physical and spiritual death and went to hell. (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 5; Acts 2:31)
Philippians 2:5-8 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
But because Jesus was also God by origin, he had power over life, and so he was able to regenerate himself in 3 days. (John 10:18).
Since he had been sinless from birth to death, and had not once submitted to Satan, Jesus was able to take back Adam’s authority and dominion over this world from Satan.
As he was going to his death, he declares:
John 14:30 English Standard Version (ESV)
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,
After his resurrection we are told:
Colossians 2:15 English Standard Version (ESV)
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Matthew 28:18 English Standard Version (ESV)
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
In the resurrection of this regeneration, he was born a second time, of the spirit, as a spiritual man directly begotten of God. (; Col 1:18; Rev 1:5)
Acts 13:33 New King James Version (NKJV)
33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’
Romans 1:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
This regenerated spiritual man, who was born through resurrection was called the second man.
1 Corinthians 15:46-47 King James Version (KJV)
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
He was the first to be born out of death. (Rev 1:5)
Colossians 1:18 King James Version (KJV)
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
As the second man, he could create a new race of people, who come out of his spirit. Just as Adam had a race of people who came out of his flesh. (Eph 2:10; 2 Peter 1:4)
2 Corinthians 5:17 New International Version (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
When Jesus died on behalf of Adam, all of Adam died in him and he officially ended the race of Adam in the spirit. He therefore is called the last Adam.
1 Corinthians 15:45 New King James Version (NKJV)
45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Jesus through his spirit could give birth to a new race of people who have his spirit and therefore his sinless nature in their spirit. (John 3:5; 1 John 3:9)
1 John 3:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
John 3:6 New International Version (NIV)
6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Because this new race of people are born of the spirit of the second man, they carry in their spirits, dominion and authority over Satan, sin and death. (Luke 10:19; Rom 6:14; John 11:25- 26)
They have power by the spirit to overcome sin in the flesh. (Rom 8:11-14)
Man’s Duty
Adam’s descendants simply need to accept the work that Jesus did for them. They need to receive Jesus as their new master, and by doing that they are translated from Satan’s dominion to Christ’s dominion. (Rom 10:9; Col 1:13)
They need to accept that when Jesus died, their old nature died with him, and by his regeneration, they too can be regenerated in the spirit. The moment they receive and accept this truth, they become regenerated in the spirit. (Rom 6:5; Rom 10:10)
Romans 10:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
1 Peter 1:3 New International Version (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
This message that all we need to do is accept the work that Jesus did for us is called The Gospel. (1 Cor 15:1-4). This acceptance of the gift of Salvation is called Faith. (Rom 1:16)
This free offer of salvation is called grace. So we are saved by grace through faith. (Eph 2:8)
Jesus is Lord
Adamic Life is death, and Jesus’ life is eternal. The Life of Christ is therefore called eternal life. (1 Joh 5:11)
To accept Jesus as your new Master, Lord, instead of Satan, means you are saying from now on, you will follow the instructions you get from Jesus and you will not obey instructions from Satan. (Luke 6:46) If you are obeying instructions from Satan, you are unwittingly submitting your authority to Satan as your master. If you obey Jesus, you are declaring Jesus as your master.
So those who truly accept Jesus as their Lord/Master will by nature feel a need to obey Jesus instructions.
Matthew 7:21 New King James Version (NKJV)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Luke 6:46 New King James Version (NKJV)
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
Die to self
The only way you can receive the life of Christ is if you die to your old life; the life of Adam. If you have accepted the offer that Jesus gives you of a new life, you have to be willing to renounce, reject and completely let go of Adam’s life. If in your heart, you still hold on to certain aspects from Adam’s life, you will be unable to fully experience the life of Christ.
Matthew 16:25 New King James Version (NKJV)
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Luke 14:26-27 New King James Version (NKJV)
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
Mark 8:34 New King James Version (NKJV)
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Matthew 10:37 New International Version (NIV)
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
You can’t receive the life of Christ and still hold on to your old life. You have to die to your old life, in order to walk in the new life.
3. Is salvation an event ora process?
The simple answer is both. It is an event, and it is a process.
I say this because salvation comes in three forms which are revealed in the bible. There is salvation past, which is an event, salvation present which is a process and salvation future which is an event.
Jesus came so that we could be saved from sin.
Matthew 1:21 New International Version (NIV)
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus finished the work of salvation on the cross, but we experience this salvation in 3 stages. There is a salvation that we received the day we believed in Christ, there is a salvation that we go through every day, and there is a salvation that we shall receive at the last day. Understanding this threefold salvation is key in rightly diving the word regarding grace, faith and works.
Past: Saved from the Power of sin
The apostle Paul speaks of salvation past as something we received purely by God’s mercy. No one was saved because they were good.
Titus 3:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
The apostle then shows us that the purpose of this salvation was so that sin should no longer be our master. We were all slaves to sin because of our fallen nature.
