Reference: Acts 13:38-41
Since we are living in a day that allforms of works are being denied as having anything to do with one's salvation,then the chances of you believing this article will be very slim. If you areaware of what is being taught today in the religious realm of life, then youshould know that to mention works to the average confessing christian todaythat they will be quick to tell you that works has aboslutely nothing to dowith salvation.
In our above text found in the book ofActs, the apostle Paul plainly warned the people of the danger of unbelieftaking hold of their hearts causing them to disbelieve in the work thatAlmighty God was beginning to do. Have you ever wondered just exactly what thiswork is that the apostle Paul was referring to? In case you don't know, thenallow me to tell you that this work is the very plan of God's redeemingsalvation that will redeem man back to his original state that he was in beforeman fell prone to sins power in the garden of Eden.
Many people read the Biblethinking that works has nothing to do with one's salvation, but what mostpeople are totally ignorant of it the truth to what works the apostle Paul is referringto in our text found in Acts chapter thirteen. This work that Gos will workbegan to be put into motion after Christ ascended back to heaven. On the day ofPentecost the disciples began declaring this work to the people, but we find astime went by many people began refusing the truth of God's word.
The apostle Paul was the man that God hadchosen to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul received a vast storehouse ofknowledge concerning the truths of the kingdom of God. These truths that Paulbegan preaching would not be received by very many people. Paul warned thepeople of the prophecy concerning the work that God would begin to perfrom thatmany would not believe.
The reason why many people refused toaccept and believe the gospel in Paul's day was simply because of the fact thatthe gospel was so contrary to the law of Moses. The Jews rejected Christ mostlybecause they were being taught the law of Moses by religious leaders who werenot truly sincere in their confession of being followers of God.
Jesus told the religious leaders of hisday that if they believed what Moses had written, then they would have believedon him, because Moses wrote about Christ how that he would come and bring a newway of worship to God. If those religious leaders truly loved God and knew theword of God like they said they did, then they would have received Christ astheir Messiah. The Jews rejected Christ by their direct refusal to receive whathe taught them.
To refuse the teachings of Christ is inreality refusing to receive Christ in your heart and life. When Paul went forthpreaching the things concerning the truths of the kingdom of God, he told thepeople to beware of what the prophesy said about those who would not believethe work that God would begin to do in these last days. We know for a fact thatthe true gospel of Christ was proclaimed in the days of the apostles, but astime went on the true gospel began to be perverted by false teachers whoentered in and caused many people to be misled from the truth. The discipleswent forth preaching the very gospel that was taught to them by the Lordhimself. These truths were put in book form as time went on. Although the truthwas being lost, the epistles that were written by the apostles was yet verymuch in accord as being the truth of God's word.
We are told that God's word will neverpass away but of course false prophets can fail to rightly divide the word oftruth and come up with many different ways that's contrary to what the word ofGod truly reveals. The true way of God has to be revealed to a person by theleading of the Holy Ghost or else nobody will know the truth concerning thekingdom of God.
It seems that everybody has read what Paulsaid in Ephesians 2:8-9 about how we are saved through faith and not of worksand for this reason is against all forms of work no matter what they are. Ifyou are against works then you will be one that will not believe the work thatPaul is referring to in our text of Acts 13:38-41. I say this simply becausethe world today has been led to believe that to be saved is done in an instantof time and that works has nothing to do with one's salvation at all.
It is of course an established fact thatwe can not earn our salvation, but the work that Paul is referring to is notour work, but rather it's what the Bible calls the work of God. This work willnot be believed by very many people, because most people will think one istrying to earn their salvation by works. God's work will be disbelieved becausethe false teachers has caused most people to believe they are saved in a momentof time and works has nothing to do with being saved. Many people believe thatworks will follow a saved person, but they won't believe that works hasanything to do with their salvation. What people are totally ignorant of isthat the work that Paul is referring to is the work that God performs on aperson that will save him. God's way of saving a person is a way that requiresour obedience to his written word, but the world today has been led to believethat to be saved is done in an instant of time when one accepts Christ as theirLord and Saviour. If a person believes that he is saved in a moment of time,how would it be possible for them to believe that to be saved is done in aprogressive manner?
The work that Paul referrs to in our textof Acts 13:38-41 is the progressive work that God performs on a person thatwill save them. To tell the average person that in order to be saved is done byobeying the truth of God's word in it's entirety, they absolutely will notbelieve it. Their failure to believe the truth about being saved in aprogressive manner is the work that God will do that most people will fail tobelieve. Paul told the people in his day to beware lest that come upon them asspoken of in the prophets. This warning was the danger of unbelief of what Godwould do in these last days.
I will just about guarantee that everyperson who confesses to be a saved born again child of God will say that they weresaved at the moment that they accepted Christ as their own personal Lord andSaviour. They will tell you that anything added to this is what the Bible callsthe works that cannot and will not save you. What these people are totallyignorant of is the truth as to what faith is and how God saves a person.
God is of course the Saviour of mankind,but what people are failing to realize is that God has a way of saving a personand they absolutely must submit themselves to God's way or else they can neverbe saved. To submit to God's way of salvation is done by obeying the revealedtruth of his holy word, but the average person will say this is trying to earnsalvation....