THE EXHORTATION THREAD (For Christians Who Love Jesus)

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

3 minutes ago, Christine said:

Hello there,

Having come into this thread at such a late date, I decided to go back to the first post, and take up what was intended by the one who began it. I see that this thread is intended to be an encouragement. So I would like to quote a passage of Scripture which is an exhortation to walk worthy:-

‘I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you 
that you walk worthy of the calling with which you are called,
with all lowliness and meekness, 
with long-suffering, 
forbearing one another in love,
endeavoring to keep 
the unity of the Spirit 
in the bond of peace.
There is:- 
one body and 
  one Spirit, even as you are called in 
    one hope of your calling,
      one Lord, 
        one faith, 
          one baptism,
            one God and Father of all, 
Who is above all 
  and through all 
    and in you all.
But to every one of us is given grace 
according to the measure of the gift of Christ.’
(Ephesians 4:1-7 ) 

Praise His Holy Name!

In Christ Jesus
Chris
 

 

Amen. And thank you for your post. 

I feel it's important to add as a reminder to anyone who may be tempted to interpret or use these verses in a way that God did not mean or intend, that the unity of the Spirit is unity in truth, according to the knowledge of God and the truth of His word, and not unity in error, or being unequally yoked with unbelievers, or unity based on something other than the will of the Lord, likeness of mind with Him, and correct doctrine.

Apostasy is not the unity of the Spirit, nor is compromising God's fundamental and indisputable truths and teachings ever acceptable to achieve "unity" with those who reject them. Let us be sure that it is indeed the unity of the Spirit that we are endeavoring to attain and to keep, and not some other unholy kind.

 

...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, 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.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:13-16)

 

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother in law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household." (Matthew 10:34-36)

 

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26)

 

[Heleadethme]

22 minutes ago, LightShinesInTheDarkness said:

Amen. And thank you for your post. 

I feel it's important to add as a reminder to anyone who may be tempted to interpret or use these verses in a way that God did not mean or intend, that the unity of the Spirit is unity in truth, according to the knowledge of God and the truth of His word, and not unity in error, or being unequally yoked with unbelievers, or unity based on something other than the will of the Lord, likeness of mind with Him, and correct doctrine.

Apostasy is not the unity of the Spirit, nor is compromising God's fundamental and indisputable truths and teachings ever acceptable to achieve "unity" with those who reject them. Let us be sure that it is indeed the unity of the Spirit that we are endeavoring to attain and to keep, and not some other unholy kind.

 

...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, 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.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:13-16)

 

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother in law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household." (Matthew 10:34-36)

 

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26)

 

Amen sister, my thoughts also.  And it is written, there is a time for peace and a time for war.

[Heleadethme]

20 minutes ago, Davida said:

Lol! If your statement is based up0n the word of God it should be easy for you to show that with Scripture-- but you cannot. Instead you are just making excuses, because the Bible does not say what you are preaching.  You are the one that made the claim so the onus is upon you to back it up with scripture.  I get my understanding from the word of God - not from false teachers.

"Works done/required to stay saved after being saved? Yes. "    <<<< FALSE TEACHING
 

The bible says that we are to ADD TO OUR FAITH.  It is not false, but true.  2 Peter 1:5 is just one of the many scriptures you are asking for.

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

2 hours ago, Davida said:

Lol! If your statement is based up0n the word of God it should be easy for you to show that with Scripture-- but you cannot. Instead you are just making excuses, because the Bible does not say what you are preaching.  You are the one that made the claim so the onus is upon you to back it up with scripture.  I get my understanding from the word of God - not from false teachers.

"Works done/required to stay saved after being saved? Yes. "    <<<< FALSE TEACHING
 

I maintain what I said in my previous response to you, which was true and sufficient.

You also accused me of being an antisemitic Satan-spawn on another thread---or something to that effect---if I recall correctly. Now I am a "false teacher" as well. Fortunately, the Lord knows the truth about me, and I am content to wait to see all things brought to light and set right on the Day of Judgment.

As I have mentioned previously on this thread, I'm not a teacher of doctrine, but I do share, by the will of the Lord and with His permission, what He has taught me for the potential benefit of others. 

