does doing good,bring GOD closer to you

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Dec 9, 2011
13,741
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#1
People help the homeless,volunteer,maybe give to those in need and so on.
will this help a christian be accepted,by God better than a heathen who steals
from someone in need?
 
K

krisbrian

Guest
#2
When we are in Christ, God sees us through Christ, which means he sees us as being blameless. Not because we are blameless but because we are made clean in Jesus's blood. If you are a heathen out and about stealing from the needy I doubt very seriously you are in Christ.
 

tribesman

Senior Member
Oct 13, 2011
4,612
274
83
#3
People help the homeless,volunteer,maybe give to those in need and so on.will this help a christian be accepted,by God better than a heathen who steals from someone in need?
A christian would not do good to hopefully become accepted by God. He would do it motivated by love, because he is "accepted in the beloved" (Eph.1:6).
 
F

feedm3

Guest
#4
People help the homeless,volunteer,maybe give to those in need and so on.
will this help a christian be accepted,by God better than a heathen who steals
from someone in need?
The Bible tells us to do good unto all men(Gal 6:10). As Christians we should let our lights shine before men, not for our own glory but "so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".

It is sin for those who know to do good, and do not(Jm 4:17).

While we should do good deeds when the opportunity arises, yet good deeds are not the standard in which God bases our acceptance by:

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.


The fact is, good deeds and "wonderful works" can only be pleasing to God when they are done "according to knowledge" - Rom 10:1-f.

Those mentioned in the above passages may have been doing good works, but somewhere along the line, they were not doing the "will of God". This made their good deeds ineffective in the sense of acceptance of God.

We know this because of what Christ said in the preceding verse, that introduced this warning:
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Yet if we do good deeds according to knowledge, we are glorifying God. The essential question every Christian should ask his/herself is , "am I doing the will of the Father?"

Even those who are zealous for God, does not mean they are accepted by Him. The Apostle Paul was persecuting he church because of his zeal for the law of Moses(God).
He said "he lived in all good conscience before this day" (he was refering to his days in error - Acts 23:1), yet he was not doing the will of the Father, and therefore was not accepted of God while he lived in this state (Acts 22:16). He was not accepted by God until he obeyed Christ.

Paul later writes of the "zealous" Jews along the same lines, showing good works, and zeal are not what saves us:

Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.


Paul he shows that though one may have a "zeal for God" (seen by doing good deeds etc.) if it is not according to righteousness, it is error.
So if we want to be zealous for God, and we do good deeds, and yet do not carry out the will of the Father while doing so, the good deeds count for nothing.

Salvation comes by the will of God, this is his righteousness revealed to us.
If we try to be saved by "good deeds" then we are trying to "establish our own righteousness", and therefore have not "submitted ourselves" to the righteousness of God.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mar 11, 2009
463
2
0
#5
People help the homeless,volunteer,maybe give to those in need and so on.
will this help a christian be accepted,by God better than a heathen who steals
from someone in need?
30

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31


When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32

And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33

And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36

Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38

When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:43

I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Hear and understand
 
B

bugboy

Guest
#6
all christians give god the glory through jesus, but it will always feel good to do good and it can even help your selfasteem nobody total and fully can give god all the glory....i believe
 
Dec 19, 2009
27,513
128
0
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#7
People help the homeless,volunteer,maybe give to those in need and so on.
will this help a christian be accepted,by God better than a heathen who steals
from someone in need?
The Lord is pleased when we treat others as we’d have them treat us.
 

tribesman

Senior Member
Oct 13, 2011
4,612
274
83
#8
Doing good is - good. But it don't take away your sin or conquer death.
 
E

enochson

Guest
#9
what good are you talking about? Jesus said there was only one good the Father in heaven. siince he is good how can one get any closer to the good gifts that christ has given james 1;17
 
F

feedm3

Guest
#10
Here we have another death blow to all your false views.

Here is a letter written to Christians:

Gal 1:2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: - No doubt here they were Christians, they were part of the Lord's church.

Here was their problem, false teachers had persuaded them to believe false doctrine (trying to bind the Law of Moses upon the Christians).

Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: -
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
- False teachers

1. How could they be removed from "him" that called you, if He will not cast you out???????
This shows you can cast your self out.....but wait....there's more:


Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.


1. "entangled again" hmmmmm sounds like the Christians were being warned of being brought back to Law of Moses would be leaving Christ as stated above in Gal 1:6--------"they would be removed from Him"

Here is the consequence of them not listening to Paul's warnings and continuing in the the false doctrine the false teachers taught them:
Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.


How can Christ become "no effect to them??"

Answer: Going back to the Law of Moses is Sin, They were warned if they ignored the warning they would be sinning willfully:
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

This is how Christ becomes no effect to you, the effect of His sacrifice no longer effects YOU.

This would mean the Galatians would have "fallen from grace", How can we fall from grace:
Answer": 2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

The word "vain" - Empty, useless, of NO EFFECT.

Can the Galatians still be saved if:
1. They were removed from Him that called them?
2. Christ had become of no effect to them?
3. if they were "fallen from grace".

This defeats and PROVES all of you that hold to this false view WRONG.

I know instead of being honest with God's word, you will try to find a way around what it says, maybe "they were never saved" or as grandpa likes to say, "it still does not explicitly say they were not saved" and ignore the message.

Whatever you method you all choose to try and water down the word of God - Remember as you are typing your words - You are doing no different than what the false teachers were doing to the Gal Christians, and the only reason for you not to accept what is stated is pride, and remember God knows your hearts.
 
W

Warrior_4_Christ

Guest
#11
ok in a way doing good does bring you closer to god buuuuttt it is known as self righteous acts. so yes a good deed may bring you closer to god just remember its not your golden ticket into heaven, you still need to live a righteous life according to His word. allow him to guide you in all you do and allow him to reign throughout your whole life instead of certain parts of your life because you're either be moving away from him or moving towards him.
 
F

feedm3

Guest
#12
Lol the above post is on wrong thread, that one is for "once saved always saved" I guess I cannot walk and chew bubble gum.
 
A

AnandaHya

Guest
#13
People help the homeless,volunteer,maybe give to those in need and so on.
will this help a christian be accepted,by God better than a heathen who steals
from someone in need?

nothing we do makes us accepted by God. that is done through the propiation of Christ righteousness and the remission of sins through His shed blood on the cross.

besides it is not God that needs to move closer to us but We need to heed the upward calling and move closer to God.

Don't you know God Lives INSIDE the heart of a born again believer?

Acts 17
, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
 
L

LANCY

Guest
#15
Faith gets you closer to God not deeds. You cannot buy your way into heaven. If you are close to God, you will do good things or at least want to do good things.