Not By Works

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
S

Stunnedbygrace

Senior Member
#26,901
Nov 12, 2015
9,112
822
113
#26,901
Stephen63 said:
There's a handful here that posts only scripture & the truth. willybob is one of them.

What do they get for it? Either attacks or total silence.

They don't deserve the way they get treated.
Click to expand...
I'm not attacking him Stephen. There was no attack in my post. I love him.
I believe there is danger of falling away, of not abiding. I agree with you on that. I think that for my heart to become hardened in unbelief is a possibility. If I present my view/belief on that and I do it without love, I have nothing and am saying nothing of worth.

I actually believe there is a falling away from faith in many things I see. I see them not just in others but in myself too. Like with the storing of treasure on earth, retirement accounts, 401k's, etc. I see people BOTH say they trust Him AND store treasure on earth. I see them get scared about what's going to happen to them in old age since their 401k tanked. I don't say they are unsaved. Lord knows, I have struggled with this myself and found myself saying many times, I DO believe you Lord, please help my Unbelief!
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#26,902
#26,902
Stephen63 said:
It's rather impossible to increase in spiritual growth when a person doesn't believe in conviction after salvation. That's when the Spirit deals with us about sin & righteousness.

I've tried to get them to tell me how they grow without conviction, & all I get is silence.
Click to expand...
I had a conversation days ago and apparently the worD "convict" is the issue...

Some people prefer correct as in when people don't "measure up to God's standard (what most people call sin) then God "corrects" them by showing who they are suppose to be.

Personally I still believe that there is godly sorrow that leads to repentance, which I agree is a change of mind to recognize God's truth and be free of the lies of the world.

However many have worldly sorrow and not godly sorrow and don't know the difference between conviction/chastenment/correction and condemnation/judgement/punishment.

I find it fustrating when people can't agree with the simple statement that the Holy spirit convicts people of sin but would agrur instead that the Holy spirit convinces them of their righteousness in Christ,.,,yes God does that but He also corrects your sin and shows you what you should have done instead,
 
Last edited by a moderator:
S

Stunnedbygrace

Senior Member
#26,904
Nov 12, 2015
9,112
822
113
#26,904
Stunnedbygrace said:
I'm not attacking him Stephen. There was no attack in my post. I love him.
I believe there is danger of falling away, of not abiding. I agree with you on that. I think that for my heart to become hardened in unbelief is a possibility. If I present my view/belief on that and I do it without love, I have nothing and am saying nothing of worth.

I actually believe there is a falling away from faith in many things I see. I see them not just in others but in myself too. Like with the storing of treasure on earth, retirement accounts, 401k's, etc. I see people BOTH say they trust Him AND store treasure on earth. I see them get scared about what's going to happen to them in old age since their 401k tanked. I don't say they are unsaved. Lord knows, I have struggled with this myself and found myself saying many times, I DO believe you Lord, please help my Unbelief!
Click to expand...
And I'll add, that my life circumstances have not ever been where I could save money in a retirement account. I believe this to be a blessing from Him, because I have no choice but to trust Him to care for me. And I see the danger, within myself, of becoming a...Pharisee in the matter, as if this blessing from Him would make me berate them for their storing of treasure on earth. The truth is, I forget to trust and sometimes worry about my situation and need to work it through again with Him. So that would make me a Pharisee to berate them for what they do as if I have done it by choice instead of circumstance and as if I have no struggle with trust because of my poverty.
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#26,905
#26,905
willybob said:
Greetings Stephan..one does not grow in the Spirit, because if one is truly saved the cup is always full of the Holy Ghost no matter the size of the vessel....but, we are to enlarge the cup by adding to the faith, (growing in the faith), by adding the virtues of knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness and love 2 Peter 1.........be blessed
Click to expand...
We grow by walking with the Holy spirit, which does increase our faith.,,

If the container grows and can hold more ,,,the. What it holds can be said to grow within that person,
 
S

Stunnedbygrace

Senior Member
#26,906
Nov 12, 2015
9,112
822
113
#26,906
Ariel82 said:
We grow by walking with the Holy spirit, which does increase our faith.,,

If the container grows and can hold more ,,,the. What it holds can be said to grow within that person,
Click to expand...
Sometimes in the morning, I fill my coffee cup too full. I pour in the cream, but there is not enough room to get it the color I like. So I pour out some of the coffee so I can fit more cream in. If the cup is too full of coffee, it can't accept more cream. Something has to be removed. :) He must increase and I must decrease. :)
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#26,907
#26,907
Stunnedbygrace said:
Sometimes in the morning, I fill my coffee cup too full. I pour in the cream, but there is not enough room to get it the color I like. So I pour out some of the coffee so I can fit more cream in. If the cup is too full of coffee, it can't accept more cream. Something has to be removed. :) He must increase and I must decrease. :)
Click to expand...
???? We were talking about getting a bigger cup.