 

From the word of God:

 

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31 ESV)

 

or if you prefer

 

Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice... (Ephesians 4:31 KJV)

[Heleadethme]

3 minutes ago, Davida said:

Though many in the world hold to the wrong view point that "Salvation" must be earned by Works - this is not what the Bible teaches.

https://www.gotquestions.org/salvation-by-works.html

Why is salvation by works the predominantly held viewpoint?

Question: "Why is salvation by works the predominantly held viewpoint? Why do so many people believe that we can be saved by works?"

Answer: The simple answer is that salvation by works seems right in the eyes of man. One of man’s basic desires is to be in control of his own destiny, and that includes his eternal destiny. Salvation by works appeals to man’s pride and his desire to be in control. Being saved by works appeals to that desire far more than the idea of being saved by faith alone. Also, man has an inherent sense of justice. Even the most ardent atheist believes in some type of justice and has a sense of right and wrong, even if he has no moral basis for making such judgments. Our inherent sense of right and wrong demands that if we are to be saved, our “good works” must outweigh our “bad works.” Therefore, it is natural that when man creates a religion it would involve some type of salvation by works.

Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature, it forms the basis of almost every religion except for biblical Christianity. Proverbs 14:12 tells us that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Salvation by works seems right to men, which is why it is the predominantly held viewpoint. That is exactly why biblical Christianity is so different from all other religions—it is the only religion that teaches salvation is a gift of God and not of works. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Another reason why salvation by works is the predominantly held viewpoint is that natural or unregenerate man does not fully understand the extent of his own sinfulness or of God’s holiness. Man’s heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), and God is infinitely holy (Isaiah 6:3). The deceit of our hearts is the very thing that colors our perception of the extent of that deceit and is what prevents us from seeing our true state before a God whose holiness we are also unable to fully comprehend. But the truth remains that our sinfulness and God’s holiness combine to make our best efforts as “filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6; cf. 6:1–5).

The thought that man’s good works could ever balance out his bad works is a totally unbiblical concept. Not only that, but the Bible also teaches that God’s standard is nothing less than 100 percent perfection. If we stumble in keeping just one part of God’s righteous law, we are as guilty as if we had broken all of it (James 2:10). Therefore, there is no way we could ever be saved if salvation truly were dependent on works.

Another reason that salvation by works can creep into denominations that claim to be Christian or say they believe in the Bible is that they misunderstand passages like James 2:24: “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” Taken in the context of the entire passage (James 2:14–26), it becomes evident that James is not saying our works make us righteous before God; instead, he is making it clear that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in willful disobedience to Christ has a false or “dead” faith and is not saved. James is making a contrast between two different types of faith—truth faith that saves and false faith that is dead.

There are simply too many verses that teach that one is not saved by works for any Christian to believe otherwise. Titus 3:4–5 is one of many such passages: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Good works do not contribute to salvation, but they will always be characteristic of one who has been born again. Good works are not the cause of salvation; they are the evidence of it.

While salvation by works might be the predominantly held viewpoint, it is not an accurate one biblically. The Bible contains abundant evidence of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Recommended Resource: Faith Alone, The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught...and Why It Still Matters by Thomas Schreiner

 

Except that you are chasing the wrong people, no one here is saying that we are saved by works.  But that Jesus did say, no-one having put their hand to the plough, if they look back are fit for the kingdom of heaven.....so best we keep ploughing then.

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

5 minutes ago, Heleadethme said:

Amen sister, my thoughts also.  And it is written, there is a time for peace and a time for war.

...We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

[Heleadethme]

Just now, Davida said:

That Scripture says NOTHING about  doing works so you don't LOSE your salvation.  Salvation is a gift from God it is not earned by men , neither is SALVATION maintained by men's works, it is by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Oh sister........but we are to WORK out our salvation with fear and trembling.  And if it is HARD even for the righteous to be saved....and where Jesus talked about investing our talent (measure of faith).  Think on it prayerfully, because we need the help of the Helper to understand.

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

8 minutes ago, Davida said:

Though many in the world hold to the wrong view point that "Salvation" must be earned by Works - this is not what the Bible teaches.

https://www.gotquestions.org/salvation-by-works.html

Why is salvation by works the predominantly held viewpoint?

