Not By Works

[VCO]

I'm guilty of a couple of these

Yes, but, I imagine you have confessed them, while I am talking to those who say they do not commit a SIN.

1 John 1:9 (HCSB)
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Those are the one's who think that CONFESS, is a ONE TIME ONLY ADMISSION to GOD, but it is in the GREEK PRESENT TENSE, which means it is an ongoing lifestyle of a Born Again Christian, which means EVERY new Sin we discover in our LIFE, we will automatically CONFESS is to GOD.

Some want to believe they walk absolutely HOLY, Some want to believe their IS NO SIN NATURE IN THE FLESH, and Some want to believe what they Consider LITTLE SINS, DON'T COUNT.

The REALITY if we REFUSE to have a GUILTY CONSCIOUS whenever Sin sneaks in, THEN are you TRULY BORN AGAIN, then this verse applies to you?

James 2:10 (NIV)
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

1 John 1:8 (HCSB)
8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 (ESV)
5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

And WHY did Paul have to say:

Philippians 3:12-16 (NIV)
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

OR:

Romans 7:17-25 (HCSB)
17 So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me.
18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.
19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.
20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I discover this principle: When I want to do what is good, evil is with me.
22 For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God’s law.
23 But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.


Yes, the human spirit is BORN AGAIN, a New Creature, Holy and Acceptable to GOD.

BUT THE SIN NATURE is still alive in the Flesh.

As a Christian Matures Spiritually, the Mind of the Human Spirit will become DOMINANT over the Mind of the FLESH, but the Sin Nature will be in the FLESH (the propensity to sin), until the body is in the GRAVE. That GLORIFIED BODY at the RESURRECTION is the ONLY the BODY, THAT CANNOT THINK SIN.

Look in Verse 23 ABOVE: If there IS NOT A SENSE OF THAT ONGOING WAR between the WILL (MIND) OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT, and the WILL (MIND) OF THE FLESH; can that person be truly Born Again ? ? ? I THINK NOT!

 

[Finepearl]

Perhaps demons tremble because they’re guilty of the unforgivable sin.

Its interesting that people who support works for maintaining salvation (you don’t) always go to James rather than Matthew 25:31-46. My guess is Jesus, though warning of dire consequences, is actually focusing on love with regards to having faith in Him.

In any case I enjoy learning from you and sharing with you.

Thanks for your comments. We are all students of the Great Teacher and learning from him.

 

[Judges1318]

So you preach the "work of the cross" not a sufficient to save.

The work of the cross is not sufficient to save the person who does not want to believe.
Grace ends at your stubborn refusal to avail yourself of His grace for salvation.

That there are sins which lie outside of that work for which God did not atone.
That sir is heresy.

Then Jesus was an heretic.

"anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." - Matthew 12:32

Don't wander off into some weird explanation of what the unforgivable sin is.
I'm showing you there is in fact a sin that lies outside of the reach of Christ's work of atonement.
That is not heresy.

 

[G2RBeliever]

Thank you ALL,blessed family ,for your concern and encouraging words.
May His peace and love cover you and your families!
Love to you in our Beloved Saviour,Jesus.

 

[Judges1318]

He knew there was no condemnation for those that are IN CHRIST.

Yes, that's why we should stay in Christ and not go back to unbelief and lose the benefit of such a great High Priest and Sacrifice:

14 ...since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." - Hebrews 4:14

This life we live as Christians is one of FAITH and LOVE.........NOT Doubt and Fear.

Just stay on the believing side of the line between faith and unbelief in all your struggles and you will have no fear of the Judgment to come. Just don't be arrogant in your firm position and keep a healthy amount of fear being careful not to fall:

"12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!" - 1 Corinthians 10:12

"20 ...you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble." - Romans 11:20

 

[Lafftur]

Yes, that's why we should stay in Christ and not go back to unbelief and lose the benefit of such a great High Priest and Sacrifice:

14 ...since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." - Hebrews 4:14


Just stay on the believing side of the line between faith and unbelief in all your struggles and you will have no fear of the Judgment to come. Just don't be arrogant in your firm position and keep a healthy amount of fear being careful not to fall:

"12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!" - 1 Corinthians 10:12

"20 ...you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble." - Romans 11:20

@Judges1318 - tell me, what is it about God that you desire Him?

