Results 1 - 12 of 12
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | John Reformed | 60281 | ||
How can anyone be saved? | ||||||
2 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | Mommapbs | 60548 | ||
Greetings John Reformed! You have asked a simple but provocative question. It is one that requires some real contemplation and is quite beneficial. Thank you! Thought I'd add my two cents here. I'd like to suggest a challenging book by Gordon T. Smith entitled, "Beginning Well: Authentic Christian Conversion and Transformation." Smith states that, "Conversion is the human response to the saving work of God through Christ. . .Justification refers to the initial or foundational work of God . . . Sanctification spekas of our transformation. . . that comes purely by God's gracious work in our lives. We do not bring it about, it comes as we trut, by fatih, in what God and only God can do." The author makes other interesting observations when he asserts, "Something is profoundly flawed when justification does not lead to scantification, for this is the very purpose for which we were justified. . . Without justification as the foundation, scantification becomes nothing more than human effort and easily descends to legalism or works righteousness." To me, the important thing to keep in mind here is that salvation and transformation are God's work, not mine. God alone saves. Who can be saved? Anyone who chooses to respond to His offer of Grace. (Bear in mind that conversion and salvation are NOT the same!) Psalm 48:14 says that God will be our guide until death. He is before us, guiding us toward our heavenly home. I see it this way, ALL who choose (these are the converted) His (Salvation, God's offer of Grace) Way, to follow Him,(God transforms) will be welcomed into eternity (these are the saved). But, conversely, even though the Lord is always there, willing to guide us on the path everlasting, God's Word also cautions us, that there is a way that seems right to a man but the end thereof leads to death (Prov 16:25). Truly, this is most often a straight road paved with "good intentions!" I have no authority to decide who is saved and who is not. Nor do I have the ability to discern the work of God in the heart of another if I allow the picture that I have created to describe a "Christian" to be the counterweight of my judgment. It seems reasonable to me to be gracious (and patient!), as God is gracious(and patient!)with me, as I extend the love of God toward others in my relationship with them. In order to see the work of God in the life of another, I must be willing to let HIM reveal it to me, in His way and in His time. As seeds beging to grow, they all tend to look the same. If I discard the shoot before it matures based upon how I think a plant is supposed to look, I may deprive myself of a bountiful havest. By pretermining what a Christian is supposed to look like, instead of looking for God's description, I may hinder another's growth in their relationship with the Lord. May we all here at the Forum be willing to extend grace to one another as we endeavor to study God's Word and come to known Him personally. Blessings, Mommapbs |
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3 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | John Reformed | 60557 | ||
Good Morning Mommapbs, I must get to work but perhaps I can offer a brief response for now. "Smith states that, "Conversion is the human response to the saving work of God through Christ. . .Justification refers to the initial or foundational work of God . . ." I would like to hear his definition in more detail. If Smith means it is the human reponse to God's saving graces of repentance and faith, I would agree. My initial question is meant to prompt us to consider the step that pre-ceeds conversion which in my opinion is regeneration. Are we, as natural men, able to have spiritual understanding that leads to salvation, prior to spirtual rebirth? I say no, for we are spiritual corpses at that point. Sorry I gotta go, John |
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4 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | Mommapbs | 60569 | ||
Greetings again John. You wrote, "My initial question is meant to prompt us to consider the step that pre-ceeds conversion which in my opinion is regeneration." Does your definition of regeneration differ from mine? Psalm 49:20 What sets apart men from the beasts of the earth? Understanding. ("The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."Proverbs 9:10) Where do we get this knowledge? God gives us this knowledge.