Matt. 7:21, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven." Jesus emphatically taught that carrying out the will of His Heavenly Father was a condition of entering the kingdom of Heaven. However, this does not mean that we can gain or merit salvation by our own efforts or works alone. The forgiveness of God comes to us through faith and repentance made possible by the grace and sacrificial death of Christ. The obedience to the will of God required by Jesus is indeed an ongoing condition for salvation (Col. 1:23, "If ye continue in the faith...").
God always makes available the obedience He demands of us. It is ascribed to God's redemptive action. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Phil 2:13. Yet God's gift of grace does not annul human responsibility or action. We must respond positively to God's gift of obedience. The work of grace within us is always dependent on our faithfulness and cooperation. In Phil 2:12, Pauls tates our part, "...work our your own salvation with fear and trembling." We work out through obedience what God works in our heart in sanctification. All children of God should possess a holy fear that trembles at God's Word and causes them to turn away from all evil. The fear of the Lord is not, as is often defined, merely "reverential trust", but includes an awe of God's power, holiness, and righteous retribution, and a dread of sinning against Him and of the consequences that may follow. It is not a destructive fear, but a controlling and redeeming fear that leads to moral purity, life, God's nearness and blessing and salvation. All of this is of vital importance in the life of one who is a true child of God!
Our lives will give stark testimony to whether or not we are doing the will of the Father!
God always makes available the obedience He demands of us. It is ascribed to God's redemptive action. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Phil 2:13. Yet God's gift of grace does not annul human responsibility or action. We must respond positively to God's gift of obedience. The work of grace within us is always dependent on our faithfulness and cooperation. In Phil 2:12, Pauls tates our part, "...work our your own salvation with fear and trembling." We work out through obedience what God works in our heart in sanctification. All children of God should possess a holy fear that trembles at God's Word and causes them to turn away from all evil. The fear of the Lord is not, as is often defined, merely "reverential trust", but includes an awe of God's power, holiness, and righteous retribution, and a dread of sinning against Him and of the consequences that may follow. It is not a destructive fear, but a controlling and redeeming fear that leads to moral purity, life, God's nearness and blessing and salvation. All of this is of vital importance in the life of one who is a true child of God!
Our lives will give stark testimony to whether or not we are doing the will of the Father!