Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Insufficient grace? | Luke 14:26 | seeking4truth | 101625 | ||
Good verses, Aixen. Can I probe a little bit? (I promise to be gentle.) When I was 12, I was presented the "Roman Road." I would suspect that most of the folks on this forum are familiar with this formula for evangelism. So as I began to understand that my sin and my being a sinner separated me from a holy God, I naturally asked questions. It went sort of like this: "My sin separated me from God because He is holy and pure?" YES, THAT'S RIGHT. "So how do I get myself clean so that I too am holy and pure like God." SON, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CLEAN YOURSELF FROM SIN. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT CAN CLEAN YOU FROM SIN - THE BLOOD OF JESUS. "But Pastor, don't I have to clean up my act before I can come to Jesus?" NO, SON, YOU CAN'T CLEAN YOURSELF. ALL OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AS FILTHY RAGS IN GOD'S SIGHT. ONLY JESUS BLOOD CAN CLEAN YOU. "Let me see if I understand: God is perfectly holy and righteous. I am a sinner and unclean. There is not ONE thing that I can do to make myself clean before God. All I can do is to trust Jesus?" THAT'S RIGHT, SON. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU - IT'S ABOUT JESUS. YOU TRUST JESUS AND HE WILL PURIFY YOU. YOUR SINS WILL BE WHITER THAN SNOW. (seeking4truth trusts in Jesus as Lord and Savior) "Wow, Pastor, Jesus has washed me whiter than snow?" THAT'S RIGHT. "Now what do I do?" NOW, SON, YOU NEED TO KEEP YOURSELF CLEAN BY NOT SINNING AND IF YOU SIN, YOU GET YOURSELF CLEANED UP THROUGH CONFESSION AND YOU NEED TO PURIFY YOURSELF AND YOU NEED TO LIVE HOLY AND YOU NEED TO SANCTIFY YOURSELF AND YOU NEED TO... If I could go back 30 years, I would say, "Wait a minute, Pastor, BEFORE I came to Jesus, it was all about HIM and what HE has done. Now that I have come to Jesus, why is it all about me and what *I* must do?" Funny, evangelicals tell folks that they can't possible make themselves pure enough to be acceptable to God or to enter His kingdom. "It is finished!" we say. But after "conversion", the focus dynamically shifts 180 degrees to our standing being completely dependent upon what WE do or don't do. To me, this effectively means that the grace (a gift of God) that is sufficient to initially save us is powerless to keep us clean and pure before God AFTER we become saved. It would seem that "sinners" are saved by grace but that "saints" are perfected (purified) by works. Something smells fishy and fleshly to me. Any thoughts? seeking4truth |
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2 | Insufficient grace? | Luke 14:26 | christian7 | 101635 | ||
Seeking4truth: You were told correctly. It is by Jesus that we have forgiveness of sins and access to the Father. I wonder if the pastor told you about repentance, and turning away from your sins. If he didn’t I am certain that you know it by now. When we turned from our past and began a new life we needed direction. The bible tells us therefore being justified by faith; we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace witch passes all understanding must come at some cost to us. When we sin after our conversion the peace immediately feels diminished. We understand that Jesus paid the price for our sin and that by trusting in Him we will eventually make it to heaven. But there is something new in us that make us want to do the things that are pleasing to Him. God sends us His Comforter, the Holy Spirit and it leads us in this new direction. The desire to do the things that we once thought were right (our understanding being darkened) no longer feel that way. Again it is not because we can do good enough to get into heaven but for the peace to remain that we felt when we got saved we start to look at what is pleasing to Him. If you are living a certain way because of any other reason than you desire to, it is my guess that it wouldn’t have lasted long at all. So now comes the question, how can I live in a way that is pleasing to my Lord? Enter 180 degrees and start to live by what we do or don’t do. Did I mention that we were bought with a price? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that makes us want to live different than we lived before and if we don’t have that desire living inside of us we need to check our salvation. Is He powerless to keep us clean and pure before God after we become saved? No He is not powerless at all, oh that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. God Bless |
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3 | Insufficient grace? | Luke 14:26 | justme | 101704 | ||
Christian7: Greetings Christian7, justme here. I am not sure if you got what I said, and Aixem7z4 was saying took place in his life. My understanding and experience has beem that discipleship is not considered as important as leading someone, anyone, to Christ. There are persons and churches who pride themselves on how many we Have "won for Jesus". I have seem so many abandoned after saying a canned sinners prayer, and then let go to fend for their spiritual life, only to be taken by satan, as seed is plucked from the soil by ravens. Where is the responsibility for discipleship, that is equally as important, and completes the salvation? I believe this is the uttermost failure of most evangelistic programs. Very rarely do I hear of a Christian growing to maturity in Christ without someone taking this new convert under their wing and nuturing this new creature in Christ. I would really like to hear any suggestions od thought you have on this matter. Blessings. justme |
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