Romans 6: 6, 12,14
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Present: Being saved from the presence of sin in the flesh.
The apostle Paul also shows us that we are being saved. It’s a present continuous thing.
1 Corinthians 1:18 New International Version (NIV)
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Philippians 2:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
In this process of present salvation, we must through the power of the Holy Spirit, separate ourselves from the presence of sin in our bodies. Since sin no longer has dominion over us we have a responsibility. This is called sanctification, or holiness.
Romans 8:12-13
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
This sanctification can only be achieved by the power of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 New International Version (NIV)
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Future: Saved from the penalty of sin: Eternal Death
When Jesus comes, there is a salvation that will be revealed, this is a salvation from the eternal fire.
Hebrews 9:28 New International Version (NIV)
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Romans 5:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
As we go on with the teaching, these three dimensions of salvation shall become more and more clear. But let’s keep them in mind.
Salvation in all its three forms, came by grace is accessed by faith and brings forth good works.
This is the correct order.
Ephesians 2:8-10 New International Version (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In verse 9, it says “Not of works”. What this means is that, salvation did not come because we had done anything good to deserve it. When you were saved, all you had to do was to accept what Jesus had done for you. When you accepted, all your past sins were remitted by the blood of Jesus. You then received dominion over sin and the holy spirit as your guide. All these things are given to you for free.
Scripture then says, we were created to walk in good works that were prepared for us. These good works are works that come from the Holy Spirit. The desire and ability to do those works comes from the Holy Spirit so they are not yours but God’s. So again, those good works are given to you by grace and you do them through faith.
So Salvation in all it’s forms is received by grace through faith.
Romans 3:24-25 New International Version (NIV)
24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood— to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
2 Timothy 1:9-10 New International Version (NIV)
9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
The short answer is No.
Salvation and New Birth are not the exact same thing, though they are related. Salvation is a broad term. Being born again is a specific form of salvation. The apostle John talks more about being born again and the apostle Paul talks more about being saved. The word salvation can be used very generally.
The moment you come to Jesus and your sins are forgiven, we say you have been saved. The reason for this is because, the wages of sin is death. So when your sins are remitted you have been saved from death.
Luke 1:77 New Living Translation (NLT)
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation, through forgiveness of their sins.
Luke 1:77 Good News Translation (GNT)
77 to tell his people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven.
So when you come to Christ, confess your sins and get baptised, your past sins are remitted, meaning they are erased. It’s as if they never happened. This forgiveness of sins comes by the death of Christ on the cross. We can now say, you have been saved. We can now say you have received the righteousness of Christ. We can now say you have been made Holy by the blood of Jesus. However, you are still that same old person. You still have the adamic nature of sin. Sin will return to subdue you again, and you can lose that righteousness and that holiness that you received.
John 8:10-11 Good News Translation (GNT)
10 He straightened up and said to her, “Where are they? Is there no one left to condemn you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she answered. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again.”
When you sin again, you will ask for forgiveness and be forgiven, but sin will keep overpowering you. You may eventually lose faith in Jesus, and leave Christianity altogether. When a person decides to stop believing Jesus, it’s called Falling Away.
John 5:14 English Standard Version (ESV)
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”
However, God’s ultimate solution for this problem is The New Birth, which is a complete transformation that is worked by the Holy Spirit in you. Once you have gone through this transformation, you will have a heart like Christ’s, you will have the desire to please God, you will have a hatred for sin and you will be a whole new creation in spirit and in character.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 Good News Translation (GNT)
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you. 26 I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your
stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. 27I will put my spirit in you and will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you.
That process described above, is the process of being born again. Paul calls it, being recreated in Christ. You are given a new obedient heart and a new mind, then God puts his spirit in your spirit, to cause you to follow his ways and his commands.
1 John 5:18 New International Version (NIV)
18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.
So a person who goes through this process of being born again, will pass all three stages of salvation, and therefore will never lose their salvation. So the highest form of salvation is being born again. It is complete salvation. In fact I can even say, it is the True Salvation. Once you have undergone the New Birth transformation, you can never lose your salvation, because you can never go back to living in sin.
1 John 5:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Being born of God means being born of two things, being born of his Spirit and his word.
John 3:8 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
1 Peter 1:23 New International Version (NIV)
23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
James 1:18 (NIV)
18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
To be reborn, is to be renewed, to be transformed. When we say you have been born of the Spirit, we mean you have been transformed by the spirit, into the image of Christ.
If you are not renewed, or transformed, you are not born again. That is how we know who is born again and who is not.
1 John 3:9-10 (NIV)
9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
So, being born again is the complete and ultimate salvation. Only when you are born again, do you receive the life of Christ. Which is eternal life. It is that life of Christ in you that causes you to live a Holy Life.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
In order to be born again, one needs to come to Believe in Jesus with all their hearts.
