Not By Works

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benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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I've noticed that among those who believe we can lose our salvation.... many of them (if not all) do not believe that there are tares among the wheat in the church congregations. When you quote the scriptures of those who "come out from among us but are not of us" they claim that these people are believers who have just "stopped believing" and now lose their salvation. And some of us have also noticed that they will claim those people on judgment day (who say "Lord, Lord") are also believers who lost their salvation, despite the fact it's evident that Jesus never knew them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I've noticed. Never acknowledging tares among the wheat, but always quick to say a believer can still be condemned and lose what was given to us as a gift. Why is it difficult to accept that those who are born of the Spirit are no longer enemies.

Romans 5:8-11: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation"
It is for the very parable that you quoted. The wheat and the tares parable is about good believers (the wheat) who are strangled and left dry and eventually fall to temptation (tares) and lose their gift. The parable of the sower is trying to tell you the same thing, that you can lose your gift if you fall amoung rocky soil and cannot put down roots strong enough to withstand the sun and you eventually whither and die and give up your gift.
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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Dcon keeps talking about saved by grace through faith. He keeps ignoring that faith without works is dead. Works therefore is a require result of faith!
No works no faith.
Jesus said we are known by our works. It is the good fruit. If we have bad fruit (works) then we are of Satan. This is how we are to discern the wolves among the sheep. Ministers never telling the gospel message, those promoting big bang evolution, and any denial of any the truth in the Bible for instance! I'm not talking about differences of opinion but total rejection of that part of the Bible.
The differences come because of rejection of parts of the bible, but they can say the same thing about us. How do you handle that same logic said about you and me?
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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so no one teaches works, but if we do not work real hard to forgive all men....

you just contradicted yourself.
If you work real hard to forgive men.... that is all well, but if you do not believe, and have faith in Jesus, even your forgiving nature will not save you. It is a combination of belief, faith, trust, grace, and following the words of Jesus, accompanied by good works of love for you fellow man and for Jesus.
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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no, you teach works, there is no such thing as grace plus works, its either one or the other.

If i give you a gift, it is yurs, works has no part of the equation.

if i am giving you a down payment for your work, it is not a grace gift.

Your teaching down payment theology, not grace,

Good works always accompanies a man with a live and vibrant faith. If good works does not accompany your faith, then you were not truely saved in the first place. These good works are not for the mans self gain, but an outpouring of love for your fellow man and your God, who asks you to take care of the poor and the needy.
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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If you hold something against a person, it is a debt unpaid,. You either require payment or dismiss it, meaning forgive the debtor. If you are indebted to God for something he might hold against you, he will forgive the debt only if you forgive the debt of someone who is indebted to you. Debts can be resolved two ways. paid off or dismissed. I don't believe it will have anything to do with eternal salvation, but your rewards in heaven.
There is a third way to resolve debts. You lose your liberty and you are thrown into prison until every penny is paid in full.
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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By their fruit you will know them.

How long does fruit take to grow?
Can we bear bad fruit along with good fruit?

Will a newly planted tree suddenly bear fruit?
A person that is born again starts feeling the tug of good works right away after their experience with the HG. Trees are a little different than people.
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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Don't get "accompanied by all good works"

What's that mean?
It means that whatever God has prepared for you to do in the way of good works, these good works will accompany your rebirth and faith in Jesus. Again, the scripture is full of the doctrine that good works will follow your live faith in Jesus. It is the Christian nature to assist Jesus in taking care of his needy people. Live faith is always accompanied by good works, not for our gain, but for the love of Jesus and all men.
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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Thank you E-gratful, I thought that contradiction would get a pass, but not for you...:)
Did you notice the contradiction before or after E-gratefull? As it turns out, there is no contradiction.
 

benhur

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2018
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Me thinks they probably meant "To maintain salvation"

Either way it places heavy burdens on people.
And we know Jesus did not come to do that.
Is that the issue. Good works places a heavy burden on people, and Jesus did not come to do that. BillG, do you think it is a heavy and burdensome event to help your fellow man in the love and light of Jesus Christ. I really don't think you meant that.
Can you rephase that.
 

TruthTalk

Senior Member
Jul 17, 2017
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Sometimes if feel like I'm just a tiny raisin on God's grape vine, but I know
He loves me even if I'm just a tiny raisin on the vine....:) Yes Christians will
bear fruit but it is Jesus blood sacrifice that saves me.

 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
If you work real hard to forgive men.... that is all well, but if you do not believe, and have faith in Jesus, even your forgiving nature will not save you. It is a combination of belief, faith, trust, grace, and following the words of Jesus, accompanied by good works of love for you fellow man and for Jesus.

