The only way we can merit salvation is by being declared to be righteous... by God. And that is precisely how we are "saved." We cannot be fully good no one can. God's plan was to give us eternal life as a gift. "Justification" refers to just that... it's to being declared to be not guilty, to be righteous. And it is a deserved declaration - because Yeshua paid our penalty.
Here are some of the scriptures used to support the doctrine widely known as the doctrine of Salvation by works - being good to merit salvation ...
Take a look at the Context of Deut 29:22-25:
Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses the Lord has inflicted on it. 23 All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown, producing nothing, with no plant growing on it, just like the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord demolished in His fierce anger. 24 All the nations will ask, 'Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?' 25 Then people will answer, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He had made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Clearly this passage is referring to prospering in the land. Here the same text is in the HCSB:
29:19-21 - When someone hears the words of this oath, he may bless himself in his mind, thinking, 'I will have peace even though I follow my [own] stubborn heart.' This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered [land] as well as the dry [land]. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The Lord will blot out his name under heaven, and single him out for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.
"This will lead to the destruction of the well-weatered land." The "blotting out from under heaven" is physical, it's in referance to the death of the individule.
Let me address some other passages used to support the notion that one has to be good and do a bunch of works to merit Salvation here they are....
Rom 11:22
Rom 8:13
1 Corin.11:29
2 Tim 2:12
Romans 10:38
John 8:51 - I assure you: If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death -- ever!"
Please compare that with John 6:29 - Jesus replied, "This is the work of God: that you believe in the One He has sent."
The "work" that is needed to gain eternal life is believing in Yeshua. If we read John's gospel it is full of texts saying that eternal life is a gift. Lets take a look at the earlier text of John 8: 51... 45, 46
8:45, 46 - Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don't you believe Me?
Clearly what Yeshua was demanding was that they believe Him.
John 5:24 - "I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed ( - "crossed over"-) from death to life.
( - 2 Timothy 2:12 -) Lets see the context of... 2 Timothy 2:12...
1. For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him.
2. if we endure, we will also reign with Him.
3. if we deny Him, He will also deny us.
4. if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
The outer two go together and refer to justification by faith in Yeshua alone. The inner two refer to rewards earned for faithfulness here.
The context for Rom. 11:22.... Is that of Israel, as a nation, being "cut off" from God's grace because of their lack of faith. Similarly, the Gentiles Paul was writing to in Romans would be "cut off" if they strove to gain right standing before God by works rather than by faith alone. In Romans "salvation" never refers to meriting eternal life - not once. Paul uses "justify/justification" instead.
Take a Look at 1 Cor. 11:29 in context:
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. 31 If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world.
In this instance, some of those in the church at Corinth were making a (-joke -) of the Lord's supper. Paul says that this was the reason why "many" are getting sick and "many have fallen asleep." "Fallen asleep" represents the death of the person as we know. Paul referred to it as such on more than just one occasion. The point is that God does judge us, and our poor desicions always have consequences behind them. It's not that God pushes us to get back at us for making poor desicions. Nor does he waite for us to messup to snatch our gift of Eternal life which he has given to us freely as a gift of his divine grace.
but rather he disciplines us as his beloved children in an attempt to draw us back into close communion with Him. God treats us like His children, which we are. Children often need discipline.
Here are some of the scriptures used to support the doctrine widely known as the doctrine of Salvation by works - being good to merit salvation ...
Take a look at the Context of Deut 29:22-25:
Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses the Lord has inflicted on it. 23 All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown, producing nothing, with no plant growing on it, just like the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord demolished in His fierce anger. 24 All the nations will ask, 'Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?' 25 Then people will answer, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He had made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Clearly this passage is referring to prospering in the land. Here the same text is in the HCSB:
29:19-21 - When someone hears the words of this oath, he may bless himself in his mind, thinking, 'I will have peace even though I follow my [own] stubborn heart.' This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered [land] as well as the dry [land]. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The Lord will blot out his name under heaven, and single him out for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.
"This will lead to the destruction of the well-weatered land." The "blotting out from under heaven" is physical, it's in referance to the death of the individule.
Let me address some other passages used to support the notion that one has to be good and do a bunch of works to merit Salvation here they are....
Rom 11:22
Rom 8:13
1 Corin.11:29
2 Tim 2:12
Romans 10:38
John 8:51 - I assure you: If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death -- ever!"
Please compare that with John 6:29 - Jesus replied, "This is the work of God: that you believe in the One He has sent."
The "work" that is needed to gain eternal life is believing in Yeshua. If we read John's gospel it is full of texts saying that eternal life is a gift. Lets take a look at the earlier text of John 8: 51... 45, 46
8:45, 46 - Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don't you believe Me?
Clearly what Yeshua was demanding was that they believe Him.
John 5:24 - "I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed ( - "crossed over"-) from death to life.
( - 2 Timothy 2:12 -) Lets see the context of... 2 Timothy 2:12...
1. For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him.
2. if we endure, we will also reign with Him.
3. if we deny Him, He will also deny us.
4. if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
The outer two go together and refer to justification by faith in Yeshua alone. The inner two refer to rewards earned for faithfulness here.
The context for Rom. 11:22.... Is that of Israel, as a nation, being "cut off" from God's grace because of their lack of faith. Similarly, the Gentiles Paul was writing to in Romans would be "cut off" if they strove to gain right standing before God by works rather than by faith alone. In Romans "salvation" never refers to meriting eternal life - not once. Paul uses "justify/justification" instead.
Take a Look at 1 Cor. 11:29 in context:
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. 31 If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world.
In this instance, some of those in the church at Corinth were making a (-joke -) of the Lord's supper. Paul says that this was the reason why "many" are getting sick and "many have fallen asleep." "Fallen asleep" represents the death of the person as we know. Paul referred to it as such on more than just one occasion. The point is that God does judge us, and our poor desicions always have consequences behind them. It's not that God pushes us to get back at us for making poor desicions. Nor does he waite for us to messup to snatch our gift of Eternal life which he has given to us freely as a gift of his divine grace.
but rather he disciplines us as his beloved children in an attempt to draw us back into close communion with Him. God treats us like His children, which we are. Children often need discipline.
