Works or no works? Perhaps the question is, what sort of works?

NOTE: I do not subscribe to any religion. I once believed in Masoretic Text translations until I dug deeper and came to a different conclusion during my search through Christian denominational teachings, their leaders, and the roots of how they started, while reading the Bible itself verse by verse a few times (many translations) or more to match up their beliefs to the spiritual book they claim to follow and believe in themselves. If you ask me what I believe, I would say what the scholarly census has agreed upon, even if the decision board doesn't agree with them because they're worried about the faith of humanity for what they were taught to believe despite it contradicting evidence. Anything I've studied, watched, read is added here to help you see how I got to this point to help others who are curious too. 

How to read: I put these in order as much as I could, from the beginning to the end of the Bible. However, some wrap up a context by cross-referencing one another to bring in the point. My notes are raw and help explain my reasoning or how I've come to an understanding for myself based on the whole Bible in its whole context, not just cherry-picked. Hence why I have so many, not just 4 common debate verses. I do not write out the verse because I don't want the translation I'm using to be an issue or thought to be biased. I think the point of each verse will come across in either of them.

Mat_26:28

What the covenant is for.

Joh 12:26

Service to Jesus is service to God.

Anyone.

Act_16:30-31

Gal_3:10-14

We can't work to be received; it comes after your true faith in him and then you do the will of him (with whole heart and soul and not in vain). Man-made laws are not a part of this, a beard, chores, doors, dressing, doesn't do crap. Or even joining a congregation.

Holy through Christ.

Gal_3:19

They can't be holy.

Gal_3:24

Works

Rom_3:21-25

Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all of them that believe.

Through faith in his blood (the action he did for us to cover us to be made holy like the temple and all that they covered).

Rom_4:11

Seal of faith.

Sealing the mind and actions.

The mark of God, rather than the beast.

Jas_2:21-23

"Offered"

His faith was made perfect, not him. He trusted God.

He was not made justified, by what he did.

Righteousness is nearly equivalent to holiness.

Rom_8:1-4

We are one with Jesus, we are raised by that sort of work and our faith will be made perfect. Because to be so, our sins are made clear that we couldn't WORK to do so.

Eph_2:12-13

By the blood of Christ. We're made close to God by his blood.

Rom_4:6-7

Rom_10:9

The word of faith, faith being in Jesus' blood and that he was raised, as you will be to if you believe. Confess. Saved. The test of faith past, per the offering up of the son from Abe, is works.

Jas_1:1

To Jews, of law.

Rom_1:7

Gentiles

Don't do things to be accepted by God, realize God accepted you and washed you clean through Jesus, and you need to trust it. To trust it is true works. Not just by doing good to others, that comes because you're wanting to be like Jesus out of the love you have for what he and God did. The fellow images of God that are suffering alongside us.

1Co_15:1-5 1Co_15:17-18

1Co_6:9-11

He didn't conquer we would still be in our sins, no matter how much we did for other people.

1Ti_2:5

Heb_4:1

1Co_1:17-21

Gal_2:20

Rom_6:3-4

Isn't dying with him, being the new man with him? The works. By faith.

Rom_5:8-9

Blood, not works.

1Co_15:55

Rom_6:23

Free

Rom_4:23-25

If we believe

1Co_1:18-31

Why I think people can't understand, how someone that considers themselves unworthy, or not presenting "godly" can be saved.

Act_13:46

The Jews that thought by works, consider themselves unworthy.

Luk_23:42-43

What did the thief do? Did he have time to jump down be washed, and do a life of works before his death?

Gal_2:20

Same faith that he had in God.

Why in him is important.

Like...the same zapper that made Christ live is in us to be zapped to live to when we die.

Change does happen, your "works" do come.

But it's not change, then God will love you, order.

Its God loved you first, and that's why you'll change.

Good marriage vs. bad marriage.

He'll give you the love of the truth.

And if you want to do any works.

Be the light for others, not just your bothers.

Mat_5:43-48

Stop hating people, even if they suck, put up with them like Jesus did.

