What you do
matters
Let me show you how the scripture states this precisely:
Revelation 2:11 is telling us that in order to avoid the second death, we must be victorious (one who conquers, one who overcomes). Do you see the importance of learning how to qualify?
First, do you remember the definition of the second death? Here's a reminder:
“But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
(For a full review see What Is This Power from the main menu).
The victorious defined:
"To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,
To them I will give authority over all the nations." Revelation 2:26
So who are the victorious?
Those who obey him to the very end.
That's how much what you do matters.
A practice of righteousness;
those born of God cannot sin continually
"Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister." 1 John 3:4-10 NASB
Those who are born of God do not practice sin. As you can see, "the one who practices sin is of the devil." If we sin, we can be forgiven (If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9), but a practice of obedience is what identifies those who remain in Him. You'll see more about this shortly. Please be encouraged for now by knowing you will have God's Holy Spirit empowering you.
Getting the message right:
"Defend the faith God has entrusted to his holy people"
“Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:3-4
To clarify the meaning of "immoral lives" here, I wanted to include the phrasing from more literal translations:
“ungodly men who have turned the grace of our God into a license for evil" NET
"ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into indecent behavior and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." NASB
I've heard this same idea either implied (most often) or stated outright with pious sounding words from many such worm-holed churches today—that it doesn’t matter what you do because God's grace covers even a continual practice of sin.
Often, this teaching suggests that to believe any differently is to believe that you must earn it and don't have faith that what Christ did on the cross was sufficient to save you. Scripture speaks for itself and demonstrates that is not the default, but it tends to silence inquiry because questioning it may subject you to shaming. It's such a knotted ball of falsehood that unwinding it becomes difficult for those hearing which makes it easier to just accept it (incentivized deception). The hallmark of this message is that it redefines God's grace and excludes the requirement to repent and prove your repentance through a practice of obedience.
Such teaching would only leave you in danger, although comfortably for a time, because it requires nothing of you. False teaching cruelly creates a false sense of security.
My own personal frequency of encountering this teaching through the years sent me to searching the scriptures for answers to the confusion it caused. I now share them with you throughout this site for your evaluation.
You’ve seen that it is written that "the payoff of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) and that the Lord Jesus will inflict vengeance on "those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might," (2 Thessalonians 1:7b-9). Sin brings about our destruction, so this is what godly teachers should tell you plainly. Jesus came to save you from sin’s control and the death it requires if you remain in it. He did this freely so that you could have eternal life.
According to this passage from Jude, those who taught that his grace allows us to live immoral lives were denying him. They were teaching the wrong message.
Your protection is examining the scriptures
Examine scriptures to see if what you’re being taught is true
"The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." Acts 17:10-11
Not by faith alone, so how?
We are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone:
"Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone." James 2:21-24 (For those unfamiliar with this story from Genesis 22, Abraham's faith was tested and God ensured that Isaac was unharmed).
So can we qualify for heaven by our good deeds?
"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." Ephesians 2:7-9
No, we are forgiven by the grace of God and not because we've earned it through good deeds.
What we consider good deeds is still tainted by our sin.
"We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind." Isaiah 64:6
We are saved by grace, free and undeserved and not by good works. Romans 11:5-6 says, "...for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved."
We are saved unto good works, not by them:
"He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
Ephesians 2:8-10
Christ enabled us to die to sin and live to righteousness
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." 1 Peter 2:24a-b
God's gift of salvation is freely available to us. It's not possible to earn it. Christ shed his blood as a sacrifice for our sins to free us from the power of sin and live to righteousness instead.
He also did not abolish the law rather he accomplished its purpose, Jesus explains this, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:17-19
Luke 16:16 explains, “Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned."
God's law is still righteous and we uphold it
"Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." Romans 3:31 NLT
The ESV translation may help provide fuller understanding:
"Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law." Romans 3:31 ESV
But we are released from its power. Keeping it is not how we are made right with God.
"But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit." Romans 7:6
So, to be clear, how are we made right with God? We are justified (rendered just/righteous) by His grace through faith:
"being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26
His appeasing sacrifice put an end to the guilt we incurred and we receive this justification by faith.
