You can’t just turn to Christ. You have to turn to Him and obey.

De Maria says:

September 21, 2012 at 9:48 pm

Hi again Steve,

Nick’s response was excellent! I’ll add my two bits anyway.

You said:

Steve Martin says:
September 21, 2012 at 6:11 pm
You don’t get zilch for keeping the commandments.

Please produce this from Scripture. Here’s what I see:
Matthew 19:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

John 14:21
King James Version (KJV)
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Revelation 22:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Please produce even one verse that says that we get zilch if we keep the Commandments.

It is what we are supposed to do. Jesus said that “you don’t praise a slave for doing what he is supposed to do.”

That’s not what He said.
1st Jesus produced a human example. Not a Godly one:
Hebrews 6:10
King James Version (KJV)
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

2nd He said the slave should not expect a reward from his human master.

3rd He did not say that the slave would not receive a reward from God.

And NO ONE keeps the commandments. “No one is good, no not one.”

You are mistaken. Scripture is clear that some have kept the Commandments:
Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

St. James tells us that” if you break one commandment, it is if you have broken them all.”

Nick answered it perfectly. That doesn’t mean that we can’t keep the Commandments. That means that if a man keeps all the Commandments but one, then he is liable to all of them. For instance, an adulterer who helps an old lady across the street is still an adulterer and remains on the wrong side of God’s law.

But a man who repents of his sins and in atonement gives money to the poor, for that man, all is clean:
Luke 11:41
But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

Zachias did that and he was praised by Christ:
Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

Turn to Christ and His forgiveness for sinners. Real sinners. The kind that, deep down, we know that we are.

You can’t just turn to Christ. You have to turn to Him and obey.
Matthew 7:21
King James Version (KJV)
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

That is a message that is loud and clear in Scripture. Faith alone, is dead.

Sincerely,

De Maria