Abiding In Christ Necessary for Eternal Life

[Eternally Grateful]

Amen and.

Based on outward appearances at any given moment, it may be difficult to tell genuine believers (connected in vital unity with the True Vine) from those who have merely attached themselves to some of the trappings of Christianity. However, time will tell the difference, because the genuine believer attached to the True Vine will bear fruit. A false professor appears to be attached but does not bear fruit, and it’s the lack of fruit that shows a branch is not receiving the fruit-bearing energy that comes from attachment to the Vine. Regardless of how attached this branch may appear to be on the surface, it is lacking the one absolute evidence of attachment—fruit! That “branch” should not console himself with false notions that he is attached, because his lack of fruit bears condemning evidence against him. In this case, the branch was never really attached in the first place. The metaphor (or allegory) of the vine and the branches can only be pressed so far.

I believe when we get to heaven, there will be people there we did not think would be there. And people we think wil be there. That will not be there.

 

[Ritajanice]

When I became Born Again...that was my first true Love...I received God into my heart....and I have NEVER LOST my first true, SPIRITUAL LOVE.

And I NEVER will...I have ETERNAL SALVATION....God could NEVER leave my heart.....NEVER!!!

 

[Ritajanice]

I believe when we get to heaven, there will be people there we did not think would be there. And people we think wil be there. That will not be there.

I have no idea about that...only God knows who will be with him in Spirit...I know 100% I will be with him...he’s already here on the earth with me, via Holy Spirit.

I will only see God in his full Glory , when my natural heart stops beating...then my spirit will be set free to see him..and I can’t wait!!

 

[GracePeace]

When I became Born Again...that was my first true Love...I received God into my heart....and I have NEVER LOST my first true, SPIRITUAL LOVE.

And I NEVER will...I have ETERNAL SALVATION....God could NEVER leave my heart.....NEVER!!!

It's a helpful way to think, even if it's not based on all of Scripture. It would be good if more people thought that way.

 

[Ritajanice]

A Born Again can only know the Love of God, that is what I meant.

No one can know how to Love as he Loves , if He hadn’t Loved us first.

As his word says,...which again must penetrate one’s heart and only God can open our hearts to receive his Love, like he did Lydia.

God’s Love is Perfect and it casts out all fear....​

◄ 1 John 4:19 ►

​

Audio Crossref Comment Greek Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version We love because he first loved us. New Living Translation We love each other because he loved us first. English Standard Version We love because he first loved us. Berean Standard Bible We love because He first loved us. Berean Literal Bible We love because He first loved us. King James Bible We love him, because he first loved us. New King James Version We love Him because He first loved us. New American Standard Bible We love, because He first loved us.

 

[GracePeace]

@mailmandan @Ritajanice @Eternally Grateful I think someone could say that part of "abiding", which is by "obeying" (part of which command is to believe in the Name of God's Son--ie, Jesus means "God is Salvation" or "God saves"), would be believing that Christ saved them, and that they are going to remain until the end.
This seems paradoxical, because it is also true that some fail to abide, and can be removed, but, when they fall away, they are blotted out, accounted as having never been saved, since "if they were of us they would have continued with us", so this could be, at least in part, because they disobeyed the part of the command that says to believe God saves, because of idolatry (1 Jn 5:21)--eg, the Galatians were led away from abiding in God (Gal 1:6) by a persuasion that did not come from God (Gal 5:8), which, therefore, must have come from demons (1 Ti 4:1), and Paul stipulates that "the idols the nations worship are demons", thus unbelief (or belief in a lie) would qualify as an example of the "idolatry" (1 Jn 5:21) that may lead the "little children" away from abiding (1 Jn 2:28).

And since God says,

Isaiah 43
11I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.

If you try to save yourself, it would have to be idolatry (1 Jn 5:21), and breaking the command to "believe in the Name of God's Son" (ie, "God saves") (1 Jn 3:23,24), thus not abiding (1 Jn 2:28), and eating from the tree the knowledge of good and evil, the most ancient primordial form of idolatry, the source of the desire of the eye of the flesh and of boastful pride (Gen 3:6), and which led to nakedness (Gn 3; 1 Jn 2:28; Rv 3, 16:15).

