Not By Works
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Indeed!!
If we were saved by works, the question would always how much works are necessary to save?
Would we not be able to boast then about how much we had done?
Saved by faith, it is not how much faith, but the right, saving faith in the work of Christ Jesus who saves.
No boasting, same entrance gate for everyone.
If we were saved by works, the question would always how much works are necessary to save?
Would we not be able to boast then about how much we had done?
Saved by faith, it is not how much faith, but the right, saving faith in the work of Christ Jesus who saves.
No boasting, same entrance gate for everyone.
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Can the "salvation losers" be honest and give the biblical definitions of the following words....??
Born from above by INCORRUPTIBLE seed
Saved to the UTTERMOST
KEPT by the POWER OF GOD
I will LOSE NOTHING, but RAISE it up the last day
He that believes on the Son is having EVERLASTING LIFE
HE that began a good work in you will FINISH IT and COMPLETE it
We are SEALED UNTO the day of REDEMPTION
I will NEVER leave thee nor FORSAKE thee
Where sin abounds, GRACE abounds the MORE
Born from above by INCORRUPTIBLE seed
Saved to the UTTERMOST
KEPT by the POWER OF GOD
I will LOSE NOTHING, but RAISE it up the last day
He that believes on the Son is having EVERLASTING LIFE
HE that began a good work in you will FINISH IT and COMPLETE it
We are SEALED UNTO the day of REDEMPTION
I will NEVER leave thee nor FORSAKE thee
Where sin abounds, GRACE abounds the MORE
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I just thought of something.
I know what you mean about our wanting to please God naturally.
Kind of like wanting to make a spouse happy because you love them.
But does this mean that you only follow the commandments of God that are EASY for you to follow because you "will" follow them?
What about the ones that are not so easy and need to be followed because God says so?
Is there a difference to you?
Is everything easy for you?
Are you never tempted and it's your love for God that stops INSTEAD OF the fact that you're a Christian person and it would hurt God?
IOW, sometimes I'd LIKE to do something but it would be harmful to God so I stop myself...it has nothing to do with love (does it?)
And sometimes I can't even stop myself...so do I not love God?
(I got very upset with a co-worker one time and I really shouldn't have even though SHE was at fault (of course!) and it affected me.)
I know what you mean about our wanting to please God naturally.
Kind of like wanting to make a spouse happy because you love them.
But does this mean that you only follow the commandments of God that are EASY for you to follow because you "will" follow them?
What about the ones that are not so easy and need to be followed because God says so?
Is there a difference to you?
Is everything easy for you?
Are you never tempted and it's your love for God that stops INSTEAD OF the fact that you're a Christian person and it would hurt God?
IOW, sometimes I'd LIKE to do something but it would be harmful to God so I stop myself...it has nothing to do with love (does it?)
And sometimes I can't even stop myself...so do I not love God?
(I got very upset with a co-worker one time and I really shouldn't have even though SHE was at fault (of course!) and it affected me.)
E
This is why context is essential
In context, society is harmed more by certain sin, so in this context, it should b ecpected that the most harmful sins have a greater discipline
In context, God said anyone wh does not obey every command is under a curse, he said eating a fruit was so damning it caused the death of all mankind, that the penalt of sin (all sin, not just certain grave sins) is death.
James is not wrong, nor is he the only one who insinuated all sin causes death, the contxt of james words is our spiritual lives, not temporal punishment
In context, society is harmed more by certain sin, so in this context, it should b ecpected that the most harmful sins have a greater discipline
In context, God said anyone wh does not obey every command is under a curse, he said eating a fruit was so damning it caused the death of all mankind, that the penalt of sin (all sin, not just certain grave sins) is death.
James is not wrong, nor is he the only one who insinuated all sin causes death, the contxt of james words is our spiritual lives, not temporal punishment
Faith works through love (Galatians 5:6) and God’s love has been poured into the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5) We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Love is my motivating factor for obeying God. *Love and gratitude for what He has done for me. 
Nobody perfectly obeys the commandments of God 100% of the time (and that is not not how man is saved) yet believers do "keep" (Greek word "tereo" - guard, observe, watch over) His commandments. (1 John 2:3) It's about the direction of our walk and not the perfection of our walk. The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:17) The struggle is real! So it's not about it always being easy.
