Not By Works
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Every believer has one gift or another.
The works of service you will do revolve around the spiritual enablement you have received.
If you have the gift of healing, you will lay your hands on the sick and they will be healed. If your gift is teaching, you will teach people about the truths of the kingdom. If your gift is faith, you will pray with power. And so on...
The works of service you will do revolve around the spiritual enablement you have received.
If you have the gift of healing, you will lay your hands on the sick and they will be healed. If your gift is teaching, you will teach people about the truths of the kingdom. If your gift is faith, you will pray with power. And so on...
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Any one who thinks Confessing is a work of the human flesh, does not understand Rom. 10:9. Confessing, and Really Meaning It, "Jesus is LORD" (meaning MASTER), is not a work of US. It clearly is What the HOLY SPIRIT does in our HEARTS (Human Spirit)
1 Corinthians 12:3 (HCSB)
3 Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and
no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
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No unregenerate person has faith as it is a fruit of the Spirit, per Galatians 5:22. The unregenerate (a person devoid of God’s Spirit) cannot possess a fruit of the Spirit. If one has faith, they are regenerate. 
The faith that all men can have is faith in something other than God; like faith that the sun will come up in the morning, the plane he is on won’t crash, etc.
But if he exercises that same kind of limited worldly faith in the gospel, then the faith given by the Spirit gets shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost; he then receives that faith that comes from the fruit of the Spirit.
That how I see it.
That's actually what Paul is referring to when he speaks of being 'predestined'. People who believe in God are predestined to be confomed to the image of Christ according to the fruit of the Spirit.
We aren't purposely predestined to be chosen. Rather, the chosen (that is, those who believe) are predestined to be conformed to the holiness of Christ:
"4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he b predestined us for adoption to sonship c through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will " - Ephesians 1:4-5
"29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined (to be conformed to the image of his Son), he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. " - Romans 8:29-30
The plan all along has been for people to be chosen on the basis of their faith in God, and then for those people chosen according to their faith to be made holy and blameless, being conformed to the image of his Son. That is the will of God for those God has chosen.
"3 ...it is God’s will that you should be holy" - 1 Thessalonians 4:3
"...Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." - Titus 2:13-14
That's the whole plan.
God chooses people for the kingdom based on their faith in God, not the merit of their works.
And God has predetermined that those people chosen on the basis of their faith will be conformed to the image of Jesus in holiness.
That is the will of God for his chosen people. That's the plan.
We aren't purposely predestined to be chosen. Rather, the chosen (that is, those who believe) are predestined to be conformed to the holiness of Christ:
"4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he b predestined us for adoption to sonship c through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will " - Ephesians 1:4-5
"29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined (to be conformed to the image of his Son), he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. " - Romans 8:29-30
The plan all along has been for people to be chosen on the basis of their faith in God, and then for those people chosen according to their faith to be made holy and blameless, being conformed to the image of his Son. That is the will of God for those God has chosen.
"3 ...it is God’s will that you should be holy" - 1 Thessalonians 4:3
"...Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." - Titus 2:13-14
That's the whole plan.
God chooses people for the kingdom based on their faith in God, not the merit of their works.
And God has predetermined that those people chosen on the basis of their faith will be conformed to the image of Jesus in holiness.
That is the will of God for his chosen people. That's the plan.
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The elect are the chosen ones of God, yes. However, they were not chosen on the basis of their faith. That’s the foreseen faith doctrine that doesn‘t have any foundation in the scriptures. Look at this passage...
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 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 8:28-30]
Notice it says He justified. We are justified by what? Faith. It says He justified by faith those He foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and also glorified. This is not based upon their faith, but according to His purpose. Just as it also says in Ephesians 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 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 8:28-30]
Notice it says He justified. We are justified by what? Faith. It says He justified by faith those He foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and also glorified. This is not based upon their faith, but according to His purpose. Just as it also says in Ephesians 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.
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I connect predestination with foreknowledge. Romans 8:29 - For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called, whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
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Whoops!
Corrected my previous post in bolded italics below.
I would say that the faith that an unbeliever is not capable of having is faith that God will protect them.
The faith that all men can have is faith in something other than God; like faith that the sun will come up in the morning, the plane he is on won’t crash, etc.
But if he exercises that same kind of limited worldly faith in the gospel, then the faith given by the Spirit gets shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost; he then receives that faith that comes from the fruit of the Spirit.
That how I see it.
Corrected my previous post in bolded italics below.
I would say that the faith that an unbeliever is not capable of having is faith that God will protect them.
The faith that all men can have is faith in something other than God; like faith that the sun will come up in the morning, the plane he is on won’t crash, etc.
But if he exercises that same kind of limited worldly faith in the gospel, then the faith given by the Spirit gets shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost; he then receives that faith that comes from the fruit of the Spirit.
That how I see it.
