It's NOT "Salvation By

Works."
By Watchman Dean
Many falsely accuse me every day of preaching "salvation by
works" simply because I preach that, through the power of
the Holy pirit we can "cease from sin" and that if you
cannot cease from sin you are denying the !"W#$ of the
Holy pirit%
Why is this not "salvation by works&"
Because we, the true believers, do not cease from sin and
do good works '"$ salvation% We do those works because
(hrist has put HI )"*# in our H#+$,- We would do
those good things even if there W#$# no salvation and even
if there were no resurrection%
(hrist demanded that we do these good things and that we
do them with "no e.pectation of reward%"
Luke 6:
35 But love ye your enemies, and do
good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye
shall be the children of the ighest: for
he is kind unto the unthankful and to the
evil!
,he key in the above verse is "hoping for nothing again%"
If I were preaching that I must do /""D so that I can be
saved, then I would be preaching salvation by works, but I
don0t preach that, I preach that I will do /""D because
(hrist is I1 M# and has !2, HI )"*# in me-
,he salvation 3reward4 that comes as the end result of that is
not the M",I*+,I"1, for he who truly believes does these
good things without "e.pectation" and without "hope of
reward%"
o, when they say I0m preaching "alvation by Works" they
are falsely accusing me and they have become a child of the
devil, for the devil is the "accuser of the brethren" and they
are )I5# HIM instead of like (hrist%
,he faithless and unbelieving say that you cannot stop
sinning because you can0t control your own thoughts 3and
they erroneously say that (hrist taught all you had to do was
"think" about sinning and you are guilty of that sin4%
,hese are terrible lies%
'irst of all, the +postles made it clear that you can indeed
bring #*#$6 ,H"2/H, unto the obedience of (hrist%
" #orinthians $%:
5 #asting down imaginations, and every
high thing that e&alteth itself against the
knowledge of 'od, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience
of #hrist;
(hrist never taught that 7ust "thinking" about sin makes you a
sinner% If he had taught that, then 8ohn the +postle would
have been in error when he gave the following definition of
sin9
$ (ohn 3:
) *hosoever committeth sin
transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law!
in is ,$+1/$#I"1 of the law, not "thinking about
transgressing the law%"
,he deceivers will take you to the following teaching of
(hrist to try and "redefine" sin9
+atthew 5:
", -e have heard that it was said by them
of old time, .hou shalt not commit
adultery:
"/ But 0 say unto you, .hat whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in
his heart!
(hrist here is describing an actual ,$+1/$#I"1 of the
law, he0s not saying that one who "considers" breaking the
law has already done so% What "law" did the person in this
teaching break&
+ person who "looks upon" another man0s wife "to lust after
her" has broken the ,#1,H ("MM+1DM#1,,
1.hou shalt not covet thy
neighbor2s wife!!!1
(hrist0s point was simple% If you break "1# commandment,
to covet your neighbor0s wife, then you are committing
+D2),#$6 WI,H H#$ in your heart and therefore are
+)$#+D6 an adulterer% (hrist is talking about I1,#1,% He in
no way is saying that if you feel a !H6I(+) attraction to a
woman you are an adulterer 3or a fornicator4% He in no way is
saying that if you get "tempted" for a moment that means
you are a I11#$%
If someone who is "tempted" is already a "sinner" than (hrist
himself was a I11#$, for the scripture says that he was
"tempted in all ways as we are%%%"
ebrews ):
$5 3or we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our
in4rmities; but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin!
(hrist knew temptation but yet was 1", a sinner% ,his is the
"1)6 evidence we need that the deceivers are making
(hrist0s teaching in Matthew : to say something he 1#*#$
said%
If (hrist was "redefining" sin to include 7ust the ,H"2/H, of
sinning, then 8ohn contradicted (hrist DI$#(,)6 when he
defined sin as "transgression of the law%"
Where they fail, is not reali;ing that in Matthew :, when
(hrist taught his lesson about adultery he was describing an
+(,2+) ,$+1/$#I"1, 3coveting4, so, yes, the person
in his scenario was a I11#$ and since he "coveted" his
neighbors wife, it meant he wanted to have "adulterous
relations" with her, and that makes him an +D2),#$#$ for
his I1,#1, of his heart was to commit the transgression%
I hope this clears up some things for you%
5halom!
*atchman 6ean!