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The works that God approves of have little to do with the amount of energy that man exerts producing them. From the book of Revelation Yeshua addressed the seven congregations in Asia. "I know your works." With the exception of two of the congregations, Yeshua demanded repentance. Faith is what pleases God. The result of faith produces godliness and that leads to persecution. Why? It is because faith produces works that get under the skin of unrighteous people. However, works doesn't produce faith. This is where the five congregations had gone astray.
The problem is that man is work oriented and less likely to lean on God for assistance until he digs a deep hole without out a clear exit plan. The difficulty is trying to focus on God when everything is going well. I'm pretty much focusing on God most of the time. Without too much help I can handle the little things like getting dressed, eating and bathing. I have long given up on the concept that I can produce a good work that merits satisfaction from my Lord. Been there and done that.
Doing good works can be a means of worthyizing ourselves. I know, that's not a word. But it rhymes with idolizing, so I'm going to use it! We convince ourselves we must do something to impress God. We are only attempting to please ourselves and/or impress others. Come on get honest. We know God can do anything He wants. What does He need us for? We just want to feel god--sorry I mean good- about ourselves through our good works. We can metaphorically pat ourselves on our back--or literally if you are double-jointed.
We simply are not worthy of God's grace. But He gives it to us anyway. For our works? No, for our faith! "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6) So how can we make ourselves clean through works? Can we go to work in the morning and come home more clean than when we left? "Wash, wash." Says Isaiah.
The word purify in the Hebrew is Khata. It means to make clean because of sin or missing the mark. We must purify ourselves through the living water (Yeshua) by which we shall never thirst again. Otherwise if you are going to work your way to heaven you will have to spend the rest of your life in the shower or bathtub. That's going to be a HUGE water bill, and then it will never get you clean enough. Besides, do you want to look like a prune? "'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson they shall be as wool.'" (Isaiah 1:18) The internal elements of the female Coccus Ilicis (unclean insect) produces the color from which scarlet dye is derived. To the kosher Jewish person this idiom made complete sense. Though they were unclean like a pagan Gentile, God would make them clean. "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.'" (Isaiah 1:19) Willingness denotes faith and faith causes obedience and obedience produces righteous works. "But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword'" (Isaiah 1:20)
"Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw." (1 Cor. 3:12) Hay, wood and straw are the works we produce by our own hand. We can plant and harvest and fell timber all day long, but on judgment day the test of fire (purification) will burn all of these works up. The only works that won't burn will be the ones God creates: Gold, silver and precious stone. God is willing and quite able to produce these works through us. But we must be willing and obedient to the process through faith. Buy Gold! "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich..." (Rev. 3:18)
Faith without works is dead. James is comparing the works that come down from the Father of Lights with the fruit of the spirit from the book of Galatians. Read the book of James carefully and see if I am not right. You will find every spiritual gift from James that Paul alludes to in Galatians.
Yeshua says that He stands at the door knocking. Anyone who opens the door He will come in and have fellowship. Don't try impressing God with your furnishings, (works) nothing in your house (body) will be comparable to His Glorious presence. Shalom.
The problem is that man is work oriented and less likely to lean on God for assistance until he digs a deep hole without out a clear exit plan. The difficulty is trying to focus on God when everything is going well. I'm pretty much focusing on God most of the time. Without too much help I can handle the little things like getting dressed, eating and bathing. I have long given up on the concept that I can produce a good work that merits satisfaction from my Lord. Been there and done that.
Doing good works can be a means of worthyizing ourselves. I know, that's not a word. But it rhymes with idolizing, so I'm going to use it! We convince ourselves we must do something to impress God. We are only attempting to please ourselves and/or impress others. Come on get honest. We know God can do anything He wants. What does He need us for? We just want to feel god--sorry I mean good- about ourselves through our good works. We can metaphorically pat ourselves on our back--or literally if you are double-jointed.
We simply are not worthy of God's grace. But He gives it to us anyway. For our works? No, for our faith! "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6) So how can we make ourselves clean through works? Can we go to work in the morning and come home more clean than when we left? "Wash, wash." Says Isaiah.
The word purify in the Hebrew is Khata. It means to make clean because of sin or missing the mark. We must purify ourselves through the living water (Yeshua) by which we shall never thirst again. Otherwise if you are going to work your way to heaven you will have to spend the rest of your life in the shower or bathtub. That's going to be a HUGE water bill, and then it will never get you clean enough. Besides, do you want to look like a prune? "'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson they shall be as wool.'" (Isaiah 1:18) The internal elements of the female Coccus Ilicis (unclean insect) produces the color from which scarlet dye is derived. To the kosher Jewish person this idiom made complete sense. Though they were unclean like a pagan Gentile, God would make them clean. "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.'" (Isaiah 1:19) Willingness denotes faith and faith causes obedience and obedience produces righteous works. "But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword'" (Isaiah 1:20)
"Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw." (1 Cor. 3:12) Hay, wood and straw are the works we produce by our own hand. We can plant and harvest and fell timber all day long, but on judgment day the test of fire (purification) will burn all of these works up. The only works that won't burn will be the ones God creates: Gold, silver and precious stone. God is willing and quite able to produce these works through us. But we must be willing and obedient to the process through faith. Buy Gold! "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich..." (Rev. 3:18)
Faith without works is dead. James is comparing the works that come down from the Father of Lights with the fruit of the spirit from the book of Galatians. Read the book of James carefully and see if I am not right. You will find every spiritual gift from James that Paul alludes to in Galatians.
Yeshua says that He stands at the door knocking. Anyone who opens the door He will come in and have fellowship. Don't try impressing God with your furnishings, (works) nothing in your house (body) will be comparable to His Glorious presence. Shalom.
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