Did Jesus Do It All?
Did Jesus Do It All?
Honestly! I do not know which is the more destructive doctrine: the "grace" message that claims it is impossible to keep God's commands and so we must go to Heaven by grace; or the "Jesus did it all" doctrine that teaches us there are no commands in the New Testament we are to obey, since Jesus did everything necessary for our complete redemption.
We do not perform the works of the New Testament in order to earn salvation. Rather, we practice them, as the Lord guides and enables, as acts of obedience. Doing them will lead us into the image of God as well as into the place where we dwell in God's perfect rest.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
You know, a while back we had a missionary film in our church. The film told of a couple that went to a foreign land and lived with the natives.
After they had gained the confidence of the natives the missionaries led them to Christ. After the natives believed and were baptized in water, they asked the missionaries what they were to do next.
As I recall, the answer of the missionaries was, "Absolutely nothing."
The natives had done all God required.
I remember also a picture of a Christian minister who was reclining comfortably in a chair and reading a newspaper. He was showing us by the picture that he was abiding in Christ. There was nothing he was obliged to do. Jesus has done it all.
Well, today, for some reason, I went to a computer search program and typed in the sentence, "Jesus did it all," not really expecting to find the sentence listed. It did not seem to be important enough to have a place among the items in the search program.
I was surprised! There were many instances of "Jesus did it all."
I read some of the comments by distinguished ministers of large churches. Sure enough, they were teaching that we are not to do anything but believe Jesus has done it all.
This absolutely is incredible! The New Testament is packed with exhortations to actions we are to take as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
I realized then how many thousands of Christians and their leaders are living in deception. They appear to know little about working out our salvation; about being a true disciple of the Lord.
It may be true that if the preachers of lawless grace would return and begin to preach what the Apostles wrote in the New Testament, our nation would return to its original prosperity and prestige, and God would be powerfully among us.
But after that, people might become careless again, and then sin would abound once more. This would make possible the rise of Antichrist and the end of the Church Age.
I thought it might be a good idea to write down some of the passages of the New Testament that state what we must do if we are to move along in the Divine program of redemption. There are so many such passages I hardly know where to begin.
It is no wonder there is so much immaturity in the churches. The people are not being taught how to live the Christian life.
Where should I begin. Probably with Paul's exhortation to us in Romans.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1,2)
Now, think about the passage above. Are we to respond by saying "Jesus did it all," or is there something we are to do? What do you say about this?
"Present your bodies a living sacrifice." How do we do this? By refusing to follow the appetites of our flesh, denying its desires, making it serve the Lord.
We take control of our appetites. We make our body get up and go to church when it doesn't want to get out of bed. We do not give in to its laziness.
In the case of most of us, our body is a whimpering mass of sin and self-will. It does not want to make the changes that Christ requires of us. It does not want to be crucified so the Spirit of God can destroy the sinful nature that dwells in our flesh.
If we follow the desires of our body, while reciting that "Jesus did it all," we will never come to maturity in Christ. In fact, we may lose the little bit of eternal life we do have. That which bears thorns and briars is to be burned, the Book of Hebrews tells us.
"Holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." To be holy is to be free from unclean spirits. Our flesh contains many unclean spirits. We must confess these and renounce them so the Spirit of God can put them to death. Christ does not make our body holy while we recline in bed and murmur that Jesus did it all. We have to resolutely confess and turn away from any sinful behavior the Spirit points out to us.
God always is speaking to us. We must learn to live by the Words God speaks to us as an individual. This requires that we live so we can hear what God is saying to us. Then we must be totally obedient or be counted as a rebellious person. Did you know that?
The first law of the Kingdom of God is stern obedience to everything desired by our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who will not obey Christ will one day find themselves in the Lake of Fire with Satan, Satan's angels, and the most evil people of mankind. They all have this in common: they will not obey Christ.
Are you going to sit around and say "Jesus did it all," or are you going to obey our Lord?
To keep presenting our body to Christ as a living sacrifice, putting Him first in all we do, is nothing more than our reasonable act of worship.
If you think I am being too hard, consider those who are placed before us as people who lived by faith:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. (Hebrews 11:37-39)
If this is what it means for the righteous to live by faith, how can we possibly believe that Jesus did it all and there is nothing left for us to do but to sit in a chair and read the newspaper?
You know, it is time for a reformation of Christian thinking and preaching!
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." I do not believe there ever has been a time in the history of the world when people have been bombarded with Satan's values as is true today. The television, the Internet, the newspapers and magazines, the electronic social networking, the electronic games—all of these are influencing our thinking, and especially the thinking of our young people.
The values of the world that continually are being presented to us are Satan's values, and they are going to become far, far worse as America slides down into Satan's moral cesspool. There is going to be much more public nakedness and sexual activity and perversions as the traditional restraints are removed.
Now, what does the Bible say about this? "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
You tell me. Are we going to have to do anything in order to not be conformed to this world and be transformed by the renewing of our mind; or will it just take place as we bleat, "Jesus did it all?"