John 3:16 (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believesin him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Firstly, let’s look at the definition of believe. Let me quote the scripture from the amplified bible, which gives the full meaning of the Greek word Pistis, translated believe.
John 6:29 Amplified Bible (AMP)
29 Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.”
We must adhere to, trust in, rely on and have faith in Jesus.
When scripture says believe, it means we have to believe with ALL YOUR HEART.
Acts 8:37 New King James Version (NKJV)
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Matthew 22:37 New International Version (NIV)
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Remember Ezekiel 36. When God was talking about the new birth, he says he would give you a new heart, a new mind and a new spirit. He can’t do that unless you surrender to him your whole heart, your whole mind and your whole soul.
The only way you can love God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul, is by surrendering all your heart, all your mind and all your soul to Christ. You cannot be born again if you only surrender part of yourself. This is what it practically means to believe in Christ as your saviour. If you believe with all your being, you are placing all your being into his hands. He will transform you through the new birth, and once you are transformed you will manifest the fruit of the Spirit.
So, a person who comes to church today and hears the gospel and responds to the call for salvation will receive forgiveness of sins. That forgiveness of sin is salvation, it is righteousness, it is holiness. Wicked people such as Ahab and the King of Nineveh had their sins forgiven simply because they asked, and meant it. Jesus has forgiven sins of people who never even asked him. But he did it because they needed it.
So while anyone who genuinely asks can have their sins forgiven, only those who believe in Christ with all their hearts can be born again. Only those who are ready to die to their old self, can be born again. Only those who genuinely hate their old life of sin can receive the new life of Christ.
Luke 14:25-27 (NIV)
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Matthew 10:39 (ESV)
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
The large crowds travelling with Jesus are called followers of Jesus. In this day and age, we would call them Christians. These are people who identify themselves with Christ. However, Jesus turned to them and said, only those among them, who hate their own lives and are willing to have that life crucified, are able to become his disciples.
So not everyone in our churches is a disciple of Christ. Not every ‘Christian’ is born again. Only those who totally surrendered their lives to Christ. And through their faith, they died to sin, so they can live to righteousness.
Once you are born again, you are now re-created in the image of Christ. You develop certain Characteristics.
When you are born again, you become a new creation. God himself will cause you to follow his ways, so you cannot continue to live in sin.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV)
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
1 John 3:9 (NIV)
9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God
A person who has died to sin, cannot live in it any longer.
Romans 6:1-2 (NIV)
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
A new-born Christian, can struggle with sin. But as we grow in the spirit, we grow in perfection. We grow in the image and stature of Christ.
Ephesians 4:13-14 (NIV)
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Those who are born again operate under God’s divine discipline if they start going into sin, God disciplines them in-order to keep them in line.
Hebrews 12:4-7 (ESV)
4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
The discipline that God gives to his children comes in three forms: weakness, sickness and lastly death. When the sons of God receive this discipline, God coinsiders them to have been judged and so they won’t go to hell.
Paul explains this to the church of Corinth.
1 Corinthians 11:30-32 (NIV)
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.
32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.
The apostle Paul himself was also disciplined with weakness because of his pride.
2 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV)
7So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
God is so jealous for his children, that if they start to wonder in the wrong direction, he would rather kill them now, in order to save them from hell.
1 Corinthians 5:5 (ESV)
5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
When you see a Christian who lives a worldly, sinful life without consequences, it’s a sign that they are not born again.
Hebrews 12:8 (WEB)
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children.
Those who are born again, can not be deceived by Satan, because the anointing of God guides them in all truth.
John 10:5 (NIV)
5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
1 John 2:26-27 (NIV)
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
Those who are born of Christ, will continue in the teaching of Christ.
2 John 1:9 (WEB)
9 Whoever transgresses and doesn’t remain in the teaching of Christ, doesn’t have God. He who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
John 8:31 (WEB)
1 Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples.
When you see Christians departing from the teaching of Christ and becoming atheists, becoming false prophets and following after other gods, it’s a sign that they were never born again.
1 John 2:18-19 (ESV)
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
The only thing that can separate Christ from his sheep, is something greater than God. There’s nothing greater than God, so nothing can take Christ’s sheep from him.
John 10:27-30 (NIV)
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Born again believers do not lose their faith in Jesus.
Hebrews 10:38-39 (NKJV)
38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
Every person who is born again will overcome the world, just as Jesus was born not God and he overcame the world. The sons of God can not be overcome by the temptations of the world.
1 John 5:4 (ESV)
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
When you are born again, It is now Jesus’ responsibility as your shepherd to make sure that you remain in God and to make sure that you never get lost. Christ’s Job is to make sure that not a single child of God should be lost.
John 6:39-40 (NIV)
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
If you are born again, and you get lost then it means Christ has failed his job. But Christ is not a failure. He is all powerful God. It is not your responsibility to ensure that you are resurrected on the last day, it is his responsibility.
