Subj: Salvation and good works Date: 97-06-20 23:43:18 EDT From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com Reply-to: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com (Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup) From: "Dale Sweitzer" To: Subject: Re: Salvation Comments Dear Eddie, I mean no disrespect, however I'm very disturbed by your teaching on "The Outer Darkness" & this idea that our performance as Christians here on earth determines our rewards in heaven (isn't this works theology?), that I may or may not be a part of the bride of Christ. From Eddie: ************** "Works theology" states that we are SAVED by God's grace AND our WORKS. Those who proclaim that you can "lose your salvation" because you do Hebraic/Messianic dancing, keep Christmas and Easter, wear short sleeve shirts, have long hair, don't have a beard, or are not circumcised etc is a "works theology". We are SAVED by His GRACE ALONE. In Romans 3:9, 27-28 it is written: "What then? Are we (non-Jew) any better than they (Jew)? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin ... Where is boasting then? It is excluded, By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" In Galations 2:16, it is written: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the WORKS of the law shall NO FLESH be justified" In Ephesians 2:8-10, it tells us that we are SAVED by GRACE through FAITH and that this is a GIFT from God but AFTER we are saved, we are to produce "good works" as it is written: "For by GRACE are you SAVED through FAITH and that NOT OF YOURSELVES, it is the GIFT of God. NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto GOOD WORKS which God has before ORDAINED that we should WALK IN THEM (good works)" Notice the order: #1) We are SAVED by GRACE and this is a FREE GIFT and NOT based upon our works "lest any man should boast" #2) AFTER we are saved, God desires that we produce "good works". This is the FRUIT of the Spirit of G-d living and abiding and allowing Him to work HIS Will in our lives You CANNOT lose a FREE gift but you CAN FAIL to FULLY COMMIT your life to God and be a DEDICATED and FAITHFUL servant of His Kingdom. Different Christians have various degrees of committment to G-d and His Kingdom. Some areas of our lives are fully committed to G-d but other areas of our lives we do not give to G-d as easily. This is a PROCESS of yielding your life to G-d as you grow in the knowledge of G-d and the ways of His Kingdom. In Matthew 5:14, 16 it is written: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid ... Let you light so shine before me, that they may see your GOOD WORKS and GLORIFY your Father which is in heaven" Here, Yeshua/Jesus is NOT talking about the salvation of the believer. He is talking about the one who ALREADY BELIEVES should let their "light shine" and do "good works". The UNBELIEVER will be judged whether they accept Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah. The BELIEVER who is SAVED will have a judgment based upon their STEWARDSHIP and SERVICE to G-d and His Kingdom. In Matthew 20:1-16, Yeshua/Jesus tells a parable about LABORERS in HIS KINGDOM who are given DIFFERENT REWARDS based upon their SERVICE in the Kingdom. In Matthew 25:14-30, Yeshua/Jesus tells a parable about those SERVANTS who used their TALENTS for the Kingdom. The "unfaithful" servant was rebuked but the "faithful" servant was given much reward. If these parables were talking about salvation then the "faithful servant" would have been faithful because of his "works". But salvation is NOT based upon works but our REWARDS in heaven ARE based upon our works. In I Corinthians 4:2 it is written: "Moreover it is REQUIRED of STEWARDS (those that are saved) that a man be found FAITHFUL" The Bible is CLEAR that NOT all those in heaven will be equal. In Matthew 5:19 it is written: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men to do so, he shall be called LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called GREAT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" In Jeremiah 31:33-34 it is written: "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my TORAH in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts: and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, FROM THE LEAST of them unto THE GREATEST of them, saith the Lord ..." In Matthew 18:1, 4 it is written: "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the GREATEST in the Kingdom of Heaven? ... Whosoever therefore shall HUMBLE HIMSELF as this little child, the SAME is GREATEST in the kingdom of Heaven" In Mark 10:44 it is written: "And whosover of you will be the chiefest (GREATEST) shall be the SERVANT of all" In I Corinthians 15:39-42 it is written: "All flesh is NOT THE SAME flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the GLORY of the CELESTRIAL is ONE and the GLORY of the TERRESTRIAL is ANOTHER. There is ONE GLORY of the SUN and ANOTHER GLORY of the moon, and ANOTHER GLORY OF THE STARS, for one STAR DIFFERS from ANOTHER star in GLORY. SO ALSO IS THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD" In Genesis 15:5, God promised Abraham: "And he brought him (Abraham) forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the STARS, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, SO SHALL THY SEED BE" In I Corinthians 15:41,42: " ... for ONE STAR DIFFERS FROM ANOTHER STAR IN GLORY ... SO IS THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD" In I Corinthians 3:14-15 it is written: "If any man's WORK ABIDE which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a REWARD. If any man's WORK shall be BURNED, he shall SUFFER LOSS, BUT he himself SHALL BE SAVED: yet so as by fire" Those who are SAVED by the GRACE of G-d but have no works (I Corinthians 3:15) will be in heaven forever and have ONE GLORY but those who are saved and have good works will have GREAT REWARD and will be the BRIDE (the GREATEST in the Kingdom of Heaven) and will have ANOTHER GLORY from the saved with no works. Christianity has such a "salvation oriented mentality" that they seem to continually want to argue, "Are you saved or not saved and can you lose your salvation?" But the Bible teaches that