Nobody perfectly obeys the commandments of God 100% of the time (and that is not not how man is saved) yet believers do "keep" (Greek word "tereo" - guard, observe, watch over) His commandments. (1 John 2:3) It's about the direction of our walk and not the perfection of our walk. The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:17) The struggle is real! So it's not about it always being easy.
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Jesus spoke of temporal punishment.
You really do put your own twist on everything.
Read what Jesus said....
Luke 12:48
New International Version
But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
There is other scripture too.
Look it up,,,anyway you don't trust me.
You really do put your own twist on everything.
Read what Jesus said....
Luke 12:48
New International Version
But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
There is other scripture too.
Look it up,,,anyway you don't trust me.
Faith works through love (Galatians 5:6) and God’s love has been poured into the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5) We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Love is my motivating factor for obeying God. *Love and gratitude for what He has done for me.
Nobody perfectly obeys the commandments of God 100% of the time (and that is not not how man is saved) yet believers do "keep" (Greek word "tereo" - guard, observe, watch over) His commandments. (1 John 2:3) It's about the direction of our walk and not the perfection of our walk. The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:17) The struggle is real! So it's not about it always being easy.
Nobody perfectly obeys the commandments of God 100% of the time (and that is not not how man is saved) yet believers do "keep" (Greek word "tereo" - guard, observe, watch over) His commandments. (1 John 2:3) It's about the direction of our walk and not the perfection of our walk. The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:17) The struggle is real! So it's not about it always being easy.
So if it's not about it being easy..
this means
that we DO obey out of requirement and not always love.
How can you deny this?
I don't need scripture...I know the same scripture you know.
It sounds to me like you maybe never sin because you love God so much
and maybe I sin because I don't love Him so much.
Is your faith better than mine?
Does it mean I don't love God when I DO sin?
Why is there ANY conflict between the spirit and the flesh if we love Him so much?
Think this through.
Your way does not make too much sense.
Christianity can only make sense if we say that WE MUST obey God,
as much as we can. And because we have to...not lovey dovey because we WANT to.
What if I don't WANT to obey some specific sin?
So I'm not saved?
Don't YOU say that we're saved anyway?
Isn't this a conflict?
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E
The penalty of sin-is death, period
There are temporal punishments for sin, because of the reasons i showed,
The the penalty of sin is death, if you say a little white lie, your dead, according to the law, just as dead as the murderer. (Although you will not be stoned for that sin, when it comes to being worthy of just condemnation, your in equal ground.
The problem is, people want to take the physical to equal the spirital. That was the jewish mistake, and we see satan uses that against people today and they buy it hook line and sinker, and satan just laughs at how gullible we are.
There are temporal punishments for sin, because of the reasons i showed,
The the penalty of sin is death, if you say a little white lie, your dead, according to the law, just as dead as the murderer. (Although you will not be stoned for that sin, when it comes to being worthy of just condemnation, your in equal ground.
The problem is, people want to take the physical to equal the spirital. That was the jewish mistake, and we see satan uses that against people today and they buy it hook line and sinker, and satan just laughs at how gullible we are.
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You know in the beginning when i still watched christian TV and read some testimonies or books or whatever. I noticed they always had that "just pray about it" advice for any sin that you had. And God will just ZAP take it away from you and give you new desires and things. But my question was/is WHEN? WHEN does it happen? My answer is: NEVER. I prayed and prayed and prayed for a LOOONG time and it never worked.
Only after I realized that what they were telling me just wasnt true (or atleast wasnt true for ME) and that the only way to ever get rid of a specific action, is to STOP doing it, just like Jesus said "if your right hands offends you...". (NO i dont claim to have stopped every single sin nor do I claim to be sinlessly perfect....)
How do people get addicted to things? (some sinful some not) By OVER-INDULGENCE, if you use alcohol too much, your body/mind becomes addicted to it, and drunkenness is a sin.
The way to stop it, is to stop over-indulging and suffer in the flesh and you will CEASE from sin, as the Bible teaches.
The longer you go without it, the easier it gets and THEN your desire to drink is CHANGED. But if you keep drinking alcohol excessively and ask God to take the desire away from you, we'll see how that works out for ya.
Maybe someone here has a testimony where God took all their sinful desires away over night, which praise God if that was the case. But I would find some verses in the Epistles of Paul to be REDUNDANT if this was the case for all Christians, because why bother warning people about slipping back to sin if they got NO DESIRE or TEMPTATION whatsoever for it?
