Liking it "well done"!

Oh, what are we to do to be saved? Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be "born again". That new birth is a must! However, I contend that most believers had partial births. With partial births, in this modern age, the new person is killed on the way out of the birth canal. In the spiritual world, many who are in the process of a rebirth, spiritually die because they are not fully born again. Let me explain.

Faith is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8). After receiving the gift, then it is yours to do as you please. We are at liberty to sin, but with a circumcised heart that is no longer a desire. Living in sin is a sign that the heart was not really circumcised.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

"God forbids" that we continue in sin. Why? To continue in sin is the resurrection of the old person. The new person was partially birthed but afterwards Satan's death angels aborted the new, and revived the old. How so? Faith is a gift but the new creature must use the gift. That is "the work of faith" (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

God started a "good work" in you with faith. It is our work to grow that faith:

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Jesus began the "good work", and because His Holy Spirit lives within the new believer, Jesus will perform it.  Jesus is who enables us to perform the work. Albeit, Jesus performs it, as His servants we do it! Faith is assured by the evidence of Jesus (the Holy Ghost) continuing His good work after we first believe. It seems that Jesus is in Control, and the Christian is sub-servient to Him. With the efficacy of the new birth, our will is aligned with God's will, and we walk the Way of Jesus. As such, Jesus is the giver of faith, and the provider of continued faith. Faith and obedience are in correlation as I wrote in my last commentary. It's still Jesus doing the works, and the Christian obeying by the willingness to comply with God's instructions.

Those who continue until death the willingness to obey God are rewarded; not for their works, but for their willingness. I refer back to the faith of Abraham who was blessed because of his willingness to do God's will. The reborn person has sacrificed his own will to God. That is the "living sacrifice" that the reborn creature makes. (Romans 12:1). With that sacrifice, God creates in them a "new heart". The believer sacrifices the flesh - the foreskin of the heart, to Jesus. The new creature has new desires. Sin is not one of them. Of course, temptation still is but we are not to go there!

Although salvation is by "grace alone", we still must do things to be reborn. Our ability to work is by the grace of God, but with our free will, we don't have to. Our liberty to sin is still free to do, or not do. Until the end, we must choose to "do good" - to be righteous.

Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Scripture here says "well done". Some think a well-done steak is no good. However, a full birth is "well done"! Partial births are abhorrent. Completed births are what God intended. "Well done" is beyond partial spiritual birth. It's rebirth all the way. Not only is the flesh renewed but a new spirit is imbued into the new creature. "Well done" is working well. The parable in Matthew acknowledges our role in what culminates in salvation. We do, do things. We cooperate with God's Spirit working within us. We don't have to do that, but those  Christians saved kept the faith until the end.

The Christian must remain faithful "over a few things". Those things are Jesus, his death, and resurrection. Having faith in a few things implies doubt in many others. Sometimes we do doubt Jesus and His resurrection. Satan plants doubt. We can never believe beyond a shadow of doubt as fundamentalists say, but we can live without doubt on those few things.

The Lord would not say "well done" if we weren't supposed to do something. What we do is called obedience. We become servants to our Lord. Our Controller is our own Master, and we take His competition - ourselves, and crucify him!

Galatians 2:20 I (Paul) am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

What are we to do?  What good work are we to perform? We "deny ourselves" and carry the cross of Jesus. The fully reborn creature is capable. He is reborn spiritually healthy enough to deny the old self and carry Jesus' cross, which burden is light by the way.

Although the new birth is a gift, and God helps us perform good works, we obey his way of helping - by following His commands as a show of love. (John 14:15). Even Old Testament scripture speaks of the same correlation between love and obedience:

Deuteronomy 30:20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice...

Nothing has changed since the writings of Moses. We still are to show our love by obedience - the same as Adam, the same as Eve.