Not By Works

Let me give you an example from my own life. I have a powerful testimony of when I was saved. Even after this powerful salvation, confusion came when I joined a Christian discussion group and there were some people who took extra interest in me and started to convince me about Calvinism being truth. I just couldn't make any sense about what they said. I was so confused, but when I finally understood it, I thought it was God was opening my eyes to His truth. I wanted to learn more about it though and make sure, since I had been in false denominations before. I wanted to know the truth so bad that I hardly ate and sleep for the next couple of weeks while I studied; I even thought about it in my sleep. That's how important it was to me. I finally could see that Calvinism was false. But what would have been horrible is if I kept those false beliefs that I felt when I first 'got it'.
What I am trying to say is that just because you 'got it' concerning the faith alone doctrine, it doesn't mean it is the true light. KWIM?

Are you kidding? Read what Paul is boasting about:

2 Corinthians 1:12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God's grace.

Did you read that?
Paul says this is our boast: the way they conducted themselves.

Read this scripture:

2 Corinthians 7:14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.

What is Paul boasting in? He is boasting in the conduct of another person!

Obey what? Obey the gospel by choosing to believe the gospel. (Romans 1:16) *Not to be confused with multiple acts of obedience/works which follow believing the gospel and becoming saved. In Romans 10:16, we read - But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” Choosing to believe the gospel by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) is the act of obedience that saves.

…unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven; Matthew 5:32.

What righteousness is that? Romans 4:5 - But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. Philippians 3:9 - and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven; Matthew 18:3.

Here we see how Jesus characterized conversion. It pictures faith as the simple, helpless, trusting, dependence of those who have no resources or achievements of their own to offer or commend themselves with.

We are to have the same type of faith that little children exhibit. The most trusting people in the world are children. Children have not acquired the obstructions to faith that often come with advanced education and exposure to the philosophies of men. Christ calls us to have the same kind of trust that little children naturally have. People must become as little children in humbly recognizing their helplessness in attaining the kingdom by their own merits and realize they are 100% dependent on Jesus Christ for salvation.

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven

In regards to Matthew 7:21-23, I'll never forget, prior to my conversion several years ago, while still attending the Roman Catholic church, I read Matthew 7:22 and thought to myself, wow! These many people accomplished all of that, "prophesied in His name, cast out demons, and did many wonderful works" but that still was not "good enough?" Then I thought to myself at that time, how am I going to "top that" and be "good enough?" Such is the mindset of someone who believes that salvation is by works.

Matthew 7:21 - Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

John 6:40 - For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

These many people (unbelievers) in Matthew 7:22 had the wrong foundation. They were trusting in their works to save them and NOT IN CHRIST ALONE. Sound familiar? Jesus NEVER knew them which means they were NEVER saved. Their hearts were not right with God, so their attempted external obedience was stained with sin. *Seeking salvation by works is not the will of the Father.

John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. The term "know" implies intimate, experiential knowledge, through a relationship with Him, not merely theoretical knowledge. These many people were not true converts.

Without faith it's impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) no matter how many alleged wonderful works that these many people set out to conjure up through the flesh in a vain effort to obtain eternal life.

You miss the whole point of the gspel

We OBEY BECAUSE we have been saved.

We are SAVED because we CAN”T obey

You keep putting the cart before the horse.

If its not hrd to do what God told us to do. We would have obeyed God and jesus could have stayed in heaven instead of enduring the cross.

Yes, it is all about you!

What happens if a Christian dies with unconfessed sin?

Do you believe a Christian can lose salvation? If so, how many unconfessed sins can a Christian have before they lose salvation?

Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world

Will you consider something carefully I want to say to you about what you so nicely explained to me here? Please listen carefully...

Many people here are saying it. Most say it is the way to get saved, and how obeying has nothing ever to do with our salvation after believing. Some even say that our believing didn't have anything to do with our getting saved (Calvinism). So please stop saying nobody is saying don't obey God. You are saying to believe and do not do anything else and that that is obeying.