("He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecc 9:11 AMP) God's Word reminds us that none of us (on our own)would seek God(Rom 3:11). Yet, in His awesome love, He pursues our hearts by enabling us to know Him. HE gives us not only an awareness eternity, but also an awareness of Himself. ("because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." Romans 1:19) So although we are spiritually dead in our sinfulness, we do posess a GOD-GIVEN understanding of Him. Recall the interchange between Jesus and Peter in Matt 16:13-17. Peter confessed Christ as the Son of God as he enabled by God. Could have Peter responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit another way? I suggest that the answer is yes. Peter could have denied the Truth, even though God placed it in his heart. Did this knowledge regenerate Peter? (Later he denied Christ) As God reveals Himself, each one MUST choose to respond. No one can claim ignorance (Romans 1:20) Does God not require a CHOICE (response) from us? If we are made righteous, or justified or regenerated BEFORE we are converted, WHERE is man's freedom of choice? God's DESIRE is, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 God allows us to choose; He doesn't force His desire upon us, but rather holds salvation out to us as a free gift. I believe we are indeed the master of our own destiny. God doesn't send anyone to Hell, we CHOOSE to go there. Also, since God is described as "patient," what is He waiting for if we are regenerated BEFORE we respond to His offer of Grace? We are powerless - yet He is all powerful. (Roamsn 5:8) We see through a glass dimly, yet He knows all things. I'll trust Him with the order of of my regeneration and transformation. Thanks! This has been a good spiritual adventure for me. Blessings in Him! Mommapbs PS: check out Smith's book - I'd be interested in your response. |
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5 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | John Reformed | 60573 | ||
If we are made righteous, or justified or regenerated BEFORE we are converted, WHERE is man's freedom of choice? Dear mommapbs, Freedom of choice or free will is in the eye of the beholder. I don't mean to be cryptic by answering in this way but different people have varying definitions of what precisely is meant by "free will" or, if you prefer, "freedom of choice". The way I understand free will is that, first of all, it is a faculty of the mind or heart. We have a choice presented to us and we consider our preferences and the choice we make is based on our strongest preference. For instance: should I have cake or fruit as a snack today? My desire, based on what I think would taste best (at least in my case), would be for the cake. But on the other hand, I am also cognizant of my desire to lose weight, afterall I have my health and appearence to keep in mind as well. So I go back and forth with myself weighing one against the other. In the end I will eat that which my heart really desires. If I desire immediate satisfaction over longterm health benefits, the cake would be my choice. So, free will is the servant of my heart's strongest desire, is it not? Please restrict your answer to answering the question. If we are not agreed on the definition, we will simply wind up arguing past each other. Thank You Sister, John |
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6 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | Mommapbs | 60626 | ||
Greetings again! As per your request, you have asked,"How can anyone be saved?" God said, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3;16) I guess we will all have to wait to see who "whoever" is! (I suspect that God has a surprise in store for some.) Maranantha! Mommapbs PS: From your reply. "free will is the servant of my heart's strongest desire, is it not?" Is God bound as a servant to His heart's strongest desire? If God is just AND merciful, what is His desire? Being perfectly just and perfectly merciful come together in Christ. Yet in the end, we have a choice to make: God's justice (rejection of Jesus) or God's mercy (acceptance of Jesus). Or, are you saying that OUR choice has already been made by God's choice (justice/mercy)? What does salvation look like if this is so? I too would wonder, "How can anyone be saved?"!! |
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7 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | John Reformed | 60649 | ||
Dear Mommapbs, Dear Lady, you have sidestepped my question by answering it with a question. I will answer yours but please respond to mine as well. You asked: Is God bound as a servant to His heart's strongest desire? In a certain sense, yes He is. God cannot act contrary to His own nature and neither can we. For instance: Can God lie? Of couse not, for if He could He would not be the God we trust. Can God sin in any way, shape or form? NO Never! It is not His nature. He is Holy. My question was...free will is the servant of my heart's strongest desire, is it not? Thanks, John |
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8 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | Mommapbs | 60695 | ||
Forgive me John, I didn't know WHICH question you were referring to. I thought it was the original post. Is free will the servant of my heart's strongest desire? If my desire is to please God, and God has given me this desire, shouldn't THAT be the strongest desire of my heart? Indeed, greater is He who is in me . . . then how come I still sin? Wretched (wo)man that I am! (Thanks be to God for rescuing me from myself! I praise Him continually for His forgiveness and mercy to me!) I have to ruminate of this one for a while John. Blessings, Mommapbs |
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9 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | John Reformed | 60699 | ||
