"For ALL humans have sinned
and ALL humans fall short
of the glory of God."
Romans 3:23-24.
"Just as it is written:
"There is no one righteous,
not even one."
Romans 3:10.
Imagine you're the Titanic, which has struck an Iceberg, causing a gaping hole. The hole represents your own sinful thoughts and desires, the lies you've told, and the amount of times you have broken one of the ten commandments, and any other sin you may have committed.
You've tried to stop up the hole with your own goodness, decency, and holiness, your own obedience to the ten commandments and to God's holy law, but all this is mixed with your sin. It's not holding, because God is 100% just, and a judge who is 100% just, has to punish all sin.
The apostle Paul said,
"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25).
Paul could say this because just as Paul also wrote,
"For He has made Him (Christ Jesus) who knew no sin, to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
2 Corinthians 5:21.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6.
Jesus said,
11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
John 14
6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.
John 6
40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him should have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day.
As the author to the Hebrews and all the authors of the New Testament also testify,
Hebrews 1:1-3 "God, who at many times and in many ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the ages, who being the shining splendor of His glory, and the express image of His essence, and upholding all things by the word of His power, having made purification of our sins, He sat down on the right of the Majesty on high."
"For all things were created by Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."(Colossians 1:16-17).
Jesus also said, "No one has ascended up to Heaven except He who came down from Heaven, the Son of man who is in Heaven. But even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:13-16).
Revelation 12:10-11
"Now has come the salvation and power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their soul to the death."
WE ARE SAVED BY CHRIST THROUGH OUR FAITH
Romans 3:23-25
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed."
Titus 3:7
Faith simply means believing. We are justified by His grace and by His blood, through faith (believing):
"For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world: our faith." -- 1 John 5:4.
"Our faith in Christ overcomes the world" is not saying that our faith itself is what saves us or justifies us. We cannot be saved or justified by our faith. What is our faith in? In our faith? In ourselves?
"He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." -- John 3:18-19.
Christ paid the price, according to the scripture. The blood of Christ and the empty tomb proves it. Nothing we can do, nothing other than the blood of Christ and the empty tomb will ever prove that we belong to Him and that we are saved, if we believe.
There is nothing more that we can add to it. Nothing - because Christ died for us while we were sinners (Romans 5:8), and that is what saved us - Christ's death, and Christ's resurrection.
"For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" -- John 5:4-5.
WHAT HUMAN EFFORT CANNOT DO
"Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch CANNOT BEAR FRUIT OF ITSELF, except it abide in the vine; no more can all of you, except all of you abide in me.
I am the vine, all of you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me all of you can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." -- John 15:4-6.
|| But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, willful restrain: against such there is no law. || -- Galatians 5:22-23.
|| Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loves another has fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love works no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. || -- Romans 13:8-10.
Good works that are produced through faith in Christ alone are the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of the Vine.
Salvation is all of Christ, from start to finish (Philippians 1:6) and faith in Christ alone (John 3:18; 1 John 5:4-5) does not include faith in our own human effort.
Good works flow from faith in Christ and in His Word. Not the other way around. Our salvation and our justification does not depend upon us, but on Jesus the Messiah and upon His faithfulness to His Word and through our faith in His Word, because God's Word is truth.
To believe that it costs the believer something "to prove that we're saved" is adding human effort to Christ's finished work, and the one who does this is proving nothing except His lack of belief (faith) in the Word of God and the finished work of Christ.
The New Testament is teaching us that God has saved us. He has justified us by Christ's blood. Like in the case of Abraham, those who believe God are credited with Christ's righteousness. They are justified through their faith. Those who do not believe when God calls them, are condemned, because they are calling God a liar.
WHAT HUMAN EFFORT CAN DO
Peter wrote that God has "bestowed upon those who believe in Jesus precious and magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised we may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire."
Then he added:
2 Peter 1:4-8:
-- "For this very reason, make every effort to ADD to your faith:
Excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love."
Why add this?
"Because if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately." -- 2 Peter 1:4-8
We cannot add our salvation or our justification through human effort, because it was all accomplished by Christ, but now, knowing that we are saved by Christ and justified by Christ through our faith (and not by human effort), for our own sake we should nevertheless make an effort to be diligent to add to our faith in Christ the list of things Peter mentioned above,
and we are doing so in order that we will kept from becoming ineffective and unproductive in our pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.
Nevertheless when we bear fruit unto God we are not justified by our faith or by our works. We are justified through our faith IN Him and in the blood and resurrection which justified us - HIS blood and resurrection.
When we bear fruit unto God, this is evidence that we have been justified by His blood and resurrection, through our faith in Him, and are saved.
"The ministry that produced death" mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3:7-8 is a reference to the old covenant which was based on human righteousness earned by obedience to the laws and commandments given through Moses, which obedience also only counted if it was produced through an individual's faith in God.
Those laws and commandments were only the shadow of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ. "The ministry that produces righteousness" in the above verses is a reference to the New Covenant which is based on the blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of sins and on HIS righteousness.
ONE OLD COMMANDMENT
AS THE BASIS FOR MANY LAWS AND COMMANDMENTS
Matthew 22:35-40
"Then one of them, a lawyer, asked, tempting Him and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus said to him,
You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Galatians 5:14
"For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Jesus said,
Matthew 5:17-18
"Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the law until all is fulfilled."
In the process of Jesus fulfilling it, the shadow or pattern of the fruit of the Spirit was abolished (completely) in His flesh, because He fulfilled all the Law.
-- Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. -- John 15:4
ONE NEW COMMANDMENT
John 6:28-29
Then they said to Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent.
John 13:34-35
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should also love one another. By this all shall know that you are My disciples, if you have love toward one another. (One commandment).
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE?
"The works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things." (Galatians 5:19-21).
"But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices (Colossians 3:8-9).
1 John 3:4-6
"Everyone who (chooses to continue in the practice of) sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness." (see Matthew 7:21-24 - the word "iniquity" means "lawlessness").
"And you know that He was revealed that He might take away our sins, and in Him is no sin. Everyone who dwells in Him does not sin. Everyone who sins has not seen Him nor known Him."
1 John 1:7-10
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 2:1-3
"My little children, I write these things to you so that you do not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
And He is the propitiation concerning our sins, and not concerning ours only, but also concerning the sins of all the world.
Righteousness can only come through faith in Jesus Christ
Hebrews 11:7
"By faith Noah, having been warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
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God sent His Son for our salvation,
not a boat like the Ark that was built by Noah.
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John 3:17-18
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God."
The only way to God the Father is through Jesus Christ:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).
The only way to come through Jesus Christ is through faith in Jesus Christ. It's also the only way that anyone can enter through any of the twelve gates of New Jerusalem.
Those who believe in Christ are able to enter into New Jerusalem through the 12 gates, but those who do not believe in Jesus the Messiah cannot enter. They must remain outside the city forever.
- Galatians 5:22-23 Fruit of the Spirit - definition.
- John 6:28-29 Work of God. One commandment only.
- John 13:34-35 Love one another (fruit of faith).
- 1 John 3:23-24 Believe on Jesus and love one another (fruit of faith). One commandment only.
- 1 John 3:16-18 What loving the brethren is (fruit of faith), and what it is not. Same words in James and Matthew as in the verses below:
- James 2:14-17 What loving the brethren is (fruit of faith), and what it is not.
- Matthew 25:34-36 What loving loving the brethren is (fruit of faith), and what it is not. Same words in John and James as above.
- John 15:4-6 Key word: Abide. (How to produce the fruit of the Spirit).
- 1 John 3:6 Key word: Abide. (How to produce the fruit of the Spirit).
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