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NASB | Matthew 6:20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 6:20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; |
Bible Question:
Greetings Rowdy, Are you suggesting that our salvation is based upon Grace AND works? At first you write, "IF we've complied with the terms and conditions of Jesus' Last Will and Testament, we qualify to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and go home to God the Father." What are those terms? Then, you ask: Is our name in the Book of Life? How can we be certain? How can we be certain we'll get into the gate at the final showing of the bridegroom? You answer: Put our talents to work for Him . . . a (and) By studying God's Word and staying in constant prayer to God, keeping God's light brightly shining throughout the world in our lives . . . didn't the Parisees DO these things? As I read what you have written, where does grace enter the picture of salvation that you have painted? Blessings, mommapbs |
Bible Answer: To start off with, I'd refer you to one of my previous posts, no 119710. And remember, I believe very strongly in the concept of "better safe than sorry." If you can picture the last day and someone knew the last trumpet blow was about to be sounded, which ends the world and the very last thing on everyone's mind is "Do I know for certain, am I actually saved or not?" John tells us, we can know this and know it for certain in 1 Jn 2:3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. I'm convinced that as long as we know the truth, and we've done everything in our power to comply with those commands of God and His representatives, the Apostles, then we can approach Judgment Day with full confidence. Now as to Grace. What about Grace as you've asked? How does that wonderful Grace and Mercy from God figure into this scenario? God will extend His Grace and Mercy as long as we've done our part, He'll do His. His Grace will bridge the gap between His absolute Standard of Perfection as measured out by His Son while He lived here on earth and our puny attempts to strive for perfection in our lives. The way we've lived our lives, in extending forgiveness to those who've wronged us, and acts of kindness in imitation of our Lord as He describes in Matt 25. Thus, this Grace will cover both the sins of commission as well as those we don't do or omission. Let me emphasize these should NOT and CANNOT be considered by us to be acts or works and thus earn our way to Heaven. No, we should see this kind of activity as proof of the Holy Spirit of God living within us. Just as we must prove our identity when we go to an exclusive club or a special ball in honor of a great VIP. Before we can enter Heaven on that fateful day, we must prove to God Himself, we really do have the name of Christ in our hearts. We must be clothed with the attributes of our Lord and Savior. We can't expect to enter into our Heavenly mansion merely by claiming to belong to Jesus as cited in that same passage, Matt 25. We must prove it. This discipleship of Christ, our Lord cannot be just a shallow thing, one of straddling both Christianity and the world. It must be a lifestyle, one that dominates our lives. It must so dominate our life that our neighbor, friends and fellow employees should notice the difference in us, especially when we experience a crisis in our life. How do we handle that crisis? Do we curse or wish something bad on an individual? Do we worry about things in our lives to excess instead of giving our cares to our God and Father? This kind of faith, saving faith must be through and through, completely overtaking us. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'm there or yet. I'm saying I'm striving for that wonderful stage of maturity. I hope and pray that I'm drawing closer and closer to God with each breath I draw into my body. AND I hope and pray He is drawing me closer to Him. If a person is willing to just maintain status quo or tread water and not actively pursuing a life of Godly principles, studying His Word and maintaining a constant prayer life, it just might be that he may be rejected at Judgment Day. That in my mind will be such a tragic thing to happen. For a person to play the odds and take a chance when he/she should have known better. That's what "better safe than sorry," and "err on the side of caution" is all about. Yes, in anticipation of your response, some like me will need a lot more Grace than others. I come from a long line of christians (having no excuse) and see myself as owing a lot for the many sins in my life. Remember Paul's instruction Phil 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Although the scripture here says "work our your own salvation," it just means we must make our salvation certain, at least as certain as we can, this side of Judgment Day. I do hope this is clear; I can't possibly make it any clearer. God bless. --Rowdy |