It's me again, As long as your going to be ruminating anyway... It is obvious that your desire is to be holy, but (like Paul-Rom 7) you still groan because of sin. But is'nt it different now than before you were saved? Now you hate your sin. Just because the desire of our heart is to be obedient does not mean we are able to be sinless. 1 John 1:10 "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." He will grant us the desire of our hearts when we appear before Christ. Unspeakable Joy and Oh what a glory that will be!!! John |
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10 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | Mommapbs | 60784 | ||
It's me again! Psalm 50:23 . . .and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God. WHO does the "ordering?" To me, I see the will of God as permissive. He allows us to make our choice, but in His omniscience, He knows WHO Chooses HIM. Because my mind is human and limited by time as well as by what the Lord has chosen to conceal, I cannot fathom the mysteries of God. Many things I must just take "by faith." John, did Jesus emphasize the doctrine of election? Jesus stressed the need for workers to go into the field "white unto harvest." What is the worker's responsibility, WHO does the harvesting? What about the "gleanings?" The matter or election may cause one to question the purpose of evangelism. Why would Jesus tell us to go into the world an preach the Gospel, if people didn't have a choice to respond to it? Or perhaps, the mission is directed at only those who WILL respond? But since WE don't know WHO they are, we have to tell everyone? As you can see, I'll just make myself nuts as I contemplate these things! Back to one of your posts, how does regeneration precede conversion? You've really lost me here! Blessings, Mommapbs |
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11 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | John Reformed | 60793 | ||
Dear Mommapbs Ps 50:23 "He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God Before I could understand the doctrine of election, I first needed to understand the devastating consequences of original sin. The reason why I raised my question in the first place, was to prompt our thinking concerning the condition of the natural man. An open minded study of 1 Cor 2 will teach us that the natural man does not, and indeed cannot recieve the things of God. Why? Because of the curse laid upon Adam, which causes every last one of us to be born dead in trespasses and sin. John 8:43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word..." Notice that Jesus is telling the pharisees that they CANNOT. Why is it they cannot? They are not of God. John 8:47 "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." That is why I conclude that it takes an act of regeneration (God's taking away of the stony heart and replacing it with a heart of flesh) before we are able to recieve the things of God. We must be born again! Conversion is is accomplished when God bestows upon us the saving graces of repentance and faith. Now, for the first time in our lives, we see, hear and believe. Praise God for our salvation! As far as election having a negative effect in evangelism....I say phooey!!! Who broke from the bondage of popish legalism and works salvation? Who evangelized Europe and brought us the first "Great Awakening" in America? The same people who loved and preached the doctrine of election! I am set free now to tell the gospel to all who will listen. I ignore their questions of who came first, the chicken or the egg, and stick with the gospel itself. I do not know who will recieve or not, but that is neither here or there. My commission is to proclaim it. If they wish I answer their questions as God gives me the grace to and leave the saving part up to Him. I, of course pray for them and pray that I will be faithfull in carrying His Word to others. God enmploys prayers and preaching as the means by which He saves. George Whitfield said it best: "Hath not God, who hath appointed salvation for a certain number, appointed also the preaching of the Word as a means to bring them to it? Does anyone hold election in any other sense? And if so, how is preaching needless to them that are elected, when the gospel is designated by God himself to be the power of God unto their eternal salvation? And since we know not who are elect and who reprobate, we are to preach promiscuously to all. For the Word may be useful, even to the non-elect, in restraining them from much wickedness and sin. However, it is enough to excite to the utmost diligence in preaching and hearing, when we consider that by these means, some, even as many as the Lord hath ordained to eternal life, shall certainly be quickened and enabled to believe. And who that attends, especially with reverence and care, can tell but he may be found of that happy number? John |
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12 | How can anyone be saved? | 1 Cor 2:14 | srbaegon | 60799 | ||
Hello John That's a great quote by Whitefield. Where did you find it? Send a note to srbricker@hotmail.com. Steve |
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