For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10
I recently read the "Hall of Faith" chapter in Hebrews 11. It struck me that many, even before Abraham, were considered righteous by their faith, and their faith is what caused them to take action.
Abraham is the main example used in Scripture to teach us that we are saved by faith. A look into Romans 4 shows that his faith was credited to him as righteousness before circumcision and before the law. That is key for Jew and Gentile alike. (Rom 4:11-12)
One of the arguments we see as we start to obey the Father is that we are being legalistic. That is not true, as legalism would be on the front end...depending on works to be saved. Look again at the top Scripture. Our salvation did not come from our works. Not any part of it. But we were created TO DO good works. So, obedience is not the root of our salvation. Rather, it is the fruit of it.
Abel had faith and gave a better offering.
Noah had faith and built an ark.
Abraham had faith and he left his home for a land not known.
Example after example in Scripture shows faith begetting action. What are we doing because of this great faith we hold?
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