"...If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose: and whosoever will lose
his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)
The above verses explain our surrender to the Most High--our Lord
Jesus Christ. As we have received Christ into our lives, we have to
surrender our "all" to Him--denying ourselves, taking up our cross and
following Him. Little wonder the Bible said, "For the Son of man is
come to save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11)
The truth stands firm--WE CAN'T WORK OUT OUR OWN SALVATION BY
OURSELVES: because we are carnal, sold under sin. "As it is written,
There is none righteous, no, not one."(Romans 4:10)
So, brethren, being a "good person" isn't being a Christian. Though,
being a good person is normal "For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) (My emphasis)
With the above verse, we can conclude that doing good works are
actually one of the reasons we are created in Christ Jesus and Jesus
Christ made the fact clear in Matthew 16:27: "For the son of man shall
come in the glory of his Father with his angels; then he shall reward
every man according to his works." Then, we can conclude that we work
the works of God for the reward of God.
BUT, this is what we are missing: that the Righteousness of God is by
the deeds of the Law and not by the Faith in Christ Jesus. The Bible
affirms the fact "...that no man is justified by the law in the sight
of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law
is not faith: but, The man that doeth the, shall live by them."
(Galatians 3: 11-12)
We can't help or save ourselves by living or keeping the law. The Law
is holy but we are not.
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 4:20)
We are just "Being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 4:24)
The moment we begin to "help ourselves", that is the moment we begin
to trust ourselves and lose our surrender in Christ Jesus. We then
become wise in our own eyes which ought not to be so. The good works
we do should be done as a result of appreciation to an unrepayable
goodness our Saviour accomplished for us. Good works should be an
evidence of what was being sowed in us- a Fruit of the Spirit. Good
works should not be regarded as a "do to live thing" but a "live to
do".
Living a godly life or live that pleases God should be an evidence of
faith in God. A walk with God is an entire transformation--you can't
journey to the cross with your life being and still stagnant! The
journey to the Cross is a systematic transformation for a New Life. As
a true Believer in Christ, good works and living are normal fruits we
should bear.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will
I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Let's humble ourselves in the presence of Jesus and pray to Him for
our Salvation and surrender our life totally to Him.
Jesus is Our God and Saviour. He is the mediator that reconcile us to
God the Father. Surrender is just the way forward--we need not our own
ideas. In all aspects of our lives let's make sure He intercedes by
calling Him! He will answer because we are sons of His'.
If you think our works or self righteousness or helps could get us
"there", you might need to read Luke 18: 9-14.
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