Joh_15:12-15

Our works are too self-sacrifice for others, even if they didn't deserve it and love like he loved us, that is Gods will. Though this doesn't mean keep dealing with abuse, love them where they are at, and remove yourself, just like Jesus said when people didn't accept you, move on.

Extra verses

Act_11:14

Act_11:17

The works

Act_13:39

No works

Act_13:41

The only works that can be done, not by us.

Act_15:11

Not works.

Act_15:20

Only thing that gentiles should go by, the rest are man-made, and this was a dispute solved, a decision.

Act_18:13

No law

Act_18:27

Not works

1Pe_1:2

Sanctified by the work of the spirit, to obey Jesus and blood, which is grace.

Rom_5:1

By faith we are set right.

Eph_2:8-9

You cannot earn the gift of God, that rebirths us to be able to spiritually sit there in heaven with Christ, this is all not physical.

Luk_8:50

Only believe

Joh_6:29-40

Php_3:2-11

1Pe_4:12-19

Another side research on the subject related to JW Elders/GB

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17This is My command to you: Love one another.

Pretty light rules, I would say

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, 14or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men 16Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

He's talking of the government JW GB won't acknowledge but replace it with them, they are the wrong doers and foolish men.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death

Galatians 2:4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

1 Corinthians 10:29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?

Romans 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Hebrews 2:14 Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,15and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

1Thes 4:10 ...But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more 11and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you. 12Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

The slavery, before the upside-down slavery to God and his son, related to the false religion and serving men/glorified men/the false god of the Jews. Adultery is commonly known for cheating with other gods/men's religion, rather than just sexual sin itself throughout the bible, especially OT. And how they made followers do works in order to be given the hope of afterlife. As below, bondage to God is freedom from all men, but rather equality and loving others. To put God first, to serve God, is to do the commandments Jesus gave above. That's pretty freeking light.

Matthew 20:24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Men who rank and file worship that are "greater" in their eyes...are the least of them. Any elder/leader should be getting off their pedestal and lifting other's up among the rank and file and serving them.

Psalms 50:16 To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?17 For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.18When you see a thief, you befriend him, and throw in your lot with adulterers.19You unleash your mouth for evil and unharness your tongue for deceit. 20You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. 21You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face. 22Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:23He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me, and to him who rights his way, I will show the salvation of God.”

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

Jeremiah 34:15 Recently you repented and did what pleased Me; each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My Name. 16But now you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each of you has taken back the menservants and maidservants whom you had set at liberty to go wherever they wanted, and you have again forced them to be your slaves.17Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, declares the LORD—freedom to fall by sword, by plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.18 And those who have transgressed My covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces. 19The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf, 20I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 21And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.

The entire old prophets are talking to the people that represent him.... you can then apply this to all who say they represent him today and dominated their rank and file. They failed the temptation of seeking power for themselves while saying, "God's taking too long." Notice below the cross reference to faithful and discreet slave (wise here based off translation difference), now look at vs. 45, it starts with a "but", if this is indeed a "prophecy", well.... let's follow up with the rest of the prophecy than shall we?

Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food [b]in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

"but" here as well.

Matthew 24:48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ 49And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. 51Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Anyone making slaves of God's people or people in general, will have lots of explaining to do, that includes most definitely by scripture those that claim to be doing the work of God and set themselves high above others instead of doing the opposite.

Jer 5:30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: 31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes? 

My concluded belief has been the view of a healthy relationship, compared to an abusive relationship, based on experience, research on narcissism and abusive relationships, and what I've read in the Bible itself. When you are in an abusive relationship, you do the things you "have to do" in vain (makes me think, "don't worship me in vain"). You despise doing them, you get them over with so the partner is happy and will shut up or in some cases not beat or nearly kill you (nearly, because they actually need you more). On the other hand, when you find true love, you don't even realize you're fulfilling what is good for your relationship because you LOVE them so much, you'll do anything, with your whole heart and soul (the Shema Deu 6:4). And when I think of works for God, I think of His will, His will for others.

This is a bonus, I'm not sure if you can read it well but it really does tell you the differences.