Good evening MarcR.
Regarding this continuous returning to the issue of salvation by grace through faith vs. works, It just demonstrates that people just won't trust in Christ alone for salvation, as fully providing it. But after they have gone around in circles, they end up back in salvation by grace through works, which cancels each other out. I am convinced that because people who are trusting in Christ, but demonstrate by their posts they are really not, will be those of whom Christ says:
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "
Notice above in the example, that once they find out that they are not entering into the kingdom of God, their very response gives away the reason as to why they are not able to enter in:
"did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?
Once they find out that they aren't entering in, their reason as to why they should be able to is by there own efforts, "Didn't we do this, that and the other thing?" They're not entering in because by their response they demonstrate that they will not have been trusting in Christ, but their own efforts, which is exactly what we have been seeing here by those who after all their conversation, come right back around to salvation by works.
I believe that the prophesying, casting out demons and many miracles, can be replaced by whatever works people are trusting in other than trusting in the Lord's sacrifice. For example, Lord, Lord! Did we not keep the Sabbath on Saturday and did we not obey the ten commandments and did we not abstain from certain foods and keep the holy days? Our only claim to salvation should be the shed blood of Christ without any of our own works as requirements for salvation. When we bring in our own works as a requirement for salvation, it is the same as saying that Christ's sacrifice was insufficient. And amazing thing is that, they will read this and post there contentions and bring themselves right back around to salvation by works! This is the pattern that I have seen over and over again.
Why can't people just trust in Christ completely as the One who provided complete salvation by his shed blood and go on having confidence in the Lord's payment and go on to good works, not to obtain or maintain salvation, but to glorify God with those good works and by doing so Jesus says that we are also building up our treasures in heaven.
If I was standing before the Lord and the kingdom of God was behind him and he asked me, Don, why do you think that you should be allowed to come in here? My only answer would be, "Lord, you shed your blood for me." I would not dare to begin to tell Him of all my own efforts, which are as unclean rags and could not possibly gain me entrance into kingdom of God.
"You are worthy to take the scrolland to open its seals,
because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
