Sketo
Well-known member
What is work...
work
NOUN
works (plural noun)
works (third person present)
Fill in the blank with one of the following:
1) Gods own doing = gift
2) Mans own doing = work
For by grace you have been saved through _____.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
Perceiving Christ Crucified as faith worthy is a gift of God in the same way a blind man seeing a sunset as beautiful is a gift of the Doctor who fixed his eyes!
The reason anyone is in heaven is because they discern Christ Crucified as faith worthy... but discerning Christ as faith worthy is the gift of God! If God justly leaves you in your natural, spiritually dead, state you can, and will, only discern Christ as foolishness and willingly reject him as such!... But if God Graciously chose to bring you out of your spiritual dead state, by regenerating your dead spirit, then you will discern Christ as something other than foolishness! You will discern Christ as faith worthy and willingly receive him as such!
This is how the Bible describes faith as a Gracious gift of God.
Your decision directly depends on your discernment! How you perceive determines how you willingly respond to every decision! If you perceive Christ as faith worthy you will receive him as such and act accordingly! If you perceive Christ as foolishness you will reject him as such and act accordingly!
Verses that show God working faith in us...
but we preach Christ crucified (gospel), a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called (regenerated), both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
“to those who are called” are those who have been called out of there natural, spiritual dead, state into spiritual life and this causes the difference in the discernment of Christ crucified! The “call” produces “faith”!
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus (how?), who (by regeneration) became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, - 1 Corinthians 1:30
“Because of him”... “Christ Jesus”... “became to us” = By the Gracious gift of faith
Paul understood this faith was a gift of God,and not a work of Paul’s own doing, and that’s why he correctly proclaimed...
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. - 1 Corinthians 15:10
Paul is referring to the Gracious gift of faith that caused him to “work harder than any of them”! “though it was not I” is the confirmation that his faith was the gift of God and not his own doing which he further confirms in...
for it is God who works in you (the gift of faith which results in), both to will and to work for his good pleasure. - Philippians 2:13
Why does faith have to be a gift? And why does God have to be the one to gift it?
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12
The “Spirit who is from God” is necessary in order to “understand the things freely given us by God”!
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:13
Remember this verse does NOT say “interpreting spiritual truths to those who are” natural! Why?
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:14
Natural man must be regenerated, made spiritual man first, in order to understand and believe the Gospel
Now, you might ask, what are these "things of the Spirit of God" which people can't grasp without first being made spiritual themselves? The context makes this very clear. Notice the word "folly" or "foolishness" in verse 14. Whatever "the things of the Spirit of God" are, they are folly to the natural man. Chapter 1, verse 18 shows us what this is: "The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The same thing in verses 23–24: "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
In other words, what the natural man can't understand is the heart of the Christian message—the word of the cross - without first being regenerated!
Again, Fill in the blank with one of the following:
1) Gods own doing = gift
2) Mans own doing = work
For by grace you have been saved through _____.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. $ Hebrews 12:2
work
NOUN
works (plural noun)
- activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
- a task or tasks to be undertaken; something a person or thing has to do.
- something done or made.
works (third person present)
- be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result, especially in one's job; do work.
Fill in the blank with one of the following:
1) Gods own doing = gift
2) Mans own doing = work
For by grace you have been saved through _____.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
Perceiving Christ Crucified as faith worthy is a gift of God in the same way a blind man seeing a sunset as beautiful is a gift of the Doctor who fixed his eyes!
The reason anyone is in heaven is because they discern Christ Crucified as faith worthy... but discerning Christ as faith worthy is the gift of God! If God justly leaves you in your natural, spiritually dead, state you can, and will, only discern Christ as foolishness and willingly reject him as such!... But if God Graciously chose to bring you out of your spiritual dead state, by regenerating your dead spirit, then you will discern Christ as something other than foolishness! You will discern Christ as faith worthy and willingly receive him as such!
This is how the Bible describes faith as a Gracious gift of God.
Your decision directly depends on your discernment! How you perceive determines how you willingly respond to every decision! If you perceive Christ as faith worthy you will receive him as such and act accordingly! If you perceive Christ as foolishness you will reject him as such and act accordingly!
Verses that show God working faith in us...
but we preach Christ crucified (gospel), a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called (regenerated), both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
“to those who are called” are those who have been called out of there natural, spiritual dead, state into spiritual life and this causes the difference in the discernment of Christ crucified! The “call” produces “faith”!
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus (how?), who (by regeneration) became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, - 1 Corinthians 1:30
“Because of him”... “Christ Jesus”... “became to us” = By the Gracious gift of faith
Paul understood this faith was a gift of God,and not a work of Paul’s own doing, and that’s why he correctly proclaimed...
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. - 1 Corinthians 15:10
Paul is referring to the Gracious gift of faith that caused him to “work harder than any of them”! “though it was not I” is the confirmation that his faith was the gift of God and not his own doing which he further confirms in...
for it is God who works in you (the gift of faith which results in), both to will and to work for his good pleasure. - Philippians 2:13
Why does faith have to be a gift? And why does God have to be the one to gift it?
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12
The “Spirit who is from God” is necessary in order to “understand the things freely given us by God”!
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:13
Remember this verse does NOT say “interpreting spiritual truths to those who are” natural! Why?
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:14
Natural man must be regenerated, made spiritual man first, in order to understand and believe the Gospel
Now, you might ask, what are these "things of the Spirit of God" which people can't grasp without first being made spiritual themselves? The context makes this very clear. Notice the word "folly" or "foolishness" in verse 14. Whatever "the things of the Spirit of God" are, they are folly to the natural man. Chapter 1, verse 18 shows us what this is: "The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The same thing in verses 23–24: "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
In other words, what the natural man can't understand is the heart of the Christian message—the word of the cross - without first being regenerated!
Again, Fill in the blank with one of the following:
1) Gods own doing = gift
2) Mans own doing = work
For by grace you have been saved through _____.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. $ Hebrews 12:2
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