Why Do You Do It?

I have written and taught on the topic of, "Why do you believe what you believe?" This article takes that question to the next level. Just as it is very important to know why you believe what you believe, it is equally important to know why you do what you do.

"What you do," specifically refers to the things you do because you are a Christian. This could obviously involve numerous activities. But I have picked three.

Let's assume that most Christians pray, read the Bible, and do good deeds. There may very well be some Christians who do not engage in those actions. But for sake of making my point, let's focus on those who do.

When one looks at the activities that they perform, they must ask themselves why they are doing those things. What is the reason? What is the motivation? When you ask yourself those questions, the answers are most revealing.

With the three activities we are focusing on, answers as to why could include: because I am supposed to, so God will love me more, to make up for things I have done wrong or, to stay in God's good graces.

Those who do things because they are supposed to must believe that if they don't do certain things they might lose what God has given them. But, on the other hand, if God freely gave us eternal life, and it is not by our own works, then it has already been freely given. The Bible states that it is eternal life.

Nothing I do, or don't do is going to have any affect on the eternal life that has already been given to me. I may choose to do certain things out of gratitude to God for giving me eternal life. I am certainly not doing those things because I am supposed to, but rather because I choose to.

If I do things because I think that God will love me more, does that mean that if I don't do those things that He will love me less? Just how many things would I need to do to earn the love of the Creator of the heavens and earth? How much would I really have to do in order to finally have done enough so that God would love me?

Is it really our own good works that bring us God's love? The Bible teaches that we love Him because He first loved us, and, that nothing can separate us from His love. We can certainly choose to do certain things as a loving response to His unending and never wavering love. That is very different than doing something so that God will love you more..

If someone does the things that they do in an effort to make up for past mistakes, is that not, in effect, trying to pay for their sins? The Scriptures are very plain that it was Christ who paid the price for the sins of the whole world. The Bible further teaches that our sins have been forgiven.

What about doing good things to stay in God's good graces, in other words, so that you can continue to receive His blessings? If your motive for doing certain things is so that you can stay in good standing with God, then that means that you believe that your own works determine your standing before God. Many Christians believe this, but it contradicts what the Scriptures teach.

The Bible plainly declares that because of Christ's completed work, we are now lovely and acceptable before God. We are acceptable to Him; we have already been accepted, not based on our works, but on what Jesus Christ did for us. The Bible goes on to say that we have been made righteous; we now have the righteousness of God.

If it took the work of Christ to make us righteous, lovely and acceptable before God, then nothing I do, or don't do, can eradicate that completed and finished work. Someone may do lots of things that make them feel righteous in God's eyes; but the truth is they already are.

One can pray for hours on their knees, read the Bible from cover to cover, time and time again, do kind benevolent works every day of their life, but none of those things will change the completed work that Christ has already accomplished. Praying, reading the Bible, and doing kind, benevolent works are wonderful things to do, but why do you do it?

We need to honestly ask ourselves why we do the things that we do. We need to have the courage to put our feelings aside, as well as previous teachings, and line up our beliefs and our actions with what the Scriptures teach. It is real freedom to do things in response to what God has done for us instead of doing things to try and obtain what He has already done for us through Christ.

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd'><html><head><title>Articles Back Link | Why Do You Do It?</title></head><body><h3>Why Do You Do It?</h3><br><br> By: Michael A. Verdicchio<br><br><p><p>I have written and taught on the topic of, "Why do you believe what you believe?" This article takes that question to the next level. Just as it is very important to know why you believe what you believe, it is equally important to know why you do what you do.</P><p>"What you do," specifically refers to the things you do because you are a Christian. This could obviously involve numerous activities. But I have picked three.</P><p>Let's assume that most Christians pray, read the Bible, and do good deeds. There may very well be some Christians who do not engage in those actions. But for sake of making my point, let's focus on those who do.</P><p>When one looks at the activities that they perform, they must ask themselves why they are doing those things. What is the reason? What is the motivation? When you ask yourself those questions, the answers are most revealing.</P><p>With the three activities we are focusing on, answers as to why could include: because I am supposed to, so God will love me more, to make up for things I have done wrong or, to stay in God's good graces.</P><p>Those who do things because they are supposed to must believe that if they don't do certain things they might lose what God has given them. But, on the other hand, if God freely gave us eternal life, and it is not by our own works, then it has already been freely given. The Bible states that it is eternal life.</P><p>Nothing I do, or don't do is going to have any affect on the eternal life that has already been given to me. I may choose to do certain things out of gratitude to God for giving me eternal life. I am certainly not doing those things because I am supposed to, but rather because I choose to.</P><p>If I do things because I think that God will love me more, does that mean that if I don't do those things that He will love me less? Just how many things would I need to do to earn the love of the Creator of the heavens and earth? How much would I really have to do in order to finally have done enough so that God would love me?</P><p>Is it really our own good works that bring us God's love? The Bible teaches that we love Him because He first loved us, and, that nothing can separate us from His love. We can certainly choose to do certain things as a loving response to His unending and never wavering love. That is very different than doing something so that God will love you more..</P><p>If someone does the things that they do in an effort to make up for past mistakes, is that not, in effect, trying to pay for their sins? The Scriptures are very plain that it was Christ who paid the price for the sins of the whole world. The Bible further teaches that our sins have been forgiven.</P><p>What about doing good things to stay in God's good graces, in other words, so that you can continue to receive His blessings? If your motive for doing certain things is so that you can stay in good standing with God, then that means that you believe that your own works determine your standing before God. Many Christians believe this, but it contradicts what the Scriptures teach.</P><p>The Bible plainly declares that because of Christ's completed work, we are now lovely and acceptable before God. We are acceptable to Him; we have already been accepted, not based on our works, but on what Jesus Christ did for us. The Bible goes on to say that we have been made righteous; we now have the righteousness of God.</P><p>If it took the work of Christ to make us righteous, lovely and acceptable before God, then nothing I do, or don't do, can eradicate that completed and finished work. Someone may do lots of things that make them feel righteous in God's eyes; but the truth is they already are.</P><p>One can pray for hours on their knees, read the Bible from cover to cover, time and time again, do kind benevolent works every day of their life, but none of those things will change the completed work that Christ has already accomplished. Praying, reading the Bible, and doing kind, benevolent works are wonderful things to do, but why do you do it?</P><p>We need to honestly ask ourselves why we do the things that we do. We need to have the courage to put our feelings aside, as well as previous teachings, and line up our beliefs and our actions with what the Scriptures teach. It is real freedom to do things in response to what God has done for us instead of doing things to try and obtain what He has already done for us through Christ.<br></P></p> <br><br> <b>Author Resource:-></b>  <br><br><b>Article From</b> <a href='http://www.articlesbacklink.com/'>Articles Back Link</a><br></body></html>