Works as Per in the Seven Churches
This topic will clarify all questions and confusions one has pertaining to grace and works. No matter what, I still believe that only faith saves apart of works, because this is how Abraham was justified and called the friend of God. Abraham had no good works but only believed in the Lord. We could only see his good works when he took Isaac to offer him on the altar of holocaust. Many of us think that this the time with which the Lord justified him. Well, he was justified about 20 years before that, because even Ishmael was not yet born when he was justified. Justification of Abraham was not in works but in faith.
However, we find the Lord Jesus in the book of Revelation identifying the angels of the Churches by their works first before everything else. Let us see the references in the bible, “I know your works, your labour, your patience...” (Revelation 2:2). This is in the Church in Ephesus. What He knows first is the works of the angel before labouring and patience. Let us look at second Church and the others altogether below: “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9). “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is...” (Revelation 2:13). “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first” (Revelation 2:19). “...I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1). “I know your works...” (Revelation 3:8). “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot” (Revelation 3:15).
In all seven Churches our Lord Jesus recognised first their works before all other things. Then because of this, people will claim that works come first before faith; then you will hear the statement that says you will have to act in faith for God to pay attention to you. This means that your actions come first before your faith, in other words, they suggest that works generate faith. Well, that is not true because Abraham had to only set his eyes toward the sky then he believed on the Lord and that was accounted to him for righteousness (read Genesis 15:6).
I cannot go deep trying to convince you what did Abraham believe but look at what the bible says, “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God” (Romans 4:1-2). Can our Lord Jesus recognise works while God recognises only faith? We have to understand who Jesus is talking to here; He is talking to the minister of the Church as He explained to John that the seven stars are seven angels of the Churches.
Now, as a leader or someone who is holding any position in a church, people of the world will recognise your works before they could believe that you are sent by the Lord to do His ministry. Why is that? Because they are flesh, and the bible says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).
I love how Paul puts it, to work out your own salvation; this does not imply that one has to work for his own salvation but to work it out because God works it in. In other words, salvation is in you, and then your responsibility is to reveal it outwardly. How do we work out our own salvation? By the good works towards people, first of all by showing love especially to other believers, and transformation of the character, then the infidels will see that we are true believers. However, this does not make one justified before the Lord, but justified on horizontal level, that is among your own community and by the way you will effortlessly love others. Now focusing on the seven Churches, I would like to focus on the Ephesus Church and the message the Lord Jesus is sending to the minister. Let us see, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:4-5).
I would like us to pay attention on few points; the first is the word against and secondly remove your lampstands from its place. The word against here in the Greek is katah, and I wish that you could keep this word for later because it appears again in this chapter in the different church. Jesus also said that He will remove his lampstand from its place. We have to understand what the lampstand is, pay attention to this, bible must interpret bible, perhaps you have your own understanding about this, but I say focus on the bible. Let us read, “The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).
Do you get it now? The lampstand is not the Holy Spirit as you might have been taught, but the church. Now the Lord Jesus says that He will remove the church from where it used to be. When we are talking about the church we are not always referring to a certain establishment or a building. The real church consists of all who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ as His followers or disciples, and are one in love, in character, in hope and in Christ as the head of all, though as the body of Christ it consist of many members. So in essence, the Lord Jesus is saying that He will remove those members from that area where they used to gather under this leader’s leadership.
No one will lose the Holy Spirit or their salvation here, only the minister will lose the members to join other churches like Smyrna and Philadelphia. When you are saved you will not lose your salvation. This idea that you will lose your salvation is in fact unscriptural because they cannot support it with relevant verses, but I can support what I have just said scripturally. This is what Jesus said, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).
Oh I love seeing things like these in the bible, because they warm my heart to know how secured I am in the hands of my Father. When one is living in security is free to move in freedom and one can focus on their careers knowing that they are being held up by the mighty hands of the Father in heaven. This is in no way implying that when one knows their security in God can live sinfully. There is no way that one can disappoint someone who has continually shown unconditional love, no way! Those who freely sin after they have heard of the gospel were not saved in the first place.
When the angel in Ephesus lost the first love, the Lord Jesus promises to protect His church by removing them from the Church which is not doing well to a church that does well. Now to the Pergamos Church He said this, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2:14-16).