In order to escape the influence of the media I have just listed, we are going to have to really exert ourselves, with God's help. For our family to not be saturated with the television, the Internet, and Facebook, we will have to bring ourselves under discipline. This will take much prayer and self-control on our part.
Then the so-called ministers of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God are prattling about how we need not do anything but believe "Jesus did it all." How disgusting!
And why do we have to take such heroic measures?
"That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." It seems to me that a person of reasonable intelligence would conclude that proving God's will for one's self is certainly more than resting comfortably and exclaiming how Jesus did it all. Finding God's will for us each day means attending to what He is speaking to us. If we will commit our way to the Lord, He will direct our paths.
We have to be redeeming the time, looking constantly to Jesus to see if we are pleasing Him. There is no room for foolish, silly behavior. Terrible times are coming to the United States. The blessings that God has sent to our country because of the true Christians of the past are being squandered in our day.
We will be forever glad if we spend the present time preparing ourselves to stand throughout the Divine judgment on the horizon.
After we leave the first and second verses of the twelfth chapter of the Book of Romans, we find a large assortment of efforts we are to make:
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation.
He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. (Romans 12:6-11)
Let us prophesy.
Let us wait.
Let us teach.
Let us exhort.
Let us give.
Let us rule.
Let us show mercy.
Let us love without dissimulation.
Let us abhor that which is evil.
Let us cleave to that which is good.
Let us be kindly affectioned one to another.
Let us prefer one another in honor.
Let us not be slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.
And so on and on and on.
Now I ask you, do the verses above sound like we are to do something, or did Jesus do it all? I think there is much destructive preaching taking place in the Christian churches of America.
There are so very many passages that tell us of what we should be doing in the working out of our salvation that I can only point you in this direction, and you can read the New Testament for yourself and determine if the spiritual darkness is as great as I am suggesting.
Another example of the things we are to be doing, and the peril of not doing them, can be found in the parable of the talents. This parable is in the twenty-fifth chapter of the Book of Matthew. I believe we all are familiar with this teaching of the Lord Jesus.
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. (Matthew 25:14,15)
The Master gave talents to His servants. By the way, we should be thinking of "talent" to mean any resource Christ has given to us, whether it is a special ability in music, art, science, business, and so forth. In fact, even our intelligence and physical health are "talents" that not everyone has. A call to Christian service is a talent that a number of people have.
According to the Bible, the Spirit of God has given a spiritual enablement to each member of the Body of Christ.
To some the Master gave five talents; to others two talents, to others one talent.
Those with five and those with two invested what they had been given. When the Master returned, those who had been given five and those who had been given two were able to produce twice what they had been given.
Notice that they did not just pocket their talents and say "Jesus did it all." They invested their talents in the marketplace. They did something. They took action.
The Lord was pleased with their behavior. He informed them that because of their faithfulness He would reward them with more opportunities to serve in His Kingdom. God is a Businessman, among other things.
Then we come to the wretched, lazy servants who reclined comfortably and did nothing with what they had been given. They returned to the Master exactly what they had been given, and no more. While they did this they were thanking the Master for doing everything for them.
The Master was outraged! He yelled at them:
You wicked and lazy servants, thou knew that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not scattered: Thou ought therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with interest. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:26-30)
"But Lord, I was taught there is nothing we are to do because You did it all."
The Lord responded, "Weren't you concerned enough about your salvation to read the Bible for yourself?"
I don't know about you, but I sure do not want to stand before Christ some day and have Him yell at me and ask me why I did not use the talents He gave me to build His Kingdom.
People, the doctrine that Jesus did it all is not even close to what the New Testament teaches.
I will give one more example of this destructive teaching, and then you can read the New Testament for yourself and see if it is true there is nothing we are to do.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)
I will reward him according to what he did.
The "grace" teaching appears to take issue with the verse above. Yet, it is a verse from the Book of Revelation, which is bound with a curse.
Paul says the same thing:
Who will render to every man according to his deeds. (Romans 2:6)
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)
According to what he or she did.
I was told by a Bible student of an instance when his teacher informed the class that the verse above did not apply to Christians. The student said you could feel the relief sweep through the other students.
Also, the inviolable law of sowing and reaping, of the Kingdom of God:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7,8)
If we sow weeds we are not going to reap flowers, even though we cry out: "Jesus did it all!"
If my information is correct, numerous teachers of our day are claiming that "grace" nullifies the biblical concept that Christ shall "give every man according as his work shall be." This is the same as saying, "You shall not surely die." It is Satan up to his old tricks.
Sometimes the police, in seeking who has committed a crime, will ask the question: "Who profits?"
Who profits when believers are taught they will not be held accountable for their actions?
Satan, of course.
When we are taught that once we make a profession of belief in Jesus Christ there is nothing further we are to do, we simply are not going to grow in Christ. We are not going to have our senses exercised so we can judge between good and evil. Satan has no fear of immature Christians!
Jesus has done it all. We may have a sense of peace and joy when we believe this.
I read an article by David Wilkerson some years ago. He told of a wedding taking place for two homosexual men.
David said there was a marked presence of peace and joy at the wedding, causing the people present to believe that God was blessing the wedding.
