The Favor of God
Josiahs Scott,
Josiahs@trueconnection.org,
www.TrueConnection.org
Compiled 3/20/10; updated: 6/14/10; 7/17/10; 10/1/10-10/9/10;
10/17/10; 10/24-10/25/10; 12/15/10; 12/30/10; 2/27/11; 8/15/11; 3/7/12
These are primarily shorthand notes that I have made for the people that I’ve been able to disciple. We have had multiple Bible studies on this, and the primary audience has been able to ask all the questions they wanted. You are also free to ask questions, especially by phone. Please do not take any of these statements out of context as though they are stand-alone statements. I know the unfaithfulness of human nature will do this anyway even though I warn in this way, and despite this, that is why I am still giving this warning ahead of time.
Please keep in mind that this is a generally ‘unpublished Bible study’ so far.Contents
Introduction and Basic Questions
Sample Grace Definitions from church People. 2
What I have been told Grace is. 2
Finding The REAL
Favor of God!3
A Summary of Favor in the Bible. 3
What I Have Been Able to Cover So Far 3
Because it “Comes Upon,” it is Perceivable. 5
We Must Do Things Based on Favor 5
Favor is Conditional upon Obedience. 5
Favor is Exclusive to the Humble. 5
Favor Works – Biblical Favor Always Produces Righteous
Works6
Lots of Blessings Upon People7
Part 2 - Works-Based Salvation. 7
Favor that Saves Always Includes
Works8
Salvation by Proclaiming Truth to Others. 9
Seeking Immortality By Working Good – Romans Chapter
Two9
Clean Works in Revelation that follow Disciples to
Judgment9
A Call to Truth And Salvation, in The
Righteousness Of God
Is it Right For us to Get Nervous When Someone Repeats
Bible Verses?10
The “Works” In Salvation vs. Protestantism.. 10
Correcting Two Basic Protestant Mistakes. 10
True, Real, Actual Righteousness for Men. 10
“Not Trusting” in Works is Not Good Enough Because
Your “Works” Are Sinful!
Repentance of Our Works is Demanded in Isaiah 64. 11
Things to Notice from Isaiah 64. 11
1st Corinthians Confirmation. 12
Will We Repent Like the Bible says, or Will we
Continue in Our Own Righteousness?13
Your inheritance If you continue in error16
Did you know that the English word “Grace” (with all of its potent connotations) is not in the Bible in Greek or the Hebrew? Did you know that (as a whole) churches never saw a conflict between “grace and works” before Protestantism came along and created an artificial (unbiblical) conflict? Did you know that there is a much more powerful Word in the Bible with much greater meaning than “Grace”? Please study these Scriptures very carefully and call me with questions [(352) 222-5471].
--
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What is “Grace”? What have we been told Grace is?
What We Usually Call “Grace” is Actually Protestant Heresy!
Here are the predictable answers that many people have been taught about Grace. The following answers and definitions are real definitions from real people who were attending previous Bible studies who shared these answers to the above questions:
1. “Even if you think it is sin, you can do it anyway, and god will forgive you because he has grace.”
2. “We all sin, but thank god for grace!”
3. “If we sin there is grace”
4. “‘Grace’ - Mildness, gentleness, leniency”
5. “Leeway”
6. “We fall down and get back up” (that is, a song in some churches that people associate as god’s ‘grace’)
7. “‘We are saved by grace’ - you feel like you are going against grace when obeying the Bible.”
· You don’t have to do anything to be saved, and if you do this anyway, it is “legalism”
·
Grace: the opposite of
works (Note: while
Romans constantly contrasts God’s favor with the works of the law of Moses,
protestants try to contrast it against all works in general, heretically
including the clean and righteous deeds of the saints – Rev_19:8)
· A fuzzy thing floating around in the clouds that covers over my sin.
· god has “grace”: blinder-glasses so that he does not see how wicked and sinful I actually am.
· I am really bad and sinful, but grace makes god think that I am really righteous like JC.
· I may live like the devil, but grace makes me look like christ to god.
· God is lenient toward me, and sees me as good even though I’m bad.
I hope you can see that these previous church definitions are heresy that an extremely wicked culture has taught us. Please be warned that if we do not repent and forsake these heresies, we have no reason to expect to go to heaven and escape the wrath of God. God has promised to kill all who pervert his precious Truth into filthy lawlessness before the eyes of the sons of men.
