Giving to the poor and doing good works is not optional, it is commanded by God, which is why the Torah, which is the Law of God, commands the following,
If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Master your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Master against you, and you become guilty of sin.
Deuteronomy 15:7-9
For anyone that knows to do good, such as giving food to a man who is hungry and begging, yet refuses to give food to that man, is committing a sin in disobedience to what God commands,
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
James 4:17
And that is why “whoever does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire”, because “good fruit”, which means “good works”, is commanded by God, and that is how a newly appointed servant of Yeshua serves God, by serving the poor,
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:19
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
John 15:16
And the Master replied, “A faithful, sensible manager is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
Luke 12:42-44
so that you may live a life worthy of the Master and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Colossians 1:10
And God is able to make all favor abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:21
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:17
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
James 3:13
who gave himself for us to purchase us from all torahlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2:14
Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.
Titus 3:13-14
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s favor in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
Titus 3:1
remembering before our God and Father your work of belief and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Master Messiah Yeshua.
1 Thessalonians 1:3
So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
1 Peter 4:19
Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, but with good works, as is proper for women who profess piety.
1 Timothy 2:9-10
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Master, knowing that in the Master your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of belief.
Galatians 6:10
Share with the set-apart ones who are in need…
Romans 12:13
All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
Galatians 2:10
this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my master the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.’
Daniel 4:24-27
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Master shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Master will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
Isaiah 58:6-9
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
Proverbs 21:13
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”– when you already have it with you.
Proverbs 3:27-28
Wash yourself, make yourself clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil. Learn to do good; seek judgment, rebuke the oppressor, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Please come, and let us reason together, implores the Master. Even though your sins are like scarlet, they’ll be white like snow. Though they’re like crimson, they’ll become like wool.
Isaiah 1:16-18
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the belief and is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Timothy 5:8
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Ephesians 4:28
You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Master Yeshua, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Acts 20:34-35
Yet we are not delivered by good works, not because good works are not required from us, but because God chose who he will deliver before the foundations of the world were established, before anyone did any works, whether good or evil,
So then it is not of the one wanting, nor of the one running, but of the showing mercy of God.
Romans 9:16
though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or evil, in order that God’s purpose of election might stand, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Romans 9:11-13
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be set-apart and blameless before him. In love
Ephesians 1:4
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Romans 8:29-30
For by favor you are being preserved through the belief; and this gift of God is not of you;
Ephesians 2:8
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Romans 9:15
So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
Romans 9:18
not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:9
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our lawlessness.
Psalm 103:10
And because at one point we all bore “bad fruit”, which means “evil works”,
…but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Matthew 7:17
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were set apart, you were justified in the name of the Master Yeshua Messiah and by the airflow of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Is why not only does the deliverance of God come by his choice before anyone did any works to deserve reward or punishment, but the deliverance of God also comes through his mercy, because the only thing we truly deserve is the punishment of death for breaking the commands of God, not any reward for any good we might do when we became transgressors of the Law of God,
he delivered us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He delivered us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the set-apart airflow,
Titus 3:5
You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol…
Exodus 20:3-4
You shall not commit adultery.
Exodus 20:14
A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak…
Deuteronomy 22:5
If a man lies with a man as he does with a woman…they shall surely be put to death…
Leviticus 20:13
You shall not steal.
Exodus 20:15
You shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Exodus 20:17
You shall not go about as a gossiper among your people…
Leviticus 19:16
Do not oppress or rob your neighbor…
Leviticus 19:13
You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Master your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Deuteronomy 13:9-10
If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife–with the wife of his neighbor–both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
Leviticus 20:10
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Romans 1:29-32
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23
Yet after receiving the mercy of God to not render unto us the condemnation of death we deserve because of the bad fruit we were bearing, then through the mercy God grants us in permitting us to continue to live he then requires us to now begin yielding good fruit, which in turn, leads us to justification unto aeonial life, which is what “do works worthy of repentance” and “become instruments of righteousness” both mean,
Produce fruit worthy of repentance.
