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Christian Good Works

Eph 2:10 (Webster)

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

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Good Works
Boasting Over the Hope - Preaching

What are the good works in which we should walk through our faith in Christ?


Abstaining from sinning

Though obvious, it must be stated! Christians must lead pure moral lives. They must strive for mental, physical, and spiritual purity. We must abstain from evil thoughts and evil works as defined by Paul : *** physical purity is in regard to alcohol and chemical addiction, not to getting dirty because of repairing a car, or doing other manual labor. ***

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, which ye have from God? And ye are not your own, 20for ye were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which is of God. (ACV)

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Or know ye not that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not led astray. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate men, nor homosexuals, 10nor greedy men, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor the slanderous, nor the predatory will inherit the kingdom of God. (ACV)

Ephesians 5:18 And do not become intoxicated with wine, during which is debauchery, but be filled in Spirit (DCV)

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek ye LORD while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. 7Let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return to LORD, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (ACV)

Christians must purify themselves. The Kingly Laws become their guide to purification. (Jam 2:8)

Matthew 22:36-39 Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? 37Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. 38This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets. (DRC)

When sinning they know that they have a High-priest, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for them before God.
Heb 7:25 Whereby he is able also to save for ever them that come to God by him; always living to make intercession for us. (DRC)

Hebrews 9:14 How much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who through an age-abiding spirit offered himself unspotted unto God, purify our conscience from dead works, to the rendering of divine-service, unto a Living God? (Rotherham)

Hebrews 10:26-28
26 For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, 27 but [there is] a certain fearful expectation of judgment and [there is] a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition. (NW)

For, if, by choice, we be sinning, after the receiving of the full-knowledge of the truth, no longer, for sins, is there left over, a sacrifice, 27But some fearful reception of judgment and fiery jealousy, about to devour the opposers. (Rotherham) 

Disrespect for Christ's sacrifice demonstrated by the willful practice of sin leads to a disapproved condition, eternal damnation!



Good Works

Helping the Poor


Christians are exhorted to remember eagerly the poor. Since we all know that resources especially among mostly non-wealthy Christians are limited, we should individually be on the lookout to help especially fellow Christian poor.

This doesn't mean that one should ignore the poor of the world if the chance to do so within one's means is there. For example, would it hurt me to buy a little food and give to a homeless person? Or, would it hurt me to give old clothes or such to charity or to a poor family? Such gestures of goodwill Jehovah looks at with pleasure.
I John 3:17, and whoever may have the goods of the world, and may view his brother having need, and may shut up his bowels from him--how doth the love of God remain in him? (YTL)
Galatians 2:10 only that we should remember the poor, which this same thing I also was eager to do. (ACV)

Romans 15:26, For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a contribution for the poor of the saints that are in Jerusalem. (DRC)

Ephesians 4:28, He that stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need. (DRC)

Galatians 6:10 So then as we have time, let us work what is good toward all men, and especially toward those belonging to a household of the faith. (ACV)
The need to work good toward those in the faith is underscored in the next scripture:
1 Corinthians 16:1, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye (ASV)
This was not pay for the saints.  No, these were in need due to some problem, thus all the congregations were asked to help the Christians in need in Jerusalem. (See verse 3)  Another point made in verse thee is that this was to be a "fine gift," "grace" or "favour" depending upon the translation.

From this we can see that outright gifts are appropriate according to our ability toward the truly needy in the faith.

Does this mean that slackers can just mooch upon others under the disguise of need?  Not at all.  Here in 2nd Thessalonians Paul tells us this:
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, For, even when we were with you, this, were we giving in charge unto you,—that, if any will not work, neither let him eat! 11We hear, in fact, of some who are walking among you in a disorderly way, at nothing, working, yet too busily working! 12Now, such as these, we charge and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ,—that, with quietness, working, their own bread, they be eating. (Rotherham)
But let us not be sidetracked.  Helping the needy is an important part of our Christian effort.
James 1:27,  religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation--unspotted to keep himself from the world. (YLT)
The above scriptures adequately show that this is something each and every Christian should have on their minds; namely, that of eagerly looking out for the poor.