In-fact, if one of the born again saints strays from the path, Jesus will go out of his ways to bring you back to the right path.
Luke 15:3-4 (ESV)
3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
The New Birth Guarantees You salvation in all it’s three forms.
The reason why Jesus paid the price, and brought salvation to the world out of his grace, was so that we may be recreated in him and do good works that he had prepared for us to do. These works are not works of our own, they are works of the spirit done by God though us.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Philippians 2:13 New Living Translation (NLT)
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
The desire to do good comes from him, and the ability to do it comes from him, so when a Christian does good works, the credit goes completely to God. So in this we get to understand the ultimate purpose and definition of grace, it is divine empowerment to do good.
Titus 2:11-12 New International Version (NIV)
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
So here the apostle Paul is saying that the grace of God teaches us to say NO to ungodliness and worldly passions. The grace empowers us to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives. The grace of God brought us the blood that cleanses us, the spirit that gives us life and the word of God makes us wise; and through these free things we receive complete salvation.
Proverbs 11:30 New International Version (NIV)
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.
Since these works are works of God, they can only be done by those Christians who are born again. Those who died to their old self, and are no longer living their own lives, but Christ through them.
8. What are the Good Works That Come from the Spirit?
The good works that come by divine enablement are called the fruit of the Spirit. These works are a fruit because they don’t come from your personal initiation, goodness, effort or ability. You are merely a vessel and it is the Spirit of God working them.
Galatians 5:22-23 New Living Translation (NLT)
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Ephesians 5:9 New King James Version (NKJV)
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
Romans 6:22 New King James Version (NKJV)
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
When you put together all the verses you find there are twelve manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit.
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-Control
10. Righteousness
11. Truth
12. Holiness
We see a picture of these twelve crops of fruit of the Holy Spirit in several illustrations of the bible. For example: The tree of life. This tree of life which was in the garden of Eden, produces 12 crops of fruit, in line with the 12-fold fruit of the spirit.
Revelation 22:2 New International Version (NIV)
On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
The fruit of the spirit is one fruit that produces all 12 good works at the same time: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control, Righteousness, Truth, Holiness.
These things start small and grow in you as you grow in the spirit. The works of the flesh are listed here:
Galatians 5:19-22 English Standard Version (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
These things are direct opposites. Once you start to produce the fruit of the Spirit, you will not be able to manifest the works of the flesh.
If you have LOVE and GOODNESS, you won’t have enmity, rivalries, dissentions and divisions.
If you have HOLINESS and SELF CONTROL you won’t have sexual immorality, impurity, drunkenness and orgies.
If you have FAITH and TRUTH you won’t have jealousy, sorcery and idolatry
If you have PEACE and JOY, you won’t have fits of anger, anxiety and fear
If you have RIGHTEOUSNESS you won’t live in sin because all unrighteousness is sin.
So it is impossible for a person who is manifesting the fruit of the Spirit to live according to the flesh. And a person who is fulfilling the works of the flesh cannot manifest the fruit of the Spirit. These two things cannot operate in the same person at the same time. But as I said, the fruit of the spirit starts small and grows.
You grow in love, you grow in faith, you grow in peace and you grow in truth.
10. What happens to a Christian who fails to produce the fruit of the spirit?
So, in the church we have two types of Christians. I am using the word Christian in the sense of anyone who follows Christ. We have Christians who are born again and those who are not born again. Those who are born again will produce the fruit of the spirit. Those who are not born again will not produce the fruit of the Spirit.
So what happens to a Christian who fails to produce the fruit of the Spirit.
a) They are cast away from Christ and destroyed.
Christians who fail to produce the fruit which brings the works of the spirit will be cut out from Christ and destroyed in the fire.
Matthew 7:19 New International Version (NIV)
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Hebrews 6:7-8
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Paul here was talking about those who completely choose to abandon the faith, after they have received the Holy Spirit. But he says something interesting at the end. That when the land has received rain, but fails to produce fruit it can be cursed and in the end it will be burned.
Jesus Christ explains this clearly.
John 15
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
Jesus is saying that The Father cuts off every branch in Christ that does not bear fruit. The branches are people. Note that these people are in Christ, but they are not bearing fruit, so the Father will cut them off.
John 15
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (Compare with Luke 13:6-9)
Jesus is the captain of our salvation and he is assuring us that those people who are in him. If they don’t produce good fruit, his Father will cut them from him. That’s eternal destruction.
b) They Die
Romans 8
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
He says it is our obligation to live by the Spirit and to use the Spirit of God to destroy the works of the flesh. if you live according to the flesh, you will die, and if you live according to the Spirit you will live. Only those who live according to the Spirit are considered children of God.