When Church talk about “Grace”, it does not refer to something in the text of the Bible, but virtually always refers to…
· Perverted Grace
· Dirty Grace
· Messy Grace
· Sloppy Grace
·
Church Grace
· Grace that lets you sin
These are the real problems with evil religious church grace.
Remember:
The word “Grace” is not even in the (real) Bible -- in Hebrew and Greek.
In English Bible versions, “Grace” is replacing and erasing the
Biblical concept Favor.
·
If “grace” is such a
vital part of your faith, then,
·
why
doesn’t it disturb you deeply that the word “grace” is not actually found
anywhere in the actual Bible (in Hebrew/Greek)?
·
And since you are so
ignorant of the special substance which saves real disciples (which is not
“grace”) then why haven’t you desperately left everything (Luk_14:25-35) to be
discipled by someone who has the Perfect Words of God (Mat_28:18-20;
Mar_16:15-18) who can tell you the Truth?
·
Alas, for this reason
your damnation is just, and you will deserve every bit of hell fire you get.
·
Who can mourn
sufficiently for you?
·
Your sinful complacency
and perverse unbelief cries out against you and demands that Justice roast and
torcher you forever, so that you will perish together with your money and your outrageous sins of grace.
The
current English word “grace” is a specialized church word which
has been artificially associated with the Greek Word charis (favor) by English versions. Most every
preacher in modern christianity that uses this word
promotes a “grace” that does not set you free from sin (Rom_6) or cause you to
do good works (i.e. the forgotten verse of Eph_2:10). Therefore, as a
whole, “grace” as a specialized church word is completely useless and loaded
with unbiblical and completely heretical connotations, and is part of a religious
experience rather than a Biblical teaching, and it usually promotes a heresy
that is completely contrary to everything the Bible teaches: ‘I live like the
devil but god sees me as christ.’
The only sense where “grace” can actually
be a good thing in English is when some have more or less understood it with
the Biblical teaching of charis
(favor) by diligently reading the Bible and fervently submitting to the
Biblical usage. Would anyone reasonably
suggest that modern christianity
does this? If our modern societies at
large have no idea what Biblical favor is, is it reasonable to continue using
“grace” without major clarifications and distinctions?
How shall we declare the magnitude of the
favor of God? The Bible teaches us to praise it (Eph_1:6), it is sufficient (2Co_12:9), it is life (1Pe_3:7), it makes real disciples to be, and to
build up, the actual *body of Jesus* on earth (1Co_12; Eph_4:7-14), no one can glorify
God without it (2Co_4:15;
2Th_1:12), and ultimately (when
all is said and done) there is no distinction between God and His attributes
which divinely emanate out of Him, since (as the Jews, including Jesus, have
always reinforced) ‘God is one.’
Because I praise God’s favor in truth, which
is truly the very substance of Himself upon people’s
lives, this means that I also fervently hate what most people refer to as
“grace.”
I basically went through every reference in the New Testament, especially the epistles, and categorized every significant and defining reference to “favor” to give an accurate summary of the different ways that this word is used. I am not yet including many of the various derivatives of this word, but I have mostly reviewed and summarized the basic root form of this word. At some point I would also very much like to include the occurrences of this word throughout the LXX as well as all of the derivatives of this root word to add to the conceptual accuracy and completeness of this summary. For now we have a short, but extremely helpful summary of favor in its root form in the New Testament.
Please keep in mind: The particular blessing behind the nature of this summary is that it is based on Greek in order to help address and correct many of our dreadful misconceptions in English. If you are reviewing these references in English, one of the main points is that you will see many references that you did not previously know had anything to do with favor (or “grace”) and you will have an opportunity to wrestle through these things to adjust your concept to agree with what God actually told us in the Bible.
The real definition behind “Grace” in English Bible versions:
“χάρις”
(charis)
is simply the basic Greek word for favor.
By extension, implication and usage, it may refer to words like, “acceptable, benefit, favour, gift… joy liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy)” (Strong’s)
The Strong’s numbers to look at mainly include:
G5483 - G5487; (also see G5463 G5479 G4796)
Note: These statistic use technical language*
OT (LXX) – Verses: 76 times **
NT – Verses: 147 (M, TR)/ 148 (A); (156 / 157 times) **
* Note 1: To understand all of the symbols used here, please see the Bibliography on the GNT.
