If... Continued

[Pilgrim7]

Sue,

I appreciate your courage in taking up such a controversial topic. Remember that the truth will only be received by those who have the indwelling Spirit. The delusion of these last days will almost deceive the very elect. The essence of the controversy is confusing justification with salvation. Salvation consists of justification, sanctification and glorification. Justification is by faith alone, and not works. No works justify a person, Jesus alone justifies. This is the new birth. Yet birth is not all there is to life but just the beginning. Sanctification is the growing up into the full stature of Christ. Those who do this will be glorified or taken to heaven.

The devil is very deceptive. He uses one verse to cancel out another verse, when both verses apply, if correctly understood. At this point I won't use any verses because someone will just cancel them out with another verse.

Adam and Eve were saved. What happened to them? They sinned and lost salvation for everyone. Thank God that Jesus interposed.

Whenever there is a controversy between verses that seem to contradict one another, look at the words of Jesus Himself. Not even Paul can contradict Him. In the parable of the Sower told by Jesus we see four different types of soil. These are four types of hearers. Three receive the word, or are justified. One rejects it outright. Of the three who received, believed, and were justified by faith, only one endured to the bringing forth of fruit. Two endured for a time, but were over come either by sin, deceptions or by the cares of this world.

As Peter said of Paul, he wrote things hard to understand, actually impossible to understand without the indwelling Spirit. He also said that many will wrest the scriptures to their own destruction. Be of good cheer, we are seeing the parable played out before our very eyes. It is an amazing delusion when believers actually believe that God will ultimately save those who don't do the works they were created to do and damn those who do. Don't be discouraged, many are called, justified, but few are chosen, those who endure to the end.

God bless and keep in Christ,

Dennis

[Christ's Free Servant]

Dennis,

Thanks so much for your input. Yes, this is a very difficult subject, but I don't shy away from difficult subjects. I don't do this for the sake of argument, though. My intention is that I have this concern that there are many who think they are saved because of a prayer they prayed 30 years ago or less, but they never really followed through with true faith. You see, I believe there are going to be many who thought they had their ticket into heaven when Jesus is going to say to them, "depart from me, I never knew you." I believe salvation involves justification, sanctification and glorification - no doubt. I really think the clincher is that people don't understand what it means to have faith.

The Bible says that it is by grace you have been saved through faith, etc. So, what is faith? Faith is an action word, I believe. It doesn't mean sinless perfection. But, it is also not an emotional experience nor an intellectual assent. If I say I have faith in something, then there must be something to show that such faith exists. Hebrews 11 is our "faith" chapter in the Bible and in most all cases you read that by faith someone "did" something. God so loved the world that he "gave"... We are not saved by works, we did not do anything to earn our salvation. But, if all one does is pray and prayer and say he or she believes, but if all their belief is an acknowledgement of what Christ did for them and nothing more, well then I would have to quote James who says that even the demons believe and they shudder and that kind of faith is dead.

[BigJer]

CFS, I agree with you about the "say a prayer and it will be all right". I have talked to people that came to an altar to pray, were pulled off into a room and told they were saved. Verses were quoted. One problem. He knew that he hadn't reached God yet. There was no difference in his life. Only later did he truly repent and receive the "deposit guaranteeing what is to come", the Holy Spirit. It was as if the trip to an altar or quoting a sinner's prayer has become the new passage into heaven.

Have we traded one ritual for another when we do this?

[Christ's Free Servant]

CFS, I agree with you about the "say a prayer and it will be all right". I have talked to people that came to an altar to pray, were pulled off into a room and told they were saved. Verses were quoted. One problem. He knew that he hadn't reached God yet. There was no difference in his life. Only later did he truly repent and receive the "deposit guaranteeing what is to come", the Holy Spirit. It was as if the trip to an altar or quoting a sinner's prayer has become the new passage into heaven. 

Have we traded one ritual for another when we do this? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

BigJer,

I believe it is a sign of our society here in America. We want everything quick and easy. We don't want our religion to interfere with our lives. So, we not only have "instant" salvation and a guaranteed inheritance in heaven regardless of how we live on this earth, we get to leave this earth before it gets really bad. Now, who wouldn't want to buy into that? It costs us nothing. Jesus paid it all, which he did. Whatever happened to the idea that people were hesitant to accept Christ because they were not sure they were ready to forsake their lives of sin? You don't hear that anymore. I've even heard people tell other people that all they have to do is pray the prayer and after that it doesn't matter what they do, because they are forgiven. Wow!! Then, what was the point of Jesus dying on the cross? He didn't save us just so we could get a "get out of jail free card," which he has given us. He saved us from our sins - the punishment, yes, but also the bondage to sin. Repentance is what we have to do. To me, that is the evidence of the faith.

Some people think that adds works to salvation and they claim it is a free gift. Yes, it is a gift. We don't earn it. We do nothing to bring about salvation. Jesus truly did pay the price. We can not do it in ourselves. But, because of what he did on the cross, he has made the way to the cross of Christ available for us to be crucified with Christ. Repentance does not mean "sin-free," which is the concern of those who are against teaching repentance that we might be giving that message. It is freedom from bondage to sin or a sinful lifestyle. They don't want to teach repentance, not because it adds works to salvation, but because they don't want to offend people with the message of the cross - not only Christ's death, but our need to be crucified with Christ. They don't want to bring out the idea of taking up our cross until way later, but I find they don't usually ever bring it up at all.