Galatians 6:7-10
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
It’s interesting that the apostle shows that eternal life can only be reaped by those Christians who sow into their spirit. If they sow into the flesh they will be destroyed.
c) They have rejected the Holy Spirit and will be punished
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 New International Version (NIV)
3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.
7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Any person who disregards the commandment to live a holy life is rejecting the Holy Spirit. Punishment is different from discipline. Here Paul is saying that those who live impure lives, and fail to live in sanctification (holiness) will be punished by God.
d) They will not see the Lord
The apostle tells us that those who don’t live holy will not see the Lord Jesus.
Hebrews 12:14 New International Version (NIV)
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Look at how Paul warns that we must make every effort to be holy, because without holiness no one will see Jesus Christ.
e) They don’t inherit the Kingdom of God
Paul strongly warned the Christians in all the churches that if they committed the acts of the flesh, they will not inherit the kingdom.
Galatians 5:19
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and 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
1 Corinthians 5:8
8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
We shall look at Mathew 25:31-43 in more detail as we go on. In that scripture. Jesus shows that those who don’t inherit the kingdom are all thrown into the lake of fire. There are the only two destinations.
To the Christians of Ephesus, Paul gives the same warning.
Ephesians 5:3-7
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
Paul makes an important point here. The reason why God’s wrath comes on the disobedient is because they practice evil works. So if you partner with their evil works then God’s wrath will come on you too. If you are immoral and greedy you can be sure that you have no inheritance in God’s kingdom.
As the apostle Paul said, let no one deceive you with empty words. I do not want to scare people, but I also do not want to comfort you with empty words that lead you to destruction.
The fruit of the spirit is one fruit, which brings forth 12 types of good works into the life of a believer. These twelve types of good works are works of the Spirit and therefore works of God. This is why no true Christian can boast of good works, or boast of their salvation. However, what can you do so that you can have this fruit and start manifesting these works of the Spirit.
John 6:28 ESV2000
8Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
The only work that we as people must do is to believe in Jesus. God does the rest. So why is it that a lot of Christians are not manifesting the fruit of the spirit?
A new born Christian is sometimes difficult to distinguish from a person in the world.
1 Corinthians 3:1 New International Version (NIV)
3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.
However, It’s impossible for the person who is born of God, to not manifest the fruit of the spirit. It will grow and be seen with time.
Four Kinds of Christians
When some people come to believe, they don’t believe with all their heart. They rely on Jesus, but they also rely in, trust in and adhere to other things. Jesus explains this in the parable of the sower. In this he gives four kinds of people who receive the word of God. Let me allow Jesus to explain. But not all of them believe the word with all their hearts.
Luke 8:5-8 English Standard Version (ESV)
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This parable is very essential in explaining a lot about salvation and how it works. I will break down Jesus interpretation as we go down the chapter.
Luke 8:11-15 New King James Version (NKJV)
11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the
word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
So it all starts with the word of God. The word is the seed that leads to the fruit. So believing in Christ starts by believing in his word.
The Unbelievers
Verse 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
The first kind of people, are the unbelievers. These are not random unbelievers, but these are unbelievers who have been hearing the word. Some of those unbelievers go back into the world, but others are actually in the church. Here is an example:
Some of the followers of Jesus, who were called his disciples, were actually unbelievers, but only Christ knew those who were truly believers
In mark 6 and Luke 10, Jesus sent out the twelve apostles and then the seventy two disciples ahead of him.
Matthew 10:1 New King James Version (NKJV)
10 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
They all receive power to cast out demons, heal the sick and preach the gospel. Yet all along, some of them were unbelievers. But only Jesus knew which ones. Among the 12, it turned out to be Judas. Among the seventy-two, we don’t know.
Such people who never actually believe, never actually get saved, even if they are still following Jesus. Even if they are in our churches.
Those Who Believe in Vain
13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
People believe for different reasons. Ultimately, our faith must be rooted in the truth of the word, otherwise when the time of testing comes your faith will be uprooted. All faith must be tested and tried for it to bear fruit.
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
John 6:63-64 English Standard Version (ESV)
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)
When our faith in Christ is not rooted in the truth, when it is based on lies and wrong doctrine, it will not survive trials. For example, If you have been taught that a Christian should never be poor, when you are tried by financial loss, you will lose your faith in Jesus. If you have been taught that Christians never get sick, when you lose a child to sickness, you will lose your faith along with it.
Believing in Christ without holding on to his teaching is what Paul calls, ‘believing in vain.’
1 Corinthians 15:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
Those who are grounded in the truth of the word of Christ, will not be shaken when trials come. They are actually strengthened. Only when faith has endured trails does it produce perseverance, which is the first sign of the fruit of the spirit.
The Distracted
Verse 14: Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
Mark gives this parable in slightly different words.