Now do you still remember I told you to keep the word katah from the Greek which is translated against? Katah is the prefix of the word katakrino (condemned) and katēgoros (accuser). Katah is more of judgment and condemnation because it is referred to the angel; when the word against is referred to the church, it is metah, which is the prefix for the word metanoeo. Metanoeo is the Greek for repent, meaning to change your mind. The harsh judgment is focused to leaders and not the church; even Paul professed a double curse upon leaders who are preaching another gospel or should I say grace and law.
The first and second mention of the word against in this chapter is for the word katah where it is referred to the angels, but in verse 16 Jesus changes everything when He is referring to the church. This is what He said, ‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them...’, the word against here is for the word metah as in metanoeo. This denotes the love our Lord Jesus has for His church and will always protect it. When He says He will fight against them, He is addressing the angel but He removes him from the picture and tells him that He will fight against the church with the sword of His mouth.
I love this! The word against is metah for metanoeō. This explains that the Lord Jesus will use His word to make His church to repent (change) after they have been deceived by false prophets. Another instance the Lord Jesus promises to protect the church is in following, “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works” (Revelation 2:20-23).
The Lord Jesus promises to remove Jezebel who pretends to be a prophetess. Jesus has no interest on keeping Christians who do not have the desire of making Him their Lord. He promises to put her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her, meaning the servants. Look, the Lord Jesus wants us to remain pure in this aspect and also preserve ourselves from eating things sacrificed to idols. In the bible idolatry and adultery are almost the same, the meanings may be different but their intensity towards God is the same. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus saw the spirit of adultery and idolatry in His church, He became furious to the point of wanting to kill Jezebel’s children with a death. Obviously He is not talking about the original Jezebel, but the spirit of adultery which she was well-known of and the idolatry. As for the sexual immorality the Lord Jesus is referring to, here is the verse for it, “Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, ‘Is it peace, Jehu?’ So he answered, ‘What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and witchcraft are so many?’” (2 Kings 9:22).
Now here we find how wicked Jezebel is. So in this church there is a prophetess who came personifying Jezebel, she is seducing the servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. This is a serious issue even in the church today, there are certain servants who want nothing to do with the Lord Jesus but they just want to lure people to do wrong, to adore money, to be lovers of themselves and the list goes on. So when you sin, there are consequences which you will face, and things will be tough in your life. If you are a believer and saved and have allowed yourself to indulge in sinful passions, the Lord will chasten you, He will send frustrations, and you may lose your job or may even contract sexual transmitted infections if you commit adultery. The Lord will allow this just to make you repent as He did with the prodigal son in the parable of the Prodigal Son.
I want to assure you one thing, that all those who are deceivers in the church of Christ, they will face the consequences. I want to tap on the story of Ananias and Sapphira when they lied to the Holy Spirit, they died instantly. Does this imply that Christians who are not believers will die instantly if they deceive the members of the body of Christ? In some instances yes God can send judgment instantly. In the instance of Ananias and Sapphira, they were not believers but people who just came to the church to make a mockery of our Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit dealt with them instantly accordingly. Then to the church in Laodicea, here is what I would like to quote for you, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).
The word chasten in the Greek is paideuo is translated as child training or educate in English. So when the Lord Jesus chastens you, He is not doing it spitefully but out of the love He has for you. Parents who are believers of Christ do chasten your children when they are doing wrong, because if you do not do it, there is an institution that will do it but will not do it with love. Always assure your children that you love them even when they are in wrong and when you are disciplining them. Please do not only tell them you love them in good days, they will love you and they will gradually repent and they will come to know and understand how much you love them and they will respect you.
The same applies with our God, He always loves us no matter what and even when He chastens us, He still does it with love and this produces a change of mind. So does faith come first in God’s eyes? Yes! In fact only faith satisfies the will of God in the believers’ lives. Wow, how? Let us read, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). The Lord only needs faith from us and that is His will. So works are given as a bonus package because if you are saved and you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, you will inevitably produce the fruit of the Spirit.
The works are part of His grace manifested through us in His rest not because we have to strive to produce them. When we rest in His love and grace, we are able to produce the good works which here on earth are essential for unbelievers to be attracted to the gospel. It is not always testimonies of self gain that attracts people to Jesus, but also the testimonies of transformation of character in the person.
Stay in health through grace and Favour...
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