This series precludes the fact that neither Baptism, speaking in tongues, nor any additional act is necessary to become saved. Salvation is strictly God’s grace and man’s faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. These passages provide insight proving faith, and not works, is the key to attaining the free gift of salvation from God.
This collection contains most of the verses in the NT declaring salvation is by God’s grace attained through Christ in return for man’s faith and love for Christ.
Matthew 8:13 Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. (Centurion’s request was granted according to his faith)
Matthew 9:28-29 28Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, yea, Lord. 29Then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith let it be done unto you. (Blind received sight according to their faith.)
Mark 6:56 Whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment; as many as touched him were made whole. (Those who came close to Jesus and touched even the hem of his clothing were made whole by their faith) (Those who stood afar off, and would not believe, did not receive the grace of God to heal them. Their infirmities remained.)
John 4:48-50 Jesus said unto him, except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49The nobleman said unto him, “Sir, come down ere my child die”. 50Jesus said unto him, go thy way; thy son lives. The man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
The Nobleman had knowledge of the miracles performed by Jesus. Jesus wanted him to use faith in God, as opposed to being awed by miracles. Jesus did not go with the man, but sent him on his way with the promise that his Son was healed at that very instant. The Nobleman trusted Jesus and traveled back to his son in the faith of the promise of Christ.
Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, if thou will be perfect (whole/saved), go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Riches were this man’s faith. Jesus wanted his faith in God; not in his wealth. He went away sorrowful because of great possessions. If he had placed his faith in Jesus, he would have asked God to save him and help him with his problem of worshipping possessions. His love of his own lifestyle and earthly possessions caused the rich man to reject the only salvation that would keep him out of the Lake of Fire.
Matthew 9:2 Behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
Faith and God’s grace saved the sick of the palsy, and his sins were forgiven. Even though the scripture stated “their” faith, it had to include the man himself. Everyone is responsible to God for his own choice of acceptance or rejection of Christ. Most likely, the palsied man asked the assistance of the others to bring him in the presence of Christ.
Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (Access to God’s grace is similar to the same simple faith seen in a child who depends on his parents for his needs and security)
Luke 18:17 Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. (Access to the kingdom of God is similar to the simple faith of a child)
Luke 7:48-50 48He said unto her, thy sins are forgiven. 49They that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, who is this that forgives sins also? 50He said to the woman, thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. (Jesus made it clear to the skeptics; the woman’s faith was the catalyst for receiving salvation from Christ.)
Mark 1:15 And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the gospel. (A simple willingness, faith in the promise of Jesus to leave the old life of sin and believe the Gospel of Christ, is the only necessity to receive salvation from Christ.)
Luke 17:20-21 20When he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Salvation comes to the heart by faith. We receive a new heart from God through faith in the promises of God’s Word)
Luke 10:25, 27 25Behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 27He answering said, thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with thy entire mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. (All that is required is a total commitment to Christ through faith in his promises).
Luke 18:29-30 29He said unto them, verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, 30who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. (The promise of rewards for service and faithfulness to Christ is not monetary. It is clear; the disciples would leave all and follow Christ by faith in the promises of Jesus in order to attain eternal life.)
Luke 19:9-10 9Jesus said unto him, Zacchaeus this day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10The son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Abraham was the father of faith, and Zacchaeus exhibited his faith in Jesus as the Messiah. He accepted the teaching of Jesus by faith and immediately showed signs of his changed heart by declaring he would make restitution for all his wrongs as a tax collector. Zacchaeus not only was saved through his faith, but Jesus chose to dine at his home.
John 4:23-24 The hour cometh, and is now present, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (God is a spirit; we do not worship him in the flesh with our works. We must be true to our faith in him and worship him through the spirit by faith)
Ephesians 2:8-9 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Grace was provided by God to man as a free eternal gift. God’s grace is sufficient for all men born on the earth, but it must be accepted by faith. God and his Son provided everything that goes into grace and man has no part in this grace. Man cannot do one thing to work or earn this grace. It is a free gift totally from God. The only action for man is to accept this grace from Jesus through man’s faith in God’s Word.
Hebrews 11:1-2 1Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2By it the elders obtained a good report.
Faith is defined as something hoped for and attainable by trust (faith) only. We can’t see God’s promises; we must have faith in his promises. It has nothing to do with works. Hebrews, chapter 11, tells of the saving grace of God through faith to all of the Old Testament believers as well as the New Testament believers.
