“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’” John 6:28-29 NASB. What shall we do that we may do the works of God? Believe in the one God sent, Jesus. Yes, we repeated it. When you want to really understand a text, it is often helpful to read it again, because the Bible explains itself. Both the question and the answer are both contained in this text. This is another way of stating righteousness by faith!
How can we, who are sinners by nature, do the works of God? You can only do the works of God if you believe in Jesus, whom God has sent to be the Savior of the world! This is the real reason why many Christians do not live the way that they should and are falling into sin over and over again. Then they conclude that it is too hard to do what is right, and hear a sermon telling them that they do not have to worry about this, because they are under grace, and they are falsely comforted. Yes, you are under grace if you have confessed your sins. The requirement for God’s grace to be given to you is IF you have confessed your sins. 1 John 1:9. Why is it that people fall into sin over and over again? Could it not be because there is not a full belief in Jesus in whom God sent, as Jesus says above? Yes, for if they really believed, then they would work the works of God! Jesus also said, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’ John 8:34-36 KJV. Jesus here plainly states that whoever commits sin is the servant of sin, and that ‘the servant abideth not in the house for ever,’ meaning that they will die. ‘But the Son abideth ever.’ Since Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us, He is able also to save us to the uttermost who come to God by Him. Hebrews 7:25. [My paraphrase from the KJV.] Therefore all who come to Jesus and truly believe will be free indeed,because this is what Jesus came to do! Just believe it!
If you believe in Jesus, whom God sent to this world, you will be given the power to work the works of God! Some think that ‘works’ is a dirty word, since we are not saved by works. While it is true that you are not saved by works, if you believe in Jesus you will do the works of God, and can’t help but do them. If anyone does not do the works of God, that means that they do not fully believe in Jesus, if at all. For if they believed in Jesus, they would be given the power from God to have good works. Jesus declares here that believing in Him is the work of God. [i.e. it produces good works.] Thus we see that works are good, if the person doing them believes in Jesus. But does this mean that all Christians are good or doing good works? No it doesn’t. Sadly not all Christians really fully believe in Jesus, even though they may make this claim. If they believed fully in Jesus, they would have the power to live a righteous life and would be working the works of God as Jesus said, and then it would not be self-righteousness. The fact that there are self-righteous Christians does not annul what Jesus said, because only those who really fully believe in Him will be doing the works of God! Everyone else who attempts to do the works of God, will always be self-righteous. All those who claim to be a Christian and think that it is OK to break His law because we are covered by grace, are also self-righteous, since they did not receive God’s righteousness. [If they had received Gods’ righteousness, then He would have helped them to keep His law.]
Someone who is intentionally or unrepentantly breaking God’s Law, and not loving their neighbor as themselves, cannot possibly be doing the works of God, which means that they do not really believe in Jesus. People who are doing bad things, or hurting other people are most definitely not working the works of God, and do not really believe in Jesus His Son, for all of God’s works are love and for the good of humanity! Yes, if you are not trying to do good works, because you think that God’s grace covers you, this is also a form of self-righteousness. Nobody can be good or acceptable to God if they do not have His righteousness! Only God’s righteousness is real righteousness, everything else is fake. “So you shall observe to do just as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left.” Deuteronomy 5:32 NASB. Neither the left nor the right have real righteousness, only those who follow exactly as God has commanded, and turn neither to the right nor to the left. But God’s righteousness is a gift that will be given to you, if you will believe fully in Jesus His Son to save you. If you have God’s righteousness in your life, then you will be working the works of God for real.
Let’s face it, the only way we can be forgiven (John 3:16-17), be righteous and acceptable before God, is if we fully believe in Jesus His Son. Then and only then will we be able to do the works of God without hypocrisy. This is how you may work the works of God, by truly believing in Jesus as your savior, whom the Father sent to this world to save you from your sins! Amen. If you desire to work the works of God, they are within your reach, for if you will just believe that Jesus the Son of God is your Savior, whom God sent, He will make you free indeed! This is a wonderful truth for all who love God and are tired of disappointing themselves and others by continual falling. God will make you better if you will just trust in His Son Jesus to save you from your sins! Then you will be free indeed! This is the true, complete gospel message that Jesus taught. Amen.
By John Foll, written 11/22/2016, updated 11/28/2016.
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“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 KJV.
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Originally posted 2016-11-22 08:26:00.
