Salvation Small Group Study
by Joyce Webb 2011
Lesson 3
1. Do good works matter in our standing with God?
Good works will not save us.
Ephesians 2:8,9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
It is a gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.”
Isaiah 64:6 all of our righteousness is like filthy rags
Matthew 22: 11-14 story of the wedding garment —-the man thought he would be acceptable the way he was—-he ignored the wedding garment and did not put it on
Romans 3:23 “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Galatians 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Justified means “made right” )
Romans 3:20 “Therefore, by the deeds (works) of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law made us to know that we were doing wrong.
Romans 3:23 “ …..righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.”
2. Do works matter after salvation?
James 1: 14 “What does it profit to say he hath faith and have not works? Can faith save him?” In other words, What good is it if a man says that he believes and is a Christian if the way he lives does not show it?
James 1:17 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead…..”
1:20 “Faith without works is dead.”
James 1:18-22 Devils believe and tremble. But they have no works of righteousness. Believing in God does not a follower make. The definition of a Christian is one who believes in Christ and follows his teachings. If a person’s life has no works to show that they believe in Jesus—–the question would be, “Does that person really believe?”
James says our faith is perfected by our good works.
I John 1: 6,7 “If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and we do not the truth but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.”
In other words, if we say we are in fellowship with Christ but we still do things that are sins (of the darkness) then we are not telling the truth. Sin and Christ have no fellowship with each other. We have fellowship with Christ only if we obey and walk in a way that shows we are obeying.
I John 3: 24 “He that keeps his commandments dwell (lives) in him and he in him and hereby we know that he abides (lives) in us.”
John 14: 23 Jesus said “If a man love me, he will keep my words…”
John 14: 21 “He that has my commandments and keeps them he it is that loves me.”
I Corinthians 3:12 -15 These verses talk about someday in heaven, God will judge every man’s work (life). We will be saved from hell. We are in heaven to stay. Vs.15 But how we lived, and what we did for God will be judged.
Some of the things we do is really for our own pride and for other people to think we are a good person. We want to make them think we are a good Christian.
Some things we may do from a pure heart out of love of God and wanting to serve Him.
God knows what is in our heart. When God tests our works to see how pure our heart was when we did things—-that will decide if it was “gold” or if it was “hay or straw” that burns up.
Only what is done with a pure heart to God will stay through the test of fire.
We do many things here on earth, only what is done for Christ will last forever.
3. Why does a person need to be born again?
Would he go to hell?
Hebrews 2: 2, 3 “….every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”
Ezekiel 18:4 “The soul that sins, it shall die.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death.”
Genesis 2: 17 God said “you shall surely die”
Romans 5:12 “…by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that we have all sinned.”
James 1: 14, 15 “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust (what our body and flesh wants) and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings for sin, and sin when it is finished brings forth death.”
4. Will sin put us in hell?
Jesus spoke of a place of “outer darkness” and a place where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” for those who do iniquity. Matthew 13:42 is one of several.
Revelation 20:13,14 dead are judged death and hell are thrown into the lake of fire
Vs. 15 Whoever not written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of Fire
Revelation 19:20 the false prophet and the beast are cast into the lake of fire
Revelation 21: 8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and the murderers,………shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.”
The word “fearful” means people who are afraid to trust in Jesus for salvation. The word “unbelieving” means people who have never believed in Jesus for salvation.
As Christian and believers in Jesus we at times have fear and we at times have a hard time believing that God will answer certain prayers. We need to deal with our problems of not trusting. The words “fearful” and “unbelieving” in this verse in Revelation means those who will not believe and trust in Jesus for salvation.
Questions About Salvation Lesson #3
1. Can we earn salvation by doing good works?__________ Why not? ______________
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2.Should we do good works after salvation? ___________ Why? __________________
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3. What are some “good works” that will last forever?
____teaching others about Jesus/God ____visiting people in prison and telling them about Jesus
____giving money to help missionaries ____praying for people
____visiting the sick and encouraging them ____helping the poor
(Two of these are good things to do, but unless we help people know Jesus then we have helped them only in this life.)
If people will not believe in Jesus for salvation will they go to hell? ____________
How do we know this?_____________________________________________________