LadyC:
Thank you for your question. You write:
"ok, i'm not dr. luke, but...when one "gives their life to Christ", one has repented and submitted his life to the direction of the Lord... have committed themselves to serving the Lord. jimwhalen, what is your definition of salvation? your response to dr. luke has me thoroughly confused regarding where you stand."
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I would respond that it is not relevant what "my stand"(opinion) is, nor what my defintion of salvation is. We need to be "Bereans" and "search the scriptures"(Acts 17:11) to obtain the truth on these life and death issues. I will "reason out of the scriptures"(Acts 17:2) and summarize my previous post. Do not "take my word for it"-be "Noble"(Acts 17:11)" and see if these things "were so"(Acts 17:11).
To be saved(scripturally, to be delivered from the penalty, power, and presence of sin-justification, sanctification, glorification) the just penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from the LORD God("death"-Romans 6:23), you must know and acknowledge this truth: There is one thing that the LORD God, the Judge of all and the Jury of all expects from us. He expects us to stop saying things in your own
defense. It is not sin that ultimately keeps men from the presence of the
LORD and eternal life. The sin issue was settled by the death, burial, and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ("the gospel"-1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
nearly 2000 years ago. It is the sin of unbelief of this gospel, the root
of this unbelief being pride, that shuts out heaven.
The LORD in His infinite love for you has made full provision for the sin
problem. He paid for it in full(John 19:30). But He has made no provision
for a self righteous attitude, whether that attitude comes in the form of "works-based" attempts to secure divine acceptance, some "up-front" prepayment plan such as "First commit you life to Christ"/"Give your life to Christ"/"Make Jesus Lord of your life", or some "begging invitation" such as "Ask Jesus to come into your heart". Scripture only pleads with you, as an attorney
would advise an accused criminal: "It would be to your advantage to plead
guilty and throw yourself upon the mercy of the court. Keep defending
yourself and you will never be saved; but throw yourself upon the mercy
and grace of God and He will graciously, with open arms, both forgive and
justify you through the Lord Jesus Christ", as it is written:
" Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man
is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that
believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified
by the law of Moses". Acts 13:38,39
" Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin". Romans 3:20
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law". Romans 3:28
" But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness". Romans 4:5
" 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". Galatians 2:16
" I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the
law, then Christ is dead in vain". Galatians 2:21.
Regarding God's purpose concerning human beings(notice "beings', not
"doings"): God is not making angels of human beings. God can create in holiness and sustain in holiness millions of angels, and He has done so(Psalms 68:17,
Deuteronomy 33:2, Daniel 7:10, Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 5:11)- creatures
who have never sinned. He calls them His "holy angels"(Mt. 25:31,Mark
8:38, Luke 9:26, Revelation 14:10), and His "mighty angels"(2 Thessalonians
1:7). But God never speaks of grace in connection with angels. Grace is a
loving pardon and favor shown to lost, guilty, law-breakers, wretches and
helpless criminals. Grace can never be anything else.
The reason most will miss heaven is that they want to be angels instead
of saved sinners(as the Roman Catholic Church teaches them). God has already declared this race("in Adam"-1 Corinthians 15:22) to be lost("guilty"-Romans 3:19), and that all are sinners(no exceptions-Romans 3:23); that there "is no
difference"((Romans3:22), that there "is none that are righteous"(Romans
3:10), but He has purposes of grace toward us, i.e., although utterly
undeserving of any favor from Him and being guilty, yet He will freely
pardon, justify, and give eternal life to any member of this lost race who
is willing to be made the object of His charity as an utter beggar and
criminal.
For God desires to display His own attributes of grace-His ability and
nature to forgive offenses, pardon insults, pity misery, cleanse impurity,
save sinners, redeem outcasts, crown beggars, glorify wretches, bestow
blessing where cursing and wrath would be the necessary, deserved, and the
expected outcome!
However, men rebel at this treatment-scripture calls this "...the way of
Cain...."(Jude 11)- the modern term for this is "religion"-man presenting
his works as his basis for his acceptance with God. They refuse charity,
forgiveness, mercy, and grace because, although sinners, they wish to go to
heaven as angels. Man's pride resists admission that they are fallen,
degraded, guilty, filthy, rag-covered, lost, and wretched. Man refuses to
admit that the human race is a ruined race-irreparably, un retrievably
ruined, and under judgement; exposed to the wrath of God, "...by nature the
children of wrath...."(Ephesians 2:3); and travelling to doom. And unless
by absolute sovereign, divine intervention, no one would be saved.