** Note 2: So far these statistics are only counting just the root “χάρις” (charis), and not its derivatives. This is just to give a general idea at this point and a more thorough analysis may happen in the future if God permits.
From the Foundation of the Gospels to the
Exhortations in the Epistles
Joh_1:14 - Jesus was full of favor
Joh_1:16-17 - ALL favor came by Jesus ( that makes you look different: the lawHeb_10:1; Heb_9:9-10; Heb_9:13-14)
Luk_1:30/
Act_7:46 - must "find"
favor (it is not a "given")
1Co_1:4 - it is not a "given" unless it is "given"
Luk_2:40/
Act_4:33 - it comes "upon" people
2Co_8:1-7 - "Upon"
people out of poverty
1Co_15:9-10 - It went "into"
(εἰς) Paul
1Pe_1:10 - "into"
(εἰς) people who are saved
Eph_4:29 - Speak it "upon" people
Col_4:6 - salty... know how to answer people
Luk_2:52/
2Pe_3:18 - must "increase"
(it is not just a "given")
Act_13:43 - Must continue
in it
Luk_4:21-30 - real favor is offensive, and
speaks of judgment
- Does this sound like the warm fuzzy
thing we speak about in churches?
Act_11:23 - Barnabas saw
it
2Co_9:14-15 - Makes real
Christians long for each other (he had just talked about favor on them 2Co_8:1-9; 2Co_9:13 etc.)
Gal_2:9 - Apostles gave fellowship after perceiving
it!
(Discernment ultimately comes into play here – Solid Foundation: 2Ti_2:19; context: 2Ti_2:16-26; Senses exercised: Heb_5:11-14)
Col_3:16 - Makes you Spiritual
(Col_4:6)
2Th_2:16 - Consolation & hope
Phm_1:7
Heb_4:16 - Boldly to the throne
Act_14:3/ Act_20:32 - It is THE thing to testify about
Act_20:24 - Makes one ready to testify unto
martyrdom
Act_14:26 - Sailed based on favor
Act_15:40 - Paul and Silas
Col_4:6 – Makes you salty... to know how to
answer people
2Th_1:12 - Real glory to God
Luk_6:32-36
–
Dependent on Loving people (lit. “what favor is it to you…”)
1Pe_2:19-20
–
Enduring Persecution
Greek
Explanations
Although this
passage speaks of conditional favor, it has been
conveniently hidden in most English versions…
Greek – “τοῦτο
γὰρ χάρις,
εἰ...” – “this is [real] favor
if…” (“if” (εἰ) = contingency)
Note: Greek favor in
this passage is inconsistently mistranslated as "thankworthy" (v. 19)
and "acceptable" (v. 20) in KJV and most others.
This is definitely a place where it
is difficult to comprehend in English, but this is one of the reasons we do not
actually understand the favor of God.
(Note: it is
also very conditional on humility)
Jas_4:6/
Jas_4:10 - (see Jas_4:6-10)
- Jas_4:1-2 - Your lusts
- Jas_4:4 - Friend of world = hate God (1Jn_2:15-17)
- Jas_4:8 - How to get favor?
(Humble > resist > Draw > Cry > Purify > Morn > Cry >
Humble)
1Pe_5:5-11 - Includes resisting as well... and
suffering > 1Pe_5:10 - God of ALL favor
Act_15:11 - Jerusalem
Council
Act_18:27 - Faith not of
us
Rom_3:24 – Righteous-ification
Rom_4:1
(etc) - Must repent of own sinful works to get it
(as defined all throughout chapter 3, esp. Rom_3:23, 28)
Rom_5:21 - Makes us
really RIGHTEOUSNESS
Rom_6:1 - Condemns all
present life-style sins
Rom_6:14-15
Rom_11:5 - Remnant
Gal_1:15
Eph_1:7 - Salvation out of His riches
Eph_2:5-10 - Unto good
works
2Ti_1:9
Tit_2:11-12 - Teaches us to
deny lust
Tit_3:5-8 - Made heirs...
maintain good works
Heb_4:16 - Boldly to the
throne
1Pe_3:7 - Favor of life
2Co_6:1 - Don't do it!
