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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | need for a bible-anyone | Bible general Archive 1 | Aspiring Overseer | 50550 | ||
A few more thoughts on salvation: Heb 2:1 2:1For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. NAS We frequently hear that salvation is a free gift and there is nothing a person can do once he is saved to lose that salvation. That once a person accepts this gift he is saved from hell; will receive the Holy Spirit and will be sealed for eternity. This sealing in the religious world’s mind is something akin to freeze-drying food; once it is complete, that food will last forever! However, we know, Satan has deluded people to believe various ideas which are really subtle twistings of the truth. First, that no one can fully understand the Bible while they live, because it is too complicated and because mankind will only know all of God’s plan after they have died. Thus all we have today are people’s opinions. Secondly, even though we have hundreds of different religions, they all believe in a God and that God is most likely, God Most High, just named by different, inconsequential names. Thus it really doesn’t matter what religion you are, as long as, you are a "good" person. Thirdly, no work, or even more mildly, any effort is needed to obtain or maintain a person’s salvation once they have believed that Jesus died for their sins. "It is a free gift!" Fourth, the Bible is written for all mankind, Christian and non-Christian, alike. What does God say about this? First of all, what is salvation? SALVATION 1. soteria NT:4991 denotes "deliverance, preservation, salvation." "Salvation" is used in the NT (a) of material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension, and (b) of the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who accept (obey) His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom alone it is to be obtained, (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers) How do we obtain salvation? 5 STEPS OF CONVERSION 1. LISTEN Romans 10:17,18- Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (to the word of God) Revelations 3:20- Jesus is standing at the door and knocking- we who hear His voice and open the door are welcomed by Him. 1 John 4:6- Those who know God, listen to those from God; those who do not know God, do not listen. 2. BELIEVE John 3:16- Whoever believes SHOULD not perish. (That Jesus is the Son of God) John 3:36- He who believes in the Son has eternal life, he who does not OBEY shall not see life. Hebrews 11:6- Those who come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 3. REPENT Acts 17:30,31- God is declaring that men everywhere should repent… Acts 26:20- Performing deeds (works) appropriate to repentance. Romans 12:2- Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Revelations 3:19- Jesus disciplines, therefore be zealous and repent. 4. CONFESS Matthew 10:32-He who confesses Jesus will be confessed by Jesus to God. (with mouth) Romans 10:8-10- If you confess Jesus as Lord you shall be saved. 1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins He forgives. 5. BAPTISE John 3:5- Unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter God’s kingdom. (immersion) Romans 6:3,4- Baptism is symbolic of death and renewal in spiritual life. 1 Peter 3:21- Baptism now saves you / and appeal to God for a good conscience. Revelations 2:10- Be faithful until death. 6. We must not continue in Sin (Ro 6:2), but remain faithful until death (Rev 2:10) If we do not remain Faithful until death we will not be given the crown of life. See all of Rev 2:10 and furthermore: James 1:12 12Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. NAS LOVE (NOUN AND VERB) "Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments, John 14:15,21,23; 15:10; 1 John 2:5; 5:3; 2 John 6. Self-will, that is, self-pleasing, is the negation of love to God. "Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, Rom 15:2, and works no ill to any, 13:8,9,10; love seeks opportunity to do good to "all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith," Gal 6:10. See further 1 Cor 13 and Col 3:12-14." (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers) We already know that the love spoken of in JA 1:12 is agape, not philio; thus we are reminded again that obedience is key. |
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2 | need for a bible-anyone | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 50574 | ||
"We frequently hear that salvation is a free gift and there is nothing a person can do once he is saved to lose that salvation." I frequently read it, too, in the pages of Scripture. "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." --Romans 6:23 "But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." --Romans 5:15-17 "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." --Colossians 1:12-14 [Did we qualify ourselves? No. We were also rescued (His work) from darkness and transferred to Christ's Kingdom (we are already there; done deal)] "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." --Romans 8:29-30 [I don't see "our part" listed here. God initiates and completes EVERYTHING in salvation] You wrote: "That once a person accepts this gift he is saved from hell; will receive the Holy Spirit and will be sealed for eternity. This sealing in the religious world’s mind is something akin to freeze-drying food; once it is complete, that food will last forever!" Cute analogy again. How do the "Churches of Christ" interpret: "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." --Ephesians 1:13-14 We are adopted as SONS. We are sons of God as a result of His regenerating work. We are given the Holy Spirit as a pledge (God's promise) of our inheritance, when we believed. We are God's own possession (cf. 1 Peter 2:9-10). What else does the Bible say about our sonship? 'Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.' --Galatians 4:6-7 Again, we are heirs with Christ. From the "Satan's delusions" paragraph, the only one withw hich I disagree is this one: 'Thirdly, no work, or even more mildly, any effort is needed to obtain or maintain a person’s salvation once they have believed that Jesus died for their sins. "It is a free gift!"' We have already seen how it is a free gift, as Scripture tells us. In previous posts I have also shown that good works are the fruit of true repentance (i.e. true, saving faith will ALWAYS result in God-honoring works), but that they could never form the basis of our salvation in any part. Paul writes: "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" --Romans 4:4-5 If our works even maintain our salvation, then in some part we DESERVE our salvation, a concept that is 180 degrees opposite to the view that Scripture gives us. And if we "earn the wages" of righteousness, then we have room for boasting, don't we? Again, that is the error of the Pharisees and the Judaizers. "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" --Galatians 3:3 You wrote: "If we do not remain Faithful until death we will not be given the crown of life. See all of Rev 2:10 and furthermore" Absolutely correct. However, who enables His children and keeps them faithful until death? As we saw in my previous post, it is God working in us to preserve us. It is God who works saving faith in the hearts of His children, and it is God who causes his children to remain faithful. Obedience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5), not a means of gaining it or maintaining it. --Joe! |
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