The gospel of the grace of God is the end of religion-the final posting
of the "closed" sign on the "sweatshop" of the human races' never ending
struggle to think well of itself(pride). For that, at bottom, is what
religion is: man's(often well intentioned) dim-witted attempt to approve
of his unapprovable condition by doing odd jobs he thinks "some important
Something"("THE UNKNOWN GOD"-Acts 17:23) will thank him for, such as "giving your life to Christ", for example. Religion is thus a loser- a strictly fallen activity. Religion has a failed past and a bankrupt future. There was no religion in Eden and there won't be any in heaven. And in the meantime, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day(1 Cor. 15:1-4-the "good news") is telling you to believe this "gospel", and is telling you to "knock it off right now"("...every mouth be stopped...."-Romans 3:19).
I will now present the gospel that saves, "...for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...(Romans 1:16), and "... it is hid to them that are lost...."(2 Cor. 4:3):
" Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures..." 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
The question is, will you present the sacrifice of a sincere effort to be
moral and religious("make a commitment", just as Cain did), or accept the God-provided sacrifice for all sin in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Abel did? Will you notice that the LORD said "...when I see the blood...."(Exodus 12:13),
and not "...when I see your behavior, or good works, or your "commitment"?
Scripture's constant unifying theme is that regeneration, and the whole
transforming work of redemption, are accomplished solely on the ground of
the sacrificial blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and his
resurrection 3 days later; and if these statements of scripture are
rejected, whether that rejection come from the pope, a priest, a nun, a
minister, a "reverend", a pastor, a bishop, an elder, a so-called "biblical
expert", a "theologian", a "professor", a "philosopher", or extra-biblical
authority(for example, the "Book of Mormon", the Watch Tower Society of the
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Catholic Catechism............), the discussion
can never be one of interpretation of the scriptures, but it becomes a
question of the authority of the testimony of the scriptures.
Gospel Cliches-Confusing Salvation with Service:
"Give your heart and life to Christ"
"Surrender your life to Christ"
Salvation is a free gift offered to everyone who believes the gospel of 1 Cor, 15:1-4(Romans 6:23, Eph. 2:8-9). In Romans 4:4-5 God clearly declares that faith, and faith alone, is His requirement for justification in His sight. Over 150 verses state that salvation from the debt and penalty of sin is the sole issue of placing one's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.
Giving one's life, heart("commitment") is not what faith in Christ is about. Salvation has nothing to do with "giving" God anything! Salvation is not my gift to God. Rather, it is the issue of receiving a gift from God. The issue in salvation is not what we give to Him, but what He gives to us-eternal life. The issue is not giving your life to Christ-it is Christ giving up His life as an atoning sacrifice for you. Salvation has nothing to do with "giving up your life", "surrendering your life".........-It was the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up His life and made full surrender when he yielded His life at Calvary. Again, when a lost person is told to "surrender his life, give his life to Jesus, commit his life to Jesus.........", this wrongly presumes that a person has something worthy to give(whether that is time, money, service......), and confuses SERVICE with SALVATION. It requires a "commitment" to serve Christ "up front" before salvation, and it presents a work-based performance system as a basis for acceptance by God.
Phrases such as "Give your heart to Jesus" may sound very romantic, but we are not saved by "falling in love with Jesus"-we are saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ's finished work at Calvary and His resurrection 3 days later. Giving one's heart, life(commitment) is an activity of service to the Lord, and and, as such, service and dedication is something the LORD appeals to believers to do(Romans 12:1-2, for eg.). But this is service from those who have become his own. The biblical order is Sonship, then service. Service, then sonship is a work-based performance system, as typified by the Roman Catholic Church, and "perverts the gospel of Christ"(Gal. 1:7).
I would askagain anyone that believes that I must make "commitment to follow Him" as a reqirement for justification:
How much commitment? 40%? 50%? 89%?
"...Speaking the truth in love..."(Eph. 4:15)
John M. halen
