MUST Under Grace

The term grace has been misused and abused for so long that many have no idea what the truth is about grace and especially how it applies to the Christian life. Certainly, it is a great shock for people to learn that there are multiple musts under grace connected with salvation itself, as well as other areas of the Christian life. Please carefully ponder the following and change accordingly:

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You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7)

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

... “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. (Acts 14:22)

He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:30,31)

I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:21)

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “’Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mat 19:16-21) [See also Mk 10:17-21; Lk 10:25-28; Lk 18:18-23]

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” (2 Tim 2:19)

Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. (1 Pet 3:10,11)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mat 16:24) [See also Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23]

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mat 20:26-28) 

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) [See also Mk 10:43-45]

You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. (Mark 13:9)

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28,29)

As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (John 9:4)

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. (John 12:26)

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:4)

And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:27)

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (John 21:22)

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29)

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (Rom 12:9)

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Rom 13:1)

The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. (Rom 14:3)

But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor 5:11)

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. (Gal 6:6)

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (Eph 4:17)

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body ... He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (Eph 4:25,28)

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Eph 5:3)

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. (Col 3:8)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:10)

And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim 2:24,25)

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. (Titus 3:14)

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Heb 2:1)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:13)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Heb 11:6)

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6)

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)

And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:21)

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Mat 24:44) [See also Lk. 12:40]

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. (Mat 23:2,3) [See also Acts 3:22] 

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. (2 Pet 1:20)

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. (2 Pet 3:3)

But the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave. (John 14:31)

MUST For Marriage

To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. (1 Cor 7:10-13)

A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. (1 Cor 7:39)

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Eph 5:33)

MUST For Women

Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. (1 Cor 14:34)

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. (1 Tim 2:12)

MUST For The Church

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. (1 Cor 14:26,27)

This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (2 Cor 13:1)

MUST for Elders

An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:6-9)

For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach--and that for the sake of dishonest gain. (Titus 1:10,11)

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Heb 13:17)

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ... He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (1 Tim 3:2,4)

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. (1 Tim 3:6,7)

They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons ... A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. (1 Tim 3:9,10,12)

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (1 Cor 4:2)

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