A COLLECTION OF BIBLICAL SUPPORT AND MORE
Deeds & Judgement
Deeds & Judgement
What I thought...
We are saved by our belief or faith. A mindset, not an action.
What I learned...
We are judged based on our deeds, or actions. What we do, not what we believe.
Introduction
Before we get into the details of my thoughts, I'd like to clearly state: judgement is a VERY weighty topic and has ETERNAL consequences. As such, I do NOT recommend outsourcing your understanding to anyone else, least of all me. Judgement is an individual sport and I'm not sure "I was misinformed" will hold water. Please come to your own conclusions.
What are biblical deeds?
Biblical deeds are actions, like everything we "do." Through our deeds or actions we prove ourselves obedient or disobedient. The below verses are examples that help us understand it is our DEEDS or BEHAVIORS that prove us right or obedient.
It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself
If his conduct is pure and right.
PROVERBS 20:11
As OBEDIENT CHILDREN,
do not be conformed to the former lusts [which were yours] in your ignorance,
but like the Set Apart (Holy) One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all BEHAVIOR;
1 PETER 1:14-15
In this next set of verses, the apostle John says A LOT. I am going to break these verses apart and look at them in small chunks. John starts out by saying that if we keep sinning, we don't even know Messiah.
No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
1JOHN 3:6-12
John then warns us of being deceived. John explains the concept of actions proving one's self either of Elohim or the other guy. I think John is telling us to look at what a person DOES not what they SAY to help us understand whom they obey - Elohim or the devil. If we pay attention to a person's words and not actions, we risk being deceived. We prove ourselves righteous by practicing righteousness. We prove ourselves unrighteous by practicing sin.
Little children, make sure no one DECEIVES you;
the one who PRACTICES righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
the one who practices SIN is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
The Son of Elohim appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
1JOHN 3:7-8
Next, John then states those born of Elohim CANNOT sin. John takes the discussion a step further by saying we prove ourselves children of Elohim or the devil by our practice of righteousness (obedience) or sin. John uses the word OBVIOUS, like this fact is self-evident based on observance of someone's actions.
No one who is born of Elohim practices sin,
because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of Elohim.
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:
anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of Elohim,
nor the one who does not love his brother.
1JOHN 3:7-10
The last part I'll include from this excerpt of scripture is where John confirms proving one's self through actions is as true today as it was in the beginning. John uses the example of Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve's first sons. Abel proved himself righteous when he offered his best to Elohim. Cain proved himself selfish because he was unwilling to give Elohim his best. Cain was jealous Elohim had "regard" for Abel's offering but not his. Ultimately, Cain's selfishness and jealousy led Cain to murder of his righteous brother, see also Genesis 4:1-10. In this example, Abel proved himself unrighteous through his actions (acceptable offering) whereas Cain proved himself unrighteous (unacceptable offering and murder). The proving of one's self through DEEDS was true as true at the time of Adam and Eve as it is today.
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another; not as Cain, [who] was of the evil one and slew his brother.
And for what reason did he slay him?
Because his DEEDS were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
1JOHN 3:11-12
For good measure, I'll include one more verse demonstrating the importance of our actions. Messiah's brother James warns us to be DOERS of the word not just hearers who DECEIVE OURSELVES.
But prove yourselves DOERS of the word,
and not merely hearers who DECEIVE themselves.
JAMES 1:22
Biblical deeds are not referring to your "good deeds" like helping a friend or donating to charity. Biblical deeds are those which we prove ourselves either obedient to His laws (righteous) or like Satan, disregarding His laws.
Righteous deeds or actions
Our deeds or actions are what are judged as "righteous" or "evil." Please see below verse.
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FOR ELOHIM WILL BRING EVERY DEED/ACT TO JUDGEMENT,
everything which is hidden,
WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR EVIL.
ECCLESIASTES 12:14
We must then understand what constitutes a righteous action. Fortunately, the bible defines righteousness for us. We don't have to guess. To be righteous is to obey the commandments of YHWH.
"It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment
before YHWH our Elohim, just as He commanded us."
DEUTERONOMY 6:25
Our actions are righteous when in accordance with His commandments. The reward for righteousness (obedience) is life. I believe the "life" referred to in the below verses is the second life, or ETERNAL life.
The wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
PROVERBS 10:16
In the way of righteousness is life,
And in [its] pathway there is no death.
PROVERBS 12:28
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will be caught by [their own] greed.
When a wicked man dies, [his] expectation will perish, and the hope of strong men perishes. The righteous is delivered from trouble,
But the wicked takes his place.
PROVERBS 11:4-8
If you're still on the fence about obtaining eternal life through obedience to the commands of YHWH (our deeds are proof of said obedience) let’s go to the words of our Messiah, Yahusha.
And someone came to Him and said,
"Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good?
There is [only] One who is good;
but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
[Then] he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Yahusha said,
"YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER;
YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY;
YOU SHALL NOT STEAL;
YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS;
HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER;
and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
MATTHEW 19:16-19
Our Messiah clearly tells us that to obtain eternal life, one must follow the commandments. Each commandment Messiah listed above is a repeat of a commandment found in the Torah, including to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18). Messiah’s teachings were to more fully explain what our Creator already provided.
Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you,
but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning;
the old commandment is the word which you have heard.
1 JOHN 2:7
What about belief or faith?
The bible rightly says we are saved by our belief. One is NOT likely to bring their life into obedience to a Creator they do not believe exists. However, belief is only the first step. Belief is what drives a person to seek and then obey. Further we must understand the concept of belief through a Hebrew lens. To the westerner, belief is a mindset. To a Hebrew belief is much more.
I found a discussion in the explanatory notes of “The Scriptures” bible discussing belief and believe. The authors make the point that belief and believe “means more than uncommitted believing. It means to trust, to rely on, and even to prove your belief by obedience. It has been said, ‘He who believes shall obey, for by his obedience he proves that he believes.” (p 1220, EXPLANATORY NOTES, The Scriptures).
Belief or faith is of course 100% necessary but is ONLY the first step. One's belief is then demonstrate by bringing our actions in alignment with His ways as demonstrated above. Our ACTIONS/DEEDS prove or disprove our belief. Messiah said we must become disciples (students) so we have knowledge of our Creator's ways.
So Yahusha (Messiah) was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,
"If you continue in My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine;
And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
JOHN 8:31-32
If we don't study the scriptures, how could we possibly bring our life into obedience to His laws and morality? If we think all we must do is "believe," we must examine the beliefs of the demons. Does Satan or his rebellious pals question the existence of our Creator? Of course NOT! Consider the Apostle James words:
You believe that Elohim is one.
You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
JAMES 2:19
The demons clearly know of the Creator. The demons do not question His existence. But do demons also know about the Messiah? Yes. In the below verse, the demons demonstrate they know who He is without even being told.
"Let us alone! What business do we have with each other,
Yahusha of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us?
I know who You are-- the Holy One of Elohim!"
LUKE 4:34
Demons also were coming out of many, shouting,
"You are the Son of Elohim!"
But rebuking them, He (Messiah) would not allow them to speak,
because they knew Him to be the Messiah.
LUKE 4:41
Seeing Yahusha, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice,
"What business do we have with each other, Yahusha, Son of the Most High Elohim?
I beg You, do not torment me."
LUKE 8:28
The demons clearly believe in the existence of both our Creator and His prophesied Son. If ALL you have to do is believe why don’t the demons receive salvation? The differentiator is OBEDIENCE. Satan and his demons refuse to obey or submit to the Most High. They know He exists, but don't care. They decided they would do what THEY WANTED TO, not what He said to do.
We either follow the example of Satan and disregard our Creator's ways, or follow the example of the Messiah and bring our life into obedience to the Most High. We are wise to follow Messiah's example proving our faith objectively through our ACTIONS or DEEDS.
For you have been called for this purpose,
since Messiah also suffered for you,
leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
1 PETER 2:21
My Conclusion:
We are judged based on what we do not what we believe.
After reviewing the verses on deeds and works, it becomes pretty clear we will be judged based on what we do, not what we believe. Our belief is important because it effects what we do. By our actions, we prove what we believe. If the claim seems outlandish, let us review the information we’re given on the final judgement, recorded in the book of Revelation. You may notice there is no mention of faith or belief, rather, each of us are judged based on our DEEDS.
And I saw the dead, the great and the small,
standing before the throne, and books were opened;
and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life;
and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books,
according to their deeds.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it,
and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them;
and they were judged, every one [of them] according to their deeds.
REVELATION 20:12-13
I wish only to inform. If the thought of being accountable frightens you, consider yourself blessed. One of the seven attributes of YHWH’s spirit dwelling within you is FEAR of Him.
The Spirit of YHWH will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and THE FEAR OF YHWH.
ISAIAH 11:2
​I'm justifiably terrified, but our Creator's words recorded in Ezekiel provide me with a great deal of comfort. While there is air in our lungs, there is still time to right the ship.
"But when I say to the wicked,
'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness,
[if a] wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery,
walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity,
he shall surely live; he shall not die.
"None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him.
He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live.”
EZEKIEL 33:12-16
My recommendation for anyone seeking our Creator is to bring your life into immediate obedience to the 10 Commandments, including Sabbath REST, and read the bible on your own.
And someone came to Him and said,
"Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good?
There is [only] One who is good;
but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
[Then] he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Yahusha said,
"YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER;
YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY;
YOU SHALL NOT STEAL;
YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS;
HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER;
and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
MATTHEW 19:16-19
Search Criterion
The below verses supported my conclusion of judgement based on deeds and works, or what you do. I am of the opinion that who is talking matters. As such, I separated the verses on "deeds" based on who is speaking. Our Creator's words first, next Messiah, then other verses on deeds by testament. For good measure I included some related verses on "works" and "recompense."
I make no claim that I included every appropriate verse, I encourage everyone to come to your own conclusions. A copy of the electronic NASB 1995 bible and the spreadsheet with compiled verses are in the below "buttons."
