The offer of Salvation is universal, but the application is only : "by Faith".
- Thread starter LoveBrokeThru
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Dear sisters and brothers in Christ: Imagine how slow a thread in this forum would go if we stopped feeding anti gospel hobbiests.
Would they seek elsewhere? They and their puppets?
Why don't we find out?
Would they seek elsewhere? They and their puppets?
Why don't we find out?
All you had to do was log out and never return.
No one needs to close an account for that responsibility to be undertaken by that member who wishes to leave here.
In what sense? Are you prophesying in the sense you believe you’re delivering a message from God to me?
Now I will prophesy. This is what I believe I was told:
“Don’t waste your time with Bluesproverb. She will not understand what you are saying. Leave her in peace.”
Jesus said faith is the work of God that we can do. To clarify, as someone else so astutely pointed out, faith is not a work of the law.
Initial faith in the gospel is not a gift or everyone would have this gift. Great faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit which can be given after someone already has faith and receives the Holy Spirit; I have that gift, too, but I digress.
Rather faith is an action that requires our effort. You think people easily believe someone raised from the dead after three days and ascended to the sky? It requires work to undo human logic and reason to believe that.
The gift is being saved and no one can boast about God saving them. The gift isn’t faith.
You’ve interpreted that wrong. Jesus said faith is a work so in order to understand that passage contradiction free then the gift of God is salvation.
Think of the Bereans. Didn’t they search the Scriptures daily to see if those things things Paul said were true before they had faith? Yes. They worked for their fair because faith comes from the word of God which are the Scriptures.
John 6:28,29
28Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”
29Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
Pay close attention to the question and answer exchange here:
Q: what must we do?
A: believe in the One He has sent.
It’s that simple. Now I have been told to not waste my time anymore. I’ll leave your preferred doctrine.
Smh, It has been quoted to you multiple times. And you still do not get it.
It has nothing to do with my personal convictions. IT IS WHAT THE WORD SAYS
You keep saying you will agree with the Bible. Yet when peopel share the Bible with you you totally ignore them.
John 6: 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: (what is the work of God?) to believe in the one he has sent.” (That is the work of God!)
Thats what the Bible says, You say different, we will go with the Bible. You do whatever you fell you think you must do.
Continue to ignore the Bible at your own peril
ITS THE WORK OF GOD THAT WE BELIEVE.
Its not a meritorious work. Its not a non meritorious work
Faith is not action. It causes action. It is not action. It is a noun, It is by defenition an assurance, or confidence is someone or something. Faith in Christ is an assurance or confidence in God in what he tells us about ourself (we are sinners who are lost with no hope whatsoever, and headed to eternal darkness without him) as proven by the law. That he loved us so much he sent his son to die in our place and remove the curse of the law (the cross) and that if we just trust him, he will make us right with God by giving us his righteousness (covering us with blood) so God can not see our sin (as far as the east is from the west) and we will start to work on us and with us to grow us. And in the end, he will raise us from the dead to eternal life.
Thats what our faith is in. Its the tax collector getting on his knees. Bankrupt, calling out to God in desperation. Have mercy on me a sinner.
Thats the work of God that brings us to that point. Not the calvinist way. But through his word, his revelation and his people. He works on us to draw us to him.
Sadly as the verse says, the way is narrow (its precise and to the point) and few will enter in
To many people want to add their works to the narrow message of the gospel. Nd as paul said if any teaches another gospel let them be anathema
I 100% agree with the verse you provided and every verse you provide I 100% agree with. Your commentary I don’t always agree with though sometimes I do. I think this is a matter of having different understandings. I believe this comes down to the fact that not everyone who has the Holy Spirit will listen to the Holy Spirit because they don’t want to or don’t know how.
Maybe we should prayerfully focus on reasons why. I offer these reasons for yours, mine, and everyones illumination.
1. Unbelief
2. Lack of training
3. Poor hermeneutics
4. Ignorance of the word of God
5. Failure to mature
6. Adherence to traditions
We must humbly find a way to come to unity of knowledge and faith. That’s a requirement. Let’s shelf our pride and self motivations. Now I’ve given you something to think about. Peace to you.