Mark 4:18-19 New International Version (NIV)
18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Some people want Christ but they also want the things of the world. Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also. People are hindered from completely believing (adhering to, relying on, trusting in and having faith in) Christ because they have come to trust in the power of money and they still desire a lot of worldly pleasures. These people are holding on to Christ, and other things of the world at the same time. So they never get to completely surrender their whole heart, soul and mind to Jesus.
It is necessary for Christians to separate themselves from some of the things of this world, such that their faith is not choked before it has produced fruit.
The Good Ground
15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Those who give their complete heart to Christ, will be born again, they will continue to believe in the word, and will continue to keep it, and as a result they bear fruit, with patience.
The answer is Yes. In fact that is the main way we are supposed to know whether a person belongs to Christ or not.
Matthew 7:15-20 New International Version (NIV)
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
This is powerful. A tree is known by it’s fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit, will be cut down and thrown into the fire. It is that simple.
1 John 3:5-8 New International Version (NIV)
5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
John says, that we should not be led astray. Jesus came to take away sin and destroy the devil’s work. If a person continues to practice sin, then that person is of the devil. A person who is righteous will do what is right. It’s simple, basic, and true. A person who belongs and believes in Christ will do the works that Christ did.
John 14:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father
I know we tend to think of miracles, but the works of Christ go beyond miracles.
1 John 2:3-6 New International Version (NIV)
3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.
5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
The children of God, do God’s works and the children of Satan do Satan’s works.
John 8:41-47 New International Version (NIV)
41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me…
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires…
In fact, The Lord spoke to Paul that He would not receive us as his children, unless we separated ourselves from an unholy life.
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
So if we go back to the Sunday school teacher who killed his wife, mother and three children and wrote to his pastor saying he would see them in heaven. We know him by his fruit. A good tree does not give bad fruit. We know whose son he was by the works he did. The devil is a murderer and a liar. If he later converted, I don’t know, but when he did those works, it was a sign that he did not belong to Christ.
Scripture tells us that faith is made complete in faith because our faith is seen by what we do. James explains the link between faith and good works quite clearly.
I will list his points as we go down.
a) Faith is useless if it does not produce good works
James 2:17-24 New Living Translation (NLT)
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
b) Our Faith is seen in what we do?
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
c) Demons also believe what you believe but what they lack are the
works
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
d) Our faith is completed in our actions
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
v) We are justified by Our Faith and our actions
23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
Not exactly.
Paul does not contradict James. The New Testament presents us with three types of works. Works of the Flesh, which is sin. Works or the Law and Works of Faith that Paul refers to as the fruit of the Spirit.
James is talking of the works of Faith. Works that are produced as a result of our faith. This is the fruit of the Spirit that Paul also says, if we don’t produce we will not inherit the kingdom of God.
When Paul is contesting faith and works, he is contrasting Faith vs The works of the Law.
Romans 8:23
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
Galatians 2:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
So we are not justified by works of the law, but we are justified by faith and the resulting works of the faith.
There are works of Faith which are 12 types of good works that come from the fruit of the spirit. There are works of the flesh which are the works of unrighteousness and sin, and those who do them will be cast away and burnt. Then we have works of the Law by which we are told that no man will be justified.
When scripture says that no one is justified by the Law, it means that no one will be declared righteous by God, because they have followed the law.
Romans 3:20 New International Version (NIV)
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
What are the works of the Law?
So the works of the law, are all the instructions that Moses was given by God to deliver to Israel. They were all written in a book and on two tablets of stone.
Deuteronomy 6:1 New International Version (NIV)
6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,
Deuteronomy 31:24 New International Version (NIV)
24 After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,
Rules concerning circumcision, foods, the new moon, worship days such as weekly and yearly
Sabbaths, feasts such as Pentecost and feasts of booths. All those are the works of the Law.
Before Moses, The Law was not there on earth
When the bible says, THE LAW, it’s specifically talking of the 613 commandments, laws, statues, charges, ordinances and decrees that God gave to Israel through Moses. As a result, scripture tells us that THE LAW came through Moses and before him, the Law was not there in the world.
Romans 5:13-14 New International Version (NIV)
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses…
John 1:17 New International Version (NIV)
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:17 New International Version (NIV)
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise
Knowing this, helps us to understand that Enoch, Noah and Abraham all lived without The Law. They all had faith, and by their faith, they obeyed whatever God was telling them in their time.
The Law was completely Fulfilled
Let me just get to a key scripture. Jesus tells us that he had come to fulfil the law, and that nothing could be changed from the Law until everything was fulfilled.
Matthew 5:17-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
This is very powerful. The Law was such an integral unit, that nothing can be removed from it, not even a comma until everything has been fulfilled. Astonishingly, just after finishing these words, Jesus began to change things from the law. Why? To show that the whole Law had been fulfilled.
Matthew 5:31-43 New King James Version (NKJV)
31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Jesus is directly teaching people not to observe commandments which are in the law. The Law says an eye for an eye, but Jesus says do not resit an evil person. The law says hate your enemies, Jesus says love your enemies, The Law says swear to God only, Jesus says do not swear at all.
