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Recently the Canton Herald printed an article entitled "Just Grace" by Just Grace ministries. As a teacher of the Bible, I felt the article required a biblical response. May I say first that I believe wholeheartedly that we are saved by grace. "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"(Eph 2:8-9). We could not hope to make it to heaven on our own because our sin disqualifies us (Rom 3:23, 6:23). God's grace is the only hope we have of salvation; that is without dispute. However, we cannot hope to be saved by His grace if we are not fully obedient to Him (Heb 5:9). Jesus stated plainly, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven"(Matt 7:21). Who enters? "He who does the will of My Father". He scolded some, "But why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?"(Luke 6:46). To claim Jesus as Lord but not do what He says is hypocritical and displeasing to Him. Though God through His grace gives us the opportunity to be forgiven, Jesus plainly states that we must do His will to please Him! Someday we will all stand before Jesus Christ in judgment. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad"(2 Cor 5:10). We will be judged based on our deeds. In Matthew 25, Jesus bases this judgment on whether we helped and cared for needy people. "And they were judged, each one according to his works"(Rev 20:13). While Christians trust that the grace of the Lord will cover their sins, that does not mean how they live now is unimportant! How we live matters to Jesus! Perhaps the simplest refutation of this idea is 1 John 2:4: "He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him". Anyone who would claim to belong to Jesus Christ but refuse to do what He says is simply a liar. God has extended His hand to you in love by sending Jesus. Won't you accept His gift? Will you trust Him and do what He commands? "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned"(Mark 16:16). Won't you obey Him? ___Jacob Hudgins Church of Christ |