Matthew 3:8
but both first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, I kept declaring to repent and to turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
Acts 26:20
You see that a person is justified by works and not by belief alone.
James 2:24
So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the Torah through the body of the Messiah, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
Romans 7:4
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give aeonial life.
Romans 2:7
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Romans 6:13
Where the greatest example of an act of righteousness was the one performed by the Messiah himself, who didn’t deserve to die, yet willfully chose to die to so that others may live, even though they did not deserve to live, because all were transgressors of the Law of God,
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation to all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification of life to all people.
Romans 5:18
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13
For one will rarely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, the Messiah died for us.
Romans 5:7-8
And this is why “belief without works is dead”, because if a man should say “I believe in Yeshua!”, yet does not do good works, his belief is null and useless,
So also the belief, if it should not have works it is dead by itself.
James 2:17
“Why do you call me ‘Master, Master,’ and not do what I tell you?
Luke 6:46
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Master, Master,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has belief but does not have works? Can that belief save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also belief by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have belief and I have works.” Show me your belief apart from your works, and I will show you my belief by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that belief apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that belief was active along with his works, and belief was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by belief alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the airflow is dead, so also belief apart from works is dead.
James 2:14-26
As such, “good works” are not limited to only giving to the poor, but also feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, visiting those in prison,
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a foreigner and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Matthew 25:34-36
does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment… walks in my statutes, and keeps my judgments to deal faithfully, he is righteous, he shall surely live, declares the Master God.
Ezekiel 18:7-9
And also giving hospitality to the homeless, foreigners, immigrants, and strangers, which also relates to these other commands of the Torah,
If your brother becomes poor and falls into poverty, you shall help him, like a foreigner, or an immigrant, and he shall live with you.
Leviticus 25:35
You shall treat the foreigner who immigrates among you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt: I am the Master your God.
Leviticus 19:34
Which is what Lot did, who was called “righteous”, because he offered hospitality to two foreigners he saw from the gate of Sodom, who happened to be angels, and welcomed them into his house to give them food, lodging, and a place to wash their feet, and that is why it is also said, “do not neglect hospitality to strangers”, because it is possible to have entertained angels unknowingly, which is also what Abraham did, who welcomed three angels that appeared at the door of his tent, and he offered them food, water, and a place to wash their feet,
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My masters, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Genesis 19:1-3
and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
2 Peter 2:7
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
Hebrews 13:2-3
And the Master appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Master, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
Genesis 18:1-5
…Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:9
and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the set-apart ones, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.
1 Timothy 5:10
And other examples of good works include helping orphans and widows,
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.
1 Timothy 5:3-4
And these are the matters of the Torah that the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers of the Torah discarded, which is why the Messiah gave them the example of the good Samaritan in how the second greatest command of the Torah must be fulfilled, which is “love your neighbor as yourself”, which is by performing acts of mercy and love towards others,
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Torah, judgment, mercy, and belief: these you have ought done, and not to leave the other undone.
Matthew 23:23
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit aeonial life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Torah? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Master your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Yeshua, “And who is my neighbor?” Yeshua replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Yeshua said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Luke 10:25-37
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Master.
Leviticus 19:18
Because “love” is not demonstrated with emotions and words, it is demonstrated with actions, “good works”,
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the goods of the world and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in action and in truth.
1 John 3:16-18
Yet the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers of the Torah concerned themselves only with lesser matters of the Torah, such wearing tzitzit, which are fringes, and wearing tefillin, which are phylacteries, which are commands that must still be obeyed today, hence “and not leave the others undone”, meaning the other lesser commands of the Torah, and they also concerned themselves with observance of the weekly Shabbath, which is no longer to be required under the new covenant of the Messiah,
But rather give alms to the poor of such things as ye have; and behold, all things are clean to you. But woe to you, Pharisees! for you tithe mint, and rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these you ought have done, and not to leave the others undone.
Luke 11:41-42
Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make fringes on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these fringes to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Master, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be set-apart to your God.
Numbers 15:38-40
You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as a phylactery between your eyes.
