ARE WE BEGGARS?
Jesus told the lawyer that he has to work if he wants to get eternal life. He will not receive grace from God unless he does his work.
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading [of it]?" So he answered and said, "`You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and `your neighbor as yourself.'" And Jesus said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." Luke 10:25-28.
Jesus said, “Do this and you will live.” Do what? Do the will of the Father!
I wonder if Christians understand what the phrase “do this and you will live” means. My English is not very good, but I know what the words “do this” mean. He wants me to WORK! Love the Lord means WORK. And love our neighbor as ourselves is also WORK. And many, if not most Christians, especially the highly educated, do not understand what the word WORK means. They think that work means GRACE. I think they should ask for a refund from the colleges that they have attended to get their Master's or Ph.D. degrees in Biblical studies. It is ridiculous when highly educated preachers and pastors don’t know the difference between work (“do this”) and the word grace? “Do this” means work, and NOT grace. We have to sacrifice for God and for our neighbors. It is now our turn to sacrifice, as much or more, than what Jesus had done for us. And this is not easy work. Are we willing to sacrifice for Him? Are we willing to sacrifice for our neighbors? Or are we pretending that we are dumb, deaf, and cannot read? Why do we want to be beggars and beg for grace when we know, and God knows, that we can work? Why do we want to fool God and ourselves? If we fail ten times a day, so what? He will forgive us even if we sin hundreds of times a day. Matthew 18:22. The main thing to remember is that we DO IT, and if we fail today we will get up again the following day. He will help us get up again if we do what He tells us to do in Luke 10:25-28. That’s how we develop perfection! When we fall, we get up. Don’t keep begging for grace, grace, and grace before we do it! We become perfect when we get up again. We learn from our experiences when we fail.
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:21-23
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide [is] the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. "Because narrow [is] the gate and difficult [is] the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:13-15 Beware of false Bible teachers. They themselves are confused, and they will make us confused too. "For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24
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