Basic Christianity by Jim Borchert, 8 of 12, Inner and Outer Sanctification
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Published 2022-11-22
1. Christians are saved by faith alone, but they are also, once saved, capable of willing and doing good works by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (Eph 2:8-9, Jas 1:18)
2. Christians do not do good works to be saved. (Gal 3:1-2)
3. But they do good works after they are saved. (Jas 1:24-25)
4. The reason that good works follow faith, and never precede it, is because we do not actually do, or will to do, the good works by ourselves (Jn 15:24, Heb 13:21, Jas 1:25)
5. He said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5)
6. Our good works cannot come from ourselves; they must come from our faith in him and by our relationship to him through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (2 Cor 3:18)
7. Paul said, “It is no longer I that live but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who is continually loving me and giving himself up on my behalf.” (Gal 2:20)
8. The only way we can produce good works is to be in close relationship with Jesus by faith and to be filled with his power to will and to do of his good pleasure by the Holy Spirit. (Phil 2:13)
9. Jesus said, The Father who dwelleth in me doeth the works.” (Jn 14:10)
10. It is the same with us as with him: we cannot do our own good works unless he is in us and his spirit is working through us. (Mt 10:24, Phil 2:13)
11. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27)
12. Any work that we produce apart from him will be a dead work. (Jn 15:5)
13. There are two basic kinds of dead works.
14. The first dead work is when we commit sinful acts of lawlessness, which is called licentiousness. (1 Tim 1:13)
15. The second dead work is when we commit hypocritical acts of works righteousness, which is called legalism. (Gal 3:5)
16. “Man at his best state is altogether vanity.” (Ps 39:5)
17. “All your righteousness is like a filthy rag.” (Isa 64:6)
18. God would rather we sin right out in the open so he could convict us for our wickedness and license. (1 Jn 1:6)
19. He hates it when we hide our sins behind self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and legalism, because then he cannot convict us for our wickedness and license. (1 Jn 1:9)
20. Jesus said, “So then because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:16)
21. Christians cannot produce good works until they are first born again by faith and filled with the Holy Spirit for power. (Acts 1:8)
22. “All our deeds must be wrought in God.” (Jn 3:21)
23. On the last day, Jesus will say to many that even though we were Christians, that is born again by faith, yet many of our works were not from God. (Mt 7:23)
24. “Now if any man build upon this foundation, whether gold, silver, precious stones, or wood, hay and stubble…it shall be tested by fire… if his work shall be burned he shall suffer loss, but if his work abides, he shall receive a reward. (1 Cor 3:9-15)
25. God has appointed a fire at the last day to judge our works, whether they be good or bad. (1 Pet 4:17, Rev 19:11-12)
26. Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only he who doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.” (Mt 7:21)
27. Indeed he tells us that, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And have we not cast out devils in thy name? And have we not done many mighty works in they name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you: Depart from me, you who working lawlessness.” (Mt 7:22-23)
28. Christians know what to do by God’s Word without and by his spirit within, and they want to do the will of God according to his pleasure, and they are able to do his good works by the Lord Jesus Christ who dwells within us by the Holy Spirit. (Ps 119:105-106)
29. Because of this, we will hear the Lord say to us on the last day, “Well done, good and faithful servant: Enter into the joy of your master.” (Mt 25:21)
30. “His commandments are not grievous.” (1 Jn 5:3)
31. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)
32. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also should love one another.” (Jn 13:34)
33. Our love to God and our love to one another are the good works that we can produce once we are born again and filled with his Spirit. (1 Jn 3:14)
34. We cannot keep his commandments unless he abides in us and we abide in him. (Jn 15:5)
35. That relationship in the spirit, of the new birth and the Holy Spirit baptism, is the secret to all our performance. (Jn 15:6)
36. Relationship precedes performance. (Jn 15:4)