The Galatians, for example, committed the "idolatry" (1 Jn 5:21) of believing a false Gospel of justifying and saving themselves and were thusly not abiding in Christ (1 Jn 2:28) but were indicted as departing from God (Gal 1:6, 3:1-3, 5:4,7-8).

 

[Eternally Grateful]

A member posted, being Born Again is irrelevant to abiding in the vine?

So how would they be able to remain in the vine, without the rebirth?

They actually believe they keep themselves abiding in the vine....therefore false teachings and works based salvation.

You cannot abide in the true vine unless one is Born Again, by the Spirit of God...they have denied this....therefore false and counterfeit Christian.

they would have to attach themselves to the vine. Of course, if you think you can attach yourself. You think you can unattached yourself. So what you have is power in self. Not God

 

[Eternally Grateful]

Being Born Again...gets you into heaven...we are true children of God....those who play that down....don’t imo understand the rebirth.

Amen, Jesus said you MUST be born again, it is not an option

 

[Eternally Grateful]

See... you are not understanding what I'm saying.

They can’t

 

[Ritajanice]

Amen, Jesus said you MUST be born again, it is not an option

Without that.....no one belongs to him, they must have the Spirit of God as his word says, that can only come from God as in the rebirth/ Born Again/ Spirit gives birth to spirit..
Other than that...they just lead themselves through scripture....which can be clearly seen.....praying that God is drawing them to Jesus...and not be deceived by the enemy...

He deceived me for long enough as an unbeliever.....but, Praise God he had other plans for my life....imo...an unbeliever doesn’t even know they are in darkness and sin.....how can they know....until God sets them free from their sin.....I certainly never knew I was in sin as an unbeliever.

 

[mailmandan]

When I became Born Again...that was my first true Love...I received God into my heart....and I have NEVER LOST my first true, SPIRITUAL LOVE.

And I NEVER will...I have ETERNAL SALVATION....God could NEVER leave my heart.....NEVER!!!

Revelation 2:4 - (AMP) But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].

This characterized the church as a whole but it does not mean that each individual member of that church no longer loved the Lord at all. I have no doubts about your love for the Lord. :)

 

[Ritajanice]

Revelation 2:4 - (AMP) But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].

This characterized the church as a whole but it does not mean that each individual member of that church no longer loved the Lord at all. I have no doubts about your love for the Lord. :)

Amen!!

 

[GracePeace]

Without that.....no one belongs to him, they must have the Spirit of God as his word says, that can only come from God as in the rebirth/ Born Again/ Spirit gives birth to spirit..
Other than that...they just lead themselves through scripture....which can be clearly seen.....praying that God is drawing them to Jesus...and not be deceived by the enemy...

He deceived me for long enough as an unbeliever.....but, Praise God he had other plans for my life....imo...an unbeliever doesn’t even know they are in darkness and sin.....how can they know....until God sets them free from their sin.....I certainly never knew I was in sin as an unbeliever.

Those who abide by obedience are supplied with the Spirit (1 Jn 3:23,24) that is only "in His Son" (1 Jn 5:11), it's not a one-time transaction--even though, from the other side, it is a "sort of" one-time transaction, inasmuch as it is the case that those who do not abide are accounted as having never been saved at all, being that they are "blotted out" (Ex 32:33; Rv 3) and their righteousness of faith (Ro 4:3) is not remembered (Ez 3:20).

 

[Ritajanice]

Being Baptised in the Spirit is a one time event.

Those who aren’t Born Again or maybe not understanding what Born Again means.

Are just quoting scripture in their own knowledge/ strength.

A Born Again doesn’t do that...that have already received the Holy Spirit into their heart....as God’s word says...Spirit gives birth to spirit..Born Again, Therefore in the Son supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, only he can testify with our spirit that we are his children, as his word says.

Those who aren’t in the Spirit, can only give lip service....no where in God’s word does he say , you must be supplied with the Spirit.to see the Kingdom of God.

No sir....God’s word says you must be Born Again, which has been denied by a member on here.

Therefore they don’t understand what it means to stand on the “ Living “ word of God.

