Our God has such tender love for us. Let go and embrace God’s grace.
Not By Works
- Thread starter dcontroversal
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Our God has such tender love for us. Let go and embrace God’s grace.
E
eternally-gratefull
Guest
People do it all the time,
the question I would ask is how can a person be born again, have the i dwelling Holy Spirit, and never change to the new creature they claim to be, or still try to earn the salvation God supposedly gave them and have lack of faith God will keep his word? Proven by the fact they continue to think obedience is what will in the end determin their salvation?
I can say a sinners prayer, it does not mean I repented at all
Insecurity and struggle with trust may make someone think they need to earn God’s approval. God knows the heart of each individual.
E
eternally-gratefull
Guest
Yes believers can at times become legalistic in there thinking but I am not talking about them
I am talking about those who come to a church. End up saying a sinners prayer and profess faith. Then soon they disappear. And when you see them find out they do not even believe in Jesus. They tried but they just did nit really see any truth.
As John said. They went out from us but they were never if us..,
Then you have those that think salvation is not by faith alone. Their faith is in their work
they have a belief. But they have no foundation of faith in how truly sinful and deserving of judgement they are more do that have true living faith in God completed work. Or that would not try to add their works to his for salvation. They are those who think they begin in the spirit but Must perfect in the flesh. Paul calls them fools
E
eternally-gratefull
Guest
And by the way yes. I am not sure we can truly know if anyone is truly saved or not. But God knows. And that’s all that matters
The distance between true and false faith is basically the difference from the brain to the heart. We must believe from the heart. Adherance to a creed is not faith.
Also, any faith and confession that does not result in the new birth cannot save. We must be born again. We must be born of God.
It is possible to trust in our faith, in our sinner’s prayer, in saying the right words, in having the right creed, in doing the right things, in other words, to trust in something that we do, instead of trusting Christ.
Even putting our faith in our faith can replace faith in Christ. Salvation is not obtained by following a formula. It is a miraculous thing.
It is a very subtle deception that the adversary uses.
I think if someone puts their faith in their faith than it follows that he/she must have faith in something. It may be faith in Christ. It could be faith in self. Or faith in something else. I believe that if someone truly has faith that faith must have an object in which their faith is.
I can see your point that one may put their faith in what words are spoken in a sinners prayer. This is very much a possibly that someone may believe that way.
Also sometimes OCD will manifest itself in the form of rituals such as trying to pray the right words or saying a prayer the “ right way” This form of OCD is know as Scrupulosity or religious OCD. There can also be other rituals that one may do to alleviate one’s anxiety. Often times one will logically know that it doesn’t make sense what the obsession is but feel compelled to do rituals to feel better. It can be a very frustrating cycle.
E
eternally-gratefull
Guest
Amen
If I have true living faith in Christ. Then the object of my faith is Christ. If I believe we are saved by grace through faith. I am not trusting my faith to save me. I am trusting the object if
My faith to save me
Romans 10:9
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
1 Peter 1:23
for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
It is not up to me to decide what is in an individual's heart. One, according to the above scripture, is born again, saved if they confess and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ as their savior.
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
1 Peter 1:23
for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
It is not up to me to decide what is in an individual's heart. One, according to the above scripture, is born again, saved if they confess and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ as their savior.
A sinner saved by grace is saved according to scripture. Faith is how Abraham pleased God. Faith is the guiding light IMO and that faith grows from a babe in Christ to maturity along the way. Or some people may stay a babe in Christ. As for living the Way, even though we are saved we are going to slip and fall along the way. So there again, that saving grace is what covers us and keeps us God's child.
Correct. It is the object of our faith that is important
It becomes uncomplicated when the Gospel is clearly and powerfully, ( power of the Spirit) is proclaimed and it touches the heart.
Preaching Jesus crucified and risen is what produces simple and powerful faith.
If it’s a mere exercise, it becomes complicated.
Yes, people have faith in many things, but only one faith can save. Only faih in Jesus and what He has done.
Only God and maybe that person knows if that person believed from the heart. It says you must believe in your HEART.
A person can join a church, publically profess Christ, have the right creed, pray the “right” words, etc without ever believing from the heart.
I have slipped and fallen many times, but never has God forsaken me.