Why we should act to do good.

Paul, the Apostle author was tempted with Pride. 2 Cor 12:
[6] For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
[7] And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
As such, he was documenting a certain humility when he observed in 1 Cor 9:
[27] But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
...that he could be a spiritual castaway. We know that Jas 1:
[27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
As we have seen before this means that a person of 90 IQ has an equal chance of getting into heaven with the Apostle Paul. God honored Paul with the authorship of a generous fraction of the Bible. Did God write it well enough? We have observed this very blog to choose verses out from many different books in various orders. To resolve this apparent contradiction, we investigate our usage of text books. We have two kinds: What we commonly call textbooks, and reference works we more commonly call Manuals. These are each organized differently, and when an experienced practitioner of the field of study represented refers to either, he will rarely make a practice of reading either by chapter. This does not exempt students from the practice. (Why we should read the Bible.) As noted in the link, the Bible spends a good portion of its time on warnings. If God says "Don't do something," we want to be aware of it. However, if we stopped all actions or work to avoid offense, we might actually be excusing laziness. I can imagine a friend telling me,"I was at a job one time, and we researched a new way of chopping wood. We stood in just the right place, and used the ax at just the right angle, until all the chips fell in a pile just where we wanted them." We all know the expression to which I am alluding. How does God introduce the same discussion? Consider Pr 14:
[22] Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
We have seen before that Evil people don't really want to go to heaven, but what more can be known from this verse? We have investigated Grace, and I will suggest that God's favor is the reason that mercy and truth are extended to those devising good when they too err. Does this save us from consequence? Just as sin causes guilt and confession brings consequence, ill advised efforts at good are not without their repercussions. There is another verse we know quite well that reads (Ro 6:1)
[1] What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
In Romans five, Paul is engaged in making another point, that is forgiveness comes because of Grace, but the point is equally pertinent to this discussion; we should not use potential forgiveness as license. On those occasions that we are in error and our brethren observe us, we hope for kind correction. It should however, still our tongue if we cannot tell them how to obey God better than they have done, once we take their trials and temptations into account. If we keep in mind that each works out his own salvation (Phil 2:12)
[12] Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
...we should be equally aware of the passage that says in 1 Cor 3:
[12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
[13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
[14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
[15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
I hope to address correction in my next post.