The only way he can change anything, is if everything is fulfilled. So Jesus was merely showing that he had fulfilled the whole purpose of the Law.
Those who seek to be declared righteous by following the Law are placing themselves under a curse
Any Christian who believes he can be considered righteous in Christ by following the commandments written in the law, is actually placing themselves under the curse of the Law.
Galatians 3:10-11 New International Version (NIV)
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
Christ is the end of the Law
Christ fulfilled the whole law, and when he arrived, the law ended in him.
Galatians 3:23-25 New International Version (NIV)
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Romans 10:4 New English Translation (NET Bible)
4 For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.
What this practically means is that, when we want to find out how to live as Christians, we don’t look to the law, we look to Christ our new master. Christ is now our law, and whatever he says, we obey.
1 Corinthians 9:20-21 New International Version (NIV)
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
Matthew 28:19-20 New International Version (NIV)
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In revelation Chapter 2 and 3, Christ judges the 7 churches according to their works. At no point does he mention any of the works of the law. He judges them according to the fruit of the Spirit. Love, faith, service, patience etc.
Those who seek to be considered righteous by following the commandments given to Moses, instead of following the commandments of Christ, are forfeiting the grace of God. If you think that a person can be considered righteous because they follow the law, then you are saying Christ died for nothing.
Galatians 2:21 New International Version (NIV)
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Words of warning
The law of Moses, gave restrictions to eating certain meats. In Christ, all foods were made clean.
Mark 7:18-19 New English Translation (NET Bible)
18 He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? 19 For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the sewer.” (This means all foods are clean.)
The apostle Paul warns that in the last days demons will introduce doctrines of forbidding people to eat certain foods. Yet all foods are good when received in prayer and thanks giving.
1 Timothy 4:1-4 New International Version (NIV)
4 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
Please note that the scriptures are talking about food. They are not talking about smoking, or taking recreational drugs.
Colossians 2:13-16 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
Romans 14:13-14 New International Version (NIV)
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
a) God the Father will Judge No one.
There is no-one, who will actually stand in front of God the Father to be judged. The Father gave all judgement to Jesus because Jesus is the man who represents all humanity.
John 5:22 New International Version (NIV)
22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
Jesus Christ is the saviour of all men, and it is he who will judge all men.
b) Jesus is the Judge of the living and the Dead
Before Jesus ascended, he strictly commanded the apostles that they must teach everyone that He, Jesus had been appointed the judge of both the living and the dead.
Acts 10:42 New International Version (NIV)
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
2 Timothy 4:1
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
So Jesus is the one who will judge the living and the dead. Interesting. The judgement of the dead takes place at the great white throne.
The Living are those people who have the life of Christ within them. These are they who are born of God through their faith in Jesus. Their judgment shall be to give them the rewards of the works of the spirit that they produced through the life of Christ.
John 20:31 (ESV)
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name
1 John 5:13 (ESV)
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
The judgment of the living is already happening now. The children of God are disciplined and rewarded now. However, their final reward will be revealed when Christ comes.
1 Peter 4:17 (KJV)
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1 Corinthians 11:32 (NIV)
32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.
The judgement of the dead
Revelation 20:11-12
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
Because we know that Jesus is the one who was appointed to judge both the living and the dead, so we know the one sitting on that great white throne, judging the dead according to their works, is Christ.
When it says he is the judge of the living and the dead, it is talking about the believers and unbelievers. The saints are never considered to be among the dead. The wicked will also stand before Christ to be judged.
1 Peter 4:4-5 New International Version (NIV)
4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
The reason why Jesus sits on the great white throne is because when Christ conquered sin, he sat down on his Father’s throne.
Revelation 3:21 New International Version (NIV)
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
In Daniel 7, we see the Father sitting on the great white throne, ready to Judge. But before judgement can take place, The Son of Man comes with the clouds of heaven, and goes to the throne of God where he is given all dominion and the kingdom.
d) God will judge the world through Jesus Christ
Romans 2:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
So when the apostle Paul says, we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, he means exactly that, ALL, because we know the Father judges no-one and has appointed all judgement to Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
1 Corinthians 3 has been used many times to show that a person can have evil works, and still go to heaven. I believe in the harmony of all scriptures. And to interpret one scripture in a way that clearly contradicts the rest of the scriptures will be wrong. However, when we slowly go through it we can actually see that the scripture is consistent with the teaching that Jesus gave in Luke 12.
Let me start by quoting the scripture and then we talk about it.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
I will break down Pauls judgements into three kinds of Judgement.
The builders who build with precious stones (Gold, Silver, Jewels) The builders who build with perishable material (Wood, Hay, Straw) The one who destroys the temple
Those who build with precious stones will be saved and they will receive rewards, and those who build with perishable materials will be saved but their work will be destroyed by fire.
