Not By Works

[RebuildJesussChurch]

Revelation 3
3 “And to the [a]angel of the church in Sardis write,

‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before [b]God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 4 [c]You have a few names [d]even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.


The bible is very straightforward.

Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ makes no idle threats, does He?

 

[eternally-gratefull]

I was reading through the book of 1 John recently. What helped you understand it all, especially passages like 1 John 3:6, 9-10?

1 john 3: 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

If the one who sins has never seen or known God, that means the one who sins has never been saved, never been adopted as children of God.

And since abiding is what makes us a people who do not sin, then it means those who abide must know God, and have been born of him, This is shown by the rest of what John said...

(of note. Sin in this passage is not singular. Or personal sins, it is written in a way that means a sinful life. A life of sin, ie, living the way the world life, in continuous habitual sin)

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

1. Who practices righteousness? But those who know what rue righteousness is? They are those who have been born of God
2. He who sins is of the devil. Ie, not born of God, still under satan, an outsider who has never been saved
3. Whoever has been born of God does not sin (this answered vs 6 as to who it is who abides in christ, and verse 7 as to who is is who practices righteousness. Ie, they are are not born of God because they do these things, but they do these things because they are born of God. Proven by the final statement, Because they have been born of God, they can NOT sin (practice unrighteousness)

does this help? Do you have any questions, I am not always clear I admit that failure.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ makes no idle threats, does He?

Nope he does not,

he keep his word

He who believes is not condemned, Will never hunger, never thirst, Will live forever. has passed from life to death, Will be resurrected. and will never be lost

he who does not believe is condemned ALREADY, AND THOSE WHO DO NOT SEE, DO NOT SEE BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BELIEVE.

any unbeliever has always been a state of unbelief, and as such, is always in a condemned sate (condemned alread)

 

[BillG]

Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ makes no idle threats, does He?

Nope HE don't.

Good job too.

 

[Judges1318]

I was reading through the book of 1 John recently. What helped you understand it all, especially passages like 1 John 3:6, 9-10?

This shows us that John was not saying that born again people never sin:

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. - 1 John 1:8-10 KJV

The born again person doesn't live in the habitual lifestyle and mindset of sin that the person who has not been born again lives in.

Born again people don't live in sin, but they may do something unrighteous on occasion. Just as the not born again person doesn't live in righteousness, but may do something righteous on occasion. Generally speaking, born again people are not characterized by sin, people who are not born again are.

 

[Judges1318]

Are you disagreeing with Galatians 2:16? The faith of Jesus Christ justifies the believer. The instance one believes the gospel, that person is justified by Christ’s faith, His righteousness imputed.

From that point on, our individual faith is God’s word helps us labor for Him. This individual faith and labor does not justify or keep us saved, but the faith of Jesus Christ. His faith never waivers.

Christ does not do the believing that justifies a person for us.
God gives us the faith to believe, but He does not do our believing for us.

We are justified through faith in Christ when we retain in our hearts what God has shown us to be true about Jesus Christ through the testimony of the Holy Spirit:

1 John 5:5-10 KJV
5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

 

[CherieR]

1 john 3: 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

If the one who sins has never seen or known God, that means the one who sins has never been saved, never been adopted as children of God.

And since abiding is what makes us a people who do not sin, then it means those who abide must know God, and have been born of him, This is shown by the rest of what John said...

(of note. Sin in this passage is not singular. Or personal sins, it is written in a way that means a sinful life. A life of sin, ie, living the way the world life, in continuous habitual sin)

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

1. Who practices righteousness? But those who know what rue righteousness is? They are those who have been born of God
2. He who sins is of the devil. Ie, not born of God, still under satan, an outsider who has never been saved
3. Whoever has been born of God does not sin (this answered vs 6 as to who it is who abides in christ, and verse 7 as to who is is who practices righteousness. Ie, they are are not born of God because they do these things, but they do these things because they are born of God. Proven by the final statement, Because they have been born of God, they can NOT sin (practice unrighteousness)

does this help? Do you have any questions, I am not always clear I admit that failure.

Not completely. I have heard before it is about practice and way of life and yet we likely sin everyday. One concern I have is one could take the book of 1 John and use it for self-examination and overdo it. It can become questioning if one is righteous enough. Even if one looks at if they love Jesus and love people, one can start to doubt how much they really love one another. This is what scrupulosity( a form of moral or religious OCD) often will do. I know because I have personally experienced it. It will often try to get one stuck in one's mind with introspection and get stuck in mental loops but it isn't healthy. Much better to focus elsewhere and help and love others by one's actions.

 

[EleventhHour]

Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ makes no idle threats, does He?

Wow ....... "idle threats" that is really something to make a statement like that about salvation.

Translation >>>>>>> I am not trustworthy, I promised eternal life..... salvation, but you cannot trust my promise, if you do not perform exactly to a certain unknown level I will take my gift away... I intend to carry out this threat and break my word.

