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But yet you forget what the work we as NT believers are required to obey!You recite a story that has no Biblical basis to it at all. Let's look at some actual BIble verses. Philippians 2 would be a good place:
"So then, my beloved, even 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;"
"so then" refers back to the information Paul just gave them about Christ in how Christ Himself was "obedient unto death", v8. So then as Christ was obedient, man must be obedient to God also (Heb 5:9) as those Philippians had "always obeyed". Paul gave praise where praise was due and Paul gave them praise for their obedience and not condemnation. Paul did not falsely accuse them of trying to earn salvation by their own righteousness or accuse them of being legalists for their obedience as some today would.
"work out"....Paul did NOT say work FOR salvation for salvation cannot be earned (Lk 10:7-10). They were to work OUT their salvation to the finish by their continued obedience to God's will.
"your own salvation" shows man does have a role in his OWN salvation and that is by obeying God's will, hence salvation is not forced upon anyone against their will but must be accepted and one accepts salvation thru obedience to God just as those Philippians. Even God cannot help those who are unwilling to accept His salvation....God offers the cure for sin but man must be willing to accept and take the cure.
I do not deny it but rejoice in its truth!
But you misunderstand the words used and force them to mean they were saved and then became unsaved.
JOhn had a better and biblical response to those who "seemed" to be saved.
1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
Jesus did too:
Matt. 13:
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
WHERE in Matthew 7 does it state anything even close to what you've stated.
Also Matt. 7:
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The bible clearly says that there are people who may look and act and sound saved, but never were. but nowhere does it say a saved person can become unsaved or that eternal life wehen given to people is a conditional or probational eternal life.
Where?For Gods Grace: Is there a reason you quoted me and wrote nothing?
Notice.Could you please tell me which of the following sentences or words I misunderstand?
2 Peter 2:20-21
. 20For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
Well there are 6 crowns ands the robe of righteousness.
And no we are not kept saved by works. NO where in the bible does it say anything remotely saying that!
Philippians 1:6
King James Version
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 10:14
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Colossians 3:3
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
2 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.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
That's not what the NT teaches:Sorry works do not keep us saved- Teh blood of Jesus that saved us, keeps us saved.
You recite a story that has no Biblical basis to it at all.
They were to work OUT their salvation to the finish by their continued obedience to God's will.
(1) believing is a work, not a work of merit, but an obedient work that sinners must CONDITIONALLY do in order to be saved and become a Christian. Believing is also something a Christian must continue to do in order to remain saved. This is why the verb "believe" is present tense in many many places showing that believing is not just something done for an instant then done but is something that must conditionally be ongoing, sustained for life.But yet you forget what the work we as NT believers are required to obey!
John 6:28-29
King James Version
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
From John 3:
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Romans 10:9-15
King James Version
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Good works acceptable to God come from being made a new creature in Christ! They do not save (Eph2:8-10) , they do not maintain or keep us saved. They are a result of being given ETERNAL Life (not temporary eternal life) and are proof we are saved! They are a natural by product of one being saved.
Jesus does save but He only saves those who obey Him, Heb 5:9.....Jesus said why call ye Me Lord Lord and DO NOT the things which I say, Lk 6:46. Keeping the OT law cannot save, works of merit cannot save but obedience to Christ is what saves.Jesus on The Cross, is always a Biblical Basis.
So, i showed you The Lord, so that you could understand that He didnt teach Theology from The Cross.
The Law can't save you, the commandments can't save you, and your self righteousness that is your self effort can't save you.
Why?
Because : Only JESUS Saves.
Your argument is false for no one has argued that salvation can be earned.Salvation is redemption from all your sin, becaus you the sinner, need to be saved, which is to be forgiven.
You can't do that, you can earn that, ... and you can't work for it.
--Phil 2 Paul told them to work out your salvation.No verse in a bible says that Christians are to work out their salvation by continued obedience.
Salvation is a GIFT.. and you dont work for a GIFT.
You're making up verses, or you are cutting and pasting some Heretics Teaching, is more then likely the problem you have.
Salvation, is JESUS.
A.) Jesus is Salvation.
You don't "work that out", you only receive HIM by Faith.
Jesus does save but He only saves those who obey Him,
Christ is the Author of salvation unto all them that OBEY HIM, Heb 5:9. Faith onlyism cannot change the plain teaching of the Bible.Listen..
No one who is SAVED, was "Obeying Jesus", before He saved them...
So, to teach that "obeying Jesus", is required to stay saved, when you were not obeying Jesus your entire life as a sinner, and He saved you in that state........in the first place..
"while we were YET SINNERS".....We are saved by God, through Christ..
Do you understand?
"Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS"........not those who OBEY, by trying to be good and keep commandments and any other type of self righteousness self effort.
