“IS SALVATION A RESULT OF GRACE, GOOD WORKS OR BOTH?”

INTRODUCTION

There has been an ongoing debate within the church for 500 years or so concerning whether salvation is a result of grace, good works or both. Certainly no resolution is within sight as leaders on all sides of the debate are firmly entrenched in their positions, although there does seem to be some movement toward the middle on the part of some of the works advocates. Why do intelligent and very well educated people have such widely varying and solidly entrenched opinions on this topic; positions so strong that many on each side are seemingly convinced that those of the other opinion are destined for an eternity in hell? My observation is that everyone, without exception, has blind spots in their ability to find and recognize the “truth.” These blind spots result from many things, including but not limited to ignorance, intelligence level, experience, education and training, genetic factors, prior mental and physical abuse, disabilities, heritage including religious and ethnic factors, divine will, etc. Nobody is really capable of completely understanding his or her own blind spots. We see things based upon the totality of our experience and who we are or have become. A few can recognize some of their blind spots and try to deal with them, but always without total success. Most either don’t recognize them or refuse to acknowledge them. God certainly recognizes this because he created us and knows us much better than we know ourselves. That may be why God assures us that his judgments will be fair and will be based upon the totality of our experience; what we know, what we do and who we are (Jn 5:30; Heb 2:2; 1 Pet 1:17, 2:23).

God apparently wants us to know only a limited amount about his judgments, rewards and punishments during this life. He has revealed all that we need to know in his Word; that there will be a dividing of saved from unsaved, as well as judgments with rewards and punishments. If we knew more about them, we as humans would try to reinvent the law and thereby try to work our way to heaven. As it is, the church has had a serious problem with this down through the centuries. As we will show in detail below, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that we are saved by Christ’s grace and his sacrifice, and that all we have to do is to express our faith and belief in Christ (which saves us) and then follow his command to love (which indicates that our belief is real). Gal 5:5-6 says that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Love may involve works, so we see that works is not entirely out of the salvation equation; more about this later.

The Spirit reveals to us through God’s word that we shouldn’t touch Satan’s deception, his deception being that there is some way to get to heaven without going through Jesus (2 Thess 2:9-12, John 8:42-47, Rev 20:7-10). We should rinse out any vessel containing this deception and throw away the contents. John 14:6 tells us that the only way to know the Father is through knowing the Son.

Down through the centuries after Christ there have been hundreds who have said that God has given them additional Revelations about himself and what we need to do to get to heaven and spend eternity with him. These have resulted in many false churches and cults being formed, and many in the true church being deceived into believing false doctrines not compatible with the teachings of the Bible. In my opinion, we must have a solid rock to stand on and not build our spiritual houses on sand (1 Cor 3:9-15, Eph 2:19-20, Matt 7:24-27, 1 Pet 2:4-8). Again, we can’t rely on others or depend upon revelations given to others after the apostolic period in the 1st century. We can’t prove new revelations; if we believe them we must do so based upon false faith. We have only one reliable witness that we can prove and believe with true faith and that witness is the Word of God. The Word in Luke 12:57 tells us that we are each responsible. Here we see Jesus saying to a crowd that is listening to one of his parables, “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” Likewise, Paul tells us in 1 Cor 3:10 that each one should be careful how he builds his spiritual house. Acts 17:11 tells us that the Bereans examined the Scriptures daily to make sure that what Paul was teaching them was true and compatible with the indisputable Word of God. 1 Thess 5:21 tells us to “Test everything.” These scriptures provide a multiple witness for us that we have free will and we are to use that free will to confirm for ourselves what we are taught or read. We are in very dangerous waters if we believe and accept so called “Revelations” given to others after the apostolic period, especially if they cannot be directly confirmed in God’s Word by multiple witnesses (multiple Scriptures clearly telling us the same thing).

Since most Christians in the world have been taught an erroneous gospel of good works, let’s explore in some depth many of the scriptures that deal with how we receive salvation.

WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE AND NOT BY GOOD WORKS (THE LAW)

Before we begin let’s review the definitions of a couple of words that will be important to the study of grace vs. works.

JUSTIFICATION: We are declared innocent of our sins, even though we are guilty, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

SANCTIFICATION: We are directed by Scripture to become like Jesus, to live a life of love as he did (I Jn 2:6, 3:16-18, 4:16. 1 Cor 13:4-7). This process of becoming more like Jesus is called sanctification. It is a process of purification of our lives led by the Holy Spirit, with our active participation.

