Topic: Grace and works

Question

Does a man seek God, or does God seek the man?

Answer

My, so what—what we got to worry about? Why are you walking along with a long face, like you eat oats, or the bottom of a churn. Why, my, smile. We’re happy. We’re Christians, and God has ordained us so and has given Christ for us. And no man could come to Him now… You say, “Well, bless God; I tell...

Question

Can a lost person save himself by reforming or turning over a new page?

Answer

And that’s the way a man is. When you’re lost, brother, I don’t care how much reforming you try to do, you’re absolutely helpless until the Shepherd come get you. That’s…You can’t save yourself. There’s no way at all of doing it. A—a leopard could lick his spots just as hard as he could; you could s...

Question

Is it true that God helps those who help themselves?

Answer

And that’s the way tonight. Many of you here may seem like that your time of deliverance is way away. But sometime when it seems the farthest away, and the darkest of hour, that’s when you receive help from God. There’s an old God dishonoring proverb which says, “God helps those who help themself.”...

Question

What is faith worth if a person is not willing to act on it?

Answer

How many have faith? Raise your hands as a witness to God. Now, your faith without your works is dead. You might as well not have faith if you’re not willing to put it to work. Now, as the Holy Spirit moves into the building tonight, let’s us take the initiative side. Let’s believe with all of our h...

Question

Will faith do any good without works?

Answer

How many in here believes God’s going to hear tonight and answer prayer? Oh, isn’t that wonderful? Brother Lindsay, that was a mighty nice then to see a solid ground there of—of every person believing—on believing grounds. Anything could happen. Now, the one thing I’m going to ask you to do, is…How...

Question

Does giving up lying, stealing or smoking make a person saved?

Answer

Then the next thing, you go—you go to church and you hear the hymns sang, the Gospel preached. Something…And the Holy Spirit begins to speak to you. “Come, repent.” And you say, “Oh, that…I—I—I—I’m young. I got plenty of time yet. I got this. I’ve got to do this.” See? You’re rejecting God’s provide...

Question

How can Paul say Abraham was justified by faith and James say he was justified by works?

Answer

Now, see, now Paul was justifying Abraham by faith. James justified him by works. Paul said Abraham was justified, Romans 4, by faith. And so James comes over and says that he was justified by works. Now, both of them, one confirmed the other. Now, Paul was speaking what God saw: his faith. James is...

Question

Does God accept a person on the basis of their own holiness?

Answer

Now not only the Word, whatever they want to say about It, that’s one thing or another. But we know we have the Scriptures right for we have the Holy Ghost as a Witness. That’s the Witness. So God looking down through the—the optical eye, as it was, and looked down through the—the—the magnifying gla...

Question

Do church joining or forms of baptism save a person?

Answer

Not long ago I seen a picture in a paper advertising Sinclair gasoline, said that one gallon of Sinclair gasoline in a big enough motor could lift the Sphinx so high off the ground. I said, “Looky there, they’re advertising that around the world.” I said, “And one drop of the Blood of Jesus Christ w...

Question

On what basis does God save a person?

Answer

Now, remember, it isn’t how much you cry; it isn’t how much you repent; it isn’t how loud you can cry to God; it isn’t how sincere you can be; it’s how much faith that you have when you come to Him. He doesn’t save you on the merits of your prayer. He doesn’t save you upon the merits of your righteo...

Question

How can Paul say Abraham was justified by faith while James says he was justified by works?

Answer

Now, if Abraham says, “I got faith in God,” but was afraid to offer his son Isaac, then his faith was no good. Paul justified Abraham by faith, Paul was talking about what God seen in Abraham; but James justified him by works, James was talking about what men seen in Abraham. See? God sees your fait...

Question

What shows whether a person is really a Christian?

Answer

And now, I want to speak just a moment, or just bring your attention to a few words here that Jesus said, “The works that I do bear witness of Me.” The things that I do, what I say, is what bears record of me. And that’s what bears record of every person. Do you know, I’d rather you’d live me a serm...

Question

How can Paul say Abraham was justified by faith when James says he was justified by works?

Answer

Now, the first thing…It looks like Paul was speaking in Romans the 4th chapter, justifying Abraham by faith; and James is justifying him by works. But it does not contradict. Paul was speaking of what God saw in Abraham, and James was speaking what man saw in Abraham. Paul was speaking of what God s...

Question

Is believing enough if a person does not act on what they believe?

Answer

Now, if you believe that with all your heart, accept it and act on it. Now, you can believe it just as much as you wanted to; if you didn’t act on it, you’ll set right there like a sinner would lay at the altar. If you got down there and prayed, and prayed. You said, “Lord, I know You saved me. But...

Question

Can a person get into heaven by good works or merits?

Answer

But, oh, how infallible—how many infallible proofs we have that there’s a—heaven is, and we’re going there someday. And just as sure as we’re in Christ, God shall bring those with Him who are keeping Christ at that day. And we…So many people try to work themself into it. So many people try to do so...

Question

Can a person be saved by living a good, clean life?

Answer

And, today, God has made a contract. Not because you were good, not because you had joined church, not because you had been a good rank in society. You can be ever so good, you can live a clean life, you can go to church every day, you can sacrifice every day, you can give a part of your money, you...