1Co_15:9-10 - I worked (so
favor is not in vain)
Gal_2:21 - Don't
Frustrate favor with Flesh...
Gal_5:4 - ...or else you have fallen from it
Heb_10:28-31 – Crossing favor
brings worse punishment than OT!
Heb_12:14-17 - Look
diligently lest any fail from it!
Heb_13:9 - Fight vain
fleshliness with favor
Jud_1:4 – End-times marked by those who turn
favor/ “grace” into lustfulnessG766
[ἀσέλγεια (aselgeia) – lit. discontentment]
[also
translated as "lascivious"/
"licentious"]
There is a such
thing as wicked and worthless fleshly favor in the Bible
1Jn_3:12 – “Why did he kill him?” (WEB) is actually, “καὶ χάριν τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν” – “and favoring [χάριν] what, did he kill him?” (i.e. what was Cain favoring when he killed Able?)
Act_24:27/ Act_25:9 - Political favor of Felix/ Festus
Act_25:1-4 - Murderous favor of Jews
Tit_1:11 – Wicked favor toward shameful gain
1Co_10:30 - Hypocritical
indulger! – This is contextually in light of what is said against them earlier:
- 1Co_6:12 - "all things are lawful for
me"
- 1Co_10:23 - "all things are
lawful for me"
> Sounds like what we say: "there is nothing wrong with
it..."
If we are honest, this evil, filthy, fleshly favor is really the
favor that we are almost always referring to when we say “grace” in English,
especially in church!
But see...
↓
2Co_1:12 - real favor is not in
fleshly wisdom
This is how to avoid the plague of fleshly favor that mocks what is
true, and this is how to not receive real favor in vain
2Co_12:9 - Sufficient
Gal_1:6 - Keeps you from the false gospel
Eph_2:5-10 - Unto good works
Col_1:6/ 1Pe_5:12 - Someone say "TRUTH" (not leniency)
1Ti_1:14 - Produced faith & love
2Ti_2:1 - Be strong in it
1Pe_1:13 - Be sober
Tit_2:11-12 - It teaches us to deny lust
Heb_2:9 - Jesus tasted death by it (since when have we done anything like
that with our “grace”)
Heb_12:28-29 - serve God acceptably (Note: it does not let you “sin
acceptably”)
We
know that the Bible is talking about something different when it speaks of
“favor” than we do when we say “grace” by just looking at all of these
passages!
Eph_4:7-14 - The body of it all
Rom_1:5 - Apostleship by it
Rom_12:3 - by favor I say truth…
Rom_12:6 - having gifts by it...
Rom_15:15/ Eph_3:2 - the proper place it gives someone to
speak to real believers
Php 1:7 - you (real disciples) are all
reciprocators of my favor
1Co_3:10 - wise master builder
1Co_15:9-10 - I worked (not: “I sinned
but god had grace”!)
1Co 16:3 - your giving by it
2Co_8:1-9 (etc.)-
Favor upon = Giving
2Co 8:19 - the gift they gave
2Co_9:8 - if we give favor, then God will
give back
Eph_3:7 – according to the gift of favor
Eph_3:8 - given that I should preach
1Ti_1:12 - enabled me
1Pe_4:10 - manifold favor of God
2Co_4:15 - God gave favor, so we give back
2Co_9:15 - for His gift (δωρεά)
Eph_1:6 - Praise His Favor!