GRACE: We were chosen by God through foreknowledge for salvation as a free gift (Eph 2:8-9, 2 Tim 1:8-10). The fact that our salvation is a free gift from God means that we cannot work for it or earn it by anything that we do. If it were not for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ it would not be possible for us to ever get to heaven. This sacrifice was a free gift to all believers in the sacrifice. It was done by the “grace” of God.

Let’s begin our study of Scriptures by looking at several that tell us that we are saved by the grace of God and not by our works. Later on we’ll read some Scriptures that on first look appear to be contradictory concerning the part that works plays in salvation, but as we will see this apparent contradiction is necessary for our full understanding of salvation.

Rom 3:28 A man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. (A man is declared innocent of sins because of his faith and not because he did good works or followed a ritualistic man-made code.)

Rom 5:9 We have been justified by Jesus’ blood. (We have been declared innocent of sins because of Jesus’ blood sacrifice.)

Rom 4:25 Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification. (Jesus died and was resurrected so that we can be declared innocent of our sins, in spite of the fact that we are really guilty.)

Rom 4:5 For the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited to him as righteousness. (It is not works but faith that results in God declaring the guilty to be innocent and in a good relationship with him.)

Rom 6:11 Count yourselves as dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Our sins are gone and forgotten but our spirits will live forever with God because of Jesus’ sacrifice.)

Rom 8:1 There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (There is no condemnation for sins for those who believe in Jesus.)

Rom 9:16 Salvation does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but upon God’s mercy. (Spending eternity in heaven with God does not depend upon man’s desire or good works, but upon God’s grace and mercy.)

Rom 9:30-32 Israel did not attain righteousness because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. (God’s chosen people, the Israelites, did not attain a good relationship with God because they tried to do so not by faith but by doing good works.)

1 Cor 1:17 Human wisdom can empty the cross of Christ of its power. (Humans must do things God’s way and not their own rationalistic way or else Jesus’ sacrifice will not apply to them.)

1 Cor 6:20 We were bought at a price. (Believers are the bride of Christ, and just as a Jewish groom’s father had to pay a high price for his son’s bride; so too did God the Father have to pay a very high price for his son’s bride, the earthly suffering and death of his son, Jesus.)

1 Cor 15:56-57 Following the law to receive salvation produces sin which results in separation from God; however, God provided a remedy in Jesus Christ. (The law is the motor that drives the sin machine. Its fuel is the belief that we can get to heaven by ourselves.)

2 Cor 3:6 The law kills but the Spirit gives life. (Following a ritualistic man-made code to receive salvation results in separation from God, while receiving the Spirit through acceptance of Jesus results in eternal life in heaven.)

2 Cor 5:16-21 Those who are in Christ no longer have their sins counted against them. (Those who believe in Jesus are declared innocent of all sins; past, present and future. They will not be counted against them at their judgment.)

Gal 2:4 Jesus provides believers with freedom from laws, rituals, etc. (Jesus sacrifice gives believers freedom; freedom from worry, they no longer have to worry about whether or not they will make a passing grade at their judgment; and freedom from having to follow a long list of man-made or God-made rituals and laws.)

Gal 2:15-16 No one can be justified by the law. Man is justified by faith in Jesus. (Man is declared innocent of sins by faith in Jesus and not by following any ritualistic code.)

Gal 3:1-5 We receive the Spirit by believing the truth we hear about Jesus and not by human effort. (Can’t say it any better than that.)

Gal 5:1 Christ sets us free from the yoke of slavery (the law). (Jesus sacrifice sets us free from the bondage of having to meet the requirements of a ritualistic code in which it is impossible for man to meet God’s standard.)

Gal 5:2-4 Anyone who tries to be justified by law is alienated from Jesus. (Following a ritualistic man-made code to receive salvation results in separation from Jesus.)

Col 2:14 Jesus cancelled the regulations of the law by nailing them to a tree. (Jesus cancelled any requirements to follow man-made or God-made rituals to receive salvation by nailing the requirements to a cross, the cross on which he was crucified.)

Rom 6:10, Heb 7:23-28, 9:11-15, 23-28, 10:1-18 Jesus was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many. He died “Once for all.” (In the Old Covenant, there was a regular, repetitive requirement to offer blood sacrifices for sins. In the New Covenant, Jesus made a one time blood sacrifice to take away the sins of all believers; all sins for all believers for all time, past, present and future. He did it “Once for all.”)

Heb 10:26-27 If we continue under law after receiving Jesus, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only judgment that consumes the enemies of God. (This is a very difficult teaching to accept. It basically seems to say that when we accept Jesus we must accept his one time sacrifice. If we continue to follow ritualistic codes for forgiveness of sins after accepting Jesus, then Jesus sacrifice for us is cancelled and we will face judgment for all of our sins and risk separation from God for eternity.)

