Saved by Works or Delivered Because of Good Fruit??
Saved by Works; or Delivered,
Because of Obedient Submission to the Divine Influence
of the Spirit of Jesus Christ??
In my time with the Lord this morning a verse was brought to my attention which I was to share here.
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work."
John 4:34
What do you feed on spiritually?
John is the author in the Bible that, for me, really shares the heart of Jesus, as the Son of God, and the reason, as well as the way, to know a new life and deliverance from the old life of selfishness and evil, completely.
The illustration or the vine in John 15 really demonstrates the plan of deliverance. The Father is the gardener and Jesus is the vine. Believers or followers are the branches that are being removed from the evil, diseased vine and grafted into the true vine, Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One.
When a graft takes place the grafted branch becomes one with the vine, Jesus Christ, the fruit of that branch should begin to change. In order for the graft to be good and take, the sap must freely flow from the vine through the graft and into the branch. The branch will immediately be able to put on new growth, because of the true vine. New leaves, flowers and eventually sweet fruit will be the result of a successful graft.
How does one know the difference between a branch that is part of the old diseased vine and a branch that is from the vine Jesus Christ? It is only by the fruit that is continually being produced; it's appearance, as well as how it tastes when it is crushed.
I believe that the sap represents the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Christ, even as the oil, in the parable of the 10 virgins represents the Holy Spirit. It is the fruit of the oil that makes it worth any value; the oil must burn to produce light. The wick must be trimmed, the oil must be of sufficient supply and quality, to flow up the wick, and it must be set on fire.
The resulting light from the burning oil is the most important value or worth. The vessel, lamp, only holds the wick and oil. The value of the light produced is according to the oil and the wick functioning properly.
Our body is the lamp or the branch. Our spirit lives within the shell of clay. Our spirit controls the sap or the oil that is allowed to become part of and influence that which produces the fruit or light.
We, our individual spirits, invite, by submitting to and obeying, the influence of the spirits that we place ourselves under, either good spirits or evil spirits. It will be the good vine's sap or the evil vine's sap that will then produce good fruit or evil fruit.
The demoniac allowed 1,000 evil spirits to live with his spirit, in his house of clay, his body.
Jesus invited the Spirit of the Father to dwell with him in his shell of clay, because of the burning desire of His Spirit to submit to and do the will of the Father's Spirit.
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work. John 4:34 NET Bible
Jesus was able, because of what He did, to become the true vine for all that would allow themselves to be grafted into Jesus. Being grafted into Jesus enables us to produce good fruit of the Father's Will.
"For I have given you an example – you should do just as I have done for you." John 13:15
"And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure." 1 John 3:3
I can not of myself, my spirit, produce good fruit of any true value. Really valuable good fruit MUST come from the sap of the true vine, Jesus Christ or the Holy oil of the Holy Spirit.
It is very sad to read some of the comments that are currently happening in the Deeper Life Forum entitled; “Where Does the Holy Spirit Reside?”
The original statement and question was, "Someone suggests that the Holy Spirit "resides" in the gut. What do you think?"
I would like to challenge that statement with another question.
Consider, what was more important, regarding the Holy Spirit, to Moses, Sampson, King Saul, King David, the 10 Virgins, or those that Jesus spoke of who did super-natural works in His Name, calling Him Lord, Lord without a relationship; the spirit's location or the spirit's operation?
Was it the physical location of the Holy Spirit in their bodies of clay or was it the ability of the life to produce the fruit or light from the influence of the Holy Spirit resulting in a truly obedient, to the Holy Spirit, Christ-like life?
Most of the participants, in that thread of discussion, appear to believe that the Holy Spirit is something that you get and can never lose.
Some may see the lack of importance of the physical location of the Spirit in the body, but have missed the importance of spiritual maintenance, in order to produce more and better fruit, so they are not cut off and burned.
Sadly they do not consider King Saul who was given a new heart and the Holy Spirit. He had the Holy Spirit taken from him because of disobedience. The 10 virgins also, 5 of them were called foolish because they did not maintain a supply of the oil of the Holy Spirit needed to produce Light during extended darkness. The bridegroom said that he did not know them when they came back with a new supply of oil.
It seems as though the eyes of understanding are blinded to truth as the discussion evaluated the current evil that is filling the news. Their words would indicate that they consider it a possibility for a Christian to be part of a mob, even though mob participation would not be the fruit or actions of Christ.
They do know that hate comes from Satan.
Why can they not see that it is by the words and actions that the fruit of the individual life is demonstrated? Fruit is a result of the choices that are made, and the influences that are submitted to. Jesus said that by their fruits you would know them. Bad fruit, bad tree!
Grace that delivers us is not just the kindness of God that will changes people's lives who have no desire to be changed.
John the Baptist and Jesus required repentance in the messages they preached. To receive God's grace or kindness an individual must make right chooses. They must repent and want to be full of the divine influences that will change the life and produces good fruit.
Do not withhold good from those who need it, when you have the ability to help. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go! Return tomorrow and I will give it,” when you have it with you at the time. Proverbs 3:27-28 (NET)
Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is holy (chaste, pure). But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians], you have no need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another. And indeed you already are [extending and displaying your love] to all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we beseech and earnestly exhort you, brethren, that you excel [in this matter] more and more, To make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you,
So that you may bear yourselves becomingly and be correct and honorable and command the respect of the outside world, being dependent on nobody [self-supporting] and having need of nothing. 1 Thessalonians 4:8-12 (AMP)
Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]. Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. Ephesians 4:27-28 (AMP)
"When Martin Luther broke away from the Church in 1517, he defied the authority of the Pope and the Church. He went off on his own, not only in the matter of indulgences, but also in some very basic concepts of Church teaching.
For example, he began to believe that he could not overcome concupiscence (man’s inclination to evil). In fact he called these appetites and desires “invincible concupiscence,” that is, they cannot be conquered, so therefore, give in to them and don’t worry about them, for we are saved not by “good works,” but by “faith alone.” He based his beliefs and teaching on St. Paul’s epistles, especially the Epistle to the Romans.
Yes, Paul does say that we are saved by faith and not by works. But Paul did not mean by this that we should therefore be free to sin, as Luther said “sin bravely,” and belief alone will bring salvation. Yes, grace is a totally free gift by which we are saved. But in chapter 6 of Romans, Paul clearly states that this does not mean we can sin. He wrote:
“What then shall we say? Shall we persist in sin so that grace may abound? Of course not! How can we who died to sin yet live in it?. . . Consequently you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”"
1 John 5:2-4 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:..."
https://thewandererp...thers-thinking/
Are you an over-comer or are you overcome by sin, not knowing the deliverance given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?