Welcome to Truth Time, where you'll get a shot of the truth with no chaser.
And now, your Truth Time host, Trey Searcy.
Okay, welcome in to another Truth Time transmission.
I'm Trey Searcy.
We're going coast to coast and around the world at truthtimeradio.com, truthtimeradio.com.
We're rightly dividing the word of truth, helping you to better understand your Bible.
Alright, today we're going to take a look at two words.
The word salvation and the word service.
As Bible students, it's vital that we delve into God's word and research the evidence.
The word salvation and the word service.
They are different.
You can look at it this way.
Each individual has a salvation account and a service account.
And those are completely different.
God imputes His righteousness into your salvation account.
It's a free gift from Him to you.
How do you receive it?
By faith.
By faith in his finished cross work.
By faith, He freely gives you his righteousness.
Oh, now I know your flesh is always rising up, telling you that you've got to do something
to be pleasing to God.
You've just got to have something to do with it.
You've got to be a part of the salvation plan.
But listen to me.
When you study this Bible, it's mandatory that you rightly divide the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Your service account stands in stark contrast and is separate and apart, divided from your salvation account.
Mixing your works with His grace for salvation is not the gospel, and it won't save anyone.
In Galatians 3:21, Paul said to not frustrate the grace of God.
If righteousness can be obtained by your works, Christ died in vain.
If righteousness comes by you asking God to forgive you, why did He have to die?
If righteousness comes by you turning from your sins, just why did Jesus have to die?
If righteousness comes by you doing your best, turning over a new leaf, treating others right, going to the altar, joining the church, and getting dunked into a tank of water, then just why did Jesus have to die?
You see, righteousness is by an inner faith and not an outward show of the flesh.
Your salvation account has nothing to do with your service account.
Your salvation account has nothing to do with you.
Your service account does have something to do with you.
Your salvation account depends on His works, the work of Christ.
Your service account, well, it involves your works.
Your salvation account is closed.
It was paid in full at the cross.
However, your service account remains open, and you can make daily deposits until the
day you die.
Let's look at a verse that deals with your salvation account.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved
us.
That's Titus chapter 3 verse 5.
Now as we rightly divide the word of truth, let's look at a verse that deals with your service account, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. And it says this, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
OK, another verse that deals with your salvation account is Romans chapter 4 verse 5, To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Now rightly divide that from this verse, a verse that deals with your service account.
It's found in 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 18, Paul writes That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.
You see, your salvation account is closed, however your service account is open.
Now, how do you suppose you can do any good works, any works that will amount to anything, if you're always worried about your salvation?
You need to rest, rest in God's finished work.
Your salvation account is closed.
Now you can direct your energy into things like studying to show thyself approved unto God, being a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
You can put your energy into sharing this good news with others.
The gospel is liberating.
OK, let's continue as we look into God's perfect word, 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9.
Now here is another verse that deals with your salvation account.
Paul writes, Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Now compare that with Ephesians chapter 5 verse 11.
Here's a verse that deals with your service account.
Service is not salvation.
They're spelled different, they are different.
Listen to it.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Are you getting this?
If not, let's try again.
Romans chapter 3 verse 24.
Here's a verse that goes into your salvation account.
Being justified, freely, by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
OK, and now a verse that deals with your service account.
Here we go, it's in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 17.
Listen to the book.
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
You see that?
These accounts are different and should not be mixed.
Don't mix what you do with what he done.
Paul is clear in that salvation is by faith in the finished cross work of Christ and not of works.
And if it were, you'd have something to boast about.
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 5.
Here we find another salvation account verse.
Here Paul writes, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved.
And Titus chapter 2 verse 7 is a verse that belongs in your service account.
Here we read, In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works, in doctrines showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.
Are you seeing this?
As we examine the evidence, it becomes apparent that your salvation account is closed.
But if you're saved and hearing this truth time transmission, your service account is wide open.
We as saved members of the body of Christ have work to do.
But what we do not do is mix our works with our salvation.
We don't work to be saved, we work because we are saved.
Another salvation verse that is separate and apart and must be divided from your service account is Ephesians chapter 1 verse 6.
Here Paul writes, To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved.
Notice that we don't make ourselves accepted.
The verse is clear in that God hath made us accepted.
How did He do that?
By the finished cross-work of his Son.
Now check out this verse that deals with your service account.
Paul says, This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.
These things are good and profitable unto men.
Titus chapter 3 verse 8.
Salvation is a free gift that must be accepted by faith, and after, not before, not during, but after a person is saved, we are called unto good works.
Keep those separate and you'll be fine.
Here's another verse, and we're all familiar with it.
However, we must keep it separate and apart, rightly divided, and put it where it belongs.
It belongs in our salvation, not our service account.
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9.
Now, a verse that deals with your service account.
Listen closely.
Study, to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Second Timothy 2:15.
And listen to me.
This is important.
We know that it's only by his grace that we're able to do any works that will ever amount to anything anyway.
Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:8, And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
So you see, it's clear that even the works we do are ultimately attributed to the Holy Spirit.
So we cannot rightfully take any credit whatsoever.
Any good fruit that may appear to come from you is actually the work of the Holy Spirit.
You're just a vessel.
Over the years, legalistic teaching has muddied the waters, blending salvation verses together with works verses, blending salvation and service verses together, presenting them to be the gospel that saves.
No no no, incorrect.
The works verses, the service verses, hey, they can only be applied to your life after you're saved.
You can't apply them to the gospel that you must trust in for salvation.
If you place your faith in that, you'll just remain religious and lost.
Even though legalistic teaching has muddied the waters, we have no excuse because God gave us a simple study principle of rightly dividing the word of truth in 2 Timothy 2:15.
It's time we quit ignoring it.
Remember, a great way to settle things in your mind and gain a better understanding of your Bible is to keep the salvation verses separate and apart from the works verses.
Everything should be weighed by the rightly divided word of truth and common sense.
Many churches today are following after the popular mega-trends.
This will only produce members who follow after cheap emotions.
You see, Satan is the master imitator.
Satan wiggles his way in by titillating your flesh.
Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Grace is not waiting on you to straighten up and fly right.
Grace is simply defined as the unmerited favor of God.
Unmerited is the opposite of merited.
It means that we get it, but we don't deserve it.
So for those who struggle daily trying to please God with their own merits, you're simply not pleasing God at all.
What can you do in your flesh to please God?
How about nothing?
Just as Romans 3:23 tells us, we are most certainly going to fall short.
And in Romans 5:20 Paul explains how grace responds when we fall short.
He writes, Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
There it is.
We currently live in the Ephesians 3:2 dispensation of the grace of God.
Today there is no such thing as the Holy Spirit coming and going.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
Paul, with great plainness of speech, makes it known that where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound.
So don't focus on sin, focus on him.
The sin issue was settled at the cross.
Trust that and rest.
Trust that and rest in your salvation, therefore freeing up your mind and your time to do good works.
We are saved and sealed.
Today you should glory in the fact that you have been sealed with that Holy Spirit, Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13.
This seal has no expiration date.
Ephesians 4:30 says that we are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Because of the finished cross work of Christ, you can now say that you are, and I quote,
The righteousness of God in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Now does your spouse see you this way?
Does your parents or children see you this way?
What about your friends and co-workers?
Probably not, but this is how God the Father in heaven sees you.
You're no longer a sinner in his eyes.
You're the righteousness of God in Christ.
He took your sin, placed it upon his Son who knew no sin, and made him to be sin for you.
No matter how good you may think you are, you'll never be good enough for God.
You'll never qualify yourself to receive God's grace.
Jesus was the qualifier.
I'm Trey Searcy, and now you know the truth.
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