 

[EleventhHour]

The work of the cross is not sufficient to save the person who does not want to believe.
Grace ends at your stubborn refusal to avail yourself of His grace for salvation.


Then Jesus was an heretic.

"anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." - Matthew 12:32

Don't wander off into some weird explanation of what the unforgivable sin is.
I'm showing you there is in fact a sin that lies outside of the reach of Christ's work of atonement.
That is not heresy.

It's any sin where you do it with an 'I don't care about God' attitude.

These are you words.

 

[Judges1318]

@Judges1318 - tell me, what is it about God that you desire Him?

"Righteousness, peace and joy" - Romans 14:17

 

[Judges1318]

These are you words.

Anybody who ignores the conviction of the Holy Spirit in willful determined unbelief is guilty of blasphemy of the Spirit.
You can do that by going to a bar and getting drunk.
You can do that by telling a lie.
You can commit the unforgivable sin through any of the sins common to mankind.
The key being, you're doing it in willful, knowing, determined unbelief.

 

[Bbrdrd]

Saying that something has to be done to maintain salvation. Or keep from losing salvation is says by those works are required for salvation

As for sanctification. Paul tells us God will Complete what he started. I trust God

Yes, those works are required for salvation but are not efficacious to save. The salvation is a gift, but those obligations are basic obligations of man regardless of God's grace to save. Whether or not God saw fit to forgive our transgressions we would still be required as a basic obligation to fear God and keep His commands as basic duty. It is this very fact that makes it impossible to earn salvation, because any good works we do are nothing more than things we are already obliged to do. Christ didn't remove our basic obligation, He set us free from sin so we may pursue righteousness unencumbered.

What does trusting God have to do with whether we should separate the realities of a life of faith into neat little doctrinal boxes rather than discussing them as they exist all tangled and messy in our daily lives? If you truly trust God why are you creating walls to make excuses for men who desire the prize but not the Source?

 

[dcontroversal]

No you’re not, otherwise you wouldn’t condemn anyone who has placed their unmitigated faith in Jesus Christ. FACT!

Amen and while devaluing Jesus and the gospel to some dime store, balsa wood, street organ playing, dancing monkey false gospel.....!!

 

[dcontroversal]

Incorrect read James 2:19

No, actually @Lightskin is correct....the demons BELIEVE IN GOD I.E. they acknowledge GOD IS INDEED REAL....but they have NO SAVING FAITH....so deduced they DO NOT BELIEVE IN JESUS in the sense of saving faith....!

 

[Lafftur]

@Judges1318 - tell me, what is it about God that you desire Him?

"Righteousness, peace and joy" - Romans 14:17

You speak of the Kingdom of God, but I did not ask you about His Kingdom...

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
Romans 14:17-18 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans 14:17-18&version=NIV

What is it about God that you desire HIM?

Do you truly know Him - His love for you?

If you did, you would know His Gift of Salvation is COMPLETE - No Assembly Required.

This world beats us up with “performance”.....it’s easy to think that God expects us to “perform” for Him, but He is NOT like this world.

His love gives us everything He has.....

@Judges1318 - He wants your love, God wants you to know Him and to love Him....

 

[PennEd]

Would you say because the demons believe in Jesus they are saved?

Demons are not eligible for eternal life because God became, and died, for human beings, NOT demons.

The text also does NOT mention the name of Jesus. But says "One God". The muslims and Jews also believe in one god.

What does it profit them?

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

"A question for all of you who believe you have to "hold on, abide in, keep believing, etc." to stay in Christ, what happens if you slip, even just one tiny moment in time? I suppose you have to be "re-saved" again. How many times?"






