| You Were Asked To Pray For: All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson Clements, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Daughter Ashley, Vickie Sims, Debbie Farmer, Morgan Murchison, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel Seymour & Family, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Gina Sullivan, Katie Norton, Imajo Tracy, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, Helen Rowe, Linda Hughes, Michael Helm, Roy Lemmon, Marshall Risinger, Jason Trout, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.
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| The Pastors Corner: Could It Be Possible That Salvation Could Involve Works?
Ephesians 2:8-10 “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. (10.) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Last week we looked at Baptism and asked could baptism be part of salvation, and we proved that it could not be at all. Titus 3:5 tells us without doubt “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…” and here in Ephesians 2 the Lord tells is that works are not a part of salvation. So the question must be asked “how is it that the Baptists are right and the vast majority of the others are so wrong?” Well there are several thought that could be discussed on this subject but we simply do not have enough space in this article to cover them all, except to conclude that even as intelligent as they are, God simply has not revealed it to them. I have concluded for many years that the vast majority that call themselves “Christians” do not know Jesus Christ and therefore while they have a zeal for God, it is not according to the knowledge from God. I have no idea how men conclude that works are a part of salvation when the scriptures conclude so many time that they are not. Paul spent almost the entire book of Romans battling this very subject and concluded multiple times that works of any sort are not a part of salvation. “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” Romans 4:2 – “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,” Romans 4:6 How many more time has God got to conclude that works is not a part of salvation? It was not for Abraham neither was it David, nor is it for us. Just as there are no scriptures concluding one being damned for not being baptized, neither is there any showing damnation for not working. Now back to the religionist that believe and teach salvation by works, We must understand that most or the vast majority of the religionist denomination are reformers from Catholicism and still adhere to a lot of their teachings such as baptism and works being a part of salvation, however they are just as wrong as Catholicism is. Paul concluded in Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” If works is part of salvation then Christ died in vain. Paul has also concluded in Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” How could God promise NO condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus and then condemn us for a lack of works? The truth is Jesus Christ’s blood is enough to save us from all our sins. Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Beloved the truth is, no sort of works is a part of salvation but rather the results of salvation as told to us in the book of James, James 2:17, 18 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (18.) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” If a man says he has faith and has no works then his faith is not real, however those that have true faith in Jesus Christ will have some sort of works showing his faith. However this does not conclude that just because a man has works then he must have faith, many people have works but no faith in their hearts toward Jesus Christ as the redeemer of mankind. Romans 10:2 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Paul had a great zeal for God and to please God when he persecuted the church that Jesus started in Jerusalem as Saul but later found out that zeal was not according to God. Philippians 3:6 - 7 “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (7.) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Beloved there are no sort of works involved in salvation otherwise Christ died in vain! |
| What Sanctifies Our Offerings? "But the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you." 1 Peter 5:10 There is a painful forgetfulness among many of the saints of God of the appointed path of believers through the world. It is forgotten that this path is to be one of tribulation; that so far from being a smooth, a flowery, and an easy path, it is rough, thorny, and difficult. The believer often expects all his heaven on earth. He forgets that whatever spiritual enjoyment there may be here, kindred in its nature to the joys of the glorified—and too much of this he cannot expect—yet the present is but the wilderness state of the church, and the life that now is, is but that of a pilgrimage and a sojourning. Kind was our Lord's admonition, "in the world you shall have tribulation:" and equally so that of the apostle, "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom." Affliction, in some of its many and varied forms, is the allotment of all the Lord's people. If we have it not, we lack the evidence of our true sonship; for the Father "scourges every son whom he receives." But whatever the trial or affliction is, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. And how does He comfort the afflicted soul? In this way.
He unfolds the love of his God and Father in the trial. He shows the believer that his sorrow, so far from being the result of anger, is the fruit of love; that it comes from the heart of God, sent to draw the soul nearer to Himself, and to unfold the depths of His own grace and tenderness; that whom he "loves He chastens." And, oh, how immense the comfort that flows into a wounded spirit, when love—deep, unchangeable, covenant love—is seen in the hand that has stricken; when the affliction is traced to the covenant, and through the covenant, to the heart of a covenant God.
The Spirit comforts by revealing the end why the affliction is sent. He convinces the believer that the discipline, though painful, was yet needed; that the world was, perhaps, making inroads upon the soul, or creature love was shutting out Jesus; some indulged sin was, perhaps, crucifying Him afresh, or some known spiritual duty was neglected. The Comforter opens his ears to hear the voice of the rod, and Him who had appointed it. He begins to see why the Lord has smitten, why He has caused His rough wind and His east wind to blow; why He has blasted, why He has wounded. And now the Achan is discovered, cast out, and stoned. The heart, disciplined, returns from its wanderings, and, wounded, bleeding, suffering, seeks more earnestly than ever a wounded, bleeding, suffering Savior. Who can fully estimate the comfort which flows from the sanctified discipline of the covenant? When the end for which the trial was sent is accomplished, it may be in the discovery of some departure, in the removal of an obstruction to the growth of grace, of some object that obscured the glory of Jesus, and that suspended His visits of love to the soul, "Blessed discipline," he may exclaim, "that has wrought so much good—gentle chastisement, that has corrected so much evil—sweet medicine, that has produced so much health!" |
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