Faith is the expecting the word of God itself to do what the word says and depending upon that word itself to do what the word says. When this is clearly discerned, it is perfectly easy to see how it is that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
If we have given our heart completely to God and have been born from above, we are following Jesus every step of the way, and God is leading us in triumph! This will manifest itself by others seeing our love for God in the way we treat them and others, and the way we speak of our God whom we love! Our face will glow like an angel, when we are animated with God’s love! He gives us the sweetness in life that attracts others to Him. We cannot help but do this, if we love God all the way and are born from above!
Some may not be aware that in order to get answers to prayer, that there are conditions for many prayers that must be met. We want to give some texts and ideas that everyone might not know or may have forgotten. This is not intended to list everything that could be a problem as to why you are not getting an answer to your prayers, but to give the most common problems that may prevent you from getting answers to your prayers, and to give you the prayers that God will always answer. We are giving the general conditions whereby you can know the will of God, when you can expect to get your answer or not from Him. We want everyone to be able to get what they need from God: life, peace, joy, love and happiness, now and forever! So we are sharing with you the principles that will lead to your salvation and happiness! We want to share with you how you can get the blessings from God that your heart craves. You want this, don’t you?
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 NASB. Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He commands all who are His to go and make disciples of all men. And He is with us until the end of the world. This is a wonderful promise! If we wish to go out and tell others about God’s love and the salvation that Jesus bought for us, Jesus will be with us until the end of the world! It is because of the price that He paid for our sins, that we can go out and help win others for the kingdom. Let us rejoice and be glad for the great salvation He bought for us!
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.” 1 John 5:1 NASB. The child born of Him represents primarily Jesus, the Son of God, but could also mean any child of God who is truly born again. If we are born of God, we will also love all others who are born of God too. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. I.e. whoever believes that Jesus is the Savior of the world is born of God. He who is not truly born again or born of God does not truly believe that Jesus is the Christ. This is the test to whether we are born again or not or please God or not: whether we truly believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world! Do you believe that Jesus is the Savior of the World? Then you are born of God. Are you born of God? Then you are born again and are overcoming the world, have faith, and are keeping the commandments of God, and have life from God and this wonderful change in your heart.
“But Peter and John answered and said unto them, ‘Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’” Acts 4:19-20 KJV. Their answer to the rulers at Jerusalem indicates that they were determined to keep the command of Jesus to tell of God’s love to the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Acts 5:19-21), regardless of what their religious leaders told them. They didn’t mind the obstacles that were placed in their way to hinder them, or the mistreatment they received, but counted it all joy to suffer for Jesus’ sake. “And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Acts 5:40-42 KJV. They didn’t stop preaching Jesus, even after they were beaten and warned to stop. The prophet Jeremiah states the desire to speak of what he had seen and heard of God like this: “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,’ then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.” Jeremiah 20:9 NASB. Thus when you love Jesus, you cannot help but speak of what He did for others and for you, like the Apostles and the prophets of old did!
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: […]
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us [or given unto us], that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” 1 John 3:1 KJV. Yes, it is a great love that the Father has bestowed on us! He has given us His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins, and if we will confess our sins, He will forgive us (1st John 1:9), and He will fill us with His precious Holy Spirit (if we desire), so that we can have the power to become His son or daughter! This is the true meaning of this text! If we desire, God will forgive us and change us into His likeness, so that as we draw closer and closer to His love, we will more and more reflect His love to the world. This is what it means to be a son or daughter of God! Oh wonderful love of God! Not only does He grant us mercy and help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16), but He also wants to grant us the joy of serving Him, and sharing His love to the world! Luke 12:32.
“And He [Jesus] also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:” Luke 18:9 NASB. Have you met individuals who think that they are good and view others with contempt? Have you heard individuals who are quick to talk about others behind their back and hurt their reputation? Then you know those whom Jesus is addressing. Do you think that you are good? Do you have trouble protecting the feelings and reputations of others? Do people who break God’s Law or do not believe “the Truth” get you all fired up? We hope that you will keep reading this message, if any of these points hit home. Jesus’ message wasn’t just to rebuke the self-righteous, He loved these people and wanted to help them before it was too late! Can you see the love in His message here? The problem that Jesus is addressing is a very common problem in humanity. Many people have had this problem in their life at one time or another. Jesus was telling some people here that they needed to make a change if they wanted to be saved.