Deuteronomy 11:18
Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the fringes on their garments long
Matthew 23:5
While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Shabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. And the Master said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”
Numbers 15:32-35
and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Shabbath; the Torah forbids you to carry your mat.”
John 5:10
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you food, drink, feast, new moon, or Shabbath. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in the Messiah.
Colossians 2:16-17
But the great matters of the Torah are doing good works, which are actions of love and mercy towards others, which is why Isaiah wrote “learn to do good”, after saying “cease to do evil”, because both are required by God,
Bring no more offerings, incense is vain, and an abomination unto me are your new moons, shabbaths, and calling of convocations, I cannot endure lawlessness in your assemblies. Your new moons and your appointed times my soul hates: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary of bearing them. And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you: yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash yourself, make yourself clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do good; seek judgment, rebuke the oppressor, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:13-17
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than ascending offerings.
Hosea 6:6
And this is why many will be destroyed, because rather than decrease themselves by selling their possessions and properties to begin to serve the others, the poor,
When Yeshua heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell as much as you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Luke 18:22
And Yeshua, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell as much as you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Mark 10:21
Sell your possessions, and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
Luke 12:33
So therefore every one of you who does not give up all that he himself possesses, is not able to be my disciple.
Luke 14:33
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Master, “Look, Master! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Yeshua said to him, “Today deliverance has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Luke 19:8-9
that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Acts 4:34-35
They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
Acts 2:45
They seek to increase themselves by acquiring possessions and properties to serve themselves through money, all the more ignoring the hungry around him, and that is why a man cannot serve money and God at the same time, his focus can only logically be in one or the other, because serving either serving God or money completely oppose each other, just as a man cannot go to the left and also the right at the same time, he can only go to the left, or he can only go the right,
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Yeshua.
Luke 16:13-14
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:25
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the belief and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:10
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Luke 6:24
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.
James 5:1
For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
James 1:11
Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.
Ezekiel 16:49-50
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the aeonial fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a foreigner and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Master, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to aeonial punishment, but the righteous to aeonial life.”
Matthew 25:41-46
For God does not just want us to sparingly do good works as something we do occasionally or once a year, he wants us to devote our time in this body to doing good works daily and at every time possible and always ready to share when an opportunity to share arises, just as a servant serves his Master daily and at all times, which is what the parable of the “ten virgins” means, to continue keeping the lamps burning until the Messiah returns, for the “light” of a lamp also symbolizes good works just as “good fruit” does, for good works can be seen by others just as light can be seen with the eyes,
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
1 Timothy 6:18
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his namein serving the set-apart ones, as you still do.
Hebrews 6:10
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Master, master, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:1-13
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
Luke 12:33-36
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:12
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
1 Peter 2:15
Which is what it means to be the “salt” of the earth, to do good works, for salt is extracted from the earth and used to give food good flavor,
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Matthew 5:13
Which also relates to the parable of “talents”, where the talents also symbolize “good works”, where the initial talents anyone receives are the “first works” anyone does as a newly appointed servant of the Master, when first doing “sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven”,
Yeshua said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21
For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.
Matthew 25:14-23
“To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Revelation 2:1-5
I know your works, your love and belief and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
Revelation 2:19
And that servant must continue to produce more “good works” after his first works,
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:13
From the time he became appointed as a servant to the time of the return of the Master, in which case “talents”, which have monetary value, are used in this parable to also symbolize “good works” because good works not only results in aeonial life, but also monetary reward and treasure at the second coming of the Messiah, which is greater than the wages a common laborer expects to receive for his work, like a nurse who helps the sick yet expects regular paychecks for her work, because the good works of those who do it in the service of God do it through the belief of what cannot be seen, that God will repay those who served him in the future,
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
2 Corinthians 9:6
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Master, and and what he has given he will repay back.