I dont think you can understand.... and ive explained why....., but that's ok, as others will read what im showing you, and they will see it, and that will protect their faith, from people like you who do not understand Salvation, IS a "GIFT" from God...@BarneyFife
Christ is the Author of salvation unto all them that OBEY HIM,
Everyone who lives in disobedient rebellion to God is lost and remains lost unless/until they have an obedient faith in God then they can be saved. I was lost until I obeyed the gospel of Christ (2 Thess 1:8). Those who "obey not" the Son shall not see life (Jn 3:36), those in flaming fire will be the ones who 'obeyed not" the gospel of Christ. Therefore the most basic of simple logic and understanding shows those that live in disobedience are lost, will not see life, be in flaming fire therefore the obedient are the ones saved, the ones who shall see life, the ones not in flaming fire.Before you trusted in Christ, you spent how many years, not obeying God, while enjoying your hourly sinning.?????
20, 30, 40 yrs? of sinning, never obeying God at all.
You forgot?
And you came to Jesus, JUST LIKE THAT,.. a dirty rotten sin loving hedonist, .... and now that God accepted you like that,= ONLY based on Jesus's Sacrifice on The Cross for you........ you now want to blow yourself up with stinking pride and take full credit for keeping yourself saved, when you could not save yourself to begin with... @Ernest T. Bass .
See yourself yet?
God does.
Everyone who lives in disobedient rebellion to God is lost and remains lost
Notice.
this says they escaped by Knowledge of Him. Not by being saved of him, Having knowledge and recieving that knowledge in faith is not the same thing
Peter advises, again, that our behavior is all-important:I agree with this passage, if I had knowledge of how to be saved (Paul told Timothy he had this knowledge as a child because the cross ever happened I would assume) yet in the end, did not ACT on that knowledge in faith and receive the fruit of it.,
Then it will be worse for me, because I will have an eternity knowing I had the truth in my hands, and rejected it.
We do not lose salvation because we stray, The prodigal son strayed, but he never stopped being the son.. What he lost was the ability to recieve his father love and reward,Fair enough EG.
Except that the whole NT does not agree....
Look at this:
1 Peter 2:25
25For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Peter was teaching all in Asia Minor:
1. It is possible to STRAY.
2. We can RETURN to the shepherd and GUARDIAN OF OUR SOULS.
IF we stray, we must RETURN.
If we RETURN to something, it means we left it and then returned to it.
Yes, He also told you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling as we are lights in the world. what happens when we do things that people see? Our testimony is destroyed, our work is destroyed, our fruit (that we made) is destroyed,Peter advises, again, that our behavior is all-important:
1 Peter 2:11-12a
11Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
12Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles,
We're told to keep our behavior excellent.
Jesus also spoke to our behavior.
lol. Yes, Sanctification causes our cooperation. But if your not justified, you will never be justified, You must be born again, New birth is eternal. And it is not conditionalOUR behavior, which WE must control or it would not be necessary to make
all these exhortations.
Exhortations are not necessary when it's GOD doing all the work.
God will help us, as the NT teaches that the Holy Spirit will indeed help us....
thus He is known as The Helper.
When kept in context and with the rest of the NT counsel concerning salvation, this is not about salvation, but a person who having heard and understood the gospel, and rejected it, they are worse off than before.Could you please tell me which of the following sentences or words I misunderstand?
2 Peter 2:20-21
. 20For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
Yes a believer can have his love gorw cold. But once one is a child of God they are either an obedient or disobedient child, Just like our children, no matter what they do, they are our children.As is plain to see:
1. It is possible to abandon the love we had at first.
2. Our thoughts can be led astray from devotion to Christ.
3. Paul tells his BROTHERS that they can fall away from the living God.
Please explain your understanding of the above instead of playing verse ping pong.
Do you realize that the NT is a complete thought and it DOES NOT contradict itself.
It's calvinist theology that causes conflicts to arise in the NT.
Sorry you tire. But as John said they left because they were not of us. Not that they were once us and now aren't.I tire of replying to this.
Please study up on the WHY John said the above.
A person cannot FALL AWAY from nothing....
If he falls away it's from SOMETHING....
and, as above verses plainly state, that something is FAITH.
We can fall away from the faith.
If you believed that then you would accept eternal security, for as Jesus said " I give them eternal life and they shall never perish" and also " I will never leave thee nor forsake thee"Do you realize that the NT is a complete thought and it DOES NOT contradict itself.
Well if you read the NT you would know of the varied crowns believers can earn for faithful service and belief.Where are these crowns?
Did Jesus come to earth to teach us how to get crowns or how to get saved?
Can you show me this verse that adds "for as long as we remain in christ"?As to your other verses, yes, we will be sanctified and the work God began will be completed...
for as long as we remain in Christ.
To a measure.Amen to that!
God indeed does work in us....
IF we allow Him to.
Do you believe in free will?
Absolutely true! but you do not realize that the believer goes through the bema seat judgment while the unbeliever goes through the great white throne judgment.Paul taught:
Romans 2:5-8
5But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
7to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
God will render to each person according to his DEEDS.