“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.
#Good #Work #Works #Believe #Happy #Saved #Essential #New #Life #God #Jesus #Sin #Faith #Belief #Free #Servant #Accepted #Holy #Spirit #Righteous
Originally posted 2016-11-22 08:26:00.
"Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. Our Saviour saith, the old serpent - "the devil, is a liar and the father of it." He commenced his attack on our […]
Editor’s Notes by John Foll: “It came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham; and he said, Here am I. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Gen. 22:1, 2. This is such an amazing story, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son on a mountain in the land of Moriah! From a human standpoint, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his own eternal life! Or ‘to put a knife to his own throat,’ as Waggoner put it! And he was asked to sacrifice the eternal life of everyone in the world. Would he continue to believe God’s promise, that he would personally have a possession in the land of Canaan, which could only happen for him through the Resurrection, and that from one born to him would all the nations of the world be blessed? Or would he lose his faith in God’s promise? This was the test!
Review of the Introduction of Part 1: "Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. Our Saviour saith, the old serpent - "the devil, is a liar and the father of […]
"Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. Our Saviour saith, the old serpent - "the devil, is a liar and the father of it." He commenced his attack on our […]
We pass by a period of several years. The number of years we cannot tell, but Isaac, the child of faith and promise had been born, and had grown to be a young man. Abraham’s faith had grown stronger and more intelligent, for he had learned that God fulfills His own promises. But God is a faithful teacher, and does not allow His pupils to leave a lesson until it is thoroughly learned. It is not enough for them to see and acknowledge that they have made a mistake in the lesson that He has given them. Such acknowledgment of course insures forgiveness; but, having seen the error, they must go over the same ground again, and possibly many times, until they have learned it so well that they can do without stumbling. It is solely for their own good. It is no kindness on the part of a parent or teacher to allow his children to pass by lessons that are unlearned, simply because they are difficult. So “it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham; and he said, Here am I. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Gen. 22:1, 2.
The Sign of Circumcision: And now we must carry a little further the study of the seal of the covenant, namely, circumcision. What does it signify, and what is it in reality? We have learned that it signifies righteousness by faith. It was given to Abraham as a token of the possession of such righteousness, or, as an assurance that he was “accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Eph. 1:6, 7. What circumcision really is, may be learned from the following Scripture : — “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision, which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Rom. 2:25-29.
“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NASB. No matter where you have been, or what you have done, or how much of a failure you have made of your life, don’t lose hope. God has a better plan for your life. He wants to give you a future and hope for a better life. Being able to be good and having eternal life are not beyond your reach, if you will grasp the Lord’s hands and allow Him to save you. If this is what you want, seek after God with all your heart, no holding back. Is that what you want? What do you have to gain by holding back yourself from this wonderful hope and peace that God wants to give you? Do you feel like God doesn’t hear your prayers? Are you unsure of what your future holds, or whether you can be saved? Are you sure if you have what it takes to succeed and be the victor at last? Do you wonder if you are good enough, strong enough, smart enough, or wise enough, talented enough, and industrious enough to be able to provide for yourself and your family’s needs? Are you worried you will fail? Do you want to have the assurance of your own salvation?
A Grant of Land: But in this covenant the central promise was concerning land. All the land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and his seed for an everlasting possession. And then the seal of the covenant, —circumcision, — was given, — a seal of the righteousness which he had by faith. This shows that the land of Canaan was to be possessed only by faith. And here we have a practical lesson as to the possession of things by faith. Many people think that a thing that is possessed by faith is only possessed in imagination. But the land of Canaan was a real country, and was to be actually possessed. Possession of it was to be gained, however, only through faith. This was indeed the case. By faith the people crossed the river Jordan, and “by faith the walls of Jerico fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.” But of this we shall have more hereafter.
Abide with Jesus awhile. Tarry with Him awhile. Abide with Him the rest of your life, why not? Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 NASB. Jesus invites all who are weary of all the troubles and trials of this world, who are weary from their burdens, worries and guilt, to take His rest, to take His yoke upon them, because His burden is easy, and His burden is light. The yoke of love that Jesus offers you dear reader is much easier than struggling with your problems by yourself. It is a hard thing to try to order your steps and make all the right decisions and do all the right things and not make a mess out of your life. Or worry about how you can make your life a success. But Jesus can take all your worries about not being good enough, smart enough, or strong enough to succeed, and help you fight the good fight to receive the crown of righteousness in the end, if you will give all of these worries to Him. 2 Timothy 4:7-8. No reason to worry about failure. No reason to be afraid or be in bondage to addictions or sin anymore, because Jesus came to set you free, dear reader! He came that you might be free! Free from guilt, worry and shame and from the fear of failure. “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 NASB. This is what Jesus promised to you dear reader and all who will “come” and allow Him to make them free. If He makes you free, ye shall be free indeed!
