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Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughAre God's sovereignty, grace, and human responsibility incompatible? In simpler terms, are grace and works mutually exclusive? In terms of salvation itself, grace and works are indeed mutually exclusive. Good works do not save us; rather, as we are being created in Christ Jesus, good works result from that creation. They are the fruit of God's creative efforts. David, in Psalm 51:10, asked God to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him, acknowledging that only God could provide the clean heart necessary to produce good works. This is confirmed by Paul in Ephesians 2, where we are described as the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works. In Romans 4:1-5 and verse 13, the subject is justification by faith, which means being aligned with God's standard of righteousness. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works, and it is through justification that we start on the road to the Kingdom of God. Without justification, there is no creation of us in Christ Jesus, and thus no good works as evidence of God's workmanship. Salvation is by grace, yet everyone who receives salvation does good works because they are the result of God creating a clean heart in them. An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit, as Jesus taught, meaning that without God's work in us, good works cannot be produced. Grace and works occupy different purposes in God's creative efforts. Grace frees one, while works prove that one has been freed. Grace empowers us to be free to obey, and until we are given that grace, we are not free to do good works. The evidence of belief is seen in doing the works that God creates in us, showing that we have been recipients of His favor and gifted for the purpose of obeying.
The Manifold Grace of God
Sermon/Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsGod's calling us is just our initial taste of His grace. Grace is unmerited, but it is not unconditional. We have an obligation to respond to God.
Love and Works
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod expects works from all He has called. We show our faithfulness and loyalty to God by our works or conduct - what we produce by what we have been given.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod is doing more than merely saving people; He is producing children in His image. The difference between the covenants is in the quality of the faith.
Paul: Grace, Law, and Obedience
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPaul's writings, because of their complexity, are frequently twisted to say that he was anti-law. By denigrating God's law, the unconverted set their own standards.
Grace, Mercy, and Favor (Part Two)
Sermonette by Mark SchindlerRather than considering God's calling a badge of righteousness, the child of God must consider it to be a call to action, motivating him to yield and glorify God.
Living by Faith: God's Grace (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Grace implies empowerment for growth. It is the single most important aspect of our salvation, and His giving of it is completely unmerited on our part.
Titus (Part Seven): Maintaining Good Works
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though we are not justified by good works, good works are the honing process with which God perfects us in the life-long process of sanctification.
I Know Your Works
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughContrary to Protestant understanding, our works emphatically do count - showing or demonstrating (not just telling) that we will be obedient.
Magic Doesn't Work (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWhile God is consistently depicted as working, magic seemingly provides a shortcut that bypasses overcoming and growth, attaining something for nothing.
God's Merciful Course Correction
Sermonette by David F. MaasBecause of Israel's sinful heart, God has made a course correction, namely crafting a new and improved Covenant with a lengthy heart transplant operation.
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part One)
Sermon by David F. MaasMisguided theologians have tried to create a false dichotomy between grace and works. We do works of obedience to build character, not to earn salvation.
Part of the Plan
Sermonette by Austin Del CastilloMany believe that salvation is assured and works only relate to reward. However, God did not reward the unprofitable servant with eternal life but exclusion.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughBoth the 'eternal security' and 'no works' doctrines are destroyed by the remarkable example of Noah, who performed extraordinary works based upon faith.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod begins His spiritual creation by grace because the wages of sin is death. Consequently, God's people will exercise humility and faith in yielding to Him.
Called to Change
Sermon by Ryan McClureWe are admonished to change, becoming living sacrifices, renewing our minds from carnal to spiritual, becoming transformed into the image of our Savior.