Sorry Nomad, I missed the question you posted earlier.
Prentis,
I don't know why I'm getting involved in the mess of a thread, but here goes nothing. Are good works, in your view, the fruit of salvation or do good works help merit salvation?
Again, you see salvation as a ticket being punched, or entering the gate. But salvation is in Christ only, and Christ is the gate AND the way, unless we enter the gate AND walk the way, we can have no part with him. What qualifies an servant as being unfaithful is that he enters the gate and decides not to walk the way.
God will work on us, he will discipline us, attempt to bring us back, but ultimately we must choose, just as we chose to enter the gate. The fig tree that receives rain from God, and is pruned, and yet year after year bears no fruit is only good to be cut out and burned.
What is more self righteous (self justified) than to declare oneself justified by what God has done? Rather we are called to respond as he commands us to. If the love of God is in us, we will follow his commands. We must learn to walk in that love.
You use the fact we were washed in the blood of Christ to deny that man must be obedient and righteous. Repentance is no repentance at all if we do not turn from our ways! Let all who love the Lord depart from iniquity!
It flies in the face of God's character to think that one who does what is right will be condemned and one who is evil will be justified on the account of another. By God's blood, we get a fresh start, not 'we pass the finish line and win'! We are put INTO the race when we repent and are cleansed by the blood. Then we must run the race set before us with the grace given us.
Unless you want to deny the existence of the unfaithful servant, the cast away, the one who crucifies Christ afresh! We are called to good works, the question is, are we faithful in doing them? Do we abide? The ball IS in our court, and WE must respond.