We first receive His life and Spirit by sheer mercy. Nobody deserves mercy or grace. But then what we do with it can either be good or bad. So we will all be judged at the end for what we have done for what we have been given.
The longer we have to live out the Christian life, the more fruit will be expected.
Observing the thread, some people are
"sad to see so many people thinking their Salvation depends upon their own performance." What saddens me is that I see so many people that think that obedience and performance is optional; depending on a fruitless faith.
The Theological Pendulum swings from left to right, and back again. Few people in the debate would actually be at the extremes of the pendulum swing. But as Theological debate goes, when someone swings it far to one direction, the correcting is usually stated in an equal or further swing to the other side.
No one here believes anything other than that a Christian is saved by grace through faith. The disagreement is actually over what is "saving faith." In an effort to disclaim any merit for salvation, Luther gave the Antinomian error that we are saved by
faith alone. No one is saved by "faith alone" in the sense that this is used.
Faith alone is only found in one place in the entire Bible. In fact, the only faith that is
alone in Scripture is a
dead faith! James 2:17 says,
"faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
Many act as if we will be judged by
faith alone. By what does Scripture say we will we be Judged? If you say we will be judged by our faith, then produce the passage that says so!
Jesus said,
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28-29.
Paul writes that God
"Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality; eternal life." Romans 2:6-7.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether good or bad." 2 Cor. 5:9-10.
1 Peter 1:17 says that the Father,
"without respect of persons, judgeth according to every man's work." Not
"according to their faith alone."
Jesus, Paul, Peter and James are no
"Works Salvationists" anymore than they are
"Workless Antinomians." I would say that this is probably the same case as those that are accused on the Forum as
"depending on their own performance."
Jesus says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." John 15:5. Jesus declares without any doubt, that if we are truly in Him, we cannot but help bear good fruit. "Faith" that brings forth bad fruit, or no fruit, is not a saving faith. The fruit of faith are the works that produced; they are the inevitable fruit that comes from being in the Vine. Fruit and salvation are inseparable. Bearing "Fruit" happens and no one is saved without works. The "works" or "fruit" are not
"depending on their own performance," but depending on the Vine; Jesus Christ.
This does not come by force, but God working in and through the believer. It becomes something the Believer does. This fruit is manifested in the Believer's works! This is what the Believer will be judged by according to Scripture.
The false dilemma that some create is that they assume that works are optional, and that if someone contends for a saving faith that works.... they are depending on their own merit! What merit can be appended to these works? For what merit is there in casting one’s whole self upon the mercy of God, trusting wholly in the work of Christ for every facet of their salvation, knowing that they are utterly and completely spiritually bankrupt on their own without Christ? There is no merit here, no robbing God of His glory, no depending on their own performance; just following the commands and promises of God, trusting in God’s work in and through us by the enabling of His grace.
What God commands He makes possible. What he enables by His grace is inevitable... if we are abiding in the Vine.
Performance is required. We will stand before God and be judged by our performance. Performance: God works it, God requires it, and God rewards it. He does not force it, and the Believer cannot do anything without God, yet the Believer does it, not for merit, but because they wish to please God.
The Theological Pendulum
is actually closer to the middle, because most here believe that God works in and through the Believer. The real swing from left to right in this debate is more about how much can God work in and through us that can be expected to be performed?