Would the Holy spirit be the coffee or the creamer/sugar?
 
S

Stunnedbygrace

Senior Member
#26,908
Nov 12, 2015
9,112
822
113
#26,908
Technically, I agree with willybob.
BUT, I think most, when they say grow in the Spirit, they mean grow in faith.
Continuing and growing in trust IS what our race is.
 
S

Stunnedbygrace

Senior Member
#26,909
Nov 12, 2015
9,112
822
113
#26,909
Ariel82 said:
???? We were talking about getting a bigger cup.

Would the Holy spirit be the coffee or the creamer/sugar?
Click to expand...
To my mind, the cup would be my heart, the coffee would be the bitter contents of my heart, and the cream would be love. The bitter must decrease to accept more cream. :)
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#26,910
#26,910
I actually think willybob made a good point. We don't sit around waiting for God to give us MORE of His Holy spirit because God has filled our cup to overflowing...we need to learn and grow so that we can hold more...the limitations is because of us and not God's blessings.
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#26,911
#26,911
Stunnedbygrace said:
To my mind, the cup would be my heart, the coffee would be the bitter contents of my heart, and the cream would be love. The bitter must decrease to accept more cream. :)
Click to expand...
Then why not pour out all the coffee and just have milk?
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#26,914
#26,914
Ariel82 said:
I actually think willybob made a good point. We don't sit around waiting for God to give us MORE of His Holy spirit because God has filled our cup to overflowing...we need to learn and grow so that we can hold more...the limitations is because of us and not God's blessings.
Click to expand...
God always fills our cup to overflowing, We take the excess and share that with others. That is how we share the love of God and become lights in the world.

That is also why the flesh was crucified. Our needs are now met, The problems we come to are our wants..
 
W

willybob

Guest
#26,915
#26,915
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

the simplicity of the text is not to be analyzed but rather to be obeyed...those that are forever learning but never coming to the simplicity of the truth seek to analyze the text rather than obey it......
 
Grace777x70

Grace777x70

Banned
#26,916
Nov 22, 2015
20,436
1,430
0
#26,916
willybob said:
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

the simplicity of the text is not to be analyzed but rather to be obeyed...those that are forever learning but never coming to the simplicity of the truth seek to analyze the text rather than obey it......
Click to expand...

And John told us exactly what those commandments are in the New Covenant later on in his letter.

1 John 3:23 (NASB)
[SUP]23 [/SUP] This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
 
S

Stunnedbygrace

Senior Member
#26,917
Nov 12, 2015
9,112
822
113
#26,917
willybob said:
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

the simplicity of the text is not to be analyzed but rather to be obeyed...those that are forever learning but never coming to the simplicity of the truth seek to analyze the text rather than obey it......
Click to expand...
But you can't miss the point that you CAN"T keep His commands. Can a man never have anger in his heart toward another person? Can you? Of course not. So it seems to me, you must trust Him to see to it and to cause you to obey the command to not murder. Who can never get angry just because they know they aren't to do it? The best we can do is try to cover it up so the other person doesn't see it. That's no good, is it? GM by the way! :)
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#26,918
#26,918
willybob said:
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

the simplicity of the text is not to be analyzed but rather to be obeyed...those that are forever learning but never coming to the simplicity of the truth seek to analyze the text rather than obey it......
Click to expand...
The simplicitiy of the truth is truth.

If you do not keep his commands, Your not Gods child. John said he who sins has NEVER seen him, or known him.

So as EVERYONE in CC understands, People who are Gods children obey. People who are not gods children do not.
 
G

gb9

Senior Member
#26,919
Jan 18, 2011
11,798
6,360
113
#26,919
Grace777x70 said:
For those that enjoy teaching videos - here is a good one on why Stephen was stoned by "God-fearing religious people that thought they were defending God's truth". It's all about control and of course a blindness to the true gospel.


[video=vimeo;11804054]https://vimeo.com/11804054[/video]
Click to expand...
this is so true. if I could like this a 100 times, I would. so many have little interest in the Gospel, they just want to control what others think or do.

I have heard with my own ears how some pastors have " keep them in line " and " housekeeping " sermons on file. Gospel? no ? control? yes!!
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#26,920
#26,920
willybob said:
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

the simplicity of the text is not to be analyzed but rather to be obeyed...those that are forever learning but never coming to the simplicity of the truth seek to analyze the text rather than obey it......
Click to expand...
1 John 2 ►
English Standard Version

1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

*****

Yes God's truth is simple, yet some people reject that Jesus was "propitiation for our sins,"

If you don't understand the atonement of the cross, Then you obey in vain because without the Blood there is no forgiveness.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.