When Jesus said "If you Love me, you will keep my commandments", he tests if you are really in the spirit or in the flesh. The Spiritual man says "Ahh, I will Love Jesus!", but the Fleshly man says "I must keep his commandments to show my Love!".
Actually I agree with this, but either way. In the end you better be living differently than before you were saved.
My apologies to anyone named Ben or Bob. The following is just an example.
Ben and Bob were best friends. They grew up together. They were pretty worldly.
They had both been involved with adultery, extra-marital affairs, pornography, stealing, lying, child-molesting, rape, and even experimented with Satan worship.
Both were heavy drinkers and even dabbled in drugs from time to time.
One day they both went to a church. Both went up for the altar call. Both believed they were sinners and that they needed Jesus to ave them.
A few months went by.
Ben quit seeing other women. He quit looking at pornography. He quit stealing. He quit drinking. He started reading the Bible and praying.
Bob went back to the old ways, he still cheated on his wife. He still drank. He quit going to church, and really never started a prayer routine.
Do you believe both men are equally saved?
As far as calling this salvation by works, I disagree. We can't do anything good enough to save us. We can't do enough good things to erase our sins.
Only Jesus can do that. Thus we are saved by grace alone. ( Eph 2:8-9; ) However once we are already saved, works start to count.
Matt 16:27;
"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.
Luke 12:43;
"Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Luke 12:44;
"Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Luke 12:45;
"But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
Luke 12:46;
the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
Luke 12:47;
"And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,
Luke 12:48;
but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Luke 12:49;
"I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!
John 5:28;
"Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
John 5:29;
and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
Notice in both the passages above, it doesn't say they were judged fr what they believed, it says they were judged by their deeds (actions)
Rom 2:4; Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
Rom 2:5; But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Rom 2:6; who
WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
Rom 2:7; to those who by perseverance in
doing good seek for glory and
honor and immortality, eternal life;
Rom 2:8; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
Rom 2:9; There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who
does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentile.
2 Cor 5:10; For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed
for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done,
whether good or bad
Tit 1:16; They profess to know God, but
by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
Rev 2:22;
'Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
In the parable of the talents.( Matt 25:14-30; ) Did the slave that did nothing get punished for what he believed, or for what he did or didn't do?
Rom 2:13; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but
the doers of the Law will be justified.
Jas 1:21; Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22; But
prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who
delude themselves.
There is a movement is many churches today that says.. everyone is going to heaven whether they believe in Jesus or not.
Unitarian Universalists and most Mormons believe this. Even Joel Osteen the pastor of the largest church in the US says "Jesus may not be the only way to heaven".
Then there is another movement that says.. Just believe in Jesus, live however you want to, it doesn't matter.
Antimonianists believe this.. there are a couple of them here on TJ.
Then there is the Bible. It says how you live after you are saved determines many things. It isn't ONLY what you believe that saves you.
The people in Matt 7:21-23; believe in Jesus, they did miracles in His name and called him Lord. Why weren't they saved? ( see verses 25-27)
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