Hello, John and Doves,
Now
that you have your ticket, faith in Christ and a personal relationship
with Him, you’ve got to stick to your ticket. This is accomplished
“sola gratia.”
~Blessings,
Gino (17 Dec 2013)
"RE: TH: 12.13.13: Sheep & Goats"
TH,
Good point about the goats.
Also, I noticed one other thing.
You had written the following statement:
“They didn't KEEP TRYING as if their Eternal Status depends on it, because it does !”
That is exactly what the Pharisees were trying to do.
That is also what the Galatians began to do:
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the
faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we
might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the
law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
They didn’t begin that way, though.
Apparently someone convinced them that their eternal state depended upon them trying:
Galatians
3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not
obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth, crucified among you?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Why did they think so highly of themselves, to think that they could add anything to the work of Christ:
Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Righteousness doesn’t come by works:
Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Before we were saved, it was not by our works:
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Then the next line shows that after we are saved, it still is not by our works:
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
By grace through faith, not of works:
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Not by our works:
Titus
3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of
the Holy Ghost;
Gino