Rom_6:17
1Co_15:57
2Co_2:14
2Co_8:16 - (he had just talked about favor on them 2Co_8:1-9, etc)
2Co_9:11 - Good favor
1Ti_1:12 - enabled me
2Ti_1:3
Here are only a few of the more notable blessings
from among many other examples in the epistles:
2Co_13:14
Eph_6:24
10/1/10-10/9/10 ; 8/15/11; 5/7/13; 5/16/13
Remember the things that we already went over:
· “Favor is Conditional upon Obedience”
· “Favor is Exclusive to the Humble”
·
“Favor Works – Biblical Favor Always Produces Righteous
Works”
Rom_11:5-8 - Election of favor
1Co_15:10 - I had grace so I worked
2Co_6:1 - don’t do it in vain 2Co_8:1 -
Giving
Tit_2:11-13 - Salvation Grace teaches us to
deny lust (Tit_2:10-13)
Eph_2:8-15; Eph_2:5-10 (Eph_2:1-15)
Eph_3:7 - Grace works HIS power (not ours)
Jas_2:24 - NOT by faith alone
Gal_2:18-21 - Don’t make Grace void by Work of Law
Rom_4:5 - to him who does not work
>
Rom_3:28-31 - Rom_4:1-16 = “The Law”
>
Eg: Rom_3:28, Rom_3:31; Rom_4:13-16
>
When looking through this chunk, consider the Biblical “Hyper-Context
Principal” (Mat 5:27; Jn 1:1, 6)
Fighting the Myth of “Grace Vs. Works”
Note: These Are Bible
Passages – I Did Not Make Them Up!
Luk_16:9 CAB And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by the mammon of unrighteousness, so that whenever you fail, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
That is: spend money to help people in need so that you will have “friends” in heaven to let you in when your life is done
This is the exact same theme as seen from the OT to the NT:
Dan_4:27 CAB Therefore, O king, let my counsel please you, and atone for your sins by alms, and your iniquities by compassion on the poor; perhaps God will be longsuffering toward your trespasses.
Act_10:4-6 CAB And looking intently at him and becoming fearful he said, "What is it, lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter…
Act_11:14 CAB 'who will speak words to you by which you and all your household shall be saved.'
1Ti_6:17-19 CAB Command those who are rich in this present age… 18 to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing, 19 storing up for yourselves a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold of eternal life.
(also see 2Ti_1:16-18)
Joh_4:36 CAB And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit unto eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
Most translations are very inconsistent and sloppy
with this passage (as we can imagine), so please take note where I have made
corrections to truthfully and accurately represent the actual Greek
Psa 62:12 WEB Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.
Psa 62:12 CAB and mercy is Yours, O Lord; for You will recompense everyone according to his works.
Rom_2:5-10 WEB
But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring
up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous
judgment of God; 6 who
"will pay back to everyone according
to their works [ἔργα]:" 7 to those who by patience in well-doing [ἔργου ἀγαθοῦ – lit.: working
good (same word)] seek for glory and honor and incorruptibility,
eternal life; 8 but to those who are self-seeking, and don't obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath and
indignation, 9
oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who works
evil [κατεργαζομένου
τὸ κακόν
– works out the evil]... 10 But glory and honor and peace to every man
who works good [ἐργαζομένῳ
τὸ ἀγαθόν – works out the good]...
The exact same Greek word for “works” [ἔργα (erga)] is repeatedly used throughout this section and the entire book of Romans. Before the book of Romans ever talks about not being saved by the fleshly works of the Law of Moses, it lays a foundation of “seeking” salvation (“eternal life”) by some kind of works that are actually good.
Rev_14:12-13 CAB Here is the endurance of the saints; those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice out of heaven saying, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on,' "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow with them."
Rev_19:8 CAB And to her it was granted that she should be dressed in fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
Notice: They are not “filthy rags” (as the righteousness of filthy flesh, Isa_64:6) since the Scriptures call them “…fine linen, bright and pure…”
Mat_25:31-46
Some did good: they went to heaven
Some did evil: they went to hell
That is how simple this passage is.
Note: It is clear that this passage is talking about everyone, including Christians and non-Christians. If we say that it does not include Christians, then we need to: (1) Read this passage (2) Actually believe it this time (3) Repent of disagreeing with Jesus who clearly said it would include everyone
It is very intriguing when people seem to get really nervous when they hear me repeat the Bible verses we have just quoted. Many times I have been accused of teaching “Works-Based Salvation” by simply repeating Bible verses! – But notice: if I repeat Bible verses, and people accuse me of teaching “Works-Based Salvation,” then it is clearly not I who is teaching it, but the Bible verses that I’m repeating.
But perhaps the main question here is: do I really believe in “Works-Based Salvation”? The answer is a big “Yes; Absolutely!” Salvation in the Bible is all about works– Jesus’ works, and even Protestants should admit this! But the big difference between Protestantism and the Bible is that Protestants teach that Jesus’ works of righteousness on our behalf are theoretical as though they remain ethereal in the heavens. They cover over this heresy by calling it “imputed righteousness,” (or “Declared Righteousness,”) as a term that has been high-jacked from the KJV of Romans to teach that god only “imputes righteousness” as though the righteousness in Romans was contrary to the historical Church teaching of “infused righteousness.”
