Not By Works

That last sentence...

I can relate to that.

Hi, the Holy Spirit seals Jesus' disciples with God's Law (Ephesians 4:30; Isaiah 8:16). Now, many Christians want this seal to refer to some kind of unbreakable bond that binds us to God in order to advance the OSAS idea...a kind of ligature that a kidnapper would use to rob us of our freedom.

However, in Scripture, the words "seal" and "sign" are synonymous (Romans 4:11), which means the function of the Biblical seal is not to deprive us of our freedom of choice, but to serve as an identifier of those who belong to God in the midst of a sinful world - a "mark" if you will that shows we worship not the Beast, but God.

That's why Jesus said people would know us by our good fruit - obedience. But, those who turn their back on God's word after "they have escaped the pollutions of this world" will be lost...likewise, Scripture says "if they (those who partake of the Holy Ghost) should fall away" it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance."

The problem with OSAS is that it teaches works are optional. My mom's OSAS uncle Oscar and my dad were drinking beer and smoking cigs one night in a bar years and years ago when he tells my dad, "If we both died right now, I'D go to heaven and YOU'D go to hell", and my dad was incredulous. "What the (expletive) do you mean? We're both DOING the same thing!"
What a bold, presumptuous, asinine belief, but this is the kind of insanity to which OSAS leads. No backslider who dies in his backsliden state is going to heaven.


And what does the child of God do?

Dead faith is a faith that produces zero works, and when OSAS says a saved person can turn from following Jesus back to the old life of sin and still go to heaven, it is essentially saying a man who produces no outward evidence of having saving faith will be saved regardless.
A husband may claim to love his wife, but if he cheats on her routinely, do his works evidence this? Likewise, if Jesus is enthroned in our heart, the works which He accomplishes in us and for us will demonstrate that love. This is what it means to be in a Biblical saving relationship.

all good migo

False presumption....not for salvation....and the saved have works of every flavor...some good....some bad....salvation is a gift not dependant upon works.....

Not "my" but "Bible" theology. James says faith without works is dead. OSAS says faith without works is alive and well and carrying countless Christians to heaven - which is Biblical?
Two things:
1) Since when does consensus determine what is true?
2) While I appreciate your enthusiasm, your posts are a long list of disconnected ideas strung together with cords of confusion...try shortening them a bit, maybe?
Yes, a person called according to grace will evidence that he has accepted that call by a life of "good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." OSAS says obedience is optional. This Seal is not spoken in the sense of something which prevents escape, like so many prisoners on a chain gang....."seal" and "sign" are synonymous in Scripture (Romans 4:11) and the function of the seal is as an "identifier" of who is serving God and who is serving the enemy. Not the least bit of support for OSAS anywhere in this text. Again, it means God places His "mark" on us, just as in the case of Ezekiel 8. Got nothin to do with cords of restraint. Restraint from sin is something that we choose to exercise by His indwelling Spirit and power. "Not my will, but Thy will" is our Divine example and our plea to God for overcoming strength.
Yes, "but he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved." Not sure what's the hard part here. If "he" - the born again, grace saved saint - fails to endure to the end, that uncorrupted inheritance won't profit him one iota. Again, it is through faith - LIVING FAITH - that we can claim the promises of God, such as His protection. The dead faith of OSAS is powerless to claim anything but presumptuous boasting by those who fancy themselves "more than conquerors" while getting their butts handed to them by Satan whenever he comes around dangling his temptations.
So, the fact that God does not revoke his gift means we can't cast it aside after having first accepted it? A saint can't trade eternal life for "the pleasures of sin for a season"? When Peter says "If after having escaped the pollutions of this world..." he is referring to SANITIZED SAINTS who chose a fate that is worse than before they got sainthood. Predictably, verse 10 is left out because it so completely exposes OSAS as being loosely based on wrongly divided Scripture...verse 10 shows that the unavoidable consequence of accepting grace through faith is obedience - the cease and desist from doing that which made necessary the death of Jesus on the Cross in the first place. Surely, we can agree that we do not want to "crucify the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame"?

