"Conformed To God" -3

So what am I saying: Is our faith dependent upon our works? No way! On the contrary, our faith is demonstrated by our works. We are not His children because we obey, we obey because we are His children. It is not our will that is being established in our obedience, but His will for us, that is being perfected in us. Then am I saying that all we need to do is Believe, and that's it? No way! On the contrary, we will know that we truly believe by the fruit of His Love. If we have no fruit, we better check ourselves. There is no contradiction within the Word of God, only layers upon layers of the revelation of who He is, and how much He loves us. Any contradiction which may appear to be found, is only because man has not interpreted His Word properly, or has misunderstood the meaning of what is being said. What John does within these 5 short chapters of the book of 1st John, is to set some things straight: First, that we must live the Love of God, if we say we Know God; and second, that there is only One Righteous, and that is Jesus Christ. John dissolves two erroneous doctrines which from his time until now have been prevalent: Antinomianism and Perfectionism. Antinomians contend that the covenant of Grace is not established on conditions; therefore, nothing of performance is required on man's part to give him any interest in it. In other words, that all that is required is for man to believe that he is justified, and that there is no need for anything else. The problem with this line of thinking, is that there is no Fruit, or proof of a man's heart being changed, and no requirement thereof. "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him." (1 John 2:4) Instead: It is our Believing in Jesus Christ that will cause a change within us, which is then demonstrated by our Love, and our works toward God. The so-called Perfectionists believe that the sin nature is eradicated from them as though surgically removed as a cancer. The serious problem with this line of thinking is that there is No Proof of that in their mortal bodies; besides, our sin nature is attached to this fleshly vessel. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) Instead: It is the Power of God's Love through Christ Jesus which enables us to be delivered from our sinful nature, not that the sin nature has been removed, but that it no longer has dominate control of our lives. This is why we must be Conformed to God; which means that we must be conformed as children of God, to the image of His Son Jesus Christ!!! "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: And whom He called, them He also justified: And whom He justified, them He also glorified." (Romans 8:29 & 30) Now then; to address our physical conformity to His Body of Glory: "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through Faith of Christ, the Righteousness which is of God by Faith: That I may know Him, and the Power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3:8-11)