You are not saved because you know the gospel is true.
You are saved because you trust in the gospel you now know is true.
You are saved because you trust in the gospel you now know is true.
Not By Works
- Thread starter dcontroversal
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That doesn't prove you have anything to do with producing said faith.***edit*** trust.
Where does it say in the Bible that trust in Christ is a work that can not justify?
Who defined 'works' as ANYTHING you do to be justified?
The prohibition is against performing works of righteousness in order to gain a declaration of right standing with God. Trusting in Christ is not included in that prohibition, and is in fact deeply contrasted with performing the works that can not make God declare you righteous. The Bible plainly teaches that you are made righteous by believing/trusting in Christ. That is in stark contrast to performing works of righteousness in order to be made/declared righteous by God:
"to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness." - Romans 4:5
See? Trust in God is NOT included in the works that can not justify. It is clearly contrasted with the works that can not justify.
All the exhortations to keep trusting show us that.
If God did your trusting for you by waving his hand over you and making you trust then there would be need to tell people who trust in God to keep trusting in Him, for it's not them doing the trusting in the first place.
If God created man perfect to begin with, there would be no need to tell him not to eat of the tree... Oh wait.
***Sigh*** "Christ, look how many demons I cast out. See how strong MY faith is?" Right before Christ says"I never knew you." Boasting. Works are of boasting.
Do you think the exhortation, the knowledge, the COMMAND of the law will disappear, that we will no longer be required, say, to not murder, after purification? Seriously?
It's not your faith. You don't have any of that. You are incapable of knowing what you can't see really is true.
God is the only one who can make you see that the unseen gospel of Christ is real.
What God wants from you is your trust in what he has shown you to be true about Jesus that you can't know is true on your own. And even then you can't trust him without his encouragement and help. There's no room for boasting in that way to be justified.
The knowledge comes from Him.
The response to that knowledge comes from you.
And even then, you are only able to respond because by grace he cleared all the obstacles that could keep you from responding.
There is zero boast in this. Even though it's you doing the responding.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: Genesis 2:16
So what's your point?
That last would ONLY be true if you had nothing to do with the decision to belief. The desire in my heart to do righteousness is not something I produced. The faith I have in Christ doesn't come from within. We agree. You're assuming, however, that once God works in you, that you have the ability to lose yourself to the wild, and the Shepherd would not come looking for you. As if in His searching, He would not find you. You are persistent that God is only capable of reviving your soul and showing you the way, but that He must pray to... I don't know, your will or something... That all the work He's done will succeed, that you'll make it to the finish line with all He's given you.
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EleventhHour
Guest
Because I believe in context... And preserved digital data... I don't understand your question.
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EleventhHour
Guest
Yes I pray that you will, so far you have not, you are not even in the ball park yet.
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EleventhHour
Guest
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EleventhHour
Guest
The object of our trust/faith is Jesus
One trusts him to impart secure eternal life and nothing less, because of who is He not because our self-effort to maintain faith.
That's simply not true. That's what I'm trying to show you.
Even though you actually do the trusting, God graciously and mercifully moved heaven and earth so you can. Because that's true, you simply can not boast in having trusted in Christ. You did nothing but trust in what he did.
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EleventhHour
Guest
I have been thinking on this... very true, it is contradictory!!
I see what you're trying to show me. Where you are failing is convincing me. Primarily because I see you inserting yourself in your own salvation plan, however minutely.