THE STANDARDS OF SALVATION

 The Apostle Paul says that to receive grace or salvation from God we have to have faith, but no work. We have to believe that we are saved, and nothing else. Paul says that work, or good work, will not save us. Why? Because work will make us boast.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.
James, on the other hand, says something different.
“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:17,24,26.
I was tempted to get in between Paul and James and act like a referee. But no, I am not going to put myself in between these two spiritual giants. Who am I? I am just a spiritual "dwarf" compared to Paul and James.
So, this is what I am going to do today. I want to invite my readers to open their Bible and look at Genesis 6. For those who don’t have a Bible handy, I am going to quote the verses here.
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every intent of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:5-8.
What did God see? What did God see in the people who will soon drown and die in the big flood?
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every intent of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.”
Senior citizens, adults, women, men, children, and babies were all forced to inhale mud water because the adults have BAD INTENTIONS!
Can you believe that God destroyed them all because of bad intentions and not because of a lack of faith?
Finally, I want to ask everyone who reads this article.
What were our intentions for messing up God’s Laws and Commandments? Why do we change God’s Laws and Commandments when Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17,18.
Look into our motives and intentions why we are doing, or why we are not doing certain things that God wants us to do. Why did we pick and choose to change some of His words and not the others? 
Did we write God's Commandments and Laws? What were our motives and intentions for changing His Laws and Commandments?
If we don't like God's Commandments, invent our own religion, but don't lie and mess up other people's faith.
Remember, God is able to kill our bodies and our souls in hell!

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