Protestants typically never teach that Jesus’ accomplishments of righteousness actually comes down to producing real and actual, active and living righteousness in us. But the theoretical righteousness of Protestantism never saved anyone, but has continually damned people throughout history.
In total opposition to theoretical righteousness and the heresies of Protestantism, the Bible explicitly and continually teaches that:
(1) Jesus is constantly working righteousness on our behalf;
Heb 7:25 WEB Therefore he is also able to save to [εἰς] the uttermost [τὸ παντελὲς – lit. the all perfection/ functionally: the ultimate all-time completion] those who draw near to God through him, seeing he ever lives [πάντοτε ζῶν] to [εἰς] make intercession for them.
That is: Jesus lives “all time” (He keeps on living, as in Heb_7:8, Heb_7:16, Heb_7:24) into [εἰς] saving us into [εἰς] “all perfection” (our completed [“…τελὲς”] salvation)
And
(2) His righteousness actually pours down to earth and flows through us.
(The Scriptures we have already quoted make this absolutely clear)
When Jesus makes us righteous by His works, we are not theoretically made righteous in some kind of superstitious and pagan “righteous stance before god” while truthfully remaining sinful in our practice on earth. The last time I checked, when God spoke, He made world’s pop into existence, and if he declares a person righteous, they are really righteous in truth and reality. God is not here to cater to make-believe philosophies, in silly, foolish, and evil games of pretend righteousness. God makes people really righteous, and if anyone is ever saved it is because God made us to partake of, and share in His Divine nature (2nd Peter 1), and there are no common or unclean works in His nature. Those of us who have been saved by God have had his life transfused into us in the blood of God. We work His True works by faith in the name of Jesus, and we refuse the works of the flesh having been set free from being under the law. The works under the law, which procure the sinful passions of the flesh, we have wholeheartedly renounced, with its labors, worries, bondage, and self generated-righteousness since all of these things are certainly “filthy rags” before God which must be repented of to live (as seen later).
Those of us who continue to follow Jesus do not flatter ourselves so much before God that we think we have a place to simply “not trust” in our own “righteous works.” If a police officer pulls us over for speeding, it is unreasonable and foolish to tell the officer, “Sir, you cannot lawfully give us a ticket because we do not trust in our own works of speeding.” So also, our own righteousness cannot be cheaply shrugged off by saying that we don’t trust in it. We must repent of it, be set free from it, and throw it away from us as filthy rags. We must repent of such filthy crimes before God that we might run to His true righteousness and justification to be made clean from such guilt. If we say, “we do not trust in our good works” we must repent of proudly implying that we even have any good works of our own to begin with before God. This is because “the wages of sin is death” and if we earned this death, we cannot dismiss ourselves from our just condemnation and gloomy sentence, by excusing ourselves by simply saying that we do not trust in it. This saying that “we do not trust in our good works” is audacious, proud, ridiculous, foolish and sinful. We should repent to live.
All of this that we have said so far is clearly
shown by the following passages
Technical Source Text Note
Out of about 65 or 66 times the New Testament directly quotes Isaiah, only 1 or so times it prefers the current Hebrew MT over the LXX variations. The vast majority of times the New Testament quotes Isaiah, it is from the LXX rather than the MT. Because of this I mostly use the LXX when quoting Isaiah:
Isa_64:4-7 CAB …and Your works which You will
perform to them that wait for mercy. 5 For these blessings
[things]
*shall happen to them that work righteousness
[* not in MT],
and they shall remember Your ways; [but on the contrast He says:]
behold, You were angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred, 6 and we have all become as unclean, and
all our righteousness is as a filthy rag; and we have fallen as leaves
because of our iniquities; thus the wind shall carry us away.
7 And there is none that calls upon Your
name, or that remembers to take hold of You; for You have turned Your face away
from us, and have delivered us up because of our sins.
The LXX Shows
Us These Things:
- Do you see that [1] God performing His Works (passively) “happen[s] to them that [2] work righteousness” (vs. 4-5)
- Do you see that these two things are being treated synonymously as the same event?
