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by lizvelrene on May 24th, 2006

lizvelrene

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If salvation is gained through grace and not through "works", why does it matter what you do here on Earth?

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Answers. 11 helpful answers below.

  • by Thom64 on June 16th, 2006

    Thom64

    The Bible indicates that genuine faith, the kind God will honor and reward with salvation and heaven, will be reflected in your attitude toward obedience to God's word. Jesus said you will know the ones who love me because they are the ones who do what I say.

    If you really love someone, you will want to do what pleases that person. If someone has no desire to do what pleases God, it is strong evidence that that person's faith is not real in God's perspective. Imagine a marriage wherein one partner only shows any interest in the other for a couple hours each Saturday or Sunday (or even 15 minutes a day) and does offensive things the rest of the time. Do you think that could be a healthy relationship?

    Note that "I love God and want my actions and words to please and honor Him" is very different from "if I try hard enough I can earn God's blessing."

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  • by Anonymous on June 30th, 2006

    Anonymous

      The question is based on a serious misunderstanding of what the Bible actually says.

      The Bible is very clear that to be saved, we must have faith in Jesus Christ, and accept his grace and his sacrifice.

      The Bible is equally clear, however, that we must strive to obey God's commandments to the best of our ability, to follow the example that Jesus set for us, to repent of our sins, and to endure to the end.

      Consider the following passages:

      Matthew 7:21-27 http://scriptures.lds.org/matt/7/21-27#21
      Matthew 16:27 http://scriptures.lds.org/matt/16/27#27
      Matthew 25:31-46 http://scriptures.lds.org/matt/25/31-46#31
      Luke 6:46 http://scriptures.lds.org/luke/6/46#46
      Romans 2:13 http://scriptures.lds.org/rom/2/13#13
      2 Corinthians 5:10 http://scriptures.lds.org/2_cor/5/10#10
      Galatians 6:7 http://scriptures.lds.org/gal/6/7#7
      The entire epistle of James. http://scriptures.lds.org/james/1 ( Especially the second chapter: http://scriptures.lds.org/james/2 )
      Revelation 20:12-13 http://scriptures.lds.org/rev/20/12-13#12

      It is my belief that much of Christianity has been deceived by Satan into believing that obedience and “works” are not required for salvation. They believe that all they need it to accept Jesus, and to have faith in him and that they are then “saved” by Jesus' grace, regardless of what they may or may not do after that.

      Think about it:  If obedience and “works” are required, and Satan can convince people that they are already “saved” on faith alone; then this is a great victory for him; as many will haplessly fall to him who thought they were “saved” and didn't bother to obey.  If the opposite is true — if faith alone is enough — and it is those of us who believe that God requires more of us than just that who are deceived — then those of us who are thus deceived are still saved, but we're wasting some effort to obey commandments we don't really need to obey; but in so doing, we are still making the world a better place, through our good works and our treatment of our fellowmen.

      The Bible contains clear warnings against this deception, and these warnings are most pointedly ignored by the very types of “Christians” who most emphatically profess their belief in the Bible as the absolute, complete, and inerrant word of God.

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  • by Big Purple Blob in a rainCOAT on October 27th, 2007

    Big Purple Blob in a rainCOAT

    My actions have nothing to do with saving me. I am already saved, washed in the blood of the Lamb.

    I do good because I feel I must show Christ's character to other people. To do so would be much more effective than simply pounding them with Scripture that tells them they[re going to hell for doing this or that. Especially in a world where the media portrays Christians as such judgmental old farts, Pharisees, Puritans, whatever--how are people going to know what Christ is really like, unless His people show them by modeling His character?

    Also, being filled and anointed with the Holy Spirit, I find that I simply do not enjoy such things as drunken partying, loose sex, drugs, and similar behavior. God gave me a new mind and a new heart, with new desires.

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  • by MoZamboni on June 16th, 2006

    MoZamboni

    Grace is a gift from God and is not earned by any one person. What you do is not as important as accepting Christ. If you accept God into your life and believe through Christ will you know the father and enter heaven, what you do outwardly will reflect your inner commitment to God.

    So by accepting God's grace (a gift, is not earned), the Holy Spirit will fill you and your conscious will guide you to do what is right.

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  • by singwell-is off researching a lot on October 27th, 2007

    singwell-is off researching a lot

    Put it this way.
    Two people fall in love and get married. After the honeymoon, the husband looks at the wife and says:
    "Honey, I love you, but I am laying down my rules. I get to go out with the guys every night, and I go to my mum's to eat and get my clothing washed."

    If you were the bride, how would you feel?

    Being a Christian is a commitment, similar to marriage. Once you make that commitment, by confessing your sins and asking forgiveness, then there is a lifestyle change to go along with it. You no longer live as a "single person", but, because you love God, you do things like Him and for Him.
    They say that married couples become more and more like each other over the years. So it is with a follower of Jesus and Jesus himself. We become more and more like Him as we hang around with Him.