"...have not been written" is in the past tense and that's why I don't rely on translations that are based on that filthy Alexandrian Greek Critical Text NT, and instead stick with the Textus Receptus of the Protestant Reformation for the most part.
The KJV says "...whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" which is present tense. Means they are not written at that present time that they are worshiping the Beast...and why? God Himself tells you:

The saved have works of every flavor, some good, and some bad? I thought Jesus said a good tree can't bring forth bad fruit, right or wrong?

Well done.

Reading the entire letter, we see the works James is talking about:

"26If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." - James 1:26-27

14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." - James 2:14-17

James says the person who does not have those works--actionable love for others, and doing right--has a faith that is dead, which he says can not save. You say he's not talking about being saved in regard to salvation. But John shows us this matter of loving a brother or sister and doing right, is very much a matter of faith in salvation. He says the person who does not have those works is not a child of God:

"10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister." - 1 John 3:10

The person who does not have the works James is talking about is not a child of God.

What is it about the free gift being revoked in Matthew 18:21-35 that you do not understand?

Continuing to believe is not working to earn salvation.
I'm not aware of a scripture that says 'believing' is among the works that constitute the works gospel.
Are you aware of one?

God's grace is indeed a get out of jail free card.
But that card comes with responsibilities, just like any guilty person released by a Judge.
The idea is that person is being released to then live a right life.
His release is not a license for him to be able to go back to his crimes with impunity.
But osas says that's what God's forgiveness does for us.

Focused on living for god. God-like in word and deed.

The Bible defines 'faith' as the surety that something you can't see really is true.
God gives us this ability--this faith--to know the gospel we can't see really is true.
We have the choice to accept or reject what God has shown us to be true.
Our responsibility is to not walk away and reject what God has shown us is true but to embrace it and retain it in our hearts to the very end.

If your faith is failing or weak, go back to the One who authored it. He'll charge you back up.

Have you read Galatians 3 lately?
Justification/salvation has always come through faith in God's promise of a Son who would inherit the blessing on our behalf. The law was not a new way to be justified that replaced the covenant of faith established with Abraham. The Jews are the ones who erroneously made the law a replacement for the covenant previously established (see Romans 9:32). Paul sets that error straight in Galatians 3.

The gospel unto salvation is specifically how Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day. To make it anything else is a false gospel.

If you’re comparing the future hope of a Messiah, which the d,b,r was hidden, then that would be another gospel. There’s only one gospel unto salvation and that was hidden until after the resurrection.

Those OT saints had to walk in the ordinances of the law to have their sins forgiven, if they did not obey, they were cut off and died in their iniquity. They lived by their own faith. The NT believer lives by the faith of Christ.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Verse 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

You seem to paint all OSAS believers with a broad brush based on one or two bad examples. Faith in Christ is the root of salvation and works are the fruit. No fruit at all would demonstrate there is no root.

You need to realize that there may be people who believe they are saved, but are deceived. You may have people who went forward years ago during an altar call at church for example, got emotional while reciting the sinners prayer, yet did not truly repent and believe the gospel, but were duped into believing they were saved anyway, simply because they 'recited' the sinner's prayer (as if it's a magical formula to automatically save those who merely recite those words) in spite of the fact that they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Such people may live the rest of their lives living like the devil, yet say to themselves in the back of their minds, "I'm saved and will always be saved simply because I recited a prayer at church years ago." That is insanity!

I've heard numerous works-salvationists make this statement and what such people consider to be a backslidden state seems to vary from slight to extreme. ALL false religions and cults strongly oppose OSAS and teach salvation by works, including Roman Catholics, Mormons, SDA's etc.. yet 'claim' to be Christian. I see that as insanity! Those in the NOSAS camp are generally quick to unfairly label those in the OSAS camp as promoting a 'license to sin.'



1 John 2:3 - By this we know that we have come to know Him, (already know Him/already saved/demonstrative evidence) if we "keep" (Greek word "tereo" - guard, observe, watch over) His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep (guard, observe, watch over) His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1 John 3:9 - No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.