"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:4
(Notice this is not for everyone, but everyone who believes).
In fact, we are cautioned against trying to make ourselves right by the law in Galations 5:4,
"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."
The law taught people what was sinful, but love FULFILLS the requirements of God's law.
"For the commandments say, 'You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.' These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law." Romans 13:9-10
The apostle Paul describes, "But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ" 1 Corinthians 9:21c
What is the law of Christ?
"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." Galations 6:1-4
Here we saw an example of love; caring enough to carefully help when another believer is overcome by some sin. The world often tells us the opposite; that love is tolerance even if someone is doing evil. We may have wrong ideas about love and have to learn God's definition. The Bible informs us that God IS love, so he's the only one qualified to define it:
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8
What love does and doesn't do:
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is not tolerance of evil
(We must discern loving yet not tolerating evil people. Please see Forgiveness & Unforgiveness for more on this topic. There will be a button provided to bring you back to this spot. Or you can read it later on the page How Then Do We Live).
"I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars." Revelation 2:2
"Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them." Ephesians 5:11
It's not a burden to live this way
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome."
1 John 5:3
God equips us with his love
"God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5b
The two most important commandments
"Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”” Mark 12:28-31
God has made loving your neighbor as second in importance to loving him because that single commandment sums up the law! Galations 5:13-14 says, "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself."
"For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely,
“You must love your neighbor as yourself."
Galations 5:13-14
Loving ourselves must be intertwined with loving our neighbor.
To do any less is to cut ourselves off from what nourishes us
because doing God's will is our source of well-being as it was for Jesus :
Obeying the truth to show love
"You have purified your souls by obeying the truth in order to show sincere mutual love. So love one another earnestly from a pure heart." 1 Peter 1:22
No longer live for yourself but for Christ
"He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them." 2 Corinthians 5:15
Proves you are his disciple
"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35
Especially to the family of faith
"Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith." Galations 6:10
Instruction to be imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.
How? By loving God in serving the saints: "For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises." Hebrews 6:10-12
An end to sin's control
Remember this verse? Look closely. What it's saying is key:
"The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.
So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.
And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins."
Romans 8:3
Observe again the freedom Christ grants us through his sacrifice:
Now look at the rest of the verse.
The just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied by Christ for who?
"He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." Romans 8:4
For those who no longer follow their sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. It does not say it applies to those who still follow their sinful nature. From this position of freedom, we must choose to follow the Spirit.
"Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Romans 6:15
It continues:
"Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?
You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death,
or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living."
Romans 6:16
Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living." Romans 6:17-18
"Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy." Romans 6:19
So you can see that our choice to be slaves to righteous living will make us become holy. This is what Christ set us free from sin to do. We have to become "slaves of God" to be free from the enslavement of sin which is true freedom. We will be enslaved to one or the other (as you just read in Romans 6:15-19). We are being "conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). In Christ, we "have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it." Colossians 3:10
"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom." Romans 6:20-21
Did you notice that doing what is not right ends in eternal doom? Sin causes eternal doom, so it's truly our enemy. We've been conditioned to believe the concept of eternal doom is purely entertainment and many laugh, but the truth requires our sober attention. The passage continues:
"But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God."
Romans 6:22a
It continues further:
"Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life."
Romans 6:22b
Romans 6:22 is succinct in making the point that salvation is the outcome because we derive our benefit from having been freed from sin and enslaved to God. Because this is key to understand, I will show you the whole verse again in both a literal translation and a paraphrase so you can see for yourself that the message is the same.
"But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." NASB (literal) Holiness is a synonym for sanctification (according to the Strong's definition of the Greek word used here).
The paraphrased translation clarifies the point being made:
“But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.” NLT (paraphrase)
We are declared righteous by faith (Rom. 5:1) and God is setting us free from the power of sin so that we can “do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.” This is not earning our salvation. This is God's provision and process. Scripture assigns responsibility to the believer. Through Christ, God sets you free from sin, enables you to obey him and do what is right which leads to holiness and results in eternal life. To put it another way, instead of being enslaved to sin which brings death, we can be free to exercise our free will and become slaves to righteous living which results in eternal life.