I want you to note that all the builders that Paul is talking about, are building on the same foundation that is Christ. They are all building upon the foundation that Paul laid, this is why all of them will be saved.
What is to build on the foundation of Christ?
To build on the foundation of Christ, is to build upon the teaching and word of Christ. Jesus explains.
Luke 6:47-48 New King James Version (NKJV)
47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
So every person who is working, in obedience to the teaching of Christ, is building upon the rock. Christ is the rock. So both the ones building with precious stones, and those building with wood, hay and straw are doing good works. They are obeying the teaching of Christ.
Who are the builders?
The builders in this context, are the people in the work of ministry. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Paul explains.
1 Corinthians 3:4-9
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building
So Paul is showing that those doing ministry work, are the labourers, the builders, and the congregants are the building he is talking about. So now Paul is showing that each of the builders, who are building on this foundation that is Christ, each of the people in the work of ministry shall also receive rewards according to the quality of their work.
What are the materials?
The materials have several meanings, but I will focus on the one for now. The building blocks, the stones are the believers. So the Builders are the people in ministry, co-workers with Christ, the building is the church and the stones or building blocks are the church members, or believers.
Apostles Peter explains this.
1 Peter 2:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
So the believers, are the living stones who are being built up. So each minister will be rewarded according to the quality of his work. If you are building your church with people who are not saved, drunkards, fornicators and thieves, at the end of the world, they will all be burned, and you will have nothing to show for your work. You yourself will be saved because you were righteous, but your WORK, not works, your work, will have perished in the fire.
In another dimension also, if we do good works to boast or for selfish reasons our work will not have a reward.
Matthew 6:1 New International Version (NIV)
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:19 New International Version (NIV)
19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
1 Corinthians 13:2-3 New International Version (NIV)
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
So these people are building on Christ, they are doing works of righteousness, so they are saved, but they are doing it to be seen by men and to boast. They will be saved, but they won’t get rewarded for their labour.
The one who destroys the temple?
The first two judgements are for the builders, and the last one is for the one who destroys the temple of God. Paul says, the one who destroys the temple will be destroyed. For example, if someone introduces a strong heresy, and removes people from the foundation that is Christ, he is destroying the temple. That one will be destroyed by God.
Jesus explains this concept in different terms.
Luke 12:40-46 New International Version (NIV)
40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” 41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk.
46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
The story continues, but let’s look at this point. Peter wanted to know if the parable was for them (The apostles) or for everyone. Jesus then makes it clear that he is speaking regarding his servants that he has appointed to give people food (the word) in proper time. These are the ministers of the gospel. The one who gives the people their food (word) in proper times will be promoted and given glory. However, there is the one who starts to attack the other ministers of the gospel, and to live a worldly life. This is what Paul meant by destroying the temple.
Jesus first cuts him into pieces, meaning he will destroy his image, his standing and his being. Then he will be apportioned his place among unbelievers. This is what Paul meant when he said, God will destroy him.
While we are not supposed to sin. But it will happen as people who are in the flesh, that we can sin. But all we are required to do is simply admit to God that we are wrong and the blood of Jesus cleanses us.
1 John 1:7-10 New Living Translation (NLT)
7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
This is what Paul means when he talks of being justified by faith, and being justified freely by his grace. Let me explain.
In the Old Testament, if you sinned, you could not just ask for forgiveness. You had to part with something. Under the Law Israel had to offer a bull in the temple very morning and evening. People had to give up their best goats, sheep, cattle and even pigeons in order to have their sins forgiven. For other sins, you had to be stoned to death. There was no free justification for sins.
But now, all you have to do is simply ask God, and he will give you forgiveness of sins. Jesus already paid the debt. The moment you ask for forgiveness, the blood of Jesus cleanses you, and you get free forgiveness by the grace of our Lord Jesus.
It’s free because you are not the one who paid for it. Jesus paid for it with his life. However, you have to ask for it to receive it. Asking is your act of faith.
Hebrews 3:13-14 New International Version (NIV)
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.
In conclusion, we are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus to enable us to do good work. These good works are a manifestation of the fruit of the spirit, and a perfection of the faith that saves us. So in the end, those who have truly believed, will do the works of Christ and those who don’t believe will do the works of the devil.
The ultimate purpose of salvation was so that people can be born again, and transformed into the image of Christ. The new birth is the greatest form of salvation. Through the new birth we become able, to fulfil the plan and work of the spirit. Without the new birth, we will never be able to overcome. Faith is the only work that we must work, in order to receive the new birth. And through the new birth we can produce the fruit of the spirit.
Those with the work of Faith in Christ will die to the life of Adam, receive the life of Christ and shall be judged among the living. Those without faith shall remain in Adam’s death and be judged among the dead.
Romans 2:6-7 New International Version (NIV)
6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. Amen.
