It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.\xa0Stand firm,\xa0then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,\xa0Christ will be of no value to you at all.\xa0Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.\xa0You who are trying to be justified by the law\xa0have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.\xa0For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.\xa0For in Christ Jesus\xa0neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.\xa0The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race.\xa0Who cut in on you\xa0to keep you from obeying the truth? You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.\xa0But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh;\xa0rather, serve one another\xa0humbly in love.\xa0For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: \u201cLove your neighbor as yourself.\u201d\xa0If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit,\xa0and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.\xa0For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.\xa0They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.\xa0But if you are led by the Spirit,\xa0you are not under the law. Galatians 5:1-18 (NIV)
For it is by grace\xa0you have been saved,\xa0through faith\u2014and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God\u2014\xa0not by works,\xa0so that no one can boast.\xa0For we are God\u2019s handiwork,\xa0created\xa0in Christ Jesus to do good works,\xa0which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10\xa0(NIV)
You are not saved BY YOUR WORKS\u2026 you are saved FOR GOOD WORKS.
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.\xa0Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love\xa0and peace, along with those who call on the Lord\xa0out of a pure heart.\xa0Don\u2019t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord\u2019s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.\xa0Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:22-26\xa0(NIV)
Therefore, I urge you,\xa0brothers and sisters, in view of God\u2019s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,\xa0holy and pleasing to God\u2014this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1-6 (NIV)
Do not conform\xa0to the pattern of this world,\xa0but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.\xa0Then you will be able to test and approve what God\u2019s will is\u2014his good, pleasing\xa0and perfect will. For by the grace given me\xa0I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.\xa0Romans 12:1-6 (NIV)
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,\xa0so in Christ we, though many, form one body,\xa0and each member belongs to all the others.\xa0We have different gifts,\xa0according to the grace given to each of us. Romans 12:1-6 (NIV)
For we are co-workers in God\u2019s service;\xa0you are God\u2019s field,\xa0God\u2019s building. By the grace God has given me,\xa0I laid a foundation\xa0as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.\xa0If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,\xa0their work will be shown for what it is,\xa0because the Day\xa0will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person\u2019s work.\xa0If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.\xa0If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved\u2014even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15\xa0(NIV)
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us\xa0for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
\u201cLook, I am coming soon!\xa0My reward is with me,\xa0and I will give to each person according to what they have done.\u201d Revelation 22:12 (NIV)