Works can NEVER earn salvation
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Genesis 4:6-7 is answered by Hebrews 11:4. Scripture is already clear. It interprets by scripture. It so happened you have the "other scripture". Here is a better one in Hebrews 11:4
Hebrews 11:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Cain already had faith, he was righteous before God. His offering is a testimony that he did a righteous acts by a better offering against his brother. It is not his acts that he became righteous but because he was righteous he did the right thing.
Hebrews 11:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Cain already had faith, he was righteous before God. His offering is a testimony that he did a righteous acts by a better offering against his brother. It is not his acts that he became righteous but because he was righteous he did the right thing.
Amen! That is why faith means "trust" "confidence" "reliance" "believe" in Christ alone for salvation.
Ephesians 1:12-14 King James Version (KJV)
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:12-14 King James Version (KJV)
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
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You need to study scripture;
Mark 1:4 tells us that baptism is for the remission of sins....."John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
Acts 2; 38-40.... Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost....."save yourself".
Acts 22;16..... (Saul required to be baptized)...."And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
Matt.3;11...
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [] and fire.
Matt 3;14,15... But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fullfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Matt., 28: 18-20... And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16;16... He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
I Peter 3;21....... The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
John 3:5.... Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Gal 3;26-27..... For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ
Acts 2: 38-40.... Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this [b]perverse generation
Acts 9; 14,15,16,18..... And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Acts 8:12...... But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Acts 19:5-6..... When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Acts 22;16... And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Rom. 6;3,4...know ye not,that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 ....Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: like Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
There are more.
But, if you don't accept these of G-d's word no others will help you, probably.
Baptism is required just as repentance is required...first.
Mark 1:4 tells us that baptism is for the remission of sins....."John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
Acts 2; 38-40.... Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost....."save yourself".
Acts 22;16..... (Saul required to be baptized)...."And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
Matt.3;11...
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [] and fire.
Matt 3;14,15... But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fullfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Matt., 28: 18-20... And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16;16... He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
I Peter 3;21....... The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
John 3:5.... Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Gal 3;26-27..... For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ
Acts 2: 38-40.... Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this [b]perverse generation
Acts 9; 14,15,16,18..... And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Acts 8:12...... But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Acts 19:5-6..... When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Acts 22;16... And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Rom. 6;3,4...know ye not,that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 ....Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: like Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
There are more.
But, if you don't accept these of G-d's word no others will help you, probably.
Baptism is required just as repentance is required...first.
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No one is saying that here. I am merely trying to say that, before the grace dispensation, works were required to show your faith before God.
Abel could not have told God then, "I believe in Jesus's death burial and resurrection and am justified apart from my works!"
But we can do that now, that is how we show our faith NOW.
Abel could not have told God then, "I believe in Jesus's death burial and resurrection and am justified apart from my works!"
But we can do that now, that is how we show our faith NOW.
Like I said, people want to ignore what Genesis 4:7 explicitly stated, God instructed Cain to do well and he will be accepted. He did not ask Cain to "believe well" or "have the correct faith".
Covenant Theologians have this fixed doctrine that it was ALWAYS by grace thru faith for salvation after Adam's fall, so they will naturally try to argue from silence, in passages like these.
That is understandable, we can agree to disagree here.
Covenant Theologians have this fixed doctrine that it was ALWAYS by grace thru faith for salvation after Adam's fall, so they will naturally try to argue from silence, in passages like these.
That is understandable, we can agree to disagree here.
Its kind of the same, isn't it?
We both have faith in a Blood Sacrifice that was made before God to Atone for Sin.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
A blood sacrifice was always required.
Was the actual sacrifice a work? Yes. It is one that we don't do anymore because of the One Sacrifice made for all time.
We both have faith in a Blood Sacrifice that was made before God to Atone for Sin.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
A blood sacrifice was always required.
Was the actual sacrifice a work? Yes. It is one that we don't do anymore because of the One Sacrifice made for all time.
Abel do right because he make sacrifice in better quality than cain, he may make more valuable, cost more money then Cain
Genesis 4:7 New International Version (NIV)
7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Mark 12
41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
There is a poor widow, she only give 2 cent, but Jesus say she give more than other.
Compare with gen 4:7 Abel give more and mean more
Poor widow give less but mean more
So God see what inside or faith
Genesis 4:7 New International Version (NIV)
7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Mark 12
41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
There is a poor widow, she only give 2 cent, but Jesus say she give more than other.
Compare with gen 4:7 Abel give more and mean more
Poor widow give less but mean more
So God see what inside or faith
For the Jews under law dispensation, an animal can be very costly, in terms of costs. Imagine every time u sin, u have to bring a new animal.
And as David realized after his adultery, even such blood sacrifices pale in comparison with Jesus act on the cross, because they could not result in no imputation of sin. He envied us on the grace dispensation because of this, as romans 4 indicated.
So my answer is no, there is a lot of difference between that Christ did for us, and what animal sacrifices could do.
And as David realized after his adultery, even such blood sacrifices pale in comparison with Jesus act on the cross, because they could not result in no imputation of sin. He envied us on the grace dispensation because of this, as romans 4 indicated.
So my answer is no, there is a lot of difference between that Christ did for us, and what animal sacrifices could do.
Their you are. You have just admitted it is faith (believing) that saves. Obedience comes out of faith, which is the visible evidence of our inner faith and Able demonstrated his faith as Hebrews confirms. Killing an animal saves nobody, not even Able. The message of faith in God is consistent throughout the whole Bible.
That is where we differ in our beliefs. You subscribe to Covenant Theology and it requires you to believe that faith is shown in the same way throughout the entire Bible.
That is a very popular way of understanding salvation so I understand where you are coming from. To you, it is considered heresy to ever consider that there was a time where God required Man to show their faith by their works.
That is a very popular way of understanding salvation so I understand where you are coming from. To you, it is considered heresy to ever consider that there was a time where God required Man to show their faith by their works.