How to not do salvation by works?

Well your topic title suggest that you seem to believe salvation is an ongoing process. Maybe you have justification mixed up with sanctification.

Justification is being made right in the sight of God. that is done by faith in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life. This also happens in a moment of time a person is made right before God and becomes a born again child of God.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.


Now sanctification is the area where a believer struggles with their growth as a believer. But really growth will only happen if you understand the difference between Justification and sanctification. Sanctification is a life long process of growth, that is, if done correctly.

scaredtodeath said:

Hello, I recently came to the faith and it really feels like I'm trying to do a hop skip and a jump over Christ. While I originally came seeking to escape some dark thoughts (sin), I had a week long ordeal where I couldn't even go to sleep without thinking of hell whenever I found out about it. Subsequently, I've got an unshakable feeling of having wronged Him and not being forgiven, even though mentally I realize that Jesus died specifically so I could speak to Him without being His enemy. I'm ready to accept Him as my Lord and I'm trying to ditch things, thoughts and actions that actively take me away from Him as well as consider Him in all my ways (as He commanded), but I can't shake the feeling I'm doing them out of fear rather than love/obedience/denial. Should I just pray about these things, keep doing them, and hope that when I check back in a week or so I find that I'm sticking to them out of love? It's getting to the point that I can't even thank Him without fearing I'm only thanking Him to get on His good side.

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You are probably discovering the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit (Galatians chapter 5).

In Romans we are told to put to death the deeds of the flesh and to make no provision. This would indicate a death by starvation. As long as we resist feeding the flesh, we become less governed by it.

scaredtodeath said:

Hello, I recently came to the faith and it really feels like I'm trying to do a hop skip and a jump over Christ. While I originally came seeking to escape some dark thoughts (sin), I had a week long ordeal where I couldn't even go to sleep without thinking of hell whenever I found out about it. Subsequently, I've got an unshakable feeling of having wronged Him and not being forgiven, even though mentally I realize that Jesus died specifically so I could speak to Him without being His enemy. I'm ready to accept Him as my Lord and I'm trying to ditch things, thoughts and actions that actively take me away from Him as well as consider Him in all my ways (as He commanded), but I can't shake the feeling I'm doing them out of fear rather than love/obedience/denial. Should I just pray about these things, keep doing them, and hope that when I check back in a week or so I find that I'm sticking to them out of love? It's getting to the point that I can't even thank Him without fearing I'm only thanking Him to get on His good side.

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Understand we can not work our way to heaven.

If you are able to overcome sins .... understand it is God working in you and give Him all the praise and glory. Rejoice in the work He does in you.

We all stumble here and there ... even so He is always there to pick us up and help us keep walking with Him .... it is a lifetime experience.

We have such a wonderful loving God. Thank you Jesus!

scaredtodeath said:

Hello, I recently came to the faith and it really feels like I'm trying to do a hop skip and a jump over Christ. While I originally came seeking to escape some dark thoughts (sin), I had a week long ordeal where I couldn't even go to sleep without thinking of hell whenever I found out about it.

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Well, fear has its place in bringing us into reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. But having been reconciled, there is nothing now to fear from God.

1 John 4:16-19
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

John 3:17-18
17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 "He who believes in Him is not judged...

Romans 8:1
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

scaredtodeath said:

Subsequently, I've got an unshakable feeling of having wronged Him and not being forgiven, even though mentally I realize that Jesus died specifically so I could speak to Him without being His enemy.

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Your sin has wronged him. But he died to atone for your sin and free you from condemnation, and fear, and the wrath of God. This freedom, God has promised to all who trust in Christ as their Savior and submit themselves to him as Lord.

Romans 10:9-13
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

John 3:36
36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life...

John 1:12
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

Romans 12:1
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

scaredtodeath said:

I'm ready to accept Him as my Lord and I'm trying to ditch things, thoughts and actions that actively take me away from Him as well as consider Him in all my ways (as He commanded), but I can't shake the feeling I'm doing them out of fear rather than love/obedience/denial.

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Does the love of God expressed to you in what He did for you through Jesus stir any measure of love in your heart for Him? Does the amazing cost Jesus was willing to pay to redeem you from the damnation your sin deserves lift your heart toward him at all? Do you look at the incredible, persistent, patient love God has for you and feel some small desire to know Him? The love of a newly converted sinner won't necessarily be some explosive, gushing fount of affection for God, especially if that sinner is laboring under a cloud of fear and perhaps blinded to the love of God by it. As you walk with God, though, in submission and faith, your love for Him will grow, expanding and deepening over time.