    In other words, our actions show who we are with, that we are "taken".

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  • by moop21 on October 27th, 2007

    moop21

    It's clear that our salvation is based soley on God's grace given to us through Jesus Christ. And it would be insulting for us to think that we could add even a single ounce to our salvation (see Gal. 2:21 "... for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.")

    Now, with that being said - although your "works" cannot help save you ... your disobedience in following the law can severely affect your relationship with Jesus Christ - whereby making his free gift of salvation to you almost meaningless (see John 14:15 "If you love me - keep my commandments."

    Therefore - the "works" is just a by-product of your love for Christ. And your free gift of salvation is a by-product of his love for us.

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  • by kaddiysh on December 7th, 2006

    kaddiysh

    We are saved by grace through faith without works, but after we become saved, works then become necessary because there are 3 distinctly different levels of salvation.

    Let me explain:

    (Level 1) The salvation of the spirit - 1Co 5:5 "... that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

    The salvation of the human spirit is instant and qualifies you for heaven by changing your nature from human to divine, from Adamic to Christlike. This is what happens when someone receives Jesus as their savior and becomes born again.

    This is known as Justification (just as if you had never sinned).

    It is a permanent, miraculous work that ONLY God can do!

    (See these scriptures: 2Pet 1:4 - John 3:3 - Gal 2:16 - Rom 10:9,10)

    (Level 2) The salvation of the soul - Jas 1:21 "...receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."

    The soul and the mind are one and the same thing. The word "soul" translated from the Hebrew is "Nephesh" and means "mind or mental creature."

    So, the salvation of the soul is the same as the salvation of the mind. As a matter of fact, this is exactly what Paul the Apostle is referring to when he says, "be renewed in the spirit of your mind."

    The salvation of the soul or mind is progressive and qualifies you to govern the earth with Jesus during His thousand year reign (The Millennium) by changing your character to resemble His.

    This is known as Sanctification (separation from the seduction of sin).

    It is an ongoing work that God gives YOU the responsibility to accomplish. This is what is meant by "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." The salvation of the soul or mind is about building Christian character on a day-by-day basis and will not end until we stand before God in Heaven.

    (See These Scriptures: Php 2:12 - Eph 4:23 - 2Co 5:10)

    (Level 3) The salvation of the body - “...but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we have sorrow in our minds, waiting for the time when we will take our place as sons, that is, the salvation of our bodies,” Rom 8:22-23.(Bible in Basic English)

    The salvation of the body is experienced as you progressively learn to dominate the appetites and passions of your body.

    It empowers you to live above sickness and poverty and will culminate in total victory over death!

    This is known as Glorification (physical dominion over the effects of sin).

    (See These Scriptures: 1Co 9:27 - Ro 8:13 - 1Co 15:51-54 - 1Th 4:16-18)


    For a Much More Detailed Explanation Visit: http://www.3LevelsofSalvation.com

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  • by jalex137 on May 24th, 2006

    jalex137

    In terms of salvation, it doesn't matter. But, there's more to salvation than just heaven or hell. There is the "new birth"/"new creature in Christ" that changes one's relationship with and attitude toward sin. The desire to fellowship freely with God in this life, and to enjoy eternal reward beyond just escape from hell, come more and more to override the relatively puny, temporary enticement offered by sin. The first 8 or 9 chapters of the book of Romans has a lot to say about this in a systematic way. For "outside the Bible" reading, John Piper's "Desiring God", or the condensed, less intimidating "The Dangerous Duty of Delight" offer a staggering vision of what we rob ourselves of with shortsightedness.

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  • by tattoomama23 on December 19th, 2006

    tattoomama23

    Because we are supposed to feel guilt once saved and also we are supposed to live like jesus. We are supposed to try not to sin out of love for God.

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  • by DudeLer 2 on October 16th, 2009

    DudeLer 2

    because when we do as we are told to do by Jehovah-Elohim,
    the closer we will get to the front of the crowd.
    The Lord Jesus has tasks for you to do each day.
    He will tell the plan of the day when you ask Him.
    Those who dont listen get seats in the balcony.
    Those who hear and do nothing get seats on the floor.
    Those who hear and attempt to do what is right get to sit in the grass in front of the stage. Those who hear and do it correctly get to sit on the Stage with Jesus.

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  • by Krjackson1982 on December 19th, 2006

    Krjackson1982

    Quick answer: There is a rule book for this religion. It's called The Bible... and specific indications of most of these rules are located in the 10 Commandments.

    Grace only goes so far. God's gift to us is eternal life and salvation through Him. The moment you accept God into your life, everything changes. You become painfully aware of your sins through the Holy Ghost.

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