God would not require you to Believe, if He caused you to believe.
The Faith that God REQUIRES, is that you do it......not that He makes you.
So, your CALVINISM, is not related to God, Christ, or Truth.
God REQUIRES, you, to use your free will = to BELIEVE.
Believing is an ACT of Faith, not a gift of Faith.
Real Faith is Christ is not a GIFT, ... it is a REQUIREMENT.
The "narrow way", is John 14:6.
Its not self effort...... its Christ Himself = who is the ONLY or "narrow" way to God.
The kingdom of God will harmonize with other scriptures that it is Christ's church, in which Jesus reigns as husband and king. which will be taken to heaven at the last day, both the straight gate and the wide gate.
Eze 10 explains that there is a visible church, and there is an invisible church, as if it were as a wheel within a wheel (verse 10) The invisible church, being the larger of the two, and the visible church, being those of God's children that the Holy Spirit has revealed the truths that Jesus taught in his doctrine.
This teaching corresponds to the two gates that is taught in Matt 7:13-14. The straight gate, and narrow way, that leads to life, not eternal life, but an abundant life here on earth that offers peace, enjoyment, contentment etc, this is the inner wheel, which in other scriptures is referred to as the remnant, the few, the little flock etc. The few (children of God) that find it suggests that they were searching for it.
The wide gate and broad way that leads to destruction, are those children of God who are holding on to the old law of works that leads them to destruction (preaching and teaching false doctrines). Romans 10:1-3 is an example of this practice.
I believe the scriptures to teach that there are far more that have inherited eternal heaven, than there are that are going to hell.
According to 1 Cor 2:14, the un-regenerant person has no spiritual faith. but the regenerated person according to Eph 2:1-5, and Gal 5:22 has been given spiritual faith by the sovereign grace of God. Spiritual faith being a fruit of the Holy Spirit which indwells those quickened to a spiritual life.
Salvation is a deliverance.
Our faith applied to getting eternal salvation (deliverance) cannot save (deliver) us eternally, but our spiritual faith, as a work, can deliver us from many things, as we sojourn here on earth. As an example; When we have a bad ailment and pray to God that he would heal us from that ailment, and he does, we have just been delivered (saved) from the consequences of that ailment.
The un-regenerant person as described in 1 Cor 2:14, will never seek a spiritual God for eternal deliverance, nor will he pray to a spiritual God for healing.
The un-regenerant person has no spiritual faith whatsoever.(1 Cor 2:14). He has no righteousness at all. His righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa 64:6). The only persons that will believe upon Jesus are those that have been quickened to a spiritual life, by God's sovereign grace. (Eph 2:1-5).
We don’t necessarily need deliverance from problems and inconveniences on Earth because Jesus made it a foregone conclusion that tribulation will come. That’s my experience anyway. I’m sure some people have been sheltered, but not me; thus confirming John 16:33 to be true from my perspective.
John 16:33
33These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
That’s why I am inclined to believe the salvation is more likely to deal with eternal salvation of the soul, spirit, and body in the resurrection.
However, I absolutely agree with you in the sense that God can optionally save us from problems on Earth. I just don’t see where that’s a guarantee.
Let's look at the command given us, "Believe in Jesus." The subject of a command is "you.' and of the object the command is to "believe in Jesus." So when one obeys the command, he has faith, in the gift of salvation, which is not of ourselves.
Eph 2:8=10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
^the bolded colored text show what "that" and "it" is
Scripture states otherwise.
"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17
I sense there are a few here that are of the "Reformed" Calvinist persuasion who support that saving faith/belief is a gift.
I think the grammar in Ephesians makes it clear it is not the gift.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Faith is feminine and "that" is neuter so it is not referring to the feminine faith.
Anyway I have read a portion of this thread, you are a set in your ways so carry on.
I cannot for one second support that God chooses randomly to bequeath "belief" on some and not others, antithetical to the God of scripture who would have all come to salvation.
I am not Calvinist. I am Bible-ist.
That's how I know and others here know when we encounter those who are not.
They toss out that C word because they're not familiar with the B word.