Both the LXX and
the MT Show
us These Things:
Instead of “working righteousness,” the Israelites
- “sinned” (vs. 5, 7),
- became “unclean” (v. 6), and
- retained their own “righteousness” which was “as a filthy rag” (v. 6)
These considerations in Isaiah are powerfully conformed in the New Covenant by Paul
1Co_15:10 CAB But by the grace [favor] of God I am what I am, and His grace [favor] toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than them all, yet not I, but the grace [favor] of God which was with me.
Enough with the demonic fantasy of “thanking god that his grace covers our lack of obedience”! We see very clearly from this verse that favor makes us work. If we do not work, then to the same degree we do not have God’s favor.
The proof that you have God’s real favor and salvation is if you work.
This commonly abused passage is actually very
helpful if we do not fragment it, nor seek to pervert it over things that it is
not even saying
Eph_2:8-10 CAB For by grace
[favor]
you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His handiwork, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We should note that quoting Ephesians two eight and nine without verse ten is the common rebellion of Protestantism that we have been so engrained with. Protestants typically fragment this passage so that they can molest it to make it sound like salvation does not need good works. Again we can see that Paul seems to describe the good works as though we are to be receiving them through us from God.
Also notice that this passage does not say that we are saved by “faith alone” as most Protestants insist. It does not even say that we are saved by faith at all. – Although we certainly are saved by faith, yet that is not even what this passage is saying. This passage says we are saved by “favor” and even the faith that we receive as a result is a gift from God that we cannot boast in.
If we do not take hold of the good works from God
as these passages have described, all we have is the dread of our own works to
condemn us. This sin of performing one’s own righteousness is covered in many
places in the Bible, especially in Romans
Rom_3:5
- Our works are called "unrighteousness"
Rom_3:7-20 - We are sinners by nature by what we have done
Rom_3:10-18 - Long LXX quote
Rom_3:19
- All the world is "guilty before God"
Rom_3:20
- These works are called, "the works of the law" - they make us 'not
justified before God'
Rom_3:21-22 - Prophesied Righteousness of faith apart from this evil
In this
Context, Our works/ righteousness ("the works of the law") are again
called SIN:
Rom_3:23 KJV For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom_3:24-26 - We must have FAVOR
/ faith to be redeemed in Jesus (from our own works/ righteousness/
"works of the law")
Rom_3:27-28 - "the law of faith" is opposed to our works
("the works of the law"), and it actually saves us from them [χωρὶς ἔργων
νόμου]
Rom_3:29
- (physical) "Jewishness" does not save, but faith does, because
faith actually "establish[es] the law"
(whereas the "works of the law"/ our works under the law/ our
righteousness does not)
Rom_4:1-4
- Abraham is the example of this faith
And in
light of all of this, God says about these same sinful works performed under
the law, that are our own righteousness, that will not save, that are as a
filthy rag... God says to us this thing so that we might be saved from them:
Rom_4:5 CAB But to him who does not work but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Rom_4:6-8 - David is also an example
of this
Rom_4:6
- we have to be separated from these works to have righteousness
Rom_4:7
- Because it is a "blessed" thing to be "forgiven" of these
"sins" of "lawless[ness]"
Rom_4:8
– It is (real) happiness when God does not charge you with doing these sins!
Rom_4:16
- because of this, salvation it is "out" [ἐκ]
of faith so that it can be according to [κατὰ] FAVOR
Rom_4:17 - This righteousness is about faith and hope in God's promises, even "against all odds"
In light of all of these things, we must see that we have to repent of our perverse rebellion, totally renounce every bit of our own righteousness and works, come clean before God in repentance, and take hold of the Divine nature and the true righteous works directly from Christ that we may actually live in righteousness and be saved from this unclean generation with its idolatry, witchcraft, and pagan religions that are found under the roof of practically every church house in modern christianity.
If you would like to understand these things further, then please read Romans 2-4 and actually believe it by taking it at face value instead of perverting it with the predictable and fleshly abominations of Protestantism. If you understand these chapters according to the submission to truth, then you will not have to make them seem to be contradictory to the previous Scriptures at all in any way that we have already quoted in this Bible study. Romans never leaves a person with any excuse to believe that we can continue in sin and go to heaven, or that it is bad to “work out our salvation” in hopes of eternal life (2Peter 1/ Romans 2) since this has always been God’s way of saving people in the New Covenant. If you need help understanding these things, I am here to help.
