Not By Works

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PS

PS

Senior Member
#116,441
Jan 11, 2013
5,399
695
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#116,441
Discern said:
I was miraculously converted, but kind of fell into a way of thinking that my remaining in grace was in part conditioned on my continued obedience and works and was a hairs breadth away from perfectionism. . God corrected me. So, yes. I believe a believer can fall into error and be restored.

Did I lose my salvation? No. I lost peace and assurance and my fellowship with God was affected. I fell into bondage of sin again. I was unfruitful. I hurt myself and others. But I was restored.
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That sounds like the prodigal son who came back to the father and there was great rejoicing. I just worry about those who do not return to the Father.
 
BillG

BillG

Senior Member
#116,442
Feb 15, 2017
9,037
4,456
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#116,442
Discern said:
I know from experience that if you put yourself under a works based religion, you deprive yourself of the Power that produced godliness

You end up having a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.

And a form of godliness is not the genuine article
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Sorry that does not make sense to me based on the question I asked you.
 
PS

PS

Senior Member
#116,443
Jan 11, 2013
5,399
695
113
#116,443
BillG said:
I don't believe a true believer can fall from grace.
But I do believe a believer can negate the working of grace in their lives.

We only need to look at the prodical son.
Still a son, yet ended up eating the food of pigs after peeing it up against the wall.
Miserable period of time.

Whilst doing that he could not experience the unmerited favour until he returned.
Yet we know he was still a son of the Father.
Being the son and walking with the Father.
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Being the son and walking with the Father.

But he left the Father.
 
D

Discern

Banned
#116,444
Dec 6, 2019
1,206
691
113
#116,444
BillG said:
Sorry that does not make sense to me based on the question I asked you.
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My point was there is much more involved than loss of rewards. There is a bondage and great loss of many things involved. But, yes. Since bondage thwarts fruit bearing to a large degree, there is a loss of reward based on the sad reality of missed opportunities

The reward that is most important are the words “well done” from Jesus. That is the greatest reward of all
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
#116,446
#116,446
PS said:
That sounds like the prodigal son who came back to the father and there was great rejoicing. I just worry about those who do not return to the Father.
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I am sure God loves them and keeps them saved.
 
D

Discern

Banned
#116,447
Dec 6, 2019
1,206
691
113
#116,447
BillG said:
I don't believe a true believer can fall from grace.
But I do believe a believer can negate the working of grace in their lives.

We only need to look at the prodical son.
Still a son, yet ended up eating the food of pigs after peeing it up against the wall.
Miserable period of time.

Whilst doing that he could not experience the unmerited favour until he returned.
Yet we know he was still a son of the Father.
Being the son and walking with the Father.
Click to expand...
Everything you said was true, except, I think “walking with the Father”. If there is one thing being a prodigal does, it harms our fellowship with the Father. That’s the biggest thing we miss out on as prodigals.

Sin affects fellowship. That’s why when we confess our sins, it is not to be saved again, (of course). It is to restore fellowship to the place where there is no thing that hinders our confidence towards God

I think confession is more to remove self imposed barriers of guilt and harm of our assurance, for us, barriers self imposed and maintained, not God imposed and maintained
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
#116,448
#116,448
Discern said:
Very good post.

True submission is when we place ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and allow Him to deal with the root of our sin, which is an inclination towards unbelief, pride, and self idolatry, and progressively transform us to be inciined to faithfulness, humility, and God worship

It is a process of sanctification that begins but does not end at the new birth, although justification and positional sanctification are a completed work, this work is not completed until we are like Him when we see Him just as He is. At the second advent

This process is just as much a part of grace as justification and positional sanctification
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Being persuaded, convinced, convinced.. And taking a stand where God takes His stand is also the transforming power.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#116,449
#116,449
BillG said:
I don't believe a true believer can fall from grace.
But I do believe a believer can negate the working of grace in their lives.

We only need to look at the prodical son.
Still a son, yet ended up eating the food of pigs after peeing it up against the wall.
Miserable period of time.

Whilst doing that he could not experience the unmerited favour until he returned.
Yet we know he was still a son of the Father.
Being the son and walking with the Father.
Click to expand...
Agree brother
 
D

Discern

Banned
#116,450
Dec 6, 2019
1,206
691
113
#116,450
EleventhHour said:
I am sure God loves them and keeps them saved.
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There is a reason we call Him Father. A father is so much more patient and long suffering towards a child than a master to his servant

but we do not want to take His grace for granted. We want to return to Him our love for His Grace. That is a reasonable service
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#116,453
#116,453
PS said:
That sounds like the prodigal son who came back to the father and there was great rejoicing. I just worry about those who do not return to the Father.
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1 John 2 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

its simple
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#116,454
#116,454
PS said:
Being the son and walking with the Father.

But he left the Father.
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Yet the father never left him

The fathers blood still flowed through his veins. Thats why when he returned, He was still his fathers son

He never stopped being a fathers son.
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
#116,456
#116,456
Discern said:
There is a reason we call Him Father. A father is so much more patient and long suffering towards a child than a master to his servant

but we do not want to take His grace for granted. We want to return to Him our love for His Grace. That is a reasonable service
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Grace that is experienced inwardly... by its very nature creates an outpouring back to the one who gave it.
 
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