Heb 2:18-19 If we reconstruct the law, which was destroyed, we are lawbreakers. (It is very dangerous to invent some new code to follow for forgiveness of sins; in fact it results in breaking God’s law against doing that.)

Heb 9:11-15, 6:1, 1 John 5:16-19 The “act that leads to death” is continuing to perform useless rituals to receive forgiveness, thus refusing to accept Jesus’ once for all sacrifice. (This is the third Scripture in a row that we have studied which tells us how dangerous it is to follow some ritualistic code to receive forgiveness for our sins. Again, it says that in doing this, one invalidates Jesus’ one time sacrifice for them and they will face spiritual death, or separation from God for eternity.)

Gal 1:7-9 Paul here tells us that anyone who preaches a perverted Gospel of Christ should be eternally condemned. (There are many cults and churches that today teach gospels that rely or good works, performing repetitive rituals, or otherwise deny the sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice, that deny the deity of Jesus, etc. Paul tells us what he thinks about anyone who teaches this; they should be eternally condemned.)

Col 3:11 Here Paul seems to be telling us that it is foolish for any believing Christian church to say that they are the only way, for he says that “Christ is all, and is in all.”

SUMMARY OF THESE SCRIPTURES

Let’s briefly summarize what these Scriptures are telling us. We have read and studied Scripture after Scripture that tell us that as soon as we become believers and accept Jesus one time sacrifice for all of us, that God then looks at us as innocent of all of our sins, even though we are really guilty of them. We are forgiven in advance for all of our sins and we don’t have to do anything further to receive this forgiveness. One might then ask, “Then why bother to ask for forgiveness for our sins?” That is part of the sanctification process that we go through. In trying to become more like Jesus, we need the help of the Spirit. Our admittance to God that we are sinners is necessary in our thinking process if we are to try to adjust our lives to living as close as possible to the way that Jesus lived his life. Repeatedly asking for forgiveness has nothing to do with our salvation, but it does have much to do with our sanctification. In Acts 2:38-39 Peter did say to a large crowd to which he was preaching, “Repent and be baptized.” This was a one time requirement to admit the fact that they were sinners and needed forgiveness. That forgiveness came about through Jesus Christ.

We also see several Scriptures that tell us what happens to those who acknowledge Jesus but refuse to accept his one time sacrifice, thereby feeling that they must earn forgiveness by ceremoniously performing various rituals or doing good works. They are reconstructing the law, are really enemies of God and will be lost.

JESUS CAME TO FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW FOR US

The Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5-7 is one of the most difficult and confusing passages in the Bible to properly understand. I wrestled with it for years trying to understand what Jesus was telling me. He was setting a standard for living which was clearly impossible for me to meet as a human.

It is clear after reading chapter 5 that Jesus is setting an impossible standard. How could Jesus possibly expect us to do this? How can we humanly do all that this requires? Well, we can’t and God doesn’t expect us to. Unless, that is, we expect to follow the law and work or earn our way to heaven. The Jews thought that they had to work their way to heaven. Jesus was telling them in the Sermon on the Mount that it was impossible for them to earn their way to heaven, and he gave them several examples of why this was so. He was basically saying to them, “So, you think you can work your way to heaven by yourself, well try this!” Jesus had just come to earth to change the paradigm and he was offering it to them. However, they largely refused to accept it and they were subsequently punished for that refusal (Matt 23:1-24:2, Lk 19:28-44).

 In Matt 19:16-26, Jesus is having a discussion with a rich young man. The young man asks Jesus what “good thing he had to do” in order to be able to receive eternal life. Jesus’ answer is basically that if he expected to work his way to heaven and thereby to eternal life, he would have to “be perfect.” The young man went away saddened because he knew he could not meet Jesus’ requirement for perfection. Upon hearing this the disciples ask Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Man could not be perfect, but Jesus could make them perfect in God’s eyes by buying their pardon for sin on the cross. In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matt 5:17 Jesus told the large crowd that he had not come to abolish the law but to “fulfill it.” He had come to fulfill the requirements of the law for them (and for us, and for the rich young man for that matter). He had come to be “perfect,” to live the perfect life for us, and thereby fulfill God’s requirements for perfection for us. He did just that, he lived the perfect life and then at the end of that perfect life he became the perfect sacrifice, once for all, for the sins of everyone who would accept it (Heb 2:10-11, 5:7-10, 7:18-19, 7:27-28, 9:11-14, 9:26, 10:1-4, 10:10, Rom 6:10, 1 Pet 3:18). So, we see that we don’t have to meet the requirements of the Sermon on the Mount; Jesus did it for us. He lived the perfect life for us. If we refuse to accept Jesus’ gift for us, and we insist on doing it ourselves, then God’s requirement is perfection. Impossible for all humans save one! Yet millions today insist on trying.