It's actually out of a heart of love for God, out of an over-riding desire to know and commune with Him, that He intends your life with Him should arise. The First and Great Commandment isn't to go to church, or give up your movie collection, or stop smoking cigarettes, but to love Him with all that you are (Matthew 22:36-38). And when you do, fear dissolves and in its place there is a joyful willingness to give up any and everything that would cool your love for Him.

But getting to this place may begin with only a small flame of love for God that must be nurtured and fed with the truth of God's word, with trusting in it, and a constant putting yourself under His divine rule - especially when you realize you've strayed out from under it.

scaredtodeath said:

Should I just pray about these things, keep doing them, and hope that when I check back in a week or so I find that I'm sticking to them out of love?

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God doesn't ask you to love Him in a vacuum of reason to do so. As the apostle John wrote, "We love Him because He first loved us." Part of coming to love God is knowing and believing - confidently trusting - that He loves you far, far, far beyond the love of anyone else. Are you giving yourself space and time to saturate your mind and heart with the message of His love for you expressed to you in His word, the Bible? Are you staying submitted to Him throughout each day that the Holy Spirit might fill you with the love that he is? This is how God intends your love for Him should increase.

scaredtodeath said:

It's getting to the point that I can't even thank Him without fearing I'm only thanking Him to get on His good side.

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Fear has to go, friend. It has no place in walking with God in love. You should maintain a respectful awe of God, of course, but not a craven fear of punishment if you step wrong. God is no longer your Judge, if you're one of His, but your loving Heavenly Father.

Romans 8:15
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Romans 5:5
5 ...the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1 John 4:13
13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

Galatians 5:22
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love...

The thing is being able to do good works is a gift of grace that we live out our faith in ( Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 1:9-23 ( actually all of Colossians 1 but focus on vs 9-23). From this gift the Lord calls us to give alms & pray for ourselves and our neighbor for their salvation and daily well being ( see Matthew 6:1-15, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Ezekiel 18:4-9, Isaiah 58 etc.). The Lord says if we love Him, we will keep His commandments ( see John 14:15-18, Romans 13:8-10, and Galatians 5 as to how it all ties together).

scaredtodeath said:

Hello, I recently came to the faith and it really feels like I'm trying to do a hop skip and a jump over Christ. While I originally came seeking to escape some dark thoughts (sin), I had a week long ordeal where I couldn't even go to sleep without thinking of hell whenever I found out about it. Subsequently, I've got an unshakable feeling of having wronged Him and not being forgiven, even though mentally I realize that Jesus died specifically so I could speak to Him without being His enemy. I'm ready to accept Him as my Lord and I'm trying to ditch things, thoughts and actions that actively take me away from Him as well as consider Him in all my ways (as He commanded), but I can't shake the feeling I'm doing them out of fear rather than love/obedience/denial. Should I just pray about these things, keep doing them, and hope that when I check back in a week or so I find that I'm sticking to them out of love? It's getting to the point that I can't even thank Him without fearing I'm only thanking Him to get on His good side.

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Hello,

Salvation by works is in regard to earning our salvation by our works, however, there can be any number of other motivations for obeying God's commands, such as faith and love. Fear can work as a good starting motivation, but as someone matures in their faith, they should progress to other motivations. The Hebrew word "pachad" refers to the type of fear that causes us to what to run away and hide while the word "yireh" refers to the type of fear that causes us to see and run toward someone. In other words, there is a type of fear where we don't want to be close to someone and a type of fear where we don't want to be separated from someone, and the type of fear of God that is the beginning of wisdom is the latter (Proverbs 9:10). So a fear of being punished should transform into a fear that leads us to remove things that would separate us from Him, which is acting our of love. When we continually choose to express aspects of God's character through our obedience to His commands, such as righteousness, we are developing godly character, so becoming a better person can be a stronger motivation. Furthermore, when we express aspects of God's nature, we are gaining knowledge of God through experiencing who He is, or in other words, we are growing in a relationship with Him, and a relationship can be a much stronger motivation than a fear of being punished. In addition, making the world a better place is also strong motivation.

God will convict us of our sins, but Satan will continue to make us feel guilty for sins that we have already been forgiven for, so recognize where that is coming from.