Oh yes you are misrepresenting me, my Sister. You said I deny faith and repentance are necessary for salvation and I have never stated that. That's a bald face lie. Show me one post where I said they are not necessary. If I routinely have said this, then dig a post up where I stated such.
Those who the Christ died for, when the time comes, the Spirit draws them to God via divine quickening. In this divine quickening(regeneration) they are given faith and repentance. When they exercise them they are saved. We are justified, made righteous before God, via faith. God has chosen to justify the nations(KJV uses 'heathen' and the NASB uses 'Gentiles') by faith.[Galatians 3:8] When Abraham believed God, he was credited with righteousness.[Genesis 15:6 & Romans 4:3] Notice that before he came to faith, he was not righteous. So, not everybody w/o exception has faith. 2 Thess. 3:2 testifies to this. If someone has faith, they are credited with righteousness.
But I have NEVER said that faith and repentance are not necessary for salvation. Please recant and repent.
She is making it appear that you are the Universalist, and that you are saying not all need to repent or have faith since
"this is your belief" which it isn't, obviously.
You've preached the Gospel all along, with repentance and faith always included. The false accusation is just that, false. I wouldn't take it to heart.
What she should be saying instead of twisting your words is
"Universalists teach that faith and repentance aren't a part of salvation!"
Here is her claim:
"Your claim is that if Christ died for all then all would be saved, which completely overlooks the need for repentance and faith." This all sounds OK until examined biblically. She is making the onus of Universalism on you, when it is not. It is not
"your claim" it is the claim of Universalism, which ironically is the logical end of her beliefs or the atonement and plan of God through the Gospel to save is undone. God's plan is to save his people from their sins;
Matthew 1:21 which would not include paying the sin debt of any other.
That is her first mistake.
Her
second mistake is that salvation is clinched by a person believing and repenting, when biblically these are gifted by God to those he chose in him before the foundation of the world. Man is not saved by his will or determination, Scripture is clear on this. Furthermore, faith and repentance are evidence of conversion, not the cause.
God is the cause of conversion, not man;
1 Peter 1:3. Believing is the work
of God, not the work of man;
John 6:29. Both repentance and faith are granted by God to those for whom Christ died further dismissing the notion of Universalism and that each and every persons sins were paid for.
The bottom line is that if
unlimited atonement were true
(based on the error of many who falsely believe each and every sin ever were paid for) then Universalism is its end and people are in hell paying for a debt already paid in full. It is paid whether they "believe" or not.
There is no way around the latter, the argument offered is that the person
must apply it. This isn't true, anymore than if someone paid my gas bill that it isn't in effect until I apply it. It matters not what I do with it, it has been paid. Its effect is not initialized the moment I
believe it was paid, the fact is it has been paid regardless, and it is already in full effect.
Since
limited atonement is true, the logical end is the fulfillment of
Matthew 1:21, thus his Gospel is efficacious only for those for whom he died as he made payment for their sins alone. That is the Biblical teaching as
"whole world" entails those in every tribe and nation belonging to him;
John 10:16, 11:53; Acts 18:9-11 &c not each and every person who ever lived. Salvation is in the power of God unto those whom he decreed to die for in his Gospel, not in the power and will of man and a decision they make. Their truncated gospel is unbiblical and frankly saddening.
Nope, those who do not believe are condemned - their sins were paid for but they chose not to accept the gift of salvation offered them. All throughout scripture anyone can read that unless one believes in the only begotten Son of God and the works accomplished by him and through him - they are condemned. Jesus Christ gave his life to redeem the effect of the fall of Adam upon all mankind, to make reconciliation to God available - and that reconciliation comes only through or by Jesus Christ. "through" or "by" Jesus Christ, i.e. faith (belief) in Jesus Christ.