Luke 12:8 I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the son of man also confess before the angels of God. (This confession infers the total commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior by faith)
John 1:11-13 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
We receive Jesus by faith, and then we are born again by the power of the Holy Ghost of Jesus applied to our hearts. We receive a new spiritual heart from God.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (All who believe by faith will receive the born again free gift of eternal life)
John 3:26 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. (If we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior by faith, we already have already attained eternal life. It is not anything we can earn by works.)
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hears my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (Believeth is interchangeable with the word faith. It is a word of total commitment of one’s intent.) (The born again man has already passed from death unto eternal life and cannot pass back to death, because he is kept secure by the power of the Holy Ghost)
John 6:40 This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (Those that have faith have attained eternal life and their new glorified bodies will be reunited with their spirits at the end time.)
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me “hath” everlasting (eternal) life.
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. [Those refusing to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior through faith (belief) will die in their sins and have no hope of eternal life in God]
John 11:25-26 25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he is dead, he still lives. 26Whosoever lives and believeth in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
Man is dead, separated from God. The gospel through the Holy Ghost penetrates man’s dead heart and places the light of the gospel in his being. If the person accepts this gospel of Jesus (light) and chooses Jesus as his Lord and Savior through belief (faith), Jesus will resurrect the man from death into eternal life according to the man’s faith.
Acts 2:21 It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The point stressed here is that salvation is available to “anyone” who responds to the gospel and receives Jesus by faith as Lord and Savior.
John 14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (Jesus is “the only way” to the Father. Faith is the only way to Jesus)
Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets’ witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (The prophets of the OT witnessed that the coming Messiah would be the substitution of the sin of the world and faith in the Messiah would be the key to receive God’s grace)
Acts 15:9, 11 9Put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 11We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Paul is telling the Jews they must be saved by faith the same as the Gentiles. Works and the law will not suffice to attain salvation; it must be attained through faith.
Acts 16:30-31 30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31They said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house.
The jailer first realized he was a sinner, and then wanted to know how to attain this salvation of God. Since every man must make his own choice, most scholars think the phrase “and thy house” means those of his house would have to be saved the same as the jailer, through faith.
Romans 1:16-17 16I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
The gospel of Christ is the power of God to access a dead man’s soul. The righteousness of God is revealed through the preaching of God’s Word (gospel). The penetrating Word of God brings light to all lost (dead) souls. As John, chapter one states, the Word of God “will” light every man who comes into the world. It is then up to each man to respond to this light (Word of God) through his faith in the promise of God.
Romans 4:16 It is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all. (The promise of salvation by faith is to all mankind, both those under the law and those living in the age of grace.)
Romans 5:1-2 1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2by whom also we have access by faith unto this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This is a good passage to tell the whole story. We access saving grace by faith in the Word of God. The Word of God (light of God) shines in the darkness of our dead souls and tells us Jesus is the Savior and will give us eternal life if we will believe this promise by faith. Once a person accepts this promise of God through his faith, he receives this saving grace which resurrects his soul through the action of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 8:24-25 24We are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why doth he yet hope for? 25If we hope for that we see not; then do we with patience wait for it.
Faith and Hope require no deeds (works) to be saved. Deeds are fruits of faith. Righteousness comes only from God through the Holy Spirit in the born again Christian. We have no righteousness of our own. It is imperative we have faith and then born again into eternal life where righteousness originates. There are many who say, “Show me proof”! If you have undeniable proof, it can no longer be considered faith (hope). Faith is the key ingredient of attaining God’s grace.
Romans 10:8-9 8What does it say? The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved. (Our humbleness and dependence on Christ is a sign that we have faith in the promises of Christ. Salvation is from Christ and by him; we did nothing, nor can do anything, to attain grace other than to believe in Jesus and his promises)
Romans 10:13, 17 13Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 17Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God. (We hear the preaching of the gospel, the light of Christ shines in our dead souls, and we accept this light or reject this light. Those who accept this light through faith are born again and become one in Christ.)
Galatians 3:6-7, 11, 14 6Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith. 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
I John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loves him that begat loves him also that is begotten of him.
Those that have exercised their faith to believe the Word of God in Jesus, also loves God because Jesus and the Father are one.
