Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

13 October 2025

Reading From I Thessalonians 1

“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. ³ We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love,and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”—I Thessalonians 1:2-3

The role of faith and works in the salvation and life of a follower of Jesus has been a contested subject for centuries. I think what is necessary to settle this dilemma in our hearts and minds is to prayerfully take in the whole counsel of the Word of God rather than isolated proof texts. Scripture is a beautiful, harmonious tapestry woven together by the Holy Spirit. Each thread is precious, but we must take a step back to see the full picture.

Ephesians 2:8-10 reveals to us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Salvation is a partnership between the individual and the Holy Spirit, but the role of the human is to surrender and yield to the work of God in them and through them.

We must choose to respond to the promptings of the Spirit with faith (belief and trust), repentance (a change of mind and direction about sin, turning away from sin and toward Jesus), confession (admitting that we are sinners in need of God’s grace and mercy and that Jesus is God), and acceptance of His grace and mercy as Savior and Lord (we make the decision to follow Him and submit to His direction in our lives). It isn’t a balance or combination of faith and works, genuine faith produces good works.

By grace through faith we are adopted into the eternal family of God. Sons of Adam and daughters of Eve become sons and daughters of the Most High God through the blood of Jesus. We are called and commissioned to have Him build His Kingdom in us and through us by worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry and fellowship for His glory and our good.

We can do nothing in and of ourselves to earn our entrance into Heaven or our standing with God the Father. Salvation is by grace through faith in accordance with His abounding love and tender mercy. Through trust, repentance, confession and acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord we are born again and the core of our being is fundamentally changed from spiritual death to life, darkness to light, sin to righteousness.

We are justified, made right with the Father, through faith in the blood of Jesus shed for our sins. This new birth experience, the work of the Spirit within us, transforms us. Our desires gradually change and we want to please God rather than ourselves. As we yield to the Holy Spirit flowing through us, He works on our hearts and inspires us with love and gives us strength to do His work upon the Earth.

This work is to love Him, love others and love ourselves in healthy, holy ways and to show compassion in practical ways. He’s called us to make disciples in our communities, regions, and all nations for His glory and the good of all humanity. This is the essence of obeying the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

As we yield to the work of the Spirit in us and through us, it isn’t us “doing the work” it’s Him. Philippians 2:12-13 shows us, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Our posture of prayer should be to humbly ask God to use us for His glory and building up His Kingdom of Light, rather than our own little kingdoms.

John the Baptist gave us this godly wisdom in Matthew 3:8, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Born again believers are literal temples of the Holy Spirit. Because God lives within us, we must simply choose to follow His loving, authoritative guidance revealed in His Word the Bible rather than what we naturally want to do according to our sinful flesh. We choose God’s ways rather than our own selfish ways. Every human must choose Him for themselves. No one else, including God, can or will coerce us. He won’t force anyone into healthy, balanced, righteous relationship with Him.

This relationship is a partnership with God. As we yield to Him, His good works in us and through us strengthen and increase our faith. He inspires and strengthens us to obey the precepts and principles of His Word and His work in our lives flourishes. As we grow spiritually, we become more and more like Jesus. This is the process of salvation. It is called sanctification.

One day we will either die physically or be caught up into Heaven at the second coming to be judged and enter the New Eden. There we will be perfectly united with the Father and live in total harmony with God forever. This is the goal of salvation. It is called glorification. For God to make our salvation to be made complete, we must endure to the end. His good works in us and through us prove our faith to be genuine and of eternal value.

“Heavenly Father, give us Your knowledge and wisdom concerning these matters of vital and eternal importance. Our eternal life depends upon our trust, repentance, confession and acceptance of You as Savior and Lord. We submit to Your authority in all matters of faith and practice. Show us the way forward. Light the path before us with the beacon of Your Word. Illuminate Your truth by Your Spirit as You guide us into all truth. In the matchless Name that is above every Name, Jesus Christ, I pray these things. Amen.”

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

—Galatians 5:19-25

Or do you not know that the unrighteous^[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,^[c]10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

—I Corinthians 6:9-11