Hi Areil82, wanderer6059 has made a very good point, "quenching is rendered as suppressing." I have noticed lately that benher does not support his biblical ideas with scripture references. Could it be that he is more interested in promoting his false biblical ideas instead of finding the truth at any cost. "The free gift of God is eternal life", wow works are excluded for our assurance of eternal life really.
Romans6:22,23
22) But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
23) For the wages of sin is death, but the "gift of God" is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I think the issue is that even those we disagree with on this thread concerning works is as follows.
The majority say "Works do not save" when they say that it's based on initial salvation and that only.
Then what happens we hear that works keep us saved, no works therefore no evidence of salvation. To a certain extent I do understand that BUT
The truth is it takes time for fruit to grow. Yet some say it must happen straight away.
If it doesn't then evidence of not saved.
If they had works but stop evidence of not being saved, lost salvation.
Yet people in the church just write them off without coming alongside.
People seem to forget that our Father refines us. That we have seasons.
The seed planted in a believers life needs to watered, needs tilling.
The soil needs to be treated, roots pulled up, faulty foundations replaced.
So the focus changes to works salvation.
Let's be honest who here has not fell foul of that?
Let's be honest, if we are saved by grace through faith void of works why would it change afterwards?
Truth is it doesn't because the truth is that a genuine beliver will start to bear fruit which will lead to works. All at a different rate.
We all need to be refined/pruned and taught and disciplined if need be.
If he doesn't discipline us then the Bible tells us that basically we are bastard's illegitimate.
If that's the case we were never his children in the first place.
If that's the case then we were never adopted because we never had true saving faith.
At the end of the day works salvation leads to "I must do I must do I must do, I must be I must be I must be"
And this totally misses the point of who we are.
Who are we? Children of the Father, his beloved.
Jesus said he came to set the prisoner free, heal the broken hearted, reveal the Father and his heart for us.
When he works in us, sets us free, heals us we then grow in him, we get to know him and as a result we become like him, not to be saved but because we realise we are his precious kids, the apple of his eye.
We do because we are, we do not do to be loved and saved.
Jesus walked with sinners, he sought them out and walked with them.
Even those who shrunk back, his disciples.
Let's not place a heavy burden on people.
Belivers struggle, need healing, need faulty foundations replaced.
Belivers go MIA.
Seek them out and do not write them off (not saying this about you TT)
It's a call to all of us believers.