There you go making false allegations again by saying I said I don't have eternal life, which I never said. I said that we who are obedient through love to the Lord have assurance that we will have eternal life. Eternal life is only received to those who remain obedient to Him. You can not claim obedience if your actions and your words don't reflect that. Lord Jesus says over and over again what a believer in Him will do and look like, go back and read the gospel books if you do differently then anything He said then you are not obedient and do not truly believe in Him. Those scriptures say that a believer can be overtaken by willful sin again, and if this happens they don't receive eternal life. Once again like I said through obedience you have assurance of eternal life, and that is what those scriptures are saying when they put eternal life as in we have it now. It is because of our assurance, but the actual gift is not possessed tell the resurrection. This is why it says in Revelation blessed are those who have part in the first resurrection, because that is when we receive the gift of eternal life.
Sounds like double-talk to me, Kenneth.
First off, the matter of
assurance is a different doctrine from "how to be saved." Assurance is partly based on works. If you are into certain gross habitual sins, you don't have grounds for assurance; since scripture says,
"Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."
You guys don't seem to be able to get Ephesians 2 straight:
God gives grace, man exerts faith leading to salvation (no works).
Salvation leads to works (which has a part in assurance).
I am at a loss as to how you go on & on virtually denying that salvation & eternal life are present possessions of Christians, as if salvation were the outcome of some eschatological judgment. Salvation is first of all a rebirth in which a man's nature is changed permanently -- old things pass away, and all becomes new. It includes eternal life at the moment of belief. Try bathing your laundry & self in the following:
Instant Salvation in Past Tense
“Your faith
has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
th Zacchaeus.
Jesus said to him, “
Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” (Luke 19:9)
Evidence of Zacc's instant salvation is found in his instant statement:
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8)
Cornelius was
instantly saved when he trusted the Lord Jesus, and no water baptism was needed nor
joining any Eastern or Western organization. (see Acts 10:43-48). Compare this to what Peter said in Acts 15:11: We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that
we are saved, just as they are. (Acts 15:11)
Consider Eph 2:5 [God] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace
you have been saved.
Is there any hint of an extended process between dead & alive? Salvation is a change from death to life, with no intermediate zombie state. 2 Cor 5: Old things are passed away, behold all has become new. It is all or nothing here.
In addressing Tim on common salvation, prophet Paul remarks to Tim how the Christian's salvation is past. There is no future to transpire before Paul and Tim should call themselves saved.
[the Lord God]
who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, - 2 Tim 1:9
Again, prophet Paul wrote in Titus the truth that we presently regard ourselves as saved in the past.
he [God]
saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)
The future continued salvation state after belief is guaranteed by the past justification by the blood of the Lord Jesus.
Since
we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Rom 5:9) Now how is anyone going to be half-way justified? You either are or