17 Mar '12 18:19>1 edit
One good work done out of a pure heart of love is worth more to God than 1000 good works done with an ulterior motive. God commands us to love our neighbour not use him in some crass points scoring exercise so that we can "get" eternal life. Away with such nonsense!
A good work done out of love and purity with no thought for self is what God desires. Jesus tells us that we need to be pure in heart in order to see God. Good works that are done with an ulterior motive or out of fear are abhorrent to God and a sham.
Such legalism leads to destructive cults and believers trapped in fear because they never know if they have been "good enough" to earn heaven. There is no assurance , only guilt and fear. What's worse is this kinds of thinking about God leads to judgementalism and it reduces people to merely instruments in order to get favour with God. It's manipulative and selfish and not about purity and love and it leads to self righteousness.
They do not really care about the people they help because if it wasn't for the fact that they need to earn browny points with God they would not be helping you. They do their good works for themselves , to further their own salvation.
It's a sham and it's not Biblical. It's just as repulsive as Christians who talk the talk but don't walk the walk.
Good luck to you if you on the receiving end of these so "good works" , they don't love you they just want to use you to get salvation.
1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
A good work done out of love and purity with no thought for self is what God desires. Jesus tells us that we need to be pure in heart in order to see God. Good works that are done with an ulterior motive or out of fear are abhorrent to God and a sham.
Such legalism leads to destructive cults and believers trapped in fear because they never know if they have been "good enough" to earn heaven. There is no assurance , only guilt and fear. What's worse is this kinds of thinking about God leads to judgementalism and it reduces people to merely instruments in order to get favour with God. It's manipulative and selfish and not about purity and love and it leads to self righteousness.
They do not really care about the people they help because if it wasn't for the fact that they need to earn browny points with God they would not be helping you. They do their good works for themselves , to further their own salvation.
It's a sham and it's not Biblical. It's just as repulsive as Christians who talk the talk but don't walk the walk.
Good luck to you if you on the receiving end of these so "good works" , they don't love you they just want to use you to get salvation.
1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.