Some Who Call Themselves 'Christian' Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God?

[FreeGrace]

1 hour ago, BornAgain490 said:

The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Ephesians 2.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (2:8–9)

Our response in salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves [but is] the gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our own power or by our own resources. In the first place we do not have adequate power or resources. More than that, God would not want us to rely on them even if we had them. Otherwise salvation would be in part by our own works, and we would have some ground to boast in ourselves. Paul intends to emphasize that even faith is not from us apart from God’s giving it.

Some have objected to this interpretation, saying that faith (pistis) is feminine, while that (touto) is neuter. That poses no problem, however, as long as it is understood that that does not refer precisely to the noun faith but to the act of believing. Further, this interpretation makes the best sense of the text, since if that refers to by grace you have been saved through faith (that is, to the whole statement), the adding of and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God would be redundant, because grace is defined as an unearned act of God. If salvation is of grace, it has to be an undeserved gift of God. Faith is presented as a gift from God in 2 Peter 1:1, Philippians 1:29, and Acts 3:16.

The story is told of a man who came eagerly but very late to a revival meeting and found the workmen tearing down the tent in which the meetings had been held. Frantic at missing the evangelist, he decided to ask one of the workers what he could do to be saved. The workman, who was a Christian, replied, “You can’t do anything. It’s too late.” Horrified, the man said, “What do you mean? How can it be too late?” “The work has already been accomplished,” he was told. “There is nothing you need to do but believe it.”

Every person lives by faith. When we open a can of food or drink a glass of water we trust that it is not contaminated. When we go across a bridge we trust it to support us. When we put our money in the bank we trust it will be safe. Life is a constant series of acts of faith. No human being, no matter how skeptical and self–reliant, could live a day without exercising faith.

Church membership, baptism, confirmation, giving to charity, and being a good neighbor have no power to bring salvation. Nor does taking Communion, keeping the Ten Commandments, or living by the Sermon on the Mount. The only thing a person can do that will have any part in salvation is to exercise faith in what Jesus Christ has done for him.

When we accept the finished work of Christ on our behalf, we act by the faith supplied by God’s grace. That is the supreme act of human faith, the act which, though it is ours, is primarily God’s—His gift to us out of His grace. When a person chokes or drowns and stops breathing, there is nothing he can do. If he ever breathes again it will be because someone else starts him breathing. A person who is spiritually dead cannot even make a decision of faith unless God first breathes into him the breath of spiritual life. Faith is simply breathing the breath that God’s grace supplies. Yet, the paradox is that we must exercise it and bear the responsibility if we do not (cf. John 5:40).

Obviously, if it is true that salvation is all by God’s grace, it is therefore not as a result of works. Human effort has nothing to do with it (cf. Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16). And thus, no one should boast, as if he had any part. All boasting is eliminated in salvation (cf. Rom. 3:27; 4:5; 1 Cor. 1:31). Nevertheless, good works have an important place, as Paul is quick to affirm."

Sorry to burst your bubble, but MacArthur is quite confused, all because of his strong reformed bias.  He cites lots of verses, but NONE of them SAY what he SAYS.

[FreeGrace]

1 hour ago, BornAgain490 said:

"God Has Allotted to Each a Measure of Faith

Do you understand this verse?  Doesn't appear to be so.  

The context is spiritual growth.  "a measure of faith" is what God allots to believers, and this isn't saving faith, if you thought so.

Eph 4:13 - Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The Greek word translated "perfect" means 'mature' in this context, since NO MAN is perfect before the resurrection.

[BornAgain490]

57 minutes ago, FreeGrace said:

Real simple.  If the murderer has believed in Jesus Christ, like King David, he is STILL a child of God, an heir of God, per Rom 8:17a, but won't have earned an inheritance IN the kingdom.  Real simple.

Sin is not an issue for salvation.  Faith is the issue.

So, you're saying, as long as someone believes in Jesus, he can be a serial murderer and murder one person per day for the rest of his life (if not arrested and imprisoned) and still inheritthe kingdom.  Foolishness.  

[FreeGrace]

3 hours ago, BornAgain490 said:

So, you're saying, as long as someone believes in Jesus, he can be a serial murderer and murder one person per day for the rest of his life (if not arrested and imprisoned) and still inheritthe kingdom.  Foolishness.  

Let me be clear, since it seems you're just not paying close attention.  These are Jesus' words, so sit up and listen.