In summary of the scriptures we've been reading, do you see what I see? That salvation is not received by trying to do good deeds without Christ and his Holy Spirit, or merely saying a sinner's prayer, acknowledging God's existence or attending church, or any other manmade interpretation, but receiving Christ’s free sacrifice through faith that we may be enabled to become holy through a practice of obedience to God which results in eternal life?
Now you can be free from your slavery to sin,
so you CAN follow the Spirit
This results in eternal life
For you then, "death is swallowed up in victory"
Scripture reveals a secret:
"What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
Never be condemned
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life." John 5:24
What Christ did for us so we could be free from sin to follow his commands and have eternal life was done freely, "For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Jesus provided the means for us to live in obedience just as he did. Sin is our enemy and scripture warns that it is still a threat if we return to it.
In a shocking discussion with his own disciples in a house in Capernaum, Jesus warns that sin is such a threat that drastic measures should be taken to avoid it. These are believers being warned that hell is a risk:
"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’" Mark 9:43-48
You read the warning. Returning to the bondage of sin will still result in being thrown into hell.
That is where sin takes us. You are seeing for yourself that the scriptures plainly teach this. "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die." Romans 8:13
If we deliberately continue sinning
"Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies." Hebrews 10:26-27
As Romans 6:19 said, "Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy."
Those who are not holy will not see the Lord
"Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14
If you're not on the path of holiness,
it's the wrong path
It's easy to mistakenly identify our greatest need as immediate happiness. But you've now seen for yourself that in order to take hold of eternal happiness, we must know that our greatest need is holiness. If we make our choices within the restraint of God’s will, that we may live holy, we are investing in eternal happiness.
In Matthew 10, Jesus had called together his twelve disciples and one of the instructions he gave them was
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul.
Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28
Scripture warns us about the devil. But God, we are told to FEAR and to "fear only God"
This is reverence, but it goes beyond that. Strong’s definition of the Greek word used here includes “to be alarmed, be (sore) afraid and fear (exceedingly).”
This fear is our way of escape
If we fear only God, we can fear nothing else. It requires renewed thinking to do this. The fear of God is contrasted with other fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 states "For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment." An excerpt of Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words explains "fearfulness" (from deos, "fright"), is rightly rendered "fearfulness" in 2Ti 1:7. That spirit is not given us of God. The word denotes "cowardice and timidity" and is never used in a good sense."
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of both wisdom and knowledge, so it's part of our foundation:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will suffer from it." Proverbs 9:10-12
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7
Fear of the Lord is hatred of evil
"The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate."
Proverbs 8:13
Fear of the Lord brings his mercy
"And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation." Luke 1:50
Fear of the Lord leads to life, satisfaction, protection
"The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm." Proverbs 19:23
Contrasted to fear of man (which compromises our decisions)
'The fear of man is a snare,
but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected." Proverbs 29:25
God’s law makes us aware of our sinful condition. We have to become aware that we need saving from sin. The good message of the gospel is that Jesus provided the way to save us if we will receive him.
1 Peter 1:13-19 explains:
"So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”"
"And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God."
Jesus himself learned obedience through the things he suffered
Hebrews 5:8-9 says, "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him"
Remember we read that though he existed in the form of God, Jesus took on human form and shared in human nature yet lived without sin (Philippians 2:5b-8, Hebrews 4:15)? He not only declared an end to sin's control over us, he demonstrated a life free from it. He was our example to follow:
"For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God. For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps." 1 Peter 2:20-21
"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."
Hebrews 12:3-4
Lose your life for Christ's sake to save it
"And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38
We endure for the joy set before us, just as he did:
"For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up." Hebrews 12:2b-3
So how do you "instead follow the Spirit" (Romans 8:4), and "do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life" (Romans 6:22)? How do you know the good works God wants you to do? And what happens if you sin? These questions and more are answered next in How Then Do We Live?