You are confused. You cannot distinguish between rewards and Salvation, they are not the same thing. The motive for DOING, is always because He LOVED US and because HE SAVED US; we obey as an act of LOVE, which is a way to love Him back. Thus HE gets all the GLORY. (REF:
http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/90372-faith-works-5.html My Post #95.)
Genuine Spirit Led Obedience is ALWAYS an act of LOVE,
not "I have to".
Mark 12:29-31 (HCSB)
[SUP]29 [/SUP]“This is the most important,” Jesus answered: Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One.
[SUP]30 [/SUP]Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
[SUP]31 [/SUP]“The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”
Galatians 5:14 (NASB)
[SUP]14 [/SUP]For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
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Mat. 7:21 = Those who genuinely are saved will have that loving desire to obey Him, and that desire will manifest itself in obedience that is an act of LOVE for Him.
Mat. 7:24 = Because we are saved the Holy Spirit produces in us the ability to hear with understanding, and our loving walk of obedience. The House built upon the ROCK, is symbolism for having been SAVED, thus no storm in life can wash it away.
Mat. 7:26 = He who does not have produced in him LOVE for God in the form of obedience, truly only has human intellect believism in his head, and NOT genuine FAITH sown in his Heart by the Holy Spirit. The kind of believism seed that was sown most certainly will be made manifest by what it produces.
Jn 3:20-21 = Genuine FAITH that the HOLY SPIRIT put in us, always loves the Light, while counterfeit Faith spawned out of Human Intellect, will leave that person hating the Light. The Light is willingness to walk in obedience because we LOVE GOD.
Again in verse 21 it states "his deeds may be made manifest" which clearly indicates that Genuine Faith and Counterfeit Faith are made manifest by WHAT THEY PRODUCE.
Jn 9:3 = This again is GOD comparing Genuine Faith to Counterfeit faith. Head knowledge of GOD never did SAVE, but Heart KNOWLEDGE OF HIM AS LORD, always has SAVED, and it is the validation that it was Genuine FAITH, which is literally produces in us by the Holy Spirit empowering the believer to DO WITH WILL OF GOD OUT OF LOVE. THUS, God only hears those He has saved, validated by their walk of obedience as an act of LOVE FOR GOD.
Eph 6:8 = This verse is not talking about Salvation at all, but rather it is talking about rewards for good works, and only those works done out of the pure motive "LOVE FOR GOD" will be rewarded. Salvation is NOT a reward, or that would make Salvation a wage or payment for what you had done. Salvation is PURELY a gift that comes from HIS GRACE. Grace is receiving what we have not earned and do not deserve.
James 4:17 = This theme of those who have genuinely BEEN SAVED, will produce fruit of Good Works from that seed of Faith that the Holy Spirit sowed in us, exists throughout the New Testament. Yes there are sins of Omission as well as sins of Comission, thus omitting to do good when you know you should do it, certainly is sin. However if that sin becomes a lifestyle of bearing that bad fruit, it VALIDATES, that you are only a counterfeit Christian that only knows about Jesus, instead of REALLY KNOWING HIM AS LORD.
1 Jn 2:17 = Oh YES, "he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" certainly is TRUTH, because HE has ALREADY given us eternal life, the moment HE saved us. {Jn. 3:36, 5:24, & 1 Jn. 5:11 ". . . has eternal life" } AND if that FAITH was GENUINE, it will produce and abundant harvest of "doing the will of GOD."
1 Jn 2:29 = YES, and the opposite is EQUALLY TRUE, every one who is born of HIM, doeth righteousness. TWO times in that verse it made reference to intimately KNOWING Him, and it is the KNOWING HIM in the heart that is SALVATION.
1 Jn 3:7, 10 = Once again we have GOD comparing GENUINE (heart knowledge) FAITH (SAVED) which produces a harvest of doing righteousness, to Counterfeit (head knowledge) Faith that fails to produce deeds of righteousness. By their fruit YE SHALL KNOW THEM.
3 Jn 1:11= Once again the Opposite is EQUALLY TRUE: Those who are of GOD will produce a harvest from that Salvation of doing good.
Lk 6:4 = That has been my point all along. There is no SALVATION apart from willing, loving submission to HIS LORDSHIP, but SALVATION takes place at the moment of that total surrender to HIM as LORD. Many think partial submission is good enough, and "I reserve the other part for myself". WRONG. Like the song says "ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER!" It is ALL or you have a Counterfeit Christianity.
1 Jn 1:6= Exactly what I have been saying, because of HIS bringing our human spirit to ETERNAL LIFE (SAVED ETERNALLY), the HOLY SPIRIT in us will bring forth a harvest from that seed of REAL FAITH, consisting of willing, loving obedience. If it doesn't, we have settled for something LESS than Genuine FAITH, and only know about HIM and truly DO NOT KNOW HIM AS LORD at all.
Rev 22:14= Those who ARE SAVED, have the right to the tree of life, and the evidence of that, is the continual harvest from that Salvation of our doing His Commandments as an act of LOVE FOR GOD.
1 Jn 3:22 = IF WE TRULY ARE SAVED, we will act in a manor that reflects that GOD is our Heavenly Father. In other words, our desires will be focused on our heavenly Father, thus we will not be asking ANY THING that is not according to HIS WILL. Once again the evidence that we TRULY already ARE CHILDREN OF GOD, lies in the fruit of that relationship with GOD. ". . . we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."
2 Pet 1:10 = We shall never fall because HE is the one holding on to us, and HE is doing His will through us. If you doubt me, you definitely need to read JUDE 1:24.
2 Th 3:4 = That is a no brainer to understand, ". . .we have confidence in the Lord touching you" which equals Genuine SALVATION and the boldness of FAITH it produces, which in turn produces,
"that ye both do and will do the things which we command you."
Gal 6:10 = Yes, SALVATION through GENUINE FAITH (KNOWING JESUS AS LORD IN YOUR HEART), will produce a Christ-like attitude in our hearts, that mirrors HIS attitude.
1 Cor 11:24 = Certainly, if one's FAITH is REAL and one truly was SAVED, the evidence will be obedience, but NOT obedience where the motive is "I HAVE TO", but rather REAL FAITH produces an "I WANT TO, BECAUSE I LOVE HIM" attitude. Do you need any other reason to belong to a local Church, than to lovingly obey,
"this do in remembrance of me."
1 Cor 10:31 = This literally is that attitude that HAVING BEEN SAVED produces in us. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye
do, do all to the glory of God."
Acts 16:30 I guess you did not read the next verse: "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?"
16:31 (HCSB) [SUP]
31 [/SUP]So they said,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Hence they were SAVED the very moment Genuine Faith was brought into their Hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9:5-6 (HCSB)
[SUP]
5 [/SUP]“Who are You, Lord?” he said.
“I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting,” He replied.
[SUP]
6 [/SUP]
“But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
So what part of Paul being called to the Ministry do you not understand? He was not giving Paul a list of things to do in order to be saved.
Jn 15:14 = Those who have been saved are friends of JESUS for sure, and the evidence of that Salvation being REAL is their obedience.
Jn 13:15,17 = Not only does Genuine Salvation produce in us a desire to keep HIS commandments, but also it produces in us happiness and joy when we do keep them.
Lk 10:27,28 "And he answering said,
Thou shalt love (which is the only motive for obedience that GOD respects) the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him,
Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Lk 8:21 "And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and
do it."
To hear the word of GOD with understanding and believing it in your heart, equates to being SAVED; which always produces a harvest of obedience if it was Genuine.