Question: "Why is salvation by works the predominantly held viewpoint? Why do so many people believe that we can be saved by works?"

Answer: The simple answer is that salvation by works seems right in the eyes of man. One of man’s basic desires is to be in control of his own destiny, and that includes his eternal destiny. Salvation by works appeals to man’s pride and his desire to be in control. Being saved by works appeals to that desire far more than the idea of being saved by faith alone. Also, man has an inherent sense of justice. Even the most ardent atheist believes in some type of justice and has a sense of right and wrong, even if he has no moral basis for making such judgments. Our inherent sense of right and wrong demands that if we are to be saved, our “good works” must outweigh our “bad works.” Therefore, it is natural that when man creates a religion it would involve some type of salvation by works.

Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature, it forms the basis of almost every religion except for biblical Christianity. Proverbs 14:12 tells us that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Salvation by works seems right to men, which is why it is the predominantly held viewpoint. That is exactly why biblical Christianity is so different from all other religions—it is the only religion that teaches salvation is a gift of God and not of works. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Another reason why salvation by works is the predominantly held viewpoint is that natural or unregenerate man does not fully understand the extent of his own sinfulness or of God’s holiness. Man’s heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), and God is infinitely holy (Isaiah 6:3). The deceit of our hearts is the very thing that colors our perception of the extent of that deceit and is what prevents us from seeing our true state before a God whose holiness we are also unable to fully comprehend. But the truth remains that our sinfulness and God’s holiness combine to make our best efforts as “filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6; cf. 6:1–5).

The thought that man’s good works could ever balance out his bad works is a totally unbiblical concept. Not only that, but the Bible also teaches that God’s standard is nothing less than 100 percent perfection. If we stumble in keeping just one part of God’s righteous law, we are as guilty as if we had broken all of it (James 2:10). Therefore, there is no way we could ever be saved if salvation truly were dependent on works.

Another reason that salvation by works can creep into denominations that claim to be Christian or say they believe in the Bible is that they misunderstand passages like James 2:24: “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” Taken in the context of the entire passage (James 2:14–26), it becomes evident that James is not saying our works make us righteous before God; instead, he is making it clear that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in willful disobedience to Christ has a false or “dead” faith and is not saved. James is making a contrast between two different types of faith—truth faith that saves and false faith that is dead.

There are simply too many verses that teach that one is not saved by works for any Christian to believe otherwise. Titus 3:4–5 is one of many such passages: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Good works do not contribute to salvation, but they will always be characteristic of one who has been born again. Good works are not the cause of salvation; they are the evidence of it.

While salvation by works might be the predominantly held viewpoint, it is not an accurate one biblically. The Bible contains abundant evidence of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Recommended Resource: Faith Alone, The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught...and Why It Still Matters by Thomas Schreiner

 

My post had nothing to do with works salvation. You just took a line out of it and used it as an excuse to post a "refutation" of something I have never claimed, because of your own misunderstanding of what I have said about this subject; which I maintain, because it is in fact correct doctrine and Scripturally sound, regardless of your or others' twisting and misunderstanding of it. 

 

[Heleadethme]

2 minutes ago, Davida said:

Lol! False teachings proliferate here and just because they get supported by praise by others,  just shows how it is spread.

Statement that man must do works in order to maintain Salvation lest they lose it is still BASED UPON the FALSE teaching of Works by man.

Davida, I hope you will stop, press the pause button, and take the time to actually ask the Lord for His understanding.....He gives liberally without upbraiding to those who ask.  (Though there is an element of needing to pay a price for it as well.)  And we also need to understand how HE defines works, where He speaks of it in His word.........and He certainly DOES speak of it, as I showed.

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

12 minutes ago, Davida said:

That Scripture says NOTHING about  doing works so you don't LOSE your salvation.  Salvation is a gift from God it is not earned by men , neither is SALVATION maintained by men's works, it is by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

This was addressed/explained previously on this thread. You can go back and find the post(s) if you want, but it won't do you any good if God doesn't give you the understanding of it.