My question is why use these verses at all. Why not just cite the verse where Jesus says if you do not continue in actively doing stuff that I want you to do, you will go to hell.
Like this one?
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6
If a man does not remain in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. (Jn 15:4-6)
Here Jesus pretty plainly says we have to remain in him, or else we will go to hell. But how do we remain in him? Luckily he tells us how just four verses later.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. 10
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.
So the way we remain in Jesus is to keep his commandments. Does that qualify as Jesus telling us to do a certain action?
If Jesus loves us so much, and even died for us on the cross while we were yet sinners, wouldn’t he mention such a crucial ingredient in going to heaven? Out of all the times he mentions that our belief is what saves us and gives us everlasting life right now, wouldn’t he just once mention the other part? Of course He would but He does not
Umm…actually yes, yes he does. In addition to the verses above:
16 And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good.
If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” (Mt 19:17)
Jesus explicitly says here again that we need to keep the commandments to enter into eternal life. Here’s some more where he tells us we need more than just belief.
He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Mt 10:38)
“Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Mt 7:21)
5 He who
conquers shall be clad thus in white garments,*** and I will not blot his name out of the book of life;*** (Rev 3:3-5)
That last one explicitly says believers can be blotted out from the book of life. That means they were in it at one time, that they were saved, but then they lost it.
He says of all the Father gives Him, He will not lose one. How many have to lose their eternal everlasting life to make that a lie?
In context, he was talking about the twelve disciples there, not all believers, and he said he had not lost one except the son of perdition, Judas. Nowhere does Jesus say he will never lose a follower. He does say that no one can snatch us from him, but that’s different than us freely leaving him. If we really can never leave him, why does he tell us to remain in him?
That is what works are and God looks at them as filthy rags when it comes to what He accepts to enter into His righteous courts. He will allow nothing but the precious blood of Jesus.
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1)
Wait, our spiritual sacrifices (which are works) are holy and acceptable to God? How can that be? I thought we were filthy rags? Not when we are in Christ, because ‘‘whoever is in Christ is a new creation, the old has past, behold the new has come’’ (2 Cor 5:17) It’s not just a legal fiction, it’s a reality.
It’s only by his grace and power that our works are worth anything of course, apart from him, we can do nothing, as he himself says. But
in him, they really are worth something, and they really are pleasing to God. It’s all because of him.
