SAVED FOR GOOD WORKS, ACTS & DEEDS (Montgraph) скачать в хорошем качестве

SAVED FOR GOOD WORKS, ACTS & DEEDS (Montgraph)

📖 Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” 📖 Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” 🔰BIBLICAL INSIGHTS: ☝🏽Isa. 64:6 — unclean… filthy garment. As in 53:6, the prophet included himself among those confessing their utter unworthiness to be in God’s presence. Isaiah employed the imagery of menstrual cloths used during a woman’s period to picture uncleanness (cf. Lv 15:19–24). This is true of the best behavior of UNBELIEVERS (cf. Php 3:5–8)… This passage is often used as a proof text to condemn all our acts of goodness as nothing more than “filthy rags” in the eyes of God. ☝🏽Our salvation is not the result of any of our efforts, abilities, intelligent choices, personal characteristics, or acts of service we may perform. However, as believers, we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works”—to help and serve others. While there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are saved not merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church (Ephesians 4:12). This reconciles the seeming conflict between faith and works. Our righteous acts do not produce salvation but are, in fact, evidence of our salvation (James 1:22; 2:14–26). ☝🏽In the end, we must recognize that even our righteous acts come as a result of God within us, NOT of ourselves. On our own, our “righteousness” is simply self-righteousness, and vain, hypocritical religion produces nothing more than “filthy rags.” ☝🏽Eph. 2:10 — created in… for good works. Good works cannot produce salvation but are subsequent and resultant God-empowered fruits and evidences of it (cf. Jn 15:8; Php 2:12, 13; 2Ti 3:17; Titus 2:14; Jas 2:16–26)… which God prepared beforehand. Like his salvation, a believer’s sanctification and good works were ordained before time began. ☝🏽The truth that we are God’s workmanship is expressed in the context of our salvation: “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship” (Ephesians 2:8–10, NASB). The emphasis is on the grace and gift of God. We are not saved by our own works for the simple fact that we ourselves are God’s work. God is the Designer and Builder of our faith; we cannot save ourselves. ☝🏽The Church as a whole is also God’s workmanship. He has given us gifts, Scripture, and His Holy Spirit to enable us to carry out His work in the world. (Romans 12:4–7; 1 Corinthians 12:4). As a lantern exists to shed light, so the Church exists to spread the light of the gospel to the lost and dying (Matthew 5:14; Acts 13:47). To the degree that we allow His light to shine through us, we display His workmanship. 🙏🏽❤️