Proverbs 19:17
Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
Revelation 22:12
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:20-21
A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
Proverbs 11:18
“And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven airflows of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Revelation 3:1-2
Then Yeshua said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:12-14
Now belief is the assurance of things hoped for, the persuasion of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation… And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:1-6
The airflow of the Master the Master is upon me, for the Master has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to proclaim the favorable year of the Master, and with it, the day of the anger of God against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Master has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations. Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. You will be called priests of the Master, ministers of our God. You will feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches. Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and aeonial joy will be yours.
Isaiah 61:1-7
Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
Isaiah 60:5
And that is why those who serve more will be the greatest in the kingdom of God,
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Matthew 20:26
The greatest among you will be your servant.
Matthew 23:11
Sitting down, Yeshua called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Mark 9:35
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13
Yet the servant who was lazy and did not continue doing good works, had his talent taken away, because he lost his reward from that one good work he initially did, because he didn’t continue doing good works to receive more talents,
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
Matthew 25:24-25
But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?… So take the talent from him…
Matthew 25:26-28
And rather, his reward from that one good work was given to those who had continued doing good works and already had reward from their own good works, for those who who do not give up doing good works will receive abundantly more than what they gave,
…and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Matthew 25:28-29
Yet if this lazy servant had been wise, instead of earning more talents himself, he could’ve invested his talent with bankers to earn more talents,
Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
Matthew 25:27
Which means to teach others to do good works, and thus the “talents” they produce because of the servant that is dedicated to teaching them to do good are also accredited to the teaching servant,
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you, but have been prevented from doing so until now, in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
Romans 1:13
Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.
Philippians 4:16-17
For although all are called to do good works, only a few are called to become teachers,
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
James 3:1
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
1 Corinthians 12:29
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Master and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
…Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
2 Timothy 4:2
Let the elders ruling well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those laboring in the word and the teaching.
1 Timothy 5:17
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their belief.
Hebrews 13:7
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17
Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the set-apart ones— be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.
1 Corinthians 16:15-16
and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 2:2
On account of this I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things lacking and might appoint elders in every town, as I directed you, if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having believing children, not under accusation of debauchery, or insubordinate. For it behooves the overseer to be blameless, as God’s steward; not self-willed, not quick tempered, not given to wine, not a striker, not greedy of base gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, set-apart, and disciplined; holding to the faithful word according to the teaching, that he may be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to convict those contradicting it.
Titus 1:5-9
I beg you therefore, be imitators of me. Because of this I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Master, who will remind you of my ways which are in the Messiah, even as I teach everywhere in every assembly.
1 Corinthians 4:16-17
To equip others to do “good works”,
So the Messiah himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of the Messiah may be built up
Ephesians 4:11-12
And in this way there is a yield of a harvest of good works not only by those who are plants that yield good fruit, but also by those who plant seed, and those who water the plants, each with different roles for the sole purpose to yield a harvest of good works,
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Master assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
1 Corinthians 3:5-8
He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Master of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Luke 10:2
With each plant yielding a varying measure of fruit, some more than others, according to the yield of good works God appointed each man will produce,
Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Matthew 13:8
For we are God’s handiwork, created in the Messiah Yeshua to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
And this is why Cornelius eventually received the anointing of God, because his righteousness, which means obedience to the Torah, was accompanied by good works,
The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and man fearing God, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A set-apart angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”
Acts 10:22
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and fearing God; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Master?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
Acts 10:1-4
Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.
Acts 10:30-31
While Peter was still speaking these words, the set-apart airflow came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the set-apart airflow had been poured out even on Gentiles.
Acts 10:44-45
For good works are now the sacrifices and offerings God desires, which is why the good works of Cornelius came up to God as a memorial offering before God,
And ye yourselves also know, ye Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but ye only; for even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my need. Not that I seek for the gift; but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account. But I have all things, and abound: I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.
Philippians 4:15-18
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9
you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a aeolian house, to be a set-apart priesthood, to offer aeolian sacrifices acceptable to God through the Messiah Yeshua.
1 Peter 2:5
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:16
I call upon you, therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice — living, set apart, acceptable to God — your intelligent service;
Romans 12:1
Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven.
Hebrews 8:1
Three times a year all your men must appear before the Master your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Master empty-handed:
Deuteronomy 16:16