 IF GOOD WORKS DO NOT RESULT IN FORGIVENESS, THEN WHAT IS THEIR VALUE?

So, we see that it seems obvious that good works and/or performing repetitive rituals cannot result in our sins being forgiven. However, good works are still extremely important to salvation! In light of what we have read so far we might ask, “How can that be?” Let’s read a couple of Scriptures that tell us of the importance of good works and then see how we can reconcile this seeming dilemma.

Eph 2:8-10 We are saved by grace through faith, not by works so that no one can boast; however we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works. (A common form of the salvation equation is shown here, “We are saved by grace through faith.” Paul explicitly says that we are not saved by works and gives a good reason why. He points out that salvation is a free gift from God and we cannot earn it by works. However, he goes on to point out that works follow salvation. He further points out that the works that we do were designed by God. They do not provide salvation nor are they for forgiveness of sins. It seems to me from my analysis of Scriptures that works were designed by God as a test to prove that we are serious about our commitment to Jesus. We’ll see more on that later.)

Phil 2:12-15 Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,…so that you may become blameless and pure. (Paul correctly points out that most of us have occasional fear regarding our salvation. He further says that we must continue to do the good work that God has set up for us to do so that we will become blameless and pure. He is talking about the sanctification process, which follows salvation, as we saw earlier.)

Titus 3:4-8 Believers are justified by the grace of Jesus. They should be careful to devote themselves to doing good. (Again, doing good is something that follows receiving salvation.)

Heb 6:9-12 Works accompany salvation and should continue throughout life. (Again works are not responsible for salvation but they accompany it or follow it.)

James 2:20 Faith without works is useless. A person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. (This is one of the most difficult teachings in the Bible to understand. It has been responsible down through the centuries for James being labeled an advocate of salvation by works. It had much to do with some reluctance at first to include James in the Bible. It seems to some that James is contradicting the other New Testament authors, all who say that salvation is through grace by faith and without works. However, if you carefully study what all of the authors say about works, you realize that it is something that always accompanies salvation. It is not responsible for salvation, but it always follows true salvation. It is the proof, so to speak, that a person was sincere when he asked Jesus to be his savior. Every person who makes a profession of faith in Jesus is not saved. He is only saved if he follows up his spoken words with actions that indicate he was sincere. We saw earlier in our study that the original meaning of the word faith implied that faith without works is not really faith. Works is integral to the meaning of the word faith.)

1 Cor 3:8-15 Those who are saved need to build the foundation for their lives (their spiritual house) upon the one already laid for them by Jesus. Every believer will construct a spiritual house of some sort. At the judgment God will test the construction of the house by fire. Some houses will survive intact and other will burn completely down. Those whose houses completely burn down will still survive themselves, but only as one who has barely escaped through flames. (This is one of the most insightful and informative teachings in the Bible about the relationship between grace and works. Everyone who makes an attempt to build upon the foundation laid by Jesus will receive salvation. Some of the houses are totally worthless, but the builder was making an attempt none the less. That person will still go to heaven but will receive few rewards. The person whose house survived intact will receive many rewards. So we see two other values in good works; they provide proof of the sincerity of the believer and they provide a measure of the rewards which will one day be received.)

Let’s summarize a few of the important things that we have concluded about the danger and the value of works from this study of scriptures.

We are saved by faith and not by doing good works or following a ritualistic code.

Following a ritualistic code for forgiveness of sins can result in separation from Jesus. In fact, Paul calls doing this “the act that leads to death.”

Jesus cancelled all ritualistic codes by nailing them to a cross.

Developing new man made codes is against God’s law and is very dangerous.

God has set an impossible standard for those who want to go to heaven based upon their own merit.

Works do not provide salvation but they accompany salvation.

Works are involved in the sanctification area of salvation. We are to try to develop a deeper and deeper love for our fellow man throughout our lives. Paul, Peter, James and John all tell us the characteristics that we need to develop within ourselves to accomplish this, but they don’t really tell us how to do it, other than that the Spirit will help us. They could not have given us a list of things to do otherwise they would have been guilty of inventing a new ritualistic code. What we need to do is written in our hearts.

Works were designed by God as a test to prove that we are serious about our commitment to Jesus.

Works provide a measure of the rewards which the believer will one day receive.