I John 5:4-5 4Whosoever are born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 5Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. [Our faith has responded to the light of God (gospel of Christ) and we have believed this promise of God. This faith has caused us to receive the Holy Ghost of Christ which has overcome the world and we become one with Christ through the Holy Ghost]
I John 5:10-13 10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Because we believe (have faith) in the Word of God in Jesus, we have been born again and received Christ in us, thus we have attained eternal life. Our faith has given us access to this new birth. When the witness (Holy Ghost) comes to dwell in us, we have eternal life dwelling in us. The eternal life of Christ will never leave but will always dwell in us.
Ephesians 1:13-14 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. [We heard the preaching of the gospel, we trusted (faith) and then were sealed by the Holy Ghost. No person can break this seal but Christ, and he has promised that he will never break this seal]
Galatians 2:20-21 20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, and then Christ is dead in vain.
Anything that is not of faith is of law, even the acts that some say we must do to be saved. Fruits come after we are engrafted into the vine. “Anything that is not of faith is sin”.
Galatians 2:16 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. (We perform no act to receive salvation. Once we receive God’s Spirit, his works appear on the vine as fruit. We are saved by grace through faith)
John 20:29, 31 Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. [If we believe (faith), we will be born again of God’s grace.)
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus is the Word of God. If a man accepts Christ as Savior, he loves God. When he accepts the love of Christ (Word of God) by faith through the preaching of the gospel, Christ births him into the family of God with the quickening of the Holy Ghost. The person becomes one with Christ by the presence of the Holy Ghost dwelling in him.
John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (Jesus is the only way; he is the door, nothing we can do other than faith can get us through the door)
John 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
What is this saying? Again, his saying consists of the two new commandments: Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and might. Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. This love is an act of faith on the promises of Christ. Notice above, the verse did not say, “If a person maintains works”. It states, “If a man keeps my saying”. The saying is the act of faith (loving God unconditionally, the new commandment). If a man does not keep the first commandment, did not commit his love to God, he was never born again, and “will” see the second death.
Some of the following scriptures may appear to some that Jesus cannot keep all God has given to him. God seals those with the Holy Spirit who makes the total commitment by faith.
Faith is a motive that the believer exercises in God. It is a lasting act of giving oneself totally to God's leadership. Matthew, chapter 13, is a key in describing those who have accepted God for the long term, rather than the three examples of those who did not commit their love to God. Read the parable of the sower in Matthew, chapter 13 regarding the seed by the wayside, on stony ground, and among thorns. Note this is seed only in these three examples. The seed never became wheat (born again). The second parable in the same chapter tells about the wheat and tares.
Mark 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
There will be certain times of persecution in the world. The apostles would go through such a time and there will also be such a time during the Tribulation. During the Tribulation, those who hold to a faith in God (Jesus) “will” endure through the trials to death and “will” be the saved of God.
During the Tribulation in Mark, chapter 13, their will be a choice of salvation by faith in Jesus, but those accepting this salvation will most likely lose their physical lives before the seven years of Tribulation are over. The church will be in heaven with God due to the Rapture and those saved during the Tribulation will be the only Christians on earth. They will have to endure in faith to the death or until the end of the seven years to be saved. Those who try to save their physical life by denying Jesus during this time will lose their souls. Actually, this will be a time of great trial of one’s faith.
Luke 9:23-24 23He said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24Whosoever will save his life; shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Mark 13:13 above)
Read Matt. 13 again, parable of the sower. Some will receive the seed, but will not deny themselves such as by the wayside, on stony ground, or among thorns and the seed will not germinate into wheat (born again Christian). Those who lose their life are those who never really exercised their faith in God’s promise. They were still in the seed stage and had not become born again and sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost.
Also during the Tribulation, this will be part of the “enduring to the end”. Those who deny Christ to save their necks (literally) will lose their souls.
I Corinthians 15:1-2 1Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye believed in vain. (Read Matt 13 again, parable of the sower) (Those that believed in vain did not exercise saving faith, only an association or a taste of Christ. They did not ingest the Word of God by faith.)
Galatians 5:1, 4-5 1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you is justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5For we through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Read Matt. 13 again, parable of the sower) (Once again, these who have trusted in works, the law, were never saved by grace. Their faith was in the law and not in the promise of Christ.)