John 5:24 - “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes (present tense) him who sent me has (present tense) eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

John 10:28 - I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

If someone HAS believed in Christ for salvation, the POSSESS eternal life at that moment.  5:24 says so.  Notice the tenses of "believes" and "has".  

These are the recipients of eternal life in 10:28.  And what is the result?  They shall never perish.

For a reformed person, seems you really don't believe in eternal security.  Why is that?

In John 10:28, there are no exceptions.  Like all the exceptions you keep throwing out.

When a person believes, Jesus gives him/her eternal life.  And the result is that they shall never perish.  From the MOMENT of saving faith all the way to death.

And Jesus didn't add ANY exceptions, such as this or that sin, etc.  Like you keep doing.

Listen to Jesus.  If you aren't comfortable with the FACTS, I suggest you re-examine what grace really means.  Because you really don't understand it.

[BornAgain490]

1 hour ago, FreeGrace said:

Let me be clear, since it seems you're just not paying close attention.  These are Jesus' words, so sit up and listen.

John 5:24 - “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes (present tense) him who sent me has (present tense) eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

John 10:28 - I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

If someone HAS believed in Christ for salvation, the POSSESS eternal life at that moment.  5:24 says so.  Notice the tenses of "believes" and "has".  

These are the recipients of eternal life in 10:28.  And what is the result?  They shall never perish.

For a reformed person, seems you really don't believe in eternal security.  Why is that?

In John 10:28, there are no exceptions.  Like all the exceptions you keep throwing out.

When a person believes, Jesus gives him/her eternal life.  And the result is that they shall never perish.  From the MOMENT of saving faith all the way to death.

And Jesus didn't add ANY exceptions, such as this or that sin, etc.  Like you keep doing.

Listen to Jesus.  If you aren't comfortable with the FACTS, I suggest you re-examine what grace really means.  Because you really don't understand it.

I listen to Jesus,  every word, like these, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”  (John 5:14), and these, "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). 

Apparently, you believe that as long as you say you believe, God's grace gives you have a license to sin like you were sinning before you were "saved", which means you're not saved at all. 

[Desopixi Seilynam]

7 hours ago, FreeGrace said:

John 5:24 - “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes (present tense) him who sent me has (present tense) eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

That all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father
John 5:23
The Father, who sent Jesus, said concerning Jesus:
"it shall come to pass that whosoever will not 'hearken unto' (obey) Him
will be cut off from the people."
Deuteronomy 18:18-19

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 is what Jesus is referring to when He says;
"and believes on him who sent me".
And so "hears my word" does not just mean hear it,
it means honor it, obey it.

"That all me should honor the Son even as they honor the Father
Very truly I tell you, whoever honors my word and believes
on him who sent me has eternal life"
Honor is the immediate connotation, not just hearing with the ears.

And "my word" refers to His actual words, not Paul's words.
He is referring to His teachings, and it's all going back to what the Father,
who sent Him, said; "whosoever will not 'hear' Him will be cut off".
With the full context of the passage it is clear that Jesus
is not talking about just hearing about Him and believing,
Jesus is talking about one hearing His message and honoring it.
 

Jesus preached the good news.
What Jesus preached, all of it, is to be believed, and honored.
John 3 5 6
"Very truly I say unto you, unless a man be born
of water and of the Spirit he can not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit."
Luke 6 3 5 
"love your enemies and do good and lend hoping for nothing in return
and your reward shall be great; and ye shall be children of the Highest"
John 10 27
"My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me
and I give unto them eternal life"
Luke 6 27
"I say unto you that hear, love"

 

"If a man loves me he will keep my words...
He that does not love me does not keep my teachings"
John 14:23-24
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:13
If any man does not love the Lord Jesus Christ,
let that man be Anathema! Oh Lord Come!
1 Corinthians 16:22

 

 

 

[FreeGrace]

11 hours ago, BornAgain490 said:

Let me be clear, since it seems you're just not paying close attention.  These are Jesus' words, so sit up and listen.

John 5:24 - “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes (present tense) him who sent me has (present tense) eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

John 10:28 - I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

If someone HAS believed in Christ for salvation, the POSSESS eternal life at that moment.  5:24 says so.  Notice the tenses of "believes" and "has".  

These are the recipients of eternal life in 10:28.  And what is the result?  They shall never perish.

