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NASB | Romans 11:22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 11:22 Then appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: to those who fell [into spiritual ruin], severity, but to you, God's gracious kindness--if you continue in His kindness [by faith and obedience to Him]; otherwise you too will be cut off. |
Subject: cut off |
Bible Note: Brother Robert I'm not sure that I generally disagree with your theology, but I want to make you think about your argument for it. You said, "I do not believe that the scripture supports salvation which is dependent upon works" No debate here based on Ephesians 2:8-9. Then you said, "The Lord Jesus made many positive statements which assures us that upon receiving or trusting him "we have eternal life". Isn't that theology dependent on works... ie, WE have to "receive and trust" Him in order to be saved? Isn't that something WE do? Ephesians 2:-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith... and this is not of ourselves... thus, even our faith is a gift from God. Romans 3:11 says that no one seeks for God. If these things are so, then we have eternal life purely as a gift from God, not of our own works. More to the original point, in Matthew 13 (the parable of the sower) tells us 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. So Jesus is saying that it is possible to hear God's word and RECEIVE it, and yet fall away. Now I realize that we could debate whether the man was really saved. I would postulate that your John 3:16 defense is based on the notion that if I trust God at some point, I will always trust God. This may be true, but I don't think John 3:16 says this. Matthew 13:20-21 seems to refute this. And just to muddy the water a little more: 2 Thessalonians 2 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God CHOSE you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. John 10:27-30 says that the sheep cannot be snatched from the shepherd's hand, and that the sheep are given to the shepherd by his father. Matthew 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen." Mark 13 19 "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 "Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the ELECT, whom He CHOSE, He shortened the days. John 15 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I CHOSE you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Ephesians 1 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For He CHOSE us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love 5 He PREDESTINED us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will-- I don't bring these verses up to be obnoxious. I truly struggle with the notion of God choosing us, yet Scripture is full of this concept. God chooses to save whom he will, as in Abraham, Noah, the OT Jews, up through the disciples, Paul and you and me apparently. This is relevant to the original point because, if God chooses us, can we unchoose God? A lot to ponder. In Him Curt |