For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
What does this mean? It means that we are saved by the favor of the father through our actions and beliefs; and not by our actions alone, but it is a gift of God to the obeidient (in the heart and action).
We gain favor by learning, accepting, and living the truth of the words of scriptures which tell us plainly to keep the commandments of the father in our heart and actions, inwardly and outwardly.
Bibilical definitiions:
Definition of Grace: favor of the Father
Definition of Faith: Belief and action
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
(She believed in something and then acted on it- this is faith)
Why do so many people and churches quote this verse and say that we are not expected to do anything? That we are not expected to comply with the commands of the Father to be adopted into the family under Abraham.
It is because they do not understand what faith is. They truely believe that there are no requirements to be given eternal life.
Some will say as long as we love the Father, Christ, and are "good" people by only observing the 2 rules that Christ mentioned to place the Father first and to love your neighbor that is all that is expected of us to gain entry into heaven.
Why do we allow them to twist the truth of the words of God? Why do we not want to see the truth?
There are examples of others before us who are presented in the Bible that lived thier lives in obedience to the commandments and this was called FAITH.
What are the examples given to us in scriptures that show salvation is bestowed by grace through faith?
For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
In each of these examples these men had faith, The believed in what scriputres said, obeyed the commandments, and applied those to their daily actions.
This is one of the primary messages in the New Testament. Christ pointed out to the ones who were outwardly keeping the law vipers, but the ones who believed the law in their hearts and kept them in their actions were the true followeres.
We are not called to turn away from the law. We are called to accept it deep into our hearts, believe it with every ounce of ourselves, and show it in our obedience to it outwardly.
Point: keeping the law without belief will not result in life everlasting; belief in the Father and Son alone will not result in life everlasting.
We Must have BOTH belief in the law, in the scriptures, in the Father, in Christ, and keep it to gain everlasting life.
Your pastor will read these passages or just parts of it and say see it says that obeying the law doesn't save you just your belief. This is not the meaning of thess passages. The true meaning is to show us that outwardly obeying the law alone (being without belief) will not gain us salvation. It takes both inward belief and outward actions to acquire grace for salvation.
The reason Christ listed those two commands was because the asking party was trying to trick him in his answer.
Most people do not read the full passage or apply all that is listed in them.
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Christ did not ever say that we were to ignor the commandments of the father. Actually he said just the opposite in another verses.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
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