I listen to Jesus,  every word, like these

Even THIS response demonstrates that you DO ignore some of His Words.  Please don't try to pit Scripture against itself.  It's not becoming at all.  If you really did do what you claim about listening to "every word" of Jesus, you wouldn't have ignored the words of Jesus above and just quote your fav verses.

One thing you are is transparent.

11 hours ago, BornAgain490 said:

“See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”  (John 5:14), and these, "go and sin no more" (John 8:11).

When you quote a verse, it's generally helpful to explain why you quoted it and what it says to you.  Jn 8:11 isn't relevant to Jn 5:24 or 10:28.

11 hours ago, BornAgain490 said:

Apparently, you believe that as long as you say you believe, God's grace gives you have a license to sin like you were sinning before you were "saved", which means you're not saved at all. 

This is the typical hyper-bias of those of the reformed ilk.  And it's wrong.

First, I never said anything about "as long as you SAY you believe".  This alone proves that you have a very short attention span or are just not paying attention at all.

It's NOT about what one SAYS, but about what one BELIEVES.  So, you are wrong right out of the gate in your post.

Second, no one ever said anything about God grace giving anyone this stupid so-called "license to sin", that plagues the minds of those of your ilk.

What should be obvious to anyone familiar with the Bible, and specficially Romans 6 and 7 is that every human being comes equipped with this "license to sin".  It's called opportunity of choice, and some call "free will".  Maybe you have heard of it.

The whole point of Scripture is to make the right choices.  And God created mankind with a conscience with which to  make right choices.  Rom 2:14,15

Your posts are full of lots of statements and claims, but totally empty of verses that SAY what you SAY.  So your posts FAIL the Berean verification method.

[farouk]

On 12/15/2024 at 9:07 AM, Cntrysner said:

If being born again is a reference to becoming a new creature created in Christ I would say King David was not born again. David repented and was restored, having the Holy Spirit to guide and empower David as God’s chosen king is not the same as being born of the Spirit.

 Jesus was the first conceived by the Spirit and we are born again by that same Spirit in Christ.     
    

Hi @Cntrysner; before Pentecost, the justified were not indwelt by the Spirit in the manner of those who are in the church; however, David was indeed among the justified by faith (Hebrews 11.32).

[FreeGrace]

5 hours ago, Desopixi Seilynam said:

FreeGrace said:

John 5:24 - “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes (present tense) him who sent me has (present tense) eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

That all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father
John 5:23
The Father, who sent Jesus, said concerning Jesus:
"it shall come to pass that whosoever will not 'hearken unto' (obey) Him
will be cut off from the people."
Deuteronomy 18:18-19

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 is what Jesus is referring to when He says;
"and believes on him who sent me".
And so "hears my word" does not just mean hear it,
it means honor it, obey it.

"That all me should honor the Son even as they honor the Father
Very truly I tell you, whoever honors my word and believes
on him who sent me has eternal life"
Honor is the immediate connotation, not just hearing with the ears.
And "my word" refers to His actual words, not Paul's words.
He is referring to His teachings, and it's all going back to what the Father,
who sent Him, said; "whosoever will not 'hear' Him will be cut off".
With the full context of the passage it is clear that Jesus
is not talking about just hearing about Him and believing,
Jesus is talking about one hearing His message and honoring it.
Jesus preached the good news.
What Jesus preached, all of it, is to be believed, and honored.
John 3 5 6
"Very truly I say unto you, unless a man be born
of water and of the Spirit he can not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit."
Luke 6 3 5 
"love your enemies and do good and lend hoping for nothing in return
and your reward shall be great; and ye shall be children of the Highest"
John 10 27
"My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me
and I give unto them eternal life"
Luke 6 27
"I say unto you that hear, love"

"If a man loves me he will keep my words...
He that does not love me does not keep my teachings"
John 14:23-24
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:13
If any man does not love the Lord Jesus Christ,
let that man be Anathema! Oh Lord Come!
1 Corinthians 16:22

And, here's another poster trying to pit Scripture against Scripture.  

Why don't you just tell me why you don't like John 5:24 and 10:28, so you think you have verses that contradict them.

[farouk]

17 hours ago, BornAgain490 said:

So, you're saying, as long as someone believes in Jesus, he can be a serial murderer and murder one person per day for the rest of his life (if not arrested and imprisoned) and still inheritthe kingdom.  Foolishness.  

Paul in Romans speaks about 'obedience to the faith' and 'the obedience of faith'.