He Who Does Good is of God?
“I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say. Therefore if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly. Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God. Demetrius has the testimony of all, and of the truth itself; yes, we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.” (3 John 1:9-12 WEB)
In the apostle John’s letter to Gaius and the church, he told them that a person who does good is of God, while one who does evil has not seen God.
Is this teaching good works as a proof of salvation?
Well, if we read in the context of the passage, John was referring to Diotrephes who was hindering Christians in particular. Diotrephes rejected the apostles’ authority, slandered them, and he cast out from the church whoever showed support or hospitality to the missionaries that were sent by the apostles. Diotrephes enjoyed the glory of being “first among them” as a leader but he was not interested in the truth of the Gospel.
John was calling the authenticity of Diotrephes’ faith into question, doubting that the man was saved.
It is apparent that Diotrephes “has not seen God”—he did not have a personal revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and did not love Christians because he was likely not a true one. He just wanted to be a leader over a group of people, to enjoy the thrill of calling the shots and feeling a vain sense of importance.
When John talked about “he who does good is of God”, we see the context clearly that John meant doing good to Christians, acting according to God’s will and ways.
When an unbeliever does something good like giving to charity through his pagan temple or speaking encouraging words to cheer up a depressed friend, that is not the kind of “good” that John is referring to. If that were so, then every unbeliever who regularly does something good could be called “of God”.
No, the one who does good by believing and proclaiming the Spirit-inspired words of the apostles (the New Testament is mostly written by the apostles), who welcomes and loves fellow Christian brethren, demonstrates that he is a true believer. Not just any general acts of good, but love towards God (Yahweh) and fellow Christians who the apostle Paul calls “the household of the faith”.
“So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.” (Galatians 6:10 WEB)
In a subsequent chapter in the same letter, John wrote something that clearly shows that he meant doing good in the sense of doing good (showing love) to fellow Christians:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love...If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.” (1 John 4:7-8, 20-21 WEB)
Firstly, John addressed the audience as “beloved”, showing us that he was speaking to Christians, not just all people in general. God’s will is for Christians to have brotherly love for one another, to treat each other as family, even though we may not be biologically related by blood, but we are of the same family in the Holy Spirit.
John then proceeded to explain how to recognize a false believer: a person who uses the mouth to claim that he loves God, but with his actions shows that he hates Christians and even persecutes them. Such a person is obviously just lying and is not really born-again.
In contrast to Diotrephes, John commends Demetrius for being a true Christian who walks in the truth of the Gospel. He has this testimony from the apostles and from the church. May we be like Demetrius, whose faith can be clearly seen, such that the way we live brings glory to God!
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Fully and Equally Saved
““For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’ “They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’ When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’ “When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’ “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius? Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”” (Matthew 20:1-16 WEB)
Someone who has been born-again since 50 years ago is as equally saved as someone who just received Jesus as Lord moments ago.
The one denarius in the parable represents our redemption in Christ Jesus.
No matter how dedicated you are at serving Jesus, you are not more saved than a backslidden believer.
The gift of righteousness which we received through faith in Jesus cannot be increased or decreased by our works.
Salvation doesn’t happen progressively. You aren’t climbing a ladder to finally one day be saved.
The moment a person believes and confesses his faith in Jesus as Lord, he is fully saved—his spirit is complete in Christ, just as much as a leader in the church who has been a Christian for 50 years.
No matter how much persecution and trials you think you’ve suffered or endured for Jesus’ sake, recognize that you are saved purely by Grace, not by your works.
However, there is something we can earn with our good works and that is our eternal rewards which is symbolized by the rewards the faithful servants received in Jesus’ “Parable of the Minas”.
In that parable, we see that eternal rewards increase exponentially according to how faithful believers have been in using their God-given gifts for Jesus’ sake.
We believer are all fully and equally saved, but we will differ in the measure of eternal rewards we receive when we stand before Jesus’ throne in His kingdom.
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God will surely generously multiply the seeds you sow, and give you an abundant harvest of blessings as you allow yourself to be obediently led by the Holy Spirit!
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Empowered and Supplied for Godly Work
“God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.” (Genesis 1:27-29 WEB)
When God created the heavens and the earth, He made everything before making man on the sixth day.
This shows us His fatherly love, that He wanted man to enjoy His finished work.
Adam didn’t have to toil for food. The trees in the Garden of Eden already had fruits growing on them as a result of life.
If Adam felt hungry, he only needed to reach out and pluck the fruit to eat it. He could eat anything he wanted and as much as he wanted—except for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Adam did work: he cultivated the Garden of Eden, sowed seeds which sprang up easily without toil because there was no sin in the world at that time, and Adam named the creatures in the garden and God told him to be fruitful with Eve and fill the earth.
Adam was tasked to grow mankind’s population and to lead them, as well as all other living creatures on earth, as a ruler.
However stressful labor was never part of God’s design for man.
Although there was much work assigned to Adam, coupled with a grand vision of splendor, it was meant to be easy and enjoyable work.
After all, Adam was perfectly healthy and abundantly supplied with everything he would ever need. He had authority over all creatures which could assist him in any way he needed. Adam also had close fellowship with Yahweh God (the pre-incarnate Christ).
Stressful labor was a curse upon mankind as a result of Adam’s sin.
“To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and ate from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life. It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”” (Genesis 3:17-19 WEB)
Fast-forward to today, through the cross, Jesus has already redeemed us from the curse of stressful labor by shedding His precious blood to make atonement for our sins.
God assigns a calling to each of us, but we aren’t supposed to fulfill it in a spirit of heaviness or stress.
Abba God’s will is for us to enjoy life through Jesus’ finished work at the cross, to freely receive everything we need in life, whether it be provision or health.
Out of that rest and blessed state, we can go forth in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit to grow the population of the “new mankind” on earth.
A new race born of the Spirit and not of the flesh.
Abba God still wants us to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the whole earth with a church that’s holy and prepared for Him.
A royal race of priests that are adopted into His family.
What was lost in the Garden of Eden is being progressively being restored to even greater glory than before.
Dear child of God, you have meaningful work to do, and it’s not for the sake of trying to get provision.
See yourself as being planted by Abba God in a garden. Wherever you are working, reframe it from being just a job, to a realm you’re meant to exercise dominion over in Jesus’ name.
Feel free to receive as much provision and health as you need to fulfill your calling—see abundance of supply all around you.
You have been redeemed from stressful labor, so enjoy your work and fulfill your destiny of growing the new human race through impregnating the hearts of men: sow the seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
God gave Adam herb-yielding seeds to sow if he needed food. Remember to set aside a portion of your finances as seeds for sowing—don’t eat all the seeds.
Be a blessing to those whom the Holy Spirit directs you to.
The seeds you sow will bear fruit and produce food for you by causing abundant harvests of provision to come your way.
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