Works vs. Grace; Vaporous Ideas and Lives

A 20 year old chess Grandmaster died of a stroke recently. Life is like a vapor. It is interesting that God has an interest in the journeys of all those souls. On the abstract topic of judgment though, making judgments is the primary activity of thought.(is something light or dark, hot or cold, good or bad, right or wrong, green or red, fast or slow etc...) I think the problem arises in publishing what one thinks too much in addition to the obvious problem of judging what to think about. However everyone impacts the world; even Al Gore. This morning I flew over interstate 5 in the dark and saw miles of cars with lights creeping along putting out air pollution. I thought about how many people just run in that economic rat race without philosophical thought sufficient to be regarded as having awareness of being responsible for the consequences to the environment. They get up, waste time commuting to a job, get a paycheck, have a smoke and go home to do it again several days a week. Some do write Christian things though, or protect gun owning rights, or whatever. With all the crazy contemporary politics and immoral drift maybe dueling will be made legal again in order to keep the broadcast media from becoming more royal. I like what you wrote though. Yet the lost are the lost, that is sad yet predestined.



What about works vs grace? .I took some notes on Gershner's lectures on the Westminster standards-

good works are only such as God has commanded
a good work is a work that God has commanded
-no amount of zeal will make an act good unless God has commanded it, and done for that reason
works are evidences that one has been justified by faith
salvation by grace, not salvation by works

ability to do good works is not of themselves (the Christian)-it is wholly from the spirit of Christ
Philippians 2:11-12
justification and sanctification-similar yet dissimilar
yet hereupon they are not to grow negligent

effective calling-justification is monergistic regeneration-an activity of God

Justification and regeneration are truly monergistic-the work of God alone
sanctification is dualistic-the work of God and the saint, yet every inclination to good works is given by the Holy Spirit
On super-arrogation
They who in their obedience attain to the highest perfection in this life are very far from being able to do what God requires of them

some creeds point out positively what is believed and then point out errors

Roman catholic church believes in super-arrogation (doing more than is required)
the Bible denies that anyone is capable of attaining more than what God requires, or excess perfection-no one can do more than is required

riches are not the sin; trusting in riches is the problem
the young man who asked Jesus what he had to do to be perfect, and Jesus replied that he had to give away his riches to be perfect, is not an example of super-arrogation-the young fellow wasn't close to being perfect-his riches were just being exemplified as something that is a conflict of interest with salvation-the more you have the more you are tempted to think you earned it-rather than it being of providence.

Christianity does not require a vow of poverty
Some are eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake-they think they can do more as singles for serving God

poverty and celibacy do not mean that one is going beyond what is required; no one can go beyond what is required

God is pleased to accept and reward good works that are sincere -Jesus makes the works acceptable
Christ in his intercessory ministry makes the works acceptable unto God-Jesus cleanses the works of human imperfections

works done by unregenerate men are not pleasing to God, though the works may be necessary and in the teleological stream of providence

Unconverted persons may have the matter of virtue in them yet not the manner.
right motive
right goal-right standard
right end-right purpose (the love of God)
for an act to be moral it must be because God commands it
good works of the unregenerate are largely done to promote themselves-they do not intend to show the glory of God, but instead to promote themselves