AMAZING GRACE
GRACE FOR GOOD WORKS
"This is a faithful saying, and these things I want
you to affirm constantly, that the ones having believed in
God should be careful to maintain GOOD WORKS. These things
are good and profitable to men," Tim 3:8.
Which kind of works are "GOOD WORKS?" Are they
man's works or God's works? If they are God's works God
will accept them, but if they were man's works they would
be flesh works and God will in no wise accept them.
If they were man's works which are flesh works and
therefore works which God will NOT accept, the Scriptures
would not call them "GOOD WORKS" but BAD WORKS, and would
therefore NOT urge us to affirm constantly that we should
be careful to maintain such works?
Read the following scriptures and observe how
highly commended these GOOD WORKS are: Mt 5:16; 26:10; Mk
14:6; Rom 13:3; II Cor 9:8; Eph 2:10; Phil 1:6; Col 1:10;
I Tim 2:10; 3:1; 5:10; 5:25; 6:18; II Tim 2:21; 3:17;
Titus 1:16; 2:7,14; 3:1,8,14; Heb 10:24; 13:2; I Pet
2:12.
Since God is not pleased for us to walk in the
flesh and perform flesh works (Gal 5:16-26), these GOOD
WORKS are clearly God's works which are worked in us by
the Holy Spirit, Phil 2:12-13.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand that
we should WALK in them," Eph 2:10.
There is only "ONE BODY,"
and that "ONE BODY" is the physical
body of Christ together with the church which is
metaphorically called the physical body of Christ, I Cor
12. When we refer to the church as the body of Christ, we
are using a metaphor, a figure of speech, since the church
is not really the body of Christ.
Four times the church is specifically called the
body of Christ in Col 1:18,24; Eph 1:22-23; 5:29-32, and
four more times in the analogy given in Eph 5:22-33.
Since there is only "ONE BODY," (Eph 4:4) it is
obvious when such expressions as "one body," "the body of
Christ," "His body," etc., are used metaphorically, the
expressions are referring to the church as the physical
body of Christ, Ro 12:5-6.
The expressions, "in Christ," "in Christ Jesus,"
"in Him," "in whom," etc., likewise refer to the church as
the body of Christ.
Baptism is metaphorically God's appointed entrance,
access, or door into the body of Christ (I Cor 12:13; Gal
3:27), therefore baptism is God's appointed entrance,
access, or door into Christ. This is so because the church
is also metaphorically called Christ as well as being
called the body of Christ, Rom 6:3-6; I Cor 6:15-17; 12:12
(12-27); Gal 3:27; Rom 13:14; Eph 4:15-16; Col 2:11-17,19;
Acts 9:4-5; 22:7-8; 26:14-15.
Be sure to read and study these passages over and
over to see how intimately God has joined the church to
Christ, so that Christ, the church, and everyone in the
church are addressed as "one body," "one flesh," one
entity, as one person.
As Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus said,
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me.....I am Jesus whom
you are persecuting," Acts 9:4-5; 22:7-8;
26:14-15.
The bread in the Lord's Supper also represents the
church both as Christ AND as the flesh body of Christ.
Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, brake it, and told the
church to eat it for it represented His flesh body from
which His blood flowed, Mt 26:26; I Cor 11:24.
Then Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in the
generic sense, as he often did, saying: "For we, being
many (many members in one church), are one bread, even one
body (one flesh body of Christ); for we all partake of
that one bread" (the flesh body of Christ), I Cor
10:18. Here the bread represents the local church as the
flesh body of Christ.
The bread in the Lord's Supper represents the flesh
body of Christ, while the fruit of the vine represents the
blood that flowed from the flesh body of Christ.
The body of Christ is now glorified, and the
glorified body is neither male or female, (Gal 3:28; Lk
20:34-36. The church is metaphorically called "the body of
Christ," and as such our bodies are reckoned to be
(metaphorically referred to as) glorified members of the
glorified body of Christ (I Cor 5:7; Rom 6:4; 7:6; Eph
4:24; Col 3:10; et al), which is neither male or female,
Gal 3:28; Lk 20:34-36.
The church is called the bride of Christ, which
means the church is called "one body" and "one flesh" with
Christ, Eph 5:22-33; I Cor 6:15-17.
Since we are no longer to know Christ after the
flesh man but after the new man (II Cor 5:16-17), the
church is, therefore, to be considered the glorified body
of Christ, and the members of the church as glorified
members of the glorified Christ. This is a large,
scripture filled, and beautiful subject.
In baptism we symbolically "PUT ON CHRIST"
(Ga 3:27), as we put on clothing or a uniform. This means
that in baptism we dress ourselves up "in Christ."
Our body is called a "house," a "building," and "clothing"
that we put on over our spirit -- "we are at home (in our
own house) in the body," II Co 5:1-9.
The church is metaphorically called the physical
(but glorified) body of Christ, and the members of the
church are therefore also metaphorically called the
members of the glorified flesh body of Christ, I Cor
12:12-27; 10:17; Rom 12:4-5; Eph 1:22-23; 4:15-16;
5:28-32; Col 1:18,24; 2:9-19.
God has thus joined the church to Christ in a union
that is designed to exemplify the epitome, the zenith, the
acme, the ultimate of oneness with Christ. In this same
act God joined the members of the church to Christ in a
union that is the ultimate of oneness with Christ.
Being thus joined to Christ, the covenant people
are (will be) joined to the Father in a union or oneness
so exceedingly wonderful it transcends human comprehension
-- as the love of Christ (of God) "passeth
knowledge," Eph 3:19.
We can know the love of God and of Christ, but we
cannot exhaust the knowledge and experience of that love.
God's love is infinite. An endless eternity will forever
experience a fresh and increasing flow of its beauty,
energy, and the enriching efficacy of its quality, Eph
3:19.
We are created "in Christ Jesus unto GOOD
WORKS," Ep 2:10. Since whatever is NOT of faith is sin
(Ro 14:23), then whatever IS of faith is good. GOOD WORKS
are "God's works" which are "grace works." Faith
works, grace works, the Holy Spirit's works, and God's
works are all GOOD WORKS. These are all one and the same
good works.
Conversely, man's works, our works, flesh works,
Law works, and dead works are also one and the same and
are all unacceptable to God.
We are created IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS that
we should WALK IN THEM. However, we cannot WALK in good
works OUTSIDE the body of Christ, Lk 7:29-30; Col 2:11-12;
I Jno 1:5-7. Furthermore, we cannot walk in good works
BEFORE baptism, for there are no good works placed BEFORE
baptism for us to WALK IN.
God Himself ordained that scriptural water baptism
bring us into the body of Christ, therefore into Christ,
Rom 6:3-6; I Cor 12:12-13-27; Gal 3:27-29; Col 2:9-17.
Remember, baptism is BY FAITH, and is therefore BY GRACE
THROUGH FAITH.
A later study will cover the "in Christ" and
"body of Christ" subjects. These subjects are
extremely important, especially since the traditional
teaching about them leads swiftly into the universal
invisible church theory and its practices.
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