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We ARE Saved By Works (During Sanctification)
It does say "not by works" but that is talking about which comes FIRST.
We aren't saved by our works first.
The work of salvation begins with God's grace -- without our works, of course.
But once that primacy is settled, then it is time for the role which our works play.
Its just like the love sequence.
He loves us first.
"We love Him because He first loved us." Our love for God is the result of His first loving us.
My point is that its not a matter of just He loves us -- period, end of story.
No, His loving us is followed by the opposite action -- our loving Him.
He does the WORK of loving us.
Then our turn comes:
We do the WORK of loving God.
Love is work.a good work
The way to grasp salvation as connected to our works is by putting salvation in a warfare/wartime context.
Since Paul the Apostle does talk about fighting the good fight, a good warfare.
Salvation as "the helmet" is clearly connected to the warfare theme(Ephesians 6.17).
Here's what I mean: in the American Civil War, the Union army would invade the south -- the state of Virginia, lets say.
Well, originally that army is supplied with food from where?
From the North, like our salvation, our righteousness is from Christ, from heaven -- not our own rightness.
But later on, if the Union army somehow gets separated from the logistical supply line, what does it do??
It "lives off the land," -- eats the bread, etc, it gets off the southern plantations as it overruns the South.
Ditto with salvation. In addition to the borrowed righteousness we are given by Christ, we "live off the land" of the good works we achieve - thru will, effort, sacrifice, prayer.
We aren't saved by our works first.
The work of salvation begins with God's grace -- without our works, of course.
But once that primacy is settled, then it is time for the role which our works play.
Its just like the love sequence.
He loves us first.
"We love Him because He first loved us." Our love for God is the result of His first loving us.
My point is that its not a matter of just He loves us -- period, end of story.
No, His loving us is followed by the opposite action -- our loving Him.
He does the WORK of loving us.
Then our turn comes:
We do the WORK of loving God.
Love is work.a good work
The way to grasp salvation as connected to our works is by putting salvation in a warfare/wartime context.
Since Paul the Apostle does talk about fighting the good fight, a good warfare.
Salvation as "the helmet" is clearly connected to the warfare theme(Ephesians 6.17).
Here's what I mean: in the American Civil War, the Union army would invade the south -- the state of Virginia, lets say.
Well, originally that army is supplied with food from where?
From the North, like our salvation, our righteousness is from Christ, from heaven -- not our own rightness.
But later on, if the Union army somehow gets separated from the logistical supply line, what does it do??
It "lives off the land," -- eats the bread, etc, it gets off the southern plantations as it overruns the South.
Ditto with salvation. In addition to the borrowed righteousness we are given by Christ, we "live off the land" of the good works we achieve - thru will, effort, sacrifice, prayer.
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