Colossians 1:22-23 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and un-blamable and unreproveable in his sight: 23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven. (Read Matt. 13 again, parable of the sower) (Those who were moved away from the hope of the gospel never exercised their faith in Christ. They had the seed planted in them, but did not continue in faith and were never born again by the Holy Ghost)
Luke 23:42-43 42He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into thy kingdom. 43Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today thou shall be with me in paradise. (The thief had faith that Jesus was God and was coming into his heavenly kingdom)
John 1:16-17 16Of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (All people have received the law and understand the difference between good and evil (innate from Adam), but saving grace comes from Christ through faith.)
John 5:21-22 As the Father raises up the dead, and quickens them; even so the Son quickens whom he will. 22The Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.
When a person accepts God's terms by total faith in Christ, he is quickened by the Spirit of God and sealed for the day of redemption. Since Jesus is God, he knows who has truly committed themselves to him by faith. He knows if they are only those by the wayside, on stony ground, among thorns, or whether they are the ones of the good ground (faith). Those who commit themselves to Jesus totally by faith are quickened by Jesus into eternal life. The first three examples were planted seed, but not born again individuals (wheat).
John 6:35 Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. [He that believes (has faith) in Jesus receives the spirit of Christ within himself and shall never thirst again.]
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (We can do nothing righteous in the flesh; we must receive the Word of God through faith.)
John 8:12 Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (Only those who accepted the light of life in themselves through faith will follow Christ. Those who reject this light walks in darkness.)
Acts 13:38-39 38I declare unto you this truth, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39By him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law. (No acts of any kind are needed for salvation, other than faith and God’s grace. Works are the fruits of faith and do not produce faith). You “cannot” be justified by works (law).
Romans 4:3-5 3What says the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that works not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Works has no part in salvation, only God’s grace through man’s faith.)
Hebrews 10:38-39 38Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
The born again Christian cannot draw back because his faith accessed God’s grace and he has been changed into a new creature by God’s grace. Only the apostate who was never born again can draw back from the presence of God’s grace. The apostate is among the believers, but not one of the believers. He is in the constant presence of God’s grace, but has not accepted God’s grace, because of the insincerity of his commitment.
Hebrews 6:12 Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (We do not inherit the promises by acts or deeds, but by faith. Again, the fruits are the results of being born again.)
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
We do not need gimmicks or laws; all we need is our active faith in Jesus. We do not finish our salvation by works. It is Jesus, who saved us according to our faith that keeps us secure and finishes our faith (causes it to grow into a mature faith).
James 1:21 Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (This verse states that we should repent of our lost condition, accept Christ through faith, and then the Word of God will be engrafted in our own soul and resurrect it into one soul with Christ.)
Hebrews 4:2, 6, 10 2Unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 6Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. 10He that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Those who are born again are entered into their rest; they have nothing else to do to attain eternal life. We accepted this new life by faith and God provided the saving grace. The lost would not believe (have faith in) this promise and have not received this saving grace.
Hebrews 3:18-19 and to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. [Again, their lack of faith kept them from entering into a rest (eternal security) from the penalty of the law (works)].
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. (We attain grace, righteousness, through faith.)
I Corinthians 1:21-23, 31 21After that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22The Jews require a sign, 23but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, 31that, according as it is written, he that glories, let him glory in the Lord. [It seems foolish to man that we only need faith to become a new creature in God, but God made it simple so all could be saved if they will only believe (have faith) in Christ.]
Romans 5:15, 17 15Not as the offence, so also is the free gift. If through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 17If by one man’s offence death reigns by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. All who receive this gift through faith are quickened by Christ and become one with him. The Word is received and is planted in the good ground of a receptive heart. It is received in faith and grows to maturity and bears much fruit.
Read Matthew, chapter 13 again. God plants his seed of righteousness. Satan comes along and plants his seed of self sufficiency in the same ground. Only one seed will mature. The ground will either let the tare grow to maturity or the seed of Christ grow to maturity.
If the person accepts the Seed of Christ and rejects the seed of Satan, he will receive the strength of the Spirit of God to guide him. The believer will then bask in the faith and study of God’s Words and God will till the ground and weed out the tares of the flesh.
“Ye cannot serve two masters, either you will hate the one and love the other, or love the one and hate the other”.
If the person does not accept the Word of God by faith, then the tares of Satan choke out any seed that was planted by God in the heart of that man. (Matthew, chapter 13, parable of the sower)
Father Time