Praying that they find peace Father God, Only you can give them that peace in your word....in Jesus Name..Amen!!....

 

[GracePeace]

Being Baptised in the Spirit is a one time event.

Those who aren’t Born Again or maybe not understanding what Born Again means.

Are just quoting scripture in their own knowledge/ strength.

A Born Again doesn’t do that...that have already received the Holy Spirit into their heart....as God’s word says...Spirit gives birth to spirit..Born Again, Therefore in the Son supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, only he can testify with our spirit that we are his children, as his word says.

Those who aren’t in the Spirit, can only give lip service....no where in God’s word does he say , you must be supplied with the Spirit.to see the Kingdom of God.

No sir....God’s word says you must be Born Again, which has been denied by a member on here.

Therefore they don’t understand what it means to stand on the “ Living “ word of God.

Praying that they find peace Father God, Only you can give them that peace in your word....in Jesus Name..Amen!!....

Those who pretend to be spiritual have no answer for Scripture, so they are relegated to lobbing hysterical ad hominem attacks--"Anyone who doesn't agree with me is unspiritual!"--which prove nothing from Scripture, thus can help no one.

Well, two can play at that game, right--"You don't agree with me when I cite Scripture because you're unspiritual"?

LOL

Yeah, I'm thinking that must be the reason you don't agree with Scripture I cite.

 

[GracePeace]

Revelation 2:4 - (AMP) But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].

This characterized the church as a whole but it does not mean that each individual member of that church no longer loved the Lord at all. I have no doubts about your love for the Lord. :)

Clarification: I never questioned her love for God, only the OSAS-buttressing idea that, contrary to Scripture, one could never lose their first love.

 

[Ritajanice]

​

What does it mean to have left your first love (Revelation 2:4)?​

ANSWER

Revelation 2:1-7 contains Jesus’ message to the church in Ephesus, the first of seven exhortations to various churches in the Roman Empire. Ephesus had some unique challenges for a Christ-follower in that it was home to the Emperor’s cult and the worship of the Greek goddess Artemis (Acts 19:23-40). Because of these influences, the Ephesian believers had developed great discernment when it came to false teachers and heresy. Christ commended them for this discernment, but He faulted them for having lost their “first love.”

The first love which characterized the Ephesians was the zeal and ardor with which they embraced their salvation as they realized they loved Christ because He first loved them (1 John 4:19) and that it was, in fact, His love for them that had made them “alive together with Christ.” So overwhelmed were they by the joy that came from understanding their former state—dead in trespasses and sins—and their new life in Christ, that they exhibited the fruit of that joy (Ephesians 2:1-5). Because of God’s great love for the Ephesians, they were “made alive in Christ” and that new life was exhibited in the passion of gratitude. That passion for the Savior spilled over onto one another and out to those in the culture they inhabited, corrupt as it was.

Jesus commends the Ephesians for their many good works and hard work. They tested teachers to see whether their professions were real; they endured hardship and persevered without growing weary. But they had lost their warmth and zeal for Christ, and when that happened, they began to “go through the motions” of good works, motivated not by the love of and for Christ, but by the works themselves. What was once a love relationship cooled into mere religion. Their passion for Him became little more than cold orthodoxy.

Surrounded by paganism and false teachers, the Ephesian church would have had ample opportunity to correct false doctrine and confront heretical teachers. If they did so for any reason other than love for Christ and a passion for His truth, however, they would have lost their way. Instead of pursuing Christ with the devotion they once showed, much like a bride who follows her groom “through the desert” (Jeremiah 2:2), the Ephesians were in danger of falling away from Christ completely. This is why He warns those who have “ears to hear” to prove the reality of their salvation by returning to Him and rekindling the love that had begun to cool. No doubt there were among the Ephesians those whose profession was false and whose hearing had become dulled. He warns the rest not to follow them, but to repent and return to Him with the passion they once had for Him.

