Many Christians believe that good works are not an important aspect in life because the most important thing is whether a person is saved or not However, there are many verses in Scripture that are very clear about the importance of good works in the life of a believer. It is important to stress that before good works are counted unto righteousness, the foundation of a relationship with Christ must be set. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not parish but have everlasting life.” Without Jesus there is no foundation but there is much more to life than getting saved. After a person is born of the Spirit, their life will be examined and their works will be judged.
There will be an examination of every believer where their works are tried by fire by the judge, who is Jesus as stated in John 5:22 “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” There will be a one on one between every believer and Jesus, not about whether they have salvation, but about what they did in their life for to glorify God. Nor is the judgment seat for believers about sins they have committed as Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The sins of believers were forgiven at the cross so there is no judgment for sins committed in the life of a
Rewards are given for good works. In Ruth 2:12 it says “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” Proverbs 11:18 says “The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.” Good works do not do not bring people to heaven but after receiving salvation, good works follow them to heaven where they will receive their rewards according to his works as stated in Matt 16:27. If one receives salvation but does not follow through with good works then his faith is dead. Good works are so very important because good works reveals a persons faith which ultimately glorifies God and a full reward is given as it says in James 2:18 “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.” There are so many other verses in scripture that talk about good works and the rewards given according to works, but the bottom line is, good works are vital to the Christian life for many
This concept is also seen in Proverbs 11:3-4 when it says, “3The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 4Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death”. The idea that righteousness during life reaps benefits during afterlife is mentioned to highlight the idea that even if it seems like those who do not follow God’s commandments are benefitting during their mortal lives, they will not benefit in the afterlife. These verses remind God’s followers that they have to keep faith in Him while they are alive,
When judgment day comes there is nothing anyone can do to determine their fate only god. God doesn’t just look at that moment but rather your entire lifespan. God views your most caring moments to your most selfish moments, throughout life people have a choice to repent and ask for forgiveness for all their sins. If you choose to repent and to follow the right road it is almost certain you will go to heaven, but for the people who still don’t believe they go somewhere unhappy and
...lvation is achieved differs significantly among the various Christian groups, for example, the Catholic Church believes that salvation is attained through good works such as acts of charity and almsgiving, while the Anglican Church as a deeper focus on personal faith and acceptance of Jesus as the Savior. The concept of salvation is a driving factor in the formation of ethics and morals in the Christian faith, as individual desire to receive eternal life in heaven underpins many actions and choices that they make, such as the choice to attend church or participate in aiding the poor and helpless.
Engagement with others is the most fertile ground for spiritual growth. Yet, salvation cannot come through individual questing nor good works in the community of the world alone. Salvation can only come when the journey and the work become
... showed all this and rewarded us so that one day we would be notice his kindness. The Christian is made alive in God and does good works for him. He does this to show his everlasting grace to everyone.
...an inspire us to overcome in every situation; to pursue our callings relentlessly, knowing that he that hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of our Lord Christ Jesus!
In conclusion, does what we believe matter or is how we act more important? I feel that you cannot separate what we believe from how we act because whatever you truly believe will ultimately determine how you act, if we truly believe that Jesus paid our debt in full, than our good works will not come from compulsion rather from gratitude. Whereas if you think that you are saved by works, your works will result from compulsion.
Intention and action for the sake of others can only be one part of what makes a good person, one must also be in harmony with God’s will in order to attain grace. Jesus illustrates what such goodness looks like in his parable of giving to the poor, “ But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew, pg. 177). Reciprocity of action and intent for the sake of another is not in itself sufficient for goodness in Jesus’ eyes, according to him you must go beyond reciprocity and do things for their own sake in order to reach the favor of
The Christian faith focuses on the orientation of the human heart behind human thoughts and actions. Living by faith is a beautiful alternative to the way people think of themselves and the way they live in relation to others in their daily lives (Merrick, 2014). Christians see themselves in terms of God’s profound love for them but not in terms of what they do. The teachings of the Christian faith; nonviolence, non-retaliation, inward integrity, selflessness, and love your neighbor as yourself provide the framework for ethical thinking. Although, adopting belief in Christianity can bring forth confusion in the heart and mind causing agony of learning to sacrifice one’s rightful claims for personal justice for the restoration of another (Merrick, 2014). Unconditional forgiveness is difficult to understand because spiritual forgiveness and actual costly forgiveness is viewed as the same in the gospel. If you do not forgive, then one does not have faith in God’s forgiveness as it really is. Christianity influences a person thinking and behavior developing wisdom which requires faith. The faith that is needed to reorient the heart away from selfishness to selflessness.
they die. They will burn because they sin and they haven't accepted christ in their lives by being
Good Deeds then gets called upon. They say that even though they want to go on the journey, they are unable to at the moment. They advise Everyman to speak to Knowledge. Knowledge is the one that brings Everyman on the journey to cleanse himself. They first go to Confession, which gives him a penance.
Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is the inward change, which in turns perpetuates an outward visible signs of the inward change in the form of works.
Salvation eternal life, everlasting joy with out any kind of pain or sorrow, would be the final chapter. We must try not to let the fear of sin and its many manifestations prevent us from doing good, from taking a chance on love, or from even working with other "sinners" in doing our part in furthering God's Kingdom on earth. Apathy an attitude of not getting involved, not caring, not acting when action is called for. Sin can involve harming others through inaction just as much as through action. Original sin is the most common sin of all.
This is represented clearly in Johns Gospel, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (20:21). Jesus’ disciples would preach to the people and tell them to ask God for forgiveness for the sins they have committed and they would receive it, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23). Jesus, in his resurrected form, gave his disciples this one last mission before he returned to God’s kingdom. As soon as this mission was given to his disciples, he could return to his rightful place because he had accomplished what God had sent him here to do. Jesus died for us all, but when he was resurrected and appeared to the disciples, his disciples realized the true meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The disciples are going to be continuing the work that Jesus was passionate about and helping the people reach their own salvation in the eyes of the Lord. Without that mission of reconciliation, we would be plagued with our debt of sin to
At the end of our lives we all must be held account for our time here on earth. And the sad reality is that many this will be a terrible occasion for many. For the non-believers their final destination will be hell, an eternal separation from God. But God in His mercy has provided all of us the only means for salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 tells us that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” This passage speaks of the name of Jesus and His saving power. Another example is found in the book of John. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is no other way for Christian believers to be saved other than through belief in Jesus