Faith without right action IS EMPTY no matter how strong and wonderful faith is. We are not saved by just faith and then a wait and see if that faith was a live saving faith if the person obeys later. I have actually had people argue that to me---they say, "faith alone to get saved and then after they are saved they will start to obey". Then I say what if they don't start obeying? The person said to me, "Then their faith was not real."
Did you hear that? That means then faith alone IS dead and cannot save---just like James says.

See! That is what you are saying too, just like I said you do, even though you deny it.

We are not saved through faith in Christ in the first place unless you do something, like humble yourself and repent of a sin and called on Jesus.

Believe me, I understand exactly what you are saying. You explain your beliefs well! It's just that you need to really consider harder what I am saying.

Catholics don't believe in faith alone, or works that Jesus tells us. Jesus says to humble yourself and repent; not, baptize babies who can do no such thing.

I really do understand how hard it must be to think you finally see and have your eyes opened by God, but then have to give it up because it was false. I tell you though, the true light is better than that.
Let me give you an example from my own life. I have a powerful testimony of when I was saved. Even after this powerful salvation, confusion came when I joined a Christian discussion group and there were some people who took extra interest in me and started to convince me about Calvinism being truth. I just couldn't make any sense about what they said. I was so confused, but when I finally understood it, I thought it was God was opening my eyes to His truth. I wanted to learn more about it though and make sure, since I had been in false denominations before. I wanted to know the truth so bad that I hardly ate and sleep for the next couple of weeks while I studied; I even thought about it in my sleep. That's how important it was to me. I finally could see that Calvinism was false. But what would have been horrible is if I kept those false beliefs that I felt when I first 'got it'.
What I am trying to say is that just because you 'got it' concerning the faith alone doctrine, it doesn't mean it is the true light. KWIM?

And therefore you fell for a deceiving spirit, and failed to listen to the Holy Spirit. That may sound unkind, but telling people the TRUTH is IS MUCH KINDER than allowing them to continue in the LIE. You Studied on your OWN, right. You were not Discipled, am I right? That is the SUREST was to follow after a DECEIVING SPIRIT.


Ephesians 4:11-14 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

1 Timothy 4:1 (NIV)
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.


No wonder much of what you say, contradicts SCRIPTURE. You were NEVER Discipled, and you ignored the fact that you were to submit yourself to someone who was qualified to Disciple you.


Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Acts 14:21 (YLT)
21 Having proclaimed good news also to that city, and having discipled many, they turned back to Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch,

Three questions:

1. Is salvation a gift?

2. Is grace unmerited?

3. How many sins have yet to be atoned/paid for?


Answers:

1. Yes (Romans 4:4-6, 5:12-17, 6:23, John 4:10, 2 Corinthians 9:15, Ephesians 2:8-9, 3:7, 4:7-8, Acts 2:38)

2. Yes (2 Timothy 1:9, Romans 3:28, 11:5-6, John 3:16, 5:24, 6:28-29, 47, Galatians 3:8, 26)

3. ZERO (Romans 6:10, 1 John 1:7, 29, 2:2, Colossians 1:20, 22 2:13, Hebrews 10:14)

Case closed.

What happens if a Christian dies with unconfessed sin?

Do you believe a Christian can lose salvation? If so, how many unconfessed sins can a Christian have before they lose salvation?

Hey there. I want to apologize for being hard on you.

Anyhow: You are right that just because you "got it" doesnt mean its true. We can all be dilligent in seeking the truth.

Atleast your heart is in the right place, if you hardly ate and slept due to reading up on the Scriptures! While we may disagree i respect that kind of an approach!

No such thing as unmerited gift in the Bible.

God gives the gift to whomever He wants to give it, and He says he gives it to those who obey Him.

As for our sins being atoned/paid for--- No sin is paid for you personally until you repent of it.

No such thing as unmerited gift in the Bible.

God gives the gift to whomever He wants to give it, and He says he gives it to those who obey Him.

As for our sins being atoned/paid for--- No sin is paid for you personally until you repent of it.

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hub and I were definitely not in correct 'obedience' at the time of our calling' - we were to ignorant...

you first.

which sins have you given up? what day and time?

Believing is like drinking his blood. We have to do more than just believe. Obeying is like eating his flesh. After we drink his blood and eat his flesh, he gives us pure water to drink, the Holy Spirit.