Truth Be Told: A Blog by Pastor Bill Alderson

  Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance [ kleronomia – inheritance, possession]. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve .                      Colossians 3:23-24 Like the Old Testament usages, the words for inheritance in the New Testament primarily refer to spiritual obedience as a condition for receiving an inheritance. Becoming an heir can come through a family relationship, through faith, or some form of obedience or merit. Nearly every occurrence of kleronomos – inherit includes either the presence or absence of some work or character quality as a condition of obtaining or forfeiting the particular possession. The account of the Rich Young Ruler below provides insight: Rich Young Ruler And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher [ didaskolos – instructor, master]...

  When the Lord introduced the Law to Moses, He instituted a covenant centered on the Tabernacle/Temple and the Torah. Religious life would be centered on these two elements. This covenant, also known as the old covenant, would be superseded by the new covenant through Jesus, the Messiah, who would become the Temple (John 2:21) and the fulfillment of the Torah (Matthew 5:17), the Logos, the Word of God (John 1:1). What Jesus accomplished on Calvary when He said, It is finished , was much more than the completion of His work on earth. He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), the one spoken of to Adam as the seed of the woman who would defeat the works of the enemy (Genesis 3:15). The Judaism of Jesus' day, as it is today, holds that God gave Jewish leaders the authority to interpret the specifics of the Torah (the Oral Torah) and apply them to the people as they saw fit. Jesus addressed this matter with the Pharisees in Matthew 15, referring to t...

  But if it is by grace [ charis - a favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the lovingkindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver; unearned and unmerited favor], it is no longer on the basis of works [ ergon - work, performance, the result or object of employment]; otherwise, grace is no longer grace .                        Romans 11:6 Grace stands in direct antithesis to works; the two are mutually exclusive. God's grace affects man's sinfulness, forgiving the repentant sinner and bringing joy and thankfulness to Him. It changes the individual into a new creature without destroying his individuality. Grace, God’s free gift, is the environment where man can experience eternal life simply based on faith in who Jesus is and what He did. Works are not part of the equation, as Ephesians 2:8-9 r...

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father, “ I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do ” (John 17:4). Throughout His public ministry, Jesus was preoccupied with this work as He said that His food was to do the will of His Father and “ to accomplish His work ” (John 4:34). This divine work, planned before the foundation of the world by “ the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God ” (Acts 2:23), is the central part of God’s plan of redemption for all mankind. It requires a victorious Messiah to be the Pascal Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). When Jesus said on the cross, “ It is finished! " in John 19:30, He spoke about more than His work on earth.   The Passover Fulfilled So much of Jesus's last week of human life was the fulfillment of many Scriptures. The Last Supper was a Passover Seder, and at the center of the service was an unblemished lamb that needed to be slain so that blood would be shed. When Paul ide...