Titus 3:4-8 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Does this mean that the faith they speak of is of the mind only, or does our faith have to include acting out our faith?
Scripture does not answer this question directly, but James tells us faith without works is dead and Christ tells us that being a Christian is not a matter of only how we think but includes what we do.
"Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."(NASB) Matt. 7:21
“by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”
“
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
John 6:63 KJV
“And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.( 1john 5:20)
I have glorified thee on the earth:
I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and
they have kept thy word.
For
I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
John 17:3-6, 8, 14, 17 KJV
“Now
ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
John 15:3-4,
the gospel is revealed to us step by step of we begin to accept and believe the thkngs jesus the lord of all heaven and earth , taught it’s going to be a progressive thing that won’t condemn us but will lead us into maturity and when maturity comes we’re going to be the result of this just by hearing and believing his word that’s certain forever
“For
the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that
he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
Titus 2:11-14 KJV
we just believe the gospel and we become new people by the word we receive because it’s truly Gods word pure from his own mouth no mediator just God speaking to man life into them
it’s not about what we do or can achieve it’s about what we’re willing to believe and that creates new minds and hearts which leads to new ways and actions all sources in our belief he doesn’t demand we do anything he calls us to learn from him and that’s the power to bring works that are not works we “ have to do to be saved “ but it becomes good works being an expression of the new heart created by believing the gospel
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3 KJV
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
1 Peter 1:23, 25 KJV
the gospel of the kingdom is of God and is living and active within a believer to create this praise made of grave learning about repentance and right living from the gospel we grow into maturity through belief and then doing good is just expressing Christ within us and no longer is a labor but rather a joy
this is all we need to do and trust he will accomplish what he promises
“Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
John 5:24 KJV
that’s all we have to do and if we reject that one thing it’s the only thing that can condemn us
“
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
For I have not spoken of myself; but
the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”
John 12:48-50 KJV