I want to know, how do you reconcile these? I see exactly this that you have said, Eternal life is by faith, salvation by faith, etc. But then I also see as you said drunkards do not inherit the Kingdom it even says be not deceived.
May I refer you my posting # 3. If you have any objection there, then let's deal with it. I don't mind writing a page or two but it would not help to write about something you have found to be incorrect. The short of it is;
- Christianity was "leavened" (as Matthew 13 predicted) by a Woman. This Woman appears again in Revelation 17 - Rome
- Christianity took over doctrines that the Bible does not even allude to
- Christianity at large believe that when a Christian dies, he/she goes to heaven
- The Bible says that God made man for the earth (Gen.1:26-28; Ps.8:4-8; Rom.4:13; Heb.2:5-7)
- The Bible never rescinds this goal. It ends with a City for Ruling, coming down to a renewed earth (Rev.21:2, 22:5)
- Throughout the Bible the battle is about who will get the earth
If this correct, and this is what you have to decide, then being saved from the consequences of sin and sins, being born again, becoming a son of God, being justified, sanctified and glorified, HAVE AS THEIR GOAL, entering the Kingdom that Christ sets up on earth as a co-king of Christ. Being saved from your sins, being born again, being justified and sanctified, and becoming a son of God are all achieved by Christ's work and therefore cannot be overturned. Calvin saw this. But God, in His wisdom, sets before the newly born Christian certain works (Eph.2:10). These works are diverse and varied, but they have the goal in mind to train the son of God to (i) be utterly obedient, and (ii) utterly righteous so that if he is elected to be a co-king of Christ in His Kingdom ON EARTH, he will do a good job. The kingdoms of the Gentiles are marked by corruption, deceit, lies, conspiracies, thievery and murder. God cannot have such men carrying a Kingdom with His name on it.
So God sets forth a road, a journey, for the newly born again Christian, and if he qualifies by utterly rejecting his things and putting God's things first, he will be REWARDED by (i) being a co-king with Christ in His Kingdom when He comes to EARTH, and (ii) by being allowed to enter the Wedding Feast of Christ. Both Calvin and Arminius missed this because they thought that believers go to heaven at death. The other side of the coin is that Christians who are slothful, unfaithful, fleshly, habitual sinners, immature and defeated, will be found NOT WORTHY of this Kingdom. BUT THEIR REBIRTH, JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION AND SONSHIP TO GOD ARE NOT REMOVED. They simply are banned from the presence of Christ in disgrace (outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth), and their TRAINING continues into the next age. In some cases they are actively chastised by the Lord (Matt.24:48-51; Lk.12:47-48). This is what the LOSS is. The slothful servant of the Lord is NOT ALLOWED the fame and pleasure of the KINGDOM. But just like any Father, God does not destroy them. He CHASTISES them and continues their Training. By Revelation 21:3-4 we see them RESTORED.
Israel broke their Covenant with God and murdered their Messiah. God chastises them for 2,000 years and then restores them (Hos.6:2; Act.15:14-16). Christians who accepted the rigors of their training in their lifetime, who denied themselves and took up their crosses daily, who learned obedience above all and who were faithful in small things, will be sons of God WHO INHERIT THE EARTH. Christians who refused the rigors of a tough training, who pandered to themselves and who did evil, will be sons of God WHO FORFEIT THE KINGDOM ON EARTH. That - is what both Calvin and Arminius missed. They focused on heaven instead of the Kingdom ON EARTH.
See ...
Genesis 1.26-28, 17:8, 48:4, Romans 4:12-13, Psalm 8:4-8, 37:11, Daniel.2:35, 44, Matthew 6:10, 25:1-30, etc., etc. See the Parables about the Kingdom. In every case a man is allowed into the Kingdom because of WORKS. But the Kingdom, in every case, is ON EARTH. It is NOT,
"The Kingdom IN Heaven". It is,
"The Kingdom (out) OF Heaven."
Once you know what to look for it is so clear that the INHERITANCE of the Christian IS THE EARTH.
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15)
If Calvin and/or Arminius had seen this, we would not be discussing them today.