Yes I think you have Jeezus and not the True Jesus.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

Not completely. I have heard before it is about practice and way of life and yet we likely sin everyday. One concern I have is one could take the book of 1 John and use it for self-examination and overdo it. It can become questioning if one is righteous enough. Even if one looks at if they love Jesus and love people, one can start to doubt how much they really love one another. This is what scrupulosity( a form of moral or religious OCD) often will do. I know because I have personally experienced it. It will often try to get one stuck in one's mind with introspection and get stuck in mental loops but it isn't healthy. Much better to focus elsewhere and help and love others by one's actions.

Yes, Thats why the term “sin” in first john is not just the fact we sin everyday, because we do. It mean a lifestyle of sin.

And yes, one thing about John is his words are for us for our encouragement, as he finished his letter. He wrote I write things things to you so you may KNOW you HAVE eternal life. And by this KNOWLEDGE continue to believe.

We have to remember, Our continued faith is empowered by the fact we know we are saved eternally. And not by how we live or we do not live. If our salvation was conditional. It would easily take just one sin (depending on what it was) to totally wipe us out and take us out of the fight, because that one sin would way so heavily on us, we would begin to question Gods forgiveness.

I know this because I have been there.

This is why legalism is so dangerous it not only keeps people from faith in God. If it penetrates the church, it causes Gods people to have doubts Whigh is right where satan wants us, In fact, He will encourage those doubts by planting thoughts.. again, I have been here also.

 

[RebuildJesussChurch]

Wow ....... "idle threats" that is really something to make a statement like that about salvation.

Translation >>>>>>> I am not trustworthy, I promised eternal life..... salvation, but you cannot trust my promise, if you do not perform exactly to a certain unknown level I will take my gift away... I intend to carry out this threat and break my word.

Yes I think you have Jeezus and not the True Jesus.

Glad I don’t live by what you think.

The Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, living a sinless life, crucified, risen the third day, seated at the Father’s right hand, who came to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, as John said, according to the Scriptures, is my Savior and my Lord.

Wisdom is vindicated by all her children. If only our lives could be displayed here. Life in the Kingdom of God is full of grace and peace, not consisting in words, but in power. He has written His Word on our hearts. His works are wonderful to behold!

 

[Rosemaryx]

Just as we are not to try with works of merit to add to the righteousness of God that we have received through faith in Christ, so it is, also, that we are not to cast away the righteousness of God we have in Christ by no longer having faith in Christ.

We are clothed in the Righteousness of Christ , when God looks at us , He sees His Sons blood that has covered us...How can we cast away the Righteousness of Christ , and our faith , our faith is also a gift from God ...

You are seeing things from your imagination , your faith is in yourself...

 

[John146]

Christ does not do the believing that justifies a person for us.
God gives us the faith to believe, but He does not do our believing for us.

We are justified through faith in Christ when we retain in our hearts what God has shown us to be true about Jesus Christ through the testimony of the Holy Spirit:

1 John 5:5-10 KJV
5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

The moment we believe we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ. That’s Galatians 2:16. He’s done all the work through His perfect obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. His righteousness has been imputed to the believer. I am saved eternally based upon His righteousness. Nothing can take that from me, even my own self.

 

[blue_ladybug]

@eternally-gratefull @Ruby123

 

[eternally-gratefull]

@eternally-gratefull @Ruby123

I keep forgetting, But I wanted those gifts so bad!!

 

[blue_ladybug]

I keep forgetting, But I wanted those gifts so bad!!

God cancelled your Christmas because your stupid auto-carrot ipod refused to capitalize His name.. LMBO

 

[eternally-gratefull]

God cancelled your Christmas because your stupid auto-carrot ipod refused to capitalize His name.. LMBO

I give up. I read a post I posted. Half hour a ago only to find it autocorrected so much that I missed.

It hates me!

 

[blue_ladybug]

I give up. I read a post I posted. Half hour a ago only to find it autocorrected so much that I missed.

It hates me!

I was just saying.. Your ipod is plotting your downfall. It got your Christmas cancelled. Yes, I'd agree that your ipod hates you.. lol

 

[eternally-gratefull]

I was just saying.. Your ipod is plotting your downfall. It got your Christmas cancelled. Yes, I'd agree that your ipod hates you.. lol

Good thing God loves me or I would be lost!

 

[Rosemaryx]

Good thing God loves me or I would be lost!

Merry Christmas brother...

Isn't it a beautiful thing that Jesus came to find us , that we are lost no more , that we are not only in the palm of our LORDS hand , but in His Fathers to , I mean we are just so secure ...

How wonderful it is to know that we have been saved by God's grace , and NOTHING nor none can separate us from eternal life , all the glory to God Amen \/...
...xox...

 

[eternally-gratefull]

Merry Christmas brother...

Isn't it a beautiful thing that Jesus came to find us , that we are lost no more , that we are not only in the palm of our LORDS hand , but in His Fathers to , I mean we are just so secure ...

How wonderful it is to know that we have been saved by God's grace , and NOTHING nor none can separate us from eternal life , all the glory to God Amen \/...
...xox...

MERRY CHRISTMAS Sister. Yeah, Gods love is amazing, and is hard to comprehend. Who is able to understand it?