Only after I realized that what they were telling me just wasnt true (or atleast wasnt true for ME) and that the only way to ever get rid of a specific action, is to STOP doing it, just like Jesus said "if your right hands offends you...". (NO i dont claim to have stopped every single sin nor do I claim to be sinlessly perfect....)
How do people get addicted to things? (some sinful some not) By OVER-INDULGENCE, if you use alcohol too much, your body/mind becomes addicted to it, and drunkenness is a sin.
The way to stop it, is to stop over-indulging and suffer in the flesh and you will CEASE from sin, as the Bible teaches.
The longer you go without it, the easier it gets and THEN your desire to drink is CHANGED. But if you keep drinking alcohol excessively and ask God to take the desire away from you, we'll see how that works out for ya.
Maybe someone here has a testimony where God took all their sinful desires away over night, which praise God if that was the case. But I would find some verses in the Epistles of Paul to be REDUNDANT if this was the case for all Christians, because why bother warning people about slipping back to sin if they got NO DESIRE or TEMPTATION whatsoever for it?
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Christians are saved by “Faith Alone” We hear the gospel; we believe and receive the gospel, and the Holy Spirit seals us until the day of redemption, Eph.4:30
To the one “who does not work, but believes in Him, they are saved justified by their faith, as was our Father Abraham. We are saved “unto good works not by our good works,
Romans4:4,5: Saved by “Faith Alone”
4) Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation. 5) However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness
What did Lazarus say after Jesus raised him from the dead? Oh thank you God that I have many wonderful works; of course not. Jesus said that Lazarus was brought back to life, “for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”Jn11:4,
Boasting in our salvation is not allowed but boasting in what God has done is. What we do following our salvation is the fruit of our faith in Jesus, works do not save nor maintain our salvation. It is God who will present us before Him unblemished and with great joy, not our good works period.
Christ our righteousness, “by faith from first to last.”
Romans 1:17
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed--a righteousness that is ‘by faith from first to last’, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
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I think we have dfferent backgrounds, maybe that’s why we see differently,
As far as when that sin was “zapped away” the answer is when jesus said it was finished, or literally paid in full, at that point, condemnation was removed from all who are adopted into his family because of faith in the finished work of christ
As far as just stop doing it, well if it was that easy, why did paul just not do the sins he struggled with in romans 7, why did he say there was a war raging with in him so he could not stop doing the things he did not want to do.
I have heard so many pastors say just stop it, or worse, if you do not stop these sins then you must not be saved, and so many promising children of God walk away from God because they could not do what they were told they must do. So why bother? If i must do this to be saved, then i will never be saved, so i might as well must give up and walk away.
The fact is, we can’t just stop, it takes the power of God, it takes trusting in him, for some it will take many steps of faith as they continue to fall, in certain areas “addiction for example” and the worse thing anyone can do is tell them if they were saved they could just stop! They need encouraged, lifted up, and stood by as they continue to try and overcome thatnsin in the power of God, (if they are not trying to overcome, thats a different story and the bible speaks of that also).
Legalism even among true believers, is the most damaging belief ever to enter the world it keeps the unsaved from finding God, and keeps Gods people from seeing victory.
As far as when that sin was “zapped away” the answer is when jesus said it was finished, or literally paid in full, at that point, condemnation was removed from all who are adopted into his family because of faith in the finished work of christ
As far as just stop doing it, well if it was that easy, why did paul just not do the sins he struggled with in romans 7, why did he say there was a war raging with in him so he could not stop doing the things he did not want to do.
I have heard so many pastors say just stop it, or worse, if you do not stop these sins then you must not be saved, and so many promising children of God walk away from God because they could not do what they were told they must do. So why bother? If i must do this to be saved, then i will never be saved, so i might as well must give up and walk away.
The fact is, we can’t just stop, it takes the power of God, it takes trusting in him, for some it will take many steps of faith as they continue to fall, in certain areas “addiction for example” and the worse thing anyone can do is tell them if they were saved they could just stop! They need encouraged, lifted up, and stood by as they continue to try and overcome thatnsin in the power of God, (if they are not trying to overcome, thats a different story and the bible speaks of that also).
Legalism even among true believers, is the most damaging belief ever to enter the world it keeps the unsaved from finding God, and keeps Gods people from seeing victory.
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Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."
My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
2 When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
in ev'ry high and stormy gale
my anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
3 His oath, His covenant, His blood
support me in the 'whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
4 When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found,
dressed in His righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
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