Not By Works

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BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
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What does John mean...if we confess...God will forgive. But this is not referring to maintaining salvation, but fellowship, and not to propitiate Gods wrath, which was done at the cross, but to remove our sense of guilt that may weaken our confidence before God.

The cross propitiated Gods wrath. Confession deals with our broken fellowship with God. Broken on our end, not His. His attitude towards us did not change, but guilty conscience tends to change our attitude towards Him. So confession heals us and cleanses us
I always get worried when people quote 1 John.
That we are forgiven when we confess our sins.
They tend to go down the route of you know what.
 
Dec 27, 2018
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the disagreement is this-

when time frames are put on regeneration, then it makes it legalism.

grace salvation is negated when men make up their own rules that the Bible does not say.
So how long does it take for God to regenerate us? Oh, wait. If the fact that it takes a tree years to bear fruit means the same for a Christian to bear fruit, (do you remember saying that?). Then it must take nine months give or take, for the new birth.

I jest. Regeneration is the new birth. It is instantaneous upon believing. And receiving a new nature is part and parcel of the new birth. The new nature grows but it is there.

And because of our nature we are changed.

Does a hater of brother have eternal life? No

Why not? Because the fact that we have passed from death unto life causes us to love our brother.

The hater has not passed from death to life.

Neither has the one who continues in habitual practice of sin

The truly regenerate will eventually get out of the mud, because they are a sheep and not a pig

And it is not in a sheep’s nature to live in mud, though it may fall in. It will climb back out as soon as it can, because it doesn’t belong there

God helps us get out of the mud, no actually He lifts us out of the mud
 
Dec 27, 2018
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I always get worried when people quote 1 John.
That we are forgiven when we confess our sins.
They tend to go down the route of you know what.
Do you fault John for saying that? Of course not. Neither do I fault others for quoting and taking it for what it says
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
8,877
4,332
113
Do you fault John for saying that? Of course not. Neither do I fault others for quoting and taking it for what it says
I see what you are saying.

But is the reality that we need to confess sin to be forgiven?

That is what a lot of believers think it is saying.
If so why so.
Then what are the consequences to then as a result?

I have walked with many who believe that if they did not confess their sin then it's not forgiven then they will go to hell.

So they focus on one thing.
Sin sin sin and waiting for the 3 strikes and now you are out.
Confession to be restored to fellowship is not the issue for them.
They are frightened because they believe God will reject them.
 
Dec 27, 2018
4,170
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I see what you are saying.

But is the reality that we need to confess sin to be forgiven?

That is what a lot of believers think it is saying.
If so why so.
Then what are the consequences to then as a result?

I have walked with many who believe that if they did not confess their sin then it's not forgiven then they will go to hell.

So they focus on one thing.
Sin sin sin and waiting for the 3 strikes and now you are out.
Confession to be restored to fellowship is not the issue for them.
They are frightened because they believe God will reject them.
Yes. The problem is many churches nowadays do not adequetely teach their people
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
I see what you are saying.

But is the reality that we need to confess sin to be forgiven?

That is what a lot of believers think it is saying.
If so why so.
Then what are the consequences to then as a result?

I have walked with many who believe that if they did not confess their sin then it's not forgiven then they will go to hell.

So they focus on one thing.
Sin sin sin and waiting for the 3 strikes and now you are out.
Confession to be restored to fellowship is not the issue for them.
They are frightened because they believe God will reject them.
Which is exactly what satan wants people to think
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
8,877
4,332
113
Which is exactly what satan wants people to think
Very sad bro, very sad indeed.

Can you recall anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus said you must confess your sin in order to be forgiven?

He himself said he must go back to the Father so that the Holy Spirit must come to convict the world of its sin.

That sin being unbelief in him.

Come follow me he said.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
Very sad bro, very sad indeed.

Can you recall anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus said you must confess your sin in order to be forgiven?

He himself said he must go back to the Father so that the Holy Spirit must come to convict the world of its sin.

That sin being unbelief in him.

Come follow me he said.
Scripture does say we SHOULD confess our sins even to each other, but never for maintaining salvation, that would be impossible since we can not know ever sin we commit, or even remember
 
Dec 27, 2018
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And what is the problem?

The teaching?
They don’t teach expositionally. They don’t go verse by verse and they don’t go through the Bible. It is a lot of topical teaching. So a lot of things never get taught. The best teaching church I ever attended woul literally preach through the Bible gen to rev and then do it again when they were done. But many churchgoers would hate that. I knew of a preacher,a good one,who taught like that,and people complained left and right
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
8,877
4,332
113
Scripture does say we SHOULD confess our sins even to each other, but never for maintaining salvation, that would be impossible since we can not know ever sin we commit, or even remember
Accountability.

But readers beware who you make yourself accountable to.

I'd happily be accountable to a few on here if I was in the physical realm with them.

Love you bro EG and I would have probs being accountable to you.
 

RickStudies

Active member
Sep 10, 2019
782
222
43
I see what you are saying.

But is the reality that we need to confess sin to be forgiven?

That is what a lot of believers think it is saying.
If so why so.
Then what are the consequences to then as a result?

I have walked with many who believe that if they did not confess their sin then it's not forgiven then they will go to hell.

So they focus on one thing.
Sin sin sin and waiting for the 3 strikes and now you are out.
Confession to be restored to fellowship is not the issue for them.
They are frightened because they believe God will reject them.
The why so would be because the Bible said to. If somebody has sinned they need to confess it and there is more then one reason to do that but you can sum it up as keeping right before God and not putting distance between you and Him.

"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." That was written by Paul you know, the grace guy.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
The why so would be because the Bible said to. If somebody has sinned they need to confess it and there is more then one reason to do that but you can sum it up as keeping right before God and not putting distance between you and Him.

"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." That was written by Paul you know, the grace guy.
Yep, he said work out what you have

Not work to earn it
 

RickStudies

Active member
Sep 10, 2019
782
222
43
Very sad bro, very sad indeed.

Can you recall anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus said you must confess your sin in order to be forgiven?

He himself said he must go back to the Father so that the Holy Spirit must come to convict the world of its sin.

That sin being unbelief in him.

Come follow me he said.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.