Further reading: Martin Luther:
www.trueconnection.org/BibleStudies/Bibliography_and_Glossary.html#Luther
(This is very pertinent to everything we have discussed here)
Copyright © Josiahs Scott, All rights reserved (see below)
The only reason I put this here is to avoid people misusing this work with bad motives. This is officially copyrighted to protect it from those with money in mind, and to preserve it for free distribution, especially in the unlikely event that someone might think to make money off of it rather than maximizing its distribution. You are permitted and encouraged to freely copy and redistribute this work in its entirety, via standard copy machine or electronic documentation as long as you make no money off of it. If you wish to reproduce this work on any larger scale, please contact me at Josiahs@trueconnection.org. You may also quote this document, by citing the reference as:
“[Name of
Bible Study]” By Josiahs Scott, www.TrueConnection.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevenient_grace
2Ti 4:3-4 WEB For the time will come
when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap
up for themselves teachers after their own
lusts; 4 and
will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables.
4/1/04; 4/15/04 (Word: Modified);
3/7/17 (recompiled -- not including main title)
Original Title: DENNIS- A letter to Denis;
A list of BIBLE verses.
JUDE 1:3 …I felt I had to write
and urge you to contend for the faith… 4 For certain men whose condemnation was
written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless
men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ
our only Sovereign and Lord. (NIV)
But real Grace is like this…
TIT 2:11 For
the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men. [12] It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, [13] while we
wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, [14] who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for
himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (NIV)
RO 6:1 What
shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no
means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer…
14 For sin shall not be your
master, because you are not under law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we
sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don't you
know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are
slaves to the one whom you obey… (NIV)
HEB 10:26 If we deliberately keep
on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for
sins is left, [27] but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging
fire that will consume the enemies of God. [28] Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or
three witnesses. [29] How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be
punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an
unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has
insulted the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know him who
said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord
will judge his people." [31] It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God. (NIV)
HEB 12:14 Make every effort to
live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. [15] See to it that no
one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root
grows up to cause trouble and defile many. [16] See
that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal
sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. [17] Afterward, as you know,
when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about
no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
2PE 3:17 Therefore, dear friends,
since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried
away by the error of lawless men and fall from your
secure position. [18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2Pe 2:12-22 (KJV-Based) But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be
taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they don’t understand;
and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of
unrighteousness, as
they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. They are spots and blemishes, sporting themselves
with their own deception while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot
cease from sin; enticing unstable souls: they have a heart exercised with
covetous practices; cursed children: 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are
gone astray, following the way of Balaam the
son of Beor, who loved the wages of
unrighteousness… 17
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest;
to whom the blackest of darkness has been reserved for ever. 18 For
when they speak great swelling words
of vanity, they entice through the lusts of the flesh, by unbridled lust, those who are
indeed escaping from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they
themselves are the servants of corruption: for by whom a man is overcome, by
the same is he also brought into bondage.
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions
of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they
are entangled again in it, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than
the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them
not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn
from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according
to the true proverb, The dog is
turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in
the mire.
Jud 1:10-13 KJVA they… as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt
themselves. 11 Woe
unto them!… 12 These are… twice dead, plucked up by the
roots; 13
Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars,
to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
But…
2Ti 2:19-22 WEB …God's firm foundation
stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are his," and,
"Let every one who names the name of the Lord
depart from unrighteousness." 20 Now in a great house there are not
only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for
honor, and some for dishonor.
21If anyone therefore purges
himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable
for the master's use, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee
from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with
those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Handed over:
1Co 5:4-5 WEB In the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our
Lord Jesus Christ, 5 are
to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Repent:
You have gone the way of Balaam (Rev 2:14)… therefore repent! Or Jesus will come to judge you and kill you with the sword of His mouth! (2:16)
Tears:
Phi 3:18-19 KJVA (For many walk,
of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are
the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is
destruction, whose God is their
belly, and whose
glory is
in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
the gift of righteousness
Has given unto us
eternal lifefree gift of God is eternal life
---------------
Worshiping Favor….