A STUDY OF “ASSURANCE OF SALVATION”

John wrote the whole book of 1 John to let the early Christians know when they were saved and what their lifestyles would have to be in order for them to be confident in their own minds that they were saved. Following are references to some of the scriptures in 1 John that tell us this: 5:13; 2:3,6,9,15,23; 3:9,14,16-20,24; 4:13,15,19-21. They are attached for our use.

Analysis of these scriptures reveals the following. John says that we have assurance of salvation in our own minds if we meet the following conditions:

If we acknowledge belief in Jesus; (2:23; 4:15)

If we have the Spirit within us; (3:24; 4:13)

If we obey his command to love our brothers (2:3; 2:9; 3:14; 4:20-21)

with actions (3:16-18), and

in truth (or walk as Jesus did); (2:6; 3:9, 3:18)

Let’s look at and analyze these conditions.

CONDITION 1

First, we must acknowledge belief in Jesus. The two scriptures that tell us that confirm what we have been taught all of our lives, from John 3:16, etc.

CONDITION 2

The second condition for being assured of salvation is having the Spirit within us.

Why do we have to have the Holy Spirit within us to be saved? Because we can’t be purified or sanctified unless we have the Spirit within us to lead us through the process. Also, because the Spirit is the seal that confirms that we belong to him.

When we are born physically, we begin to grow physically. When we are born again, we are born spiritually, and we begin to grow spiritually. This spiritual growth is called sanctification or purification and is led by the Holy Spirit.

CONDITION 3

Third, we must obey Jesus’ command to love our brothers, with actions and in truth. John really emphasizes this command. Let’s reread the scriptures that tell us this again.

In 2 Thess 2:13 Paul tells us that we were chosen by God to be saved through (1) belief in the truth and (2) sanctification by the Spirit.

2 Thess 2:13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

1 Peter 1:22 says that we are purified or sanctified by (1) obeying the truth and (2) going through the process of developing a sincere and deep love for our brothers.

1 Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

Taken together, these two scriptures tell us that we were chosen by God to be saved through believing the truth (Jesus-Jn 14:6 and his Word-Jn 17:17, Eph 1:13) and developing a deep and sincere love for our brothers (the culmination of the sanctification process carried out in us by the Holy Spirit).

So, we see John telling us that we are assured of salvation if we go through the process of being saved as described by Paul and Peter. We see that being saved as described here is a process, not an event, except in unusual cases. Being born again is an event, the event that starts the process of being saved. Being saved occurs in three different tenses in the Bible, past, present and future. The present tense usage of the word is the one implying a process.

In 1 John 3:18, John expands on how we are to love if we want to be assured of salvation; we are to love with actions and in truth. John had just briefly discussed how we love with actions in verses 16 and 17; we are to meet our brothers needs, even to the point that we give up ourselves to meet their needs. Let’s read these verses again.

But how do we love in truth? Since Jesus is truth (John 14:6), to love in truth means to love in Jesus or to love as Jesus did. How do we love as Jesus did? We live a lifestyle of love as he did. Is this possible I John 2:6 tells us that Christians “must walk as Jesus did” and 1 John 4:16 tells us that “God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him.” How do we live in love or walk as Jesus did? It sounds impossible! The two scriptures in 1 John that we just quoted give us the answer if we combine them with what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Let’s read that.

1 Cor 13:4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 We saw in 1 John that God is love or Jesus is love. If we substitute the word Jesus for the word love in 1 Cor 13:4-7, we can see that Jesus was patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, kept no record of wrongs, did not delight in evil, rejoiced in the truth, always protected, always trusted, always hoped, always persevered. John was telling us that we must seek to have these characteristics in our lifestyle, just as Jesus did. John also said that doing this ensured that God was living in us. This type of agape love described by Paul was an unconditional type of love. It gave all and demanded nothing in return. This is something that we can all seek after. As Peter described in 2 Peter 1:5-11, this is something that we grow into as we mature as Christians. It’s not magical, we must work at it. However, it is possible to develop all of these characteristics as we grow as Christians. We must continually measure our growth against this lifestyle exemplified by Christ. We will all have failures in our attempts, but we must continually try to measure up. If we continue to try to measure up to Christ’s lifestyle of love, we have assurance of our salvation. Paul also tells us this in Rom 8:28-30. I believe that this tells us how we can “love in truth” or walk as Christ did.

Rom 8:28-30

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

SCRIPTURES ON ASSURANCE OF SALVATION FROM 1 JOHN

I Jn 5:13

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

I Jn 2:3, 6, 9

3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.

I Jn 2:15

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

I Jn 2:23

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

I Jn 3:9

9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

I Jn 3:14-24

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence

20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

I Jn 4:13, 15

13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

I Jn 4:19-21

19 We love because he first loved us.

20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.