Now, the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, clearly condemns homosexual behavior (sodomy, as it used to be called).
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:26,27)
When I first became a Christian, in the Marine Corps, some of the men who were members of the Navigators impressed on me the following passage:
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8)
"According to all that is written therein."
About a year later, in a supernatural experience, the Lord called me to preach the Gospel.
I never have forgotten the admonition to do all that is written in God's Word. I do not care if the whole world accepts homosexual behavior, I know God does not accept it because that is what the Bible says.
The same applies to the teaching that all we are to do is "accept Christ." Jesus has done everything else necessary to bring us to our "mansion in Heaven," it is claimed.
I do not care if peace and joy do seem to accompany the marriage of homosexuals or the doctrine that Jesus has done it all. Paul warned us that Satan appears as an angel of light; not an angel of darkness but an angel of light!
I have mentioned only three of the Bible admonitions concerning the doctrine that "Jesus did it all."
First, the exhortation to present our body a living sacrifice.
Second, the warning concerning not employing our talents in a profitable manner.
Third, the statements about receiving the results of our behavior.
There are numerous other admonitions, maybe hundreds of them, in the New Testament:
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
Right here we see the enormous fallacy of trusting that we only are to "believe." If we do not keep the commands of Christ and His Apostles, then we do not truly love Christ and are living in deception.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (I Corinthians 1:10)
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1)
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. (Ephesians 5:3)
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philippians 4:8,9)
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1,2)
That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. (I Thessalonians 2:12)
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. (II Thessalonians 3:6)
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. (I Timothy 2:1)
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (II Timothy 2:3,4)
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. (Hebrews 6:1)
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)
Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (II John 1:8)
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. (I Peter 1:15)
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:5-8)
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. (II Peter 3:21,22)
I have mentioned only a few. I easily could have included numerous other exhortations to action; but I think what I have written above should convince anyone of what the New Testament states.
After reviewing what I have written, would you conclude there absolutely is nothing we are to do; Jesus has done it all?
Let me finish this brief essay by saying, the modern concept of what we can get from God, or cause God to do, is unscriptural and self-seeking.
We are not to seek power with God.
We are not to seek to become rich by serving Christ.
We are not to seek a large congregation.
You may search the Bible as much as you want, but you will not find even a whiff of these three attitudes.
What then do you find in the Scriptures? You find people to whom God has spoken attempting to obey God and become closer to Him. <br
There are times when God places a desire in us to ask for a certain thing, or to make intercession for someone. This is entirely proper.
But as I stated, we are not an adversary of God such that we have to "twist God's arm" to get Him to do what we think ought to be done.
The Apostle Paul is our example as he laid everything else aside that he might know Christ. Paul came to the place where it was Christ who was living in him. He was pressing forward that he might attain to the early resurrection---that which will occur when Christ next appears from Heaven. The early resurrection is for the Royal Priesthood who will, with Christ, govern the earth for a thousand years.
We are to be "up and at it," redeeming the time. We are to give thanksgiving continually, telling the Lord the desires of our heart.
But we always are to seek the will of Christ that we may be utterly obedient to His every desire. As I said, we are not to attempt to use God to fulfill our own desires.
May I add one more note:
The fact that Christ is being formed and dwelling in us does not give us special power or abilities. We do not look to Christ in us to help or advise us. The purpose of Christ being formed in us is to change our internal moral image until it is in God's image. The new creation of Christ in us is intended to enable us to live righteously.
We never are to pray to the Christ in us. I have heard it said that if we could get a number of people together who had Christ in them it would greatly increase our power. This is not so.
In the early days of the Latter Rain revival it sometimes was taught that now that Christ is in us there is no more need for the Communion service or water baptism. "Sons of God march forward in the power of the latter rain." This sort of thing---a spirit of triumphalism.
Also there were some who were teaching that we now are manifested sons of God. I declared at that time, in the early 1950s, that the sons of God will not be manifested until Christ appears from Heaven and that we are to continue with the Communion service and water baptism.
God is not in all this unscriptural vanity. We should be intent on glorifying God and His Christ, not ourselves. Our task is to pray and obey. Then we will see the works of power we desire.
You may remember that our Lord Jesus was filled with the Fullness of God. Yet He spent all night in prayer to God. Also, you may notice that He would lift up His eyes to Heaven when He prayed. Jesus never prayed to the Father that was in Him.
The Lord Jesus did not work in them, He worked with them, confirming the Word with signs following.
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:20)
The fact that when two or three agree in prayer God hears them is not because there is an increase in the inner Christ. It is because two or three people compose a valid witness.
Sometimes God moves sovereignly. On the original Day of Pentecost the Spirit was not poured out because the people were in one accord. It was poured out because the day of the Jewish Feast of Pentecost had arrived.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (Acts 2:1)
God does respond to persistent prayer by one or more people. But we need always to pray that God's will be done. We do not want anything that is not God's perfect will!
Hopefully my words in this essay will resonate with some until they are able to turn away from the carnal, self-centered Christian teaching of our day and give their whole attention to seeking an ever greater personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus.
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. (Philippians 3:10)