salvation is a FREE GIFT to those who repent of our sins and accept Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah and our POSITION in heaven is based upon being a "faithful steward". The GREATEST in the Kingdom of Heaven will be the BRIDE of Christ. THIS is the message of my book, "Who is the Bride of Christ?". G-d WANTED me to communicate to HIS PEOPLE this Biblical TRUTH. It is VITAL that Christians understand this truth. This truth is NOT taught in our churches today so therefore most believers are completely ignorant of this VITAL Biblical truth. The GOAL taught in Christianity is salvation. The GOAL of G-d for the believer is to be the BRIDE of Christ. Therefore, in the book, I examine the BIBLICAL CHARACTERISTICS of the Bride of Christ and her role in the Kingdom of Heaven. For those of you who still want to order this book and my other book, "The Seven Festivals of the Messiah", as I stated and explained in a previous note, the SPECIAL OFFER of ($32) for BOTH books will extend indefinately. So very clearly, the scriptures tells us: #1) We are SAVED by GRACE ALONE WITHOUT WORKS and is a FREE gift to all those who repent of their sins and accept Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah #2) As stewards in the Kingdom of Heaven, God requires that we produce GOOD WORKS #3) Salvation by a FREE GIFT saves you. Being a FAITHFUL STEWARD will give you REWARDS in heaven From Carmen: ****************** The scripture that says "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it..." is one of several that come to mind. Keeping your teaching in mind, does this mean that Jesus' perfect work for me is the outer court ? From Eddie: *************** The PERFECT WORK that JESUS DID is SAVE YOU. In John 6:28-29 it is written: "Then said they unto him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, THIS is the WORK OF GOD, that you BELIEVE ON HIM whom he has sent" AFTER you are saved, it is the PERFECT WILL of God, that you abide with HIM forever in the "Holy of Holies". In Revelation 21:1, John saw a NEW HEAVEN and NEW EARTH. In Revelation 21:10-27, John was shown the HEAVENLY JERUSALEM. Spiritually, the EARTH and OUTSIDE the heaven city of Jerusalem is the "outer court". But the "outer court" is IN HEAVEN. The Heavenly city of Jerusalem is the "Holy of Holies". In Romans 12:1-2 it is written: "I beseech you therefore, brethren (I PLEAD WITH YOU) by the mercies of God that you present YOUR BODIES (your LIFE) a living sacrifice (this is the OLAH (burnt offering) sacrifice), holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable SERVICE. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT WILL of God" The GOOD WILL of God is that we are saved and will be in heaven. The PERFECT WILL of God is that we are saved and be the GREATEST in the Kingdom of Heaven and be the BRIDE of Christ. Christianity uses "losing your salvation" as a means of "control" over the actions of another. If you do this or believe like "THEY" do then you will "lose your salvation" because "THEY" are "deceived" but WE "have all the truth". "Don't leave our church or don't leave this ministry or you will be deceived and lose your salvation by following false doctrines (that we don't teach)", they say. From Carmen: ***************** Jesus literally brought me out of darkness & into the kingdom of light. Before I met Him I was a hardcore New Ager & I avoided Him at all cost. He searched me out. He choose me. He did what I could not do for myself. From Eddie: ************** Praise the Lord! This was HIS grace and HIS love and HIS mercy that HE did this for you because HE LOVES you! From Carmen: **************** I have put my trust & my life in his hands. I am trusting him to "renew my mind" to make me perfect for himself. From Eddie: *************** When you trust in HIM, you will be strong. From Carmen: ***************** Because I certainly can't do it in my own. From Eddie: *************** That is why He gave you His Ruach HaKodesh / Holy Spirt when you became saved to give you the POWER to overcome the desires of the flesh because we CAN'T do it on our own. From Carmen: ***************** And I know that I can't do all the "right" things here on earth to assure myself a place as the Bride. Either Jesus choose me as one of the elect or he didn't. From Eddie: *************** If you mean by doing the "right" things as being 100% perfect then you are right. But the Bible tells us that WHEN we are saved that we are a CHILD in the Kingdom of Heaven and that G-d desires for us TO GROW in the knowledge of Him and His Kingdom. We LEARN and UNDERSTAND HOW to do this when we YIELD our HEARTS to God and desire to LOVE Him with ALL our heart, mind, soul and strength. WHEN we do this, G-d has promised that the Ruach HaKodesh / Holy Spirit will LEAD and GUIDE you into the truth of God's Word and the ways of His Kingdom. When we allow this to happen, the FRUIT of the Spirit will be produced in our lives. When we allow the FRUIT of the Spirit to manifest in our lives, we will show "good works" and "do the right things" and G-d will be PLEASED with us and REWARD us by allowing us to be HIS BRIDE. From Carmen: *************** If your teaching is true then there is no hope for me. Because I am a sinner by nature & only by the grace of God will I be in the presence of my Abba Father who saved me. I welcome your response. From Eddie: ************** Yes, you will ONLY be in heaven by the GRACE of G-d. But there is GREAT HOPE for you if you PURPOSE to LOVE G-d will ALL your heart, mind, soul and strength (Deut 6:4-5, Mark 12:28-30) and allow the Ruach HaKodesh / Holy Spirit to do His work in your life. In Romans 5:3,5 it is written: "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and REJOICE IN HOPE of the glory of God ...and HOPE maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed in our HEARTS by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" > > >Sincerely, >Carmen Sweitzer >sweitzer@midtenn.net > From Eddie: ************* May G-d bless you and keep you. May G-d cause make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and may He give you His peace. *************************************************************************