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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I believe it’s so very, very important. Faith without words is dead. Faith without works is dead. The Bible says so. There is a verse in the Bible, and I want you to see this verse Revelation chapter 22. If you’ll take your Bible, turn to Revelation chapter 22. Revelation chapter 22 and turn to verse 12. Revelation 22 and verse 12, where it makes a statement, and behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.

Salvation is free. Rewards are earned. Always keep the difference. Understand that. Not only do I want you to be able to answer someone who always asks the question, Yes, but don’t you know that faith without works is dead? You need to understand it, lest you wind up doubting what the Word of God says. When people have questions and doubts about the truth of the gospel, if you cannot answer them, their questions and doubts may become yours. you live the way you really believe.

Therefore, because I believe that the Lord will come quickly, and His reward will be with Him to give to every man according to his work shall be. There’s two ways of looking at that one verse. One, God is going to reward you when you get to heaven for the work you have done. But the work you have done and the rewards you receive is for the work you are going to do, as the work shall be. You see, there is a time coming in the future when this life is all over.

What you do now is going to affect all eternity. So your future is being determined by your obedience to God today. Salvation, yes, is free, but rewards are earned. They’re two different things. Christ paid the price for our salvation to save us from hell and get us to heaven. But what you have when you get to heaven, rewards, those are earned. They’re the result of what you did for the Lord. You can trust Christ’s Savior and accept the free gift and never do any works whatsoever.

There’s no stipulation. Grace did not incur a debt. So take your Bible and turn to the book of James in chapter 2, the book of James and chapter 2, because it is so important that you understand the value of serving the Lord. If you see the real value in it, you will do it. You will do what you really believe if you don’t see any value in serving the Lord. You won’t. So in James chapter 2, it says in verse 14, what does that profit my brethren, though a man say he hath faith and have not works?

Can faith save him? Now it appears according to this verse that the answer is supposed to be, and truth is, it cannot. Can faith save him? No. But we’re not talking here about salvation. We’re talking about service. We’re talking about to the believer and about profit in the believer’s life. So if you look there at the first statement, how would you answer a man who says, but don’t you know that the Bible says you’re justified by works? Not by faith only?

Question is, does the Bible say that? Yes, it does say that. The Bible says that you are justified by works and not by faith alone. It also makes this statement in verse 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered his son Isaac upon the altar. Well, does not Abraham, our Father, justified by works. So is there a contradiction in the Bible? No, there’s no contradiction. It just means that there’s two opposing statements that apply to two different things.

You know the Bible cannot contradict itself. It has to perfectly dovetail. So whenever it says something that seems to say and seems to contradict, it means that you don’t understand something. The Word of God is clear. The Word of God is perfect. The Word of God is pure. Look at the statement that I have there. Yes, he was and no, he wasn’t. Was Abraham justified by faith? Without works. Yes. Well, Zabraham justified by works. Yes. Yes. And no. So he’s talking about something that I want you to say because it’s so important.

Take your Bible in turn to the book of Romans, chapter 4, the book of Romans and chapter 4. You would be surprised that the people you talk to will always seem to insist upon the idea that a man has to live a certain way to be justified by God in order to go to heaven. He has to perform good works. Some people put it this way, you’re saved by grace, but if you really say you will live accordingly. That’s not in the Bible either.

That is not a true statement of that in the Bible. Can I trust Christ as my Savior and accept the free gift of eternal life and not do anything for the Lord? Yes, of course. Otherwise it wasn’t free. It was contingent upon you performing. Now, either it’s free or it’s not. See, the Bible graces the absence of work. Now here in the book of Romans, and I want you to see this in chapter 4, look in verse 2, for if Abraham were justified by works, if he was, he hath wear up to glory, but not before God.

If he was justified by his works, then he couldn’t boast that he was saved by grace, because he would be saved by his works. what he says. If Abraham were justified by words he hath wear of the glory not before God. In verse 3, for what saith the scripture, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. So according to this, Abraham was not justified by his works. Abraham was justified by faith without works. So he says in verse 4, now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt.

So it means that God would be in debt to save him. But isn’t believing a work? Verse five, but to him that work if not, but believe it on him that justifyeth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Here, it’s faith without works. over in James its faith and works. Is that a contradiction in the Bible? No. So was Abraham justified by faith, alone without works? Yes. Well, is Abraham justified by his works? Yes. But one is for salvation and one is for service.

Two different things. So if you keep that in mind, you won’t have trouble with the Scriptures. But if you try to put works and grace together and try to make it It will not mix. There’s nothing but confusion. That’s why you cannot rest or trust in your good deeds to get you to heaven or to prove that you’re saved. I’m going to heaven totally upon the work, the merit of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died, He paid my sin debt in full.

There’s nothing left for me to pay. Nothing before, during, after, nothing for me to pay. He paid it all, paid my way. I go to heaven, it’s a gift, free, grace without words. So I am justified before God by my faith in what Christ did. When you talk about service, it’s a different thing altogether. Look at the statement that I have here. I just want to read it to you, but I want you to get it. Yes he was and no he wasn’t.