This Satanic world we're in greedily amasses great wealth in a few individuals while great masses languish in poverty and pain. This is one of the reasons God's wrath is hurrying toward its goal of doing away with this system of things. (Isaiah 1:16-20, Zechariah 7:9-12, Amos 5:11-13, Jer 22:13-17)

Though the church, or the congregation may have a program for 'helping the poor ' (?), the question each individual Christian ought to ask himself is: am I having the poor in mind eagerly? 

Boasting Over the Hope

However, what good toward all men may we especially concentrate on?

Most Christians have stopped doing this work that actually is a must if a Christian desires salvation!

Before this discussion commences, it must be emphasized that if a Christian lives in sin, God does not want him to take part in this work!

Psalm 50:16 But to the sinner God has said, Why do you declare My ordinances, and take up My covenant in your mouth? (AB)
Christ began the global preaching of the Good News. His Saints were given this as their work, their job, their main occupation! All Christians, Saints or not, have been assigned this work. As Hebrews 13:15 shows "the sharing of things with others" (NW) and the "sacrifice of praise . . . fruit of lips" - preaching and fellowship, these are important Christian good works. (ACV)
Revelation 6:9 I saw underneath the altar the souls of those slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the witness work that they used to have. (NW)

Matt 28:19, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Darby)

Heb 13:15 Through him therefore, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, fruit of lips acknowledging his name. 16 But do not forget benevolence and fellowship, for God is well pleased with such sacrifices. (ACV)

It is a work of faith that must be undertaken, our individual salvation depends thereupon.
Hebrews 3:5-6
a. but Christ, as Son over his house, whose house are *we*, if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end. (Darby)

b. but Christ [was faithful] as a Son over the house of that One. We are the house of that One, if we make fast our hold on our freeness of speech and our boasting over the hope firm to the end. (NW)

c. But, Christ, as, a Son, over his house,—whose house are, we,—if, the freedom of speech and boast of the hope, throughout, firm, we hold fast. (Rotherham)

Hebrews 3:14 because we have been granted a share with Christ only if we keep the grasp of our first confidence firm to the end. (NJB)

 
Thus we boast in our hope by publicly preaching house to house, person to person -- doing our utmost to glorify God and declare the good news of salvation to the nations.
(DRC)
1 Corinthians 9:15-16 For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me, for a necessity lieth upon me: for woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

Romans 10:9-10 9 For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For, with the heart, we believe unto justice; but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:14-15 How then shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things!

Acts 5:42 And every day they ceased not in the temple, and from house to house, to teach and preach Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:13 I exercised faith, therefore I spoke," we too exercise faith and therefore we speak (NW)

2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be earnest in season, out of season, convict, rebuke, exhort, in all long-suffering and teaching (YLT)

1 Peter 2:9. But ye are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for an acquired possession, so that ye might broadly proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ACV)

The conclusion is obvious. Striving always for infinite purity, sinning on occasion since no one has resisted their own blood, abstaining from practicing sin, the Christian involves himself in good works, looking out for the poor, certainly. More importantly, striving to save all, poor and rich, African, Asian, European, etc. whomever wants to turn around and repent after having been preached the good news.

Let us not become disapproved then by not bearing the fruit of sacrifice of lips.
(ACV)
John 15:1 I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the farmer. 2Every branch in me not bearing fruit, he removes it. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it, so that it may bear more fruit.

Hebrews 13:15 Through him therefore, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, fruit of lips acknowledging his name.

Christ himself emphasized that active preaching, gathering was a must for his followers! Jesus makes a forceful point to preach by stating the even inactivity becomes active opposition to him so that we must gather in tandem with Christ according to our abilities.
Matthew 12:30m He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. (ACV)
It should be pointed out that many in the first century were slaves or working as free men from daylight till evening fell.   Thus their preaching may well have consisted in preaching when occasion granted them the opportunity, not by going from house to house.  This is why we read, perhaps, in Ephesians that evangelists, apostles, and teachers, etc are in the congregations – each seemingly doing his assigned job.  Much of their witnessing may also have stemmed from their changed lifestyle.


 
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