What? No answer from those of you who do not believe salvation is a done deal once. Where are you and what is your answer to my question. Here is my previous post.



"I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He will keep me"

My pastor has a saying, “Being obedient to the word of God does not make me legalistic.”

If I obey the rules in my parents’ house do I do it because I want to inherit something or is because I respect my parents?

Good works will follow salvation, it is Biblical. We will be known from our fruit, not only Spiritual but also physical.

So to answer your question, no you are saved but if you wilfully sin you are on a slippery slope, we all need to repent of our sins.

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

And as far as the person who does not hold fast to the word of the gospel and goes back to unbelief, if that person refuses all efforts by God to get them to continue in their faith in Christ, God turns them over to their unbelief and they are not allowed to come back to faith in Christ. God does not allow it.

Well, @Judges1318 - I disagree with your last sentence. I believe you are saved but are acting like the elder brother of the prodigal son.

There is a certain passage in the Bible the atheists love to recite when they argue with Christians and that is where God hardened Pharos heart when Moses and Aaron spoke to him about leaving Egypt. The argument is always how can a God of love harden your heart and then send you to hell for doing it?

If we investigate the Hebrew, it actually means that God gave Pharaoh over to his heart’s desires. Just like Judas was in the inner circle of Jesus, he was given over to his desire, and he became the worst villain in the history of Christianity. He confessed Jesus but was not truly saved because works did not follow. There are many Christians confessing God but acting like hooligans in the flesh.

Men today act like barbarians in the flesh but we try to be gentlemen in the Spirit, but God wants us to be gentlemen in the flesh but barbarians in the Spirit.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Sabbath day.

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

Perhaps demons tremble because they’re guilty of the unforgivable sin.

They tremble because they have no authority over Christ/YHVH.

 

[Judges1318]

You speak of the Kingdom of God, but I did not ask you about His Kingdom...

I speak of His righteousness, peace, and joy.
That's what I desire about God.

What is it about God that you desire HIM?

He is the source of righteousness, peace, and joy.
Those are attributes of God that I desire to have from Him.

Do you truly know Him - His love for you?

Yes.
How do I know that?
I reflect that love to others.

If you did, you would know His Gift of Salvation is COMPLETE - No Assembly Required.

This world beats us up with “performance”.....it’s easy to think that God expects us to “perform” for Him, but He is NOT like this world.

I feel no compulsion to work to earn his salvation.

 

[Finepearl]

Demons are not eligible for eternal life because God became, and died, for human beings, NOT demons.

The text also does NOT mention the name of Jesus. But says "One God". The muslims and Jews also believe in one god.

What does it profit them?

You are Correct James 2:19 does not mention Jesus even though the context of James is faith in Jesus [James 2:1]. The point I believe James is making is that saying we believe in 'One God' as the demons do, or we believe in Jesus as Christ, as all Christians do, is not sufficient if not supported by works in demonstration of that professed faith or belief. I also think it reasonable to say if the demons believe in 'One God' they would also believe in 'Jesus as God's Son. Demons being fallen angels and having lived in Heaven in the presence of God and Christ would likely have intimate knowledge of them both. They and their leader Satan also know there is judgement to come. I also feel there is scriptural reason to believe they know this judgement will be at the hands of Jesus.

 

[Finepearl]

No, actually @Lightskin is correct....the demons BELIEVE IN GOD I.E. they acknowledge GOD IS INDEED REAL....but they have NO SAVING FAITH....so deduced they DO NOT BELIEVE IN JESUS in the sense of saving faith....!

I think we may be missing the point. James is not saying the demons have saving faith, neither am I. James makes reference to the demons belief in 'one God' to help us to appreciate his whole argument summarised in the last verse James 2:26 i.e. that faith without works is dead. It is James, not me, that includes the statement about the belief of the demons in the context of his letter which is belief/faith in Christ Jesus [James 2:1]. Having a belief or faith in something or someone does not always have to have a positive connotation. For example a prisoner sentenced to death, imprisoned and waiting on death row believes unless there is a pardon granted, he will die.