You see Romans 4-2 says, for if Abraham were justified by worship, he had to wear off the glory, but not before God. Abraham was not justified by works before God for salvation. How was he justified? Declared righteous? For what, say if the scripture, Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness? Good works would not take away his sin and make him righteous. Abraham received Christ’s righteousness when he believed. He was justified, declared righteous when he believed.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt. For if we could earn God’s righteousness, then he would be in debt to us. He would owe it to us because we would deserve it. Abraham could glory, he could brag, if works before God justified him. Isn’t that simple? You’ll always remember it. So when somebody tries to tell you a bit, what about James chapter 2? You can say yes, James chapter 2 is talking about the Christian who has already saved and about him serving the Lord.

It’s not talking about how to go to heaven and about being justified by faith alone. Because you cannot deny that the Bible says you are justified by faith and faith alone without works. Two of our favorite verses, mine and hangs, was for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of Works lest any man should boast. So if it is by grace through faith alone without works, you’ll have to admit that if a man is saved by his works, then Ephesians 2, 8, and 9 can’t mean what it says.

If a man can be justified by his works by how he lives, earning it, deserving it, then here in Romans 4 can’t mean that. But what can it mean? What hath Abraham found? That salvation was by grace and grace alone. That a man cannot earn it nor work for it. There is a little square box that I want you to see there. Can a person earn God’s righteousness by working for it? But do him that worketh not, worketh not, but believe it.

So believing on Christ is not a work.” He said, he that work if not, but believe it. So believing on Christ is not a work of the flesh. It’s not a work of man. It’s simply you believing that work that he did was for you, and that he paid it in full. Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, under whom God imputed righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.”

Romans 4, 5 and 2, 7. God gives His righteousness only to those who do not work for it, but instead put their faith in Christ. Romans 4 speaks of sins being forgiven and being given. God’s righteousness by faith, that is salvation. When they taught about forgiveness of sins, sins can only be forgiven because they’ve been paid. If no one paid for sin. Nobody could be forgiven for their sins. And that’s why Christ died, paid for sin, so that God says, now you can go and preach the forgiveness of sin.

People can be forgiven as though you never did it. And if I’m forgiven, that means I have no sin to pay for. He paid for mine. Boy, I wish that a lot of preachers could simply understand what Christ actually did on the cross. In the other little square box, I have Abraham was justified by faith alone for salvation. Abraham was justified by faith and works for service, because service has to do with our work for the Lord, but for people.

And then I have to, I’ll never forget this, faith alone, salvation, faith and works service. So now let’s say you have trusted Christ as your Savior. You know you’re going to heaven when you die and you can’t earn it, you can’t work for it. You didn’t have to do anything to get it. There’s nothing you can do to lose it. So why should I serve Him? I’ve had people say, you mean to tell me if I believe what you’re saying, I can trust Christ as my Savior and live like I please and still go to heaven when I die.

Yeah, light ray Stanford said one time that’s a crude way to put it. Yes, God loves you that much. Well, it seems like that’s just giving you a license to sin, permitting me to sin. Maybe it does. But it also permits me to choose to serve him. I chose as a child of God. I want to honor my father. I want to serve the Lord. So I don’t serve the Lord to get to heaven. I serve a Lord because I’m going there.

I serve a Lord to God. I go to church because I want to. I don’t have to come to church. I give because I want to. I don’t have to do that. I support missions. I don’t have to do that because I want to. I tell people how to go to heaven Frie I don’t have to do that because I want to. This is a lot of difference in what you have to do and what you want to do.

God wants us as His children to yield. He doesn’t\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ you. Hemorse us to love them, but Heiewe. He wants you to serve them, but952 doesn’t make you serve them. That’s the choice. Look down at the bottom of that page. Was not Abraham our Father justified by works? When he offered Isaac his son upon the altar. James 2, 21 says that. You see, if you go back there to theetary book of James, you will find some statements made that seem like a contradiction, and yet it’s not a contradiction.

So in these verses, yes, it does teach that a man is justified by his works. But what kind of man are we talking about? Look there in the book of James and look in verse 1. a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad greetings. My brethren, my brethren, these are to the believers, my brethren. He also says in chapter 2 and verse 1, my brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ Lord of glory with respect of person.

He’s talking to those that believe. He says in verse 22 of chapter one, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only. He’s talking to believers about what they ought to do. And he says that if you and I would, we would be blessed. He talks about in verse 12, blessed is the man that in duere of temptation, for when he has tried he shall receive the crown of life rewards. This is to the believer who has troubles and trials and so forth, but he is to endure those things and serve the Lord and do it faithfully.

And if he lacks wisdom, God says, let him ask of God and he will give to all men liberally and upgrade if not, he will not chide you, he will not mock you, he will not make fun of you. But he says an unstable man is unstable in all his ways, but he’s talking to the Christian. See, you may know Christ is your savior and you’re going to heaven when you die, but you may be very unstable in your thinking.

You may be a fence straddler. You may be an unstable individual, as he says here, a double-minded man. A man that knows the Lord but won’t serve the Lord. You know what you should do, but you just don’t do it. So he says in verse seven of chapter one, for let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. So we’re not talking about salvation. We’re talking about him serving the Lord and what he can reap as a result of his obedience to the Lord.

