Scott Downey
Well-Known Member
Anyone who God saves, God saved them by His grace. Grace is not earned, we do not earn salvation by confessing Christ as Lord and believing in Him that God raised Christ from the dead. The reason we believe is God's grace for us in particular on our behalf according to His choice.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
And in that it says we are His workmanship, that began before we confessed Christ and believed in our hearts. Not of ourselves in every possible way you can think of is the truth.
Salvation is a gift, and not everyone gets that gift of His grace do they.
YOUR CALLING, you in particular were granted your believe in Christ by God the Father. This was not of your will, He taught you and changed your heart according to His purpose and will for you in particular. But yes, you did respond positively and received Him, yet only because God ordained that beforehand, before you were born in particular for you.
Philippians 1
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but [f]to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
And in that it says we are His workmanship, that began before we confessed Christ and believed in our hearts. Not of ourselves in every possible way you can think of is the truth.
Salvation is a gift, and not everyone gets that gift of His grace do they.
YOUR CALLING, you in particular were granted your believe in Christ by God the Father. This was not of your will, He taught you and changed your heart according to His purpose and will for you in particular. But yes, you did respond positively and received Him, yet only because God ordained that beforehand, before you were born in particular for you.
Philippians 1
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but [f]to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.