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NASB | Matthew 22:37 And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 22:37 And Jesus replied to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' [Deut 6:5] |
Subject: "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! |
Bible Note: You wrote: 'And then I would ask, "How does a person know they are saved?"' A person can KNOW that they are saved? I thought you didn't believe in the assurance of salvation! You wrote: 'It wasn't until after this was accomplished that they "received the gift of the Holy Spirit", or salvation.' Why do you conclude that the gift of the Holy Spirit being referred to here is "salvation"? And how can people repent and believe without the Holy Spirit? Paul writes: "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." So if those who are without the Spirit cannot please God at all, how can they repent? If their minds are set on the flesh and are hostile to God, why would they desire baptism? This is my main difficulty with Church of Christ theology. What you are implying here is that in order to have the Holy Spirit, you have do do things that only the Holy Spirit causes one to do. That's like saying to someone who has locked themselves out of their house to just go inside and get the key. Jesus addresses that as well: "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." --Matthew 7:16-20 How can a bad (non-Christian) tree produce fruits in keeping with repentance (like baptism)? God must make the tree good BEFORE it produces the fruit that honors Him. --Joe! |