Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Who constitutes the church? | Eph 4:3 | Val | 206053 | ||
I am a Southern Baptist. My mother and I attended Missionary Baptist since birth, although the description I have read in some places really does not fit the description of our church. We have always been in the SBC. After mother passed away, after years being out of church I returned to Southern Baptist church. That church split, started a new church (not me) but with them and it grew to about 450 members. Got tired of the fights over the music and use of hymnals or music on screens. Went to a church close to my home, band and all. Got to where the music was hurting my ears so we find ourselves at a closeby Nazarene church. I read their statement of faith but hard for me to figure out if I could stay there. Just trying it out. When your born and breed Southern Baptist its hard to go somewhere else. What is synergistic soteriology? Personal perfectionism - I try to obey Christ, is that sufficient? As I said all the churches in my area are in upheaval - I am sure you read about the Jerry Sutton saga. Its hard to find a good fit. We are comfortable at the Nazarene church but are not involved, wanted to find out if we will stay first. I would appreciate your prayers. Blessings Val | ||||||
2 | Who constitutes the church? | Eph 4:3 | Morant61 | 206071 | ||
Part II.................. ******************************************* Yet, what is Entire Sanctification? Scripture speaks of it as something accomplished in the past, as something which is an ongoing process in a believer’s life, and as something yet future. The best way to look at Entire Sanctification is to see it as a multi-faceted spiritual experience which is: 1. Accomplished at the Cross! 2. Applied at Consecration! Entire Sanctification is Accomplished at the Cross In one sense, sanctification is an accomplished fact for every believer. Consider the following verses: 1) 1 Cor. 1:2 - "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:" 2) 1 Cor. 6:11 - "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 3) Heb. 10:10 - "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." These verses indicate that all believers are sanctified through faith in Christ and the atoning work of Christ on the cross. At the cross, the power of sin is broken in our lives - as Rom. 6 illustrates - and we are made into new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). The death of Christ on the cross is the Divine act which makes this transformation possible. At the cross, Christ has accomplished through His death what the law could not accomplish in our lives - the taking away of sins. (Rom. 8:3 and Heb. 10:4) Year after year, animal sacrifices were made for the people, but those sacrifices could not take away sins. They were only an annual reminder of sin. But the cross has utterly broken the power of sin. It is at the cross that our sanctification is made possible. Entire Sanctification is Applied at Consecration There is a sense in which sanctification becomes a part of our Christian life at the moment of new birth. It is at that moment that we become new creations. It is at that moment that our old man dies. That is why those in the church at Corinth are called "…those sanctified in Christ Jesus…." (1 Cor. 1:2) But, it is more of a positional sanctification. We have been declared righteous, even though we may not actually be living righteously. This explains the many passages in Scripture where sanctification is referred to as something which has not yet been experienced by Christians. It also explains why so many Christians are not living holy lives. Sanctification has been accomplished at the cross, but it must be applied at consecration. Entire sanctification becomes a reality in a believer’s life when he finally comes to grips with the reality of the demand to be holy and the reality of the new creation he has become. When that happens, a believer consecrates himself to Christ fully (Rom. 12:1) and the Holy Spirit purifies his heart from sin (Acts 15:9). Scripture indicates that sanctification is accomplished in several ways in a believer’s life. 1) It is accomplished by faith (Acts 26:18 and 2 Thess. 2:13). 2) It is accomplished by His sacrifice and blood (Heb. 10:10, Heb. 10:14, Heb. 10:29, and Heb. 13:12). 3) It is accomplished through the Word of God (John 17:17 and Eph. 5:26), and 4) It is accomplished by the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:16, 1 Cor. 6:11, 2 Thess. 2:13, and 1 Pet. 1:2). Through these means and through consecration to Christ, a believer can be entirely sanctified. This is the promise of Rom. 6:22 - "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." This is the message of Rom. 6 and this is the meaning of the doctrine of entire sanctification - that believers can and should be holy. As Paul said, "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…" (2 Thess. 4:3). And, as Paul prayed: "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5:23 This has been made possible through the death of Christ and will become a reality in our lives if we will consecrate ourselves to become slaves of righteousness (Rom. 6:19). *********************************************** This is definitely a work in progress, but I thought I would share with all of you so that I could benefit from your insights! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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3 | Who constitutes the church? | Eph 4:3 | Val | 206079 | ||
Thank you Brother Tim, I will definately read it and try to understand it. Did you see my questions on the illustrations of the three people I was asking about in a previous post? I was waiting to hear what you said about those examples? Its been a couple days ago. If you have time I would like to hear what you have to say. Real life experiences is sometimes clearer to me when applying scripture. Thanks, Val | ||||||
4 | Who constitutes the church? | Eph 4:3 | Morant61 | 206081 | ||
Greetings Val! I am sorry for the delay. I have been very busy this last week. My short answer is that an act of sin does not constitute rejecting Christ. This is why I dislike the phrase 'losing one's salvation'. :) One can lose a wallet, without realizing it. However, one cannot 'lose' one's salvation. Scripture does speak though of those who have fallen away (Heb. 6:4-6). But, the description there seems to be of those who have willfully rejected Christ. As for your examples, only God knows their status. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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5 | Who constitutes the church? | Eph 4:3 | Val | 206083 | ||
Thank you for the response. That clears that up. Blessings, Val | ||||||