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26 Verse(s) Where Father States Sabbath as LawThese are DIRECT QUOTES from our Creator. There may be more, please do your own research. We are wise to heed His instruction. 1. Exo 16:28 Then YHWH said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? Exo 16:29 "See, YHWH has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." 2. Exo 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exo 20:9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, Exo 20:10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of YHWH your God; [in it] you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 3. Exo 20:11 "For in six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore YHWH blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." 4. Exo 31:12 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, Exo 31:13 "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for [this] is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am YHWH who sanctifies you. 5. Exo 31:14 'Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is set apart to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 6. Exo 31:15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, set apart to YHWH; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. 7. Exo 31:16 'So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.' 8. Exo 31:17 "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days YHWH made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased [from labor], and was refreshed." 9. Lev 19:3 'Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am YHWH your God. 10. Lev 19:30 'You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am YHWH. 11. Lev 23:2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'YHWH'S appointed times which you shall proclaim as set apart convocations-- My appointed times are these: Lev 23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a set apart convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to YHWH in all your dwellings. 12. Lev 26:2 'You shall keep My sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am YHWH. Lev 26:3 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, Lev 26:4 then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 13. Deu 5:12 'Observe the sabbath day to keep it set apart, as YHWH your God commanded you.' 14. Deu 5:13 'Six days you shall labor and do all your work, Deu 5:14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of YHWH your God; [in it] you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15. Deu 5:15 'You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and YHWH your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore YHWH your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.' 16. Isa 56:2 "How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it; Who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil." 17. Isa 56:4 For thus says YHWH, "To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, Isa 56:5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off." 18. Isa 56:6 "Also the foreigners who join themselves to YHWH, To minister to Him, and to love the name of YAHUAH, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant; Isa 56:7 Even those I will bring to My set apart mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples." 19. Isa 58:13 "If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your [own] pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the set apart [day] of YHWH honorable, And honor it, desisting from your [own] ways, From seeking your [own] pleasure And speaking [your own] word, Isa 58:14 Then you will take delight in YAHUAH, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you [with] the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of YAHUAH has spoken." 20. Isa 66:22 "For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me," declares YHWH, "So your offspring and your name will endure. Isa 66:23 "And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me," says YHWH. 21. Jer 17:24 "But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me," declares YHWH, "to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day set apart by doing no work on it, Jer 17:25 then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 22. Jer 17:27 "But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day set apart by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched."'" 23. Eze 20:19 'I am YHWH your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them. Eze 20:20 'Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am YHWH your God.' 24. Eze 20:21 "But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, [if] a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness. 25. Eze 20:23 "Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, Eze 20:24 because they had not observed My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were on the idols of their fathers." 26. Eze 44:24 "In a dispute they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts and sanctify My sabbaths."
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10 New Testament Verses Confirming the Sabbath LawThis verse is sort of a mic drop moment: Luk 23:56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Messiah Himself confirming the law, saying Sabbath was made for man, aka humans. Mar 2:27 YAHUSHA said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. If Sabbath was not a law, Messiah would have no need to clarify what is and what is not lawful. Mat 12:12 "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." If Sabbath was done away with, there would be no reason for Messiah to discuss Sabbath during the great tribulation. Mat 24:20 "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. Mat 24:21 "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. If Sabbath was not a law, there would be no reason for Messiah to say He is Master of Sabbath. The statement would be irrelevant. Mat 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Master of the Sabbath." Luk 6:5 And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Master of the Sabbath." Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is MASTER also of the sabbath. Mary Magdaline and Mary waited until after the Sabbath to go to Mesiah's grave. If Sabbath was no longer a law, they clearly did not understand. Mat 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. Mar 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. Mar 16:2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
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8 Additional Verse(s) in Tanak (Old Testament) Stating/Confirming Sabbath as LawThese are not direct quotes from the Creator but from the books of Old Testament. There could be more, please do your own research. Moses confirming Sabbath is law: 1. Exo 16:23 then he said to them, "This is what YAHUAH meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to YAHUAH. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning." 2. Exo 16:25 Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to YAHUAH; today you will not find it in the field. 3. Exo 16:26 "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, [the] sabbath, there will be none." 4. Exo 35:1 Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, "These are the things that YAHUAH has commanded [you] to do: Exo 35:2 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy [day], a sabbath of complete rest to YHWH; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. Solomon confirming Sabbath is a law: 5. 2Ch 2:4 "Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of YAHUAH my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him and [to set out] the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of YHWH our God, this [being required] forever in Israel. 6. 2Ch 8:12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to YAHUAH on the altar of YAHUAH which he had built before the porch; 2Ch 8:13 and [did so] according to the daily rule, offering [them] up according to the commandment of Moses, for the sabbaths, the new moons and the three annual feasts-- the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. Other verses confirming Sabbath is a law: 7. Neh 9:14 "So You made known to them Your holy sabbath, And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law, Through Your servant Moses. " 8. 2Ch 31:3 [He] also [appointed] the king's portion of his goods for the burnt offerings, [namely], for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths and for the new moons and for the fixed festivals, as it is written in the law of YAHUAH.