Not By Works

@Phoneman-777 many OSAS believers have surrendered to Jesus.

what are your thoughts on John, in his same letter, said that the commands are to " believe on the name of the Son and love another"

i have pointed this out to you several times, and other than trying to make James contradict John, you never addressed it.

No. Scriptures says natural man is DEAD in trespasses and sins (Eph.2:1,5). Dead. They are not somehow "alive" "to God's voice calling them to repentance". That's your making. A dead man has no abilities.
Got scripture for that? Would you not see a difference between a natural man and a spiritual man?
Satan may have this, for a reason. However what he has can not make him just before God. Same thing with natural man. That's why God quickens him so that he may get right with Him. In and by himself natural man lacks that ability.
Eh? That's your mere opinion then but it leaves much to ask. Calvinism is not saying "only in our organization or cult can you can be saved" or similar. It actually gives due honor to the One who is the author of salvation.

The "exclusivist" insinuation (which you hitherto has not backed up with any sources) is really not adding much to a serious discussion. I hope you do not belong to those who tell other people (who differ from you in beliefs) what they believe rather than to first ask them or read up on what they believe.

As far as I am concerned, Surrendering to JESUS as LORD is a Prerequisite to being BORN AGAIN.

Most of who claim OSAS BELIEVERS are literally Born Again believers. MOST of us have SURRENDERED to CHRIST as LORD of our LIVES. YET again you spew lies about our BELIEFS. VERY FEW OSAS are anywhere's close being mondern day Pharisees. Pharisees only believe in the HEAD, while most of us UNDERSTAND it has to be in OUR HEARTS (coequals to the Human Spirit), or it equals NON-SAVED. You really have Fallen for a BIG BUNCH OF HOGWASH about our Beliefs, haven't you ? ? ?

7,500 pages and 150,000 posts in this thread and it's still the same story.

the scripture says it is by grace through faith, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
the accuser says anyone who believes this is teaching, encouraging & practicing sin.



isn't it a bit ironic that you call me a 'hermeneutical mess' while you yourself insert some imaginary 'false prophet' into the parable that is not in the text at all?
show me the verse describing the fantasy person who told these make-believe things to the wicked servant . . ?

here you are adding imaginary characters to scripture, purely fictional targets for the animosity that dwells in your heart, yet at the same time you go around saying you're the one 'reasoning from scripture instead of human ideas'

remarkable

people who get all their information about our faith from those who despise our faith do not gain a right understanding of our faith.
it only makes matters worse when they won't listen to people who actually believe God is faithful to preserve them.

imagine we go to an Buddhist forum and tell all of them what they believe, berating them for all kinds of things that none of them actually believe or practice, not listening to anything they tell you trying to correct your wrong thinking. what would we look like to them? like a fool, right?

imagine a Muslim comes here to visit, and tells us what we believe, attacking it non-stop without listening to anyone correcting his errors, misrepresentations and bad information. what would we think of him? and what would we do -- would we just return fire with a lot of our own mistaken misrepresentations of Islam?

you confessed that you can do nothing of yourself.

• where'd you get choice if you can do nothing of yourself?
• how are you exercising something if you can do nothing of yourself?
• how do you surrender if you can do nothing of yourself?
• how is it you can trust if you can do nothing of yourself?
• where did you get will when you can do nothing of yourself?
• where did you get freedom if you can do nothing of yourself?

you said a bunch of stuff that you do; your will, your choice, your exercise.
but scripture says it is not of human will, desire or effort, but of God who has mercy.

did you look in the mirror this morning and forget that you can do nothing of yourself?
you can do nothing of yourself.

here's my super-profound revelatory thought for you:

1 John 2:3 comes after 1 John 2:1

1 John 2:1-2

a. All Jews who believe the Gospel are saved the same as Gentiles who believe the Gospel.

b. I believe that scripture teaches that God will spiritually revive Israel the nation.

It seems to me that the Elect are changed so that they do not want to walk away from God. Phil. 2:13.

At the core of the concept of “Surrender” is “cease to govern one’s self by one’s own laws and submit to be laws of the conqueror.”

“He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments is a liar...”

Some people claim they trust God, But by their words show they have no faith in God at all..

and i point this out again- same man, same letter- " and this is His command, to believe in the name of the Son and love one another".

can't just cherry pick verses and present them as stand alone.

Amen - and they evidence that surrender by keeping the law of God

Psalm 103 NIV
103 1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

We do not have to "perform" for God's love. We are his creation. He is Love.

Psalm 103:1