We face the same challenges in the twenty-first century. There are few churches that aren’t subject to, and in danger of, a certain amount of false teaching. But Jesus calls us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and to not let the frustration of false teaching overpower the love of Christ in us (Ephesians 4:31-32). Our first love is the love Christ gives us for God and each other. We should be zealous for the truth, but that zeal should be tempered so that we are always “speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

 

[GracePeace]

​

What does it mean to have left your first love (Revelation 2:4)?​

ANSWER

Revelation 2:1-7 contains Jesus’ message to the church in Ephesus, the first of seven exhortations to various churches in the Roman Empire. Ephesus had some unique challenges for a Christ-follower in that it was home to the Emperor’s cult and the worship of the Greek goddess Artemis (Acts 19:23-40). Because of these influences, the Ephesian believers had developed great discernment when it came to false teachers and heresy. Christ commended them for this discernment, but He faulted them for having lost their “first love.”

The first love which characterized the Ephesians was the zeal and ardor with which they embraced their salvation as they realized they loved Christ because He first loved them (1 John 4:19) and that it was, in fact, His love for them that had made them “alive together with Christ.” So overwhelmed were they by the joy that came from understanding their former state—dead in trespasses and sins—and their new life in Christ, that they exhibited the fruit of that joy (Ephesians 2:1-5). Because of God’s great love for the Ephesians, they were “made alive in Christ” and that new life was exhibited in the passion of gratitude. That passion for the Savior spilled over onto one another and out to those in the culture they inhabited, corrupt as it was.

Jesus commends the Ephesians for their many good works and hard work. They tested teachers to see whether their professions were real; they endured hardship and persevered without growing weary. But they had lost their warmth and zeal for Christ, and when that happened, they began to “go through the motions” of good works, motivated not by the love of and for Christ, but by the works themselves. What was once a love relationship cooled into mere religion. Their passion for Him became little more than cold orthodoxy.

Surrounded by paganism and false teachers, the Ephesian church would have had ample opportunity to correct false doctrine and confront heretical teachers. If they did so for any reason other than love for Christ and a passion for His truth, however, they would have lost their way. Instead of pursuing Christ with the devotion they once showed, much like a bride who follows her groom “through the desert” (Jeremiah 2:2), the Ephesians were in danger of falling away from Christ completely. This is why He warns those who have “ears to hear” to prove the reality of their salvation by returning to Him and rekindling the love that had begun to cool. No doubt there were among the Ephesians those whose profession was false and whose hearing had become dulled. He warns the rest not to follow them, but to repent and return to Him with the passion they once had for Him.

We face the same challenges in the twenty-first century. There are few churches that aren’t subject to, and in danger of, a certain amount of false teaching. But Jesus calls us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and to not let the frustration of false teaching overpower the love of Christ in us (Ephesians 4:31-32). Our first love is the love Christ gives us for God and each other. We should be zealous for the truth, but that zeal should be tempered so that we are always “speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

Yes, you said it couldn't happen, and that was debunked--just as the rest of your claims have been.

The same is true of the claims of those who agree with you (@mailmandan and @Eternally Grateful).

 

[Ritajanice]

A Born Again can NEVER EVER lose their first Love....

How would they know they have the Love of God?

How would they know that God Loved them first?

What does that mean?

How can they abide in Christ...if they don’t understand being Born Again?

None of these questions have never been answered.

Instead they have said that being Born Again is no big deal?

That they don’t need to be be Born Again to be led through scripture....

So, how do they understand God’s Holy Words?

I think they missed this.

Jesus commends the Ephesians for their many good works and hard work. They tested teachers to see whether their professions were real; they endured hardship and persevered without growing weary. But they had lost their warmth and zeal for Christ, and when that happened, they began to “go through the motions” of good works, motivated not by the love of and for Christ, but by the works themselves. What was once a love relationship cooled into mere religion. Their passion for Him became little more than cold orthodoxy

Religion doesn’t birth you in the Spirit...LOL.

A Born Again can NEVER lose their first true Love.....God is Love....how would one know they are loved by Christ....I await their answer?

 

[GracePeace]

A Born Again can NEVER EVER lose their first Love....

LOL "You don't agree with Scripture because you're unspiritual. Only spiritual people agree with me."

Already answered this.

Revelation 2
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

"Forgive" me for quoting Scripture in a discussion about Scripture!