A work is still a work, how hard you work does not matter

2 people with the same job, one sees the work as easy, and does not have to produce much effort,,the second person thinks job is hard and has t produce much effort, they both earned a wage for their work. They did not gain a gift.

not of works lest anyone should boast, plain and simple

you still teach works, meaning you reject grace
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
Good works always accompanies a man with a live and vibrant faith. If good works does not accompany your faith, then you were not truely saved in the first place. These good works are not for the mans self gain, but an outpouring of love for your fellow man and your God, who asks you to take care of the poor and the needy.
work is not th issue, faith is the issue,

we are saved by faith period, people who do not have any faith are not savd, period, he lack of works a non believe has or the work a true believer has means nothing, they are automatic (actually a non believer can do what we would call good works, those works are also meaningless, and a worker will do works, those works to are meaningless, as jesus said, depart from me for i never knew you.

You want to point to work. And claim people who stop producing lose salvation, you will always be seen as a legalistic worker trying to earn his salvation, period.

 
Dec 12, 2013
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Dcon keeps talking about saved by grace through faith. He keeps ignoring that faith without works is dead. Works therefore is a require result of faith!
No works no faith.
Jesus said we are known by our works. It is the good fruit. If we have bad fruit (works) then we are of Satan. This is how we are to discern the wolves among the sheep. Ministers never telling the gospel message, those promoting big bang evolution, and any denial of any the truth in the Bible for instance! I'm not talking about differences of opinion but total rejection of that part of the Bible.
Nice try creed lover......the bible is clear...we are eternally saved by grace through faith no works attached....I suggest the bible instead of your pseudo Catcholic creed that you espouse in your religion......no works required to gain eternal salvation regardless of your view that they MUST BE PRESENT......

NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE.....

Wake up before you make the "Many" grouping!
 
Dec 12, 2013
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so no one teaches works, but if we do not work real hard to forgive all men....

you just contradicted yourself.
He, and a few more of his "working for buddies" are walking, talking biblical contradictions....especially the one who elevates the creed above the bible as his rule of faith and practice.......the bible is replete with proof that ...

a. Works do not save
b. Works do not keep saved
c. Works do not cause the loss of salvation
d. Works do not finish off or top off salvation
e. Believers produce every flavor of work under the sun....some good....some bad
f. AND ALL TRUE BELIEVERS HAVE ALREADY DONE THE WORK OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER IN BELIEF!
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
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It is for the very parable that you quoted. The wheat and the tares parable is about good believers (the wheat) who are strangled and left dry and eventually fall to temptation (tares) and lose their gift. The parable of the sower is trying to tell you the same thing, that you can lose your gift if you fall amoung rocky soil and cannot put down roots strong enough to withstand the sun and you eventually whither and die and give up your gift.
My understanding is that the tares are false believers teachers who come to destroy and seek personal gain
Not belivers who lose their gift (whatever that means).

The parable of the sower does not make sense here.

Jesus says

Matthew 24:24
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Have a good deep dig into the context of the wheat and tares.

In the agricultural society of Christ's time farmers depended on the quality of their crops.
So an enemy would sow weeds.
Why?

To sabotage the business of those who harvest wheat.
Reason being for personal gain and put the sower out of business.

Mark 4:3-9


3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

There is no mention those on the rocky soil had the gift to begin with (whatever that gift is)
 
Dec 12, 2013
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no, you teach works, there is no such thing as grace plus works, its either one or the other.

If i give you a gift, it is yurs, works has no part of the equation.

if i am giving you a down payment for your work, it is not a grace gift.

Your teaching down payment theology, not grace,

Amen the bible is clear on this as well.....

a. Faith alone to gain eternal salvation <--true gospel
b. Faith plus anything to gain or keep salvation <--false gospel of a different kind with NO POWER TO SAVE and double cursed

Free gift of grace or owed because of works.....one OR the other......not both or a blend of both!!
 
Dec 12, 2013
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Are you telling me that a live and vibrant faith is not embellished with all good works in the love of Jesus Christ?
I am telling you what I have always said....FAITH ALONE is what SAVES A MAN ETERNALLY and that SALVATION IS AN IMMEDIATE POSSESSION with CONTINUING RESULTS FROM A PAST COMPLETED ACTION.......and that righteous works do not save, help get saved, help keep salvation, top off salvation and or finish salvation!
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
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Is that the issue. Good works places a heavy burden on people, and Jesus did not come to do that. BillG, do you think it is a heavy and burdensome event to help your fellow man in the love and light of Jesus Christ. I really don't think you meant that.
Can you rephase that.
Yes I can.

Did not the Pharisees place a heavy burden on people?
Yes they did.

Did Jesus say give me your burden and take mine?
Yes he did.

What's the difference?

What I'm saying is that the Jesus took the burden of having to jump through hoops to be saved and is saying "Because you love me you will jump through hoops because you love me"

Big difference.

Ps I never said God places a heavy burden on people.
I said man does.

Sad you actually believe I said that.

As I said "Jesus did not come to do that.
 
Dec 12, 2013
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The differences come because of rejection of parts of the bible, but they can say the same thing about us. How do you handle that same logic said about you and me?
And you would be wrong again.....try again and this time stay on topic concerning what this thread is exactly about......