@medullah said
Agreed!
Even if you outwardly practice what might might be considered to be good works, that is no guarantee of being "saved". It's a whole mind set and way of doing things. A dedication for want of a better phrase.
Matt 7:21-23
1 “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who ...[text shortened]... And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew* you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Yes indeed. Jesus did identify in that passage things that people do in churches which is not good works - casting out demons, prophesying, or doing miracles. These are nothing, and Paul said exactly the same thing. This is nothing. What is
something is brotherly love or charity. Again Paul made this point - Charity is greater than faith.
Yet we have many of the sonship type Christian promoting a faith only doctrine which even discourage doing good works and charity [which is the greater thing]. People know what good works are. Many try to get away from it [for whatever reason] and make excuses for not doing it.
Here in this post from Keven Eleven we see this clearly -
Willing and trusting subsidence or relaxation into Christ and allowing the transformation by the Holy Spirit are the foundation. That inner and continuing choice is the primary and central "good work" -- as a side-effect of which other "good works" might follow (let's hope!), including decisions not to do anything or to stay out of a situation when intervention might be the wrong thing to do.
"Good works" in some cases might be the ego-driven activities of busybodies who have not done the foundational work and who are guided only by their own limited perspectives.
Here it is [all this is contrary to what Christ said]
- sit and wait for the Holy Spirit for transformation, that is a good work
- other good works might follow .. MIGHT .. MAYBE.
- discouraging good works by claiming it is ego - driven
- condemning people who try to help by referring to them as busibodies
See how subtle church doctrine is in discouraging people from going out there are being good and doing good. Nothing in that is what Jesus said to do.