And so then he talks about all the things that God wants to do in verse 12. He’s talking about he will receive a reward if he endures temptations. This is not how to get to heaven. you go through and you look at this looking verse 25. He says, but who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty, which is the word of God, continue if therein. He be in not a forgetful here, but a door of the work. This man shall be blessed in his deed.

He didn’t say this man shall be saved, and he’ll do heaven when he dies. This man will be blessed. You see, in this life, we want the blessings of God. And when we get to heaven, we want the rewards that God says, I will give to those who serve me. Now, you may trust Christ as your Savior and accept that free gift of eternal life. That gets you to heaven. And He’ll never cast you out and never lose you.

It’s a done to you. But we’re not there yet. And it’s not all over. God allows every one of us to have trials and tribulations in this life. But he says, if you’ll serve me and you’ll lean on me and trust me, I’ll bring you through or whatever it may be, you just keep loving the Lord. And God said, I’ll bless you and I’ll reward you. So it’s up to you, it’s up to me. See God doesn’t make us serve Him.

He may make you wish you had. He can’t cause you to be sick and weak and many are dead because of their rebellion to the Lord. In other words, yes, we’re all going to die, but some have just hastened the process because of their rebellion. See you and I as a child of God, we cannot live as we please and get away with it. There’s a price to pay. because we are His children and He is our Father, our Father, will chasten His children.

And He says, He chastens every son whom He receives it. So not one of God’s children can live as a place and get away with it. Price to pay. So now, if it’s true, what should a child of God do? Serve the Lord or not serve the Lord? serving the Lord makes more sense to me. So for 52 years after I trust the Lord, I’m going to serve the Lord. My dad used to beat the tar to me every time I turned around.

I don’t need no more of those. I don’t need any more of those. You didn’t know I knew perfect English did you? I may know right and I can read right and I can write right but I can’t talk right. But anyway here in the book of James it It talks about you and I as a child of God, serving the Lord. And I want you to see this. So verse 12 of chapter two, so speaky and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

The law of liberty is the word of God, as it mentions over there in verse 25 of chapter 1. So you and I as a child of God cannot live as we please and get away with it. There is going to be the chasting hand of God upon us. So in verse 13 he says, for he shall have judgment without mercy, that have showed no mercy and mercy rejoices against judgment. What debt that profit my brethren? So we’re talking about the brethren, those who know the Lord and we’re talking about profit and loss in his life.

You go back to your notes. I wanna read this to you. Down at the bottom of the page, where it has yes, Abraham was justified by works, but not for salvation. Romans 4 is talking about salvation. James 2 is talking about service. James 2, one, we just read, my brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory with respect, a person. James 2 is talking to believers, the brethren. verses 12 and 13 says, so speaky and so doeth as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty, for he shall have judgment without mercy.

And then in the bowl there, yes, every believer shall be judged, not for salvation, but for the rewards. See, God is gonna reward you when you get to heaven. And he’s gonna reward you based upon your works. So for you just to say, well, I got faith in God. Yeah, but you didn’t go to church. I got faith in God, but you didn’t trust Him. I’ve got faith in God. Okay, you’ve got faith in God. Nobody can see your faith.

One thing they can see is what you do because of your faith. If I tell people, I love the Lord, but then I live like the devil, what would you believe? You would not believe me and I would not be justified because my works or my life doesn’t back up what I say. You see, you ever heard parents say, you do what I say, not as I do. You hip a crit. live the way you want your children to live.

Because I’m supposed to be an example to my children. I’ve tried to discipline my life because I want to be a blessing here and I want to be rewarded when I get to heaven. Whatever those rewards are, God says it must be worth it. If he makes the statement, I have not seen, ear have not heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit, you need the Spirit, search of all things, you need the deep things of God.

But what man know of the things of another man, except the spirit of man which is within him? And how can you know the things of God unless the spirit of God dwell in you and teach you? And then you can know the things that are given to you of God, but the natural man cannot discern the things of God because they’re spiritually discerned or understood. And he doesn’t have the Holy Spirit, but you and I do. There’s things that we can know and it ought to make a difference in our life.

If it makes a difference in your life here, it’ll make a difference in eternity. God says so. The problem is, can you believe him? Can you trust him? Enough that you will turn your life over and surrender your life to the Lord. Not to get to heaven, but because you’re going to heaven. Look up here at the top of that page, your own page two. He will be judged for what he has said and done. For we must all appear before the judgments of Christ that everyone may receive the things done his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Second Corinthians 5 and 10. If any man’s work abide which he hath built there on, he shall receive a reward. James too is speaking to believers about what they say and do with their life now that he is saved. So that’s why whenever we look at that verse and he made the statement down there in verse 12 of chapter 2, so speaky and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. You and I are going to be judged one day for what we’ve said and what we’ve done.

Can you live as your place, share? Can you get away with it? No. You have children? Can your children do like they please? Yes they can. Can they get away with it? Shouldn’t. But because you love them, you may want to discipline just a tad. Maybe a whole bunch. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man.

Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the Gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man. Mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. God up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day.

Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.