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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Grace, Graciously Offered | John 11:43 | DocTrinsograce | 173719 | ||
Dear Brother Mark, I apologize if I misunderstood. I thought you stated clearly that Salvation has contingencies upon human action. You have described receiving, confession, and repentance in prior posts as prerequisites to God's salvific work. You have described these as human actions, which I understand to mean in the language of Scripture "works." You have stated that these deeds must be performed before hand as a means of obtaining regeneration. Your choice of words (contingent, action, preceding) were quite specific. It seemed clear that in your doctrine a lost man (who is dead in sin) must choose and perform specific, non-optional works in order to insure his own destruction, and thereby obtain the birth of another: the new creature. This teaching is not new. Spurgeon's statement was quite a propos. Even farther back in time (529 AD), the best pastors and teachers from every one of the churches gathered to address this topic. They published a set of statements to make sure that their understanding of Scripture was clear. They wrote, for example, "If anyone says that not only the increase of faith but also its beginning and the very desire for faith, by which we believe in Him who justifies the ungodly and comes to the regeneration of holy baptism -- if anyone says that this belongs to us by nature and not by a gift of grace, that is, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit amending our will and turning it from unbelief to faith and from godlessness to godliness, it is proof that he is opposed to the teaching of the Apostles, for blessed Paul says, 'And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ' (Phil. 1:6). And again, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God' (Eph. 2:8). For those who state that the faith by which we believe in God is natural make all who are separated from the Church of Christ by definition in some measure believers." (Canon 5 of the Council of Orange) Thank you for your comments, questions, etc. to my posts. In Him, Doc |
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2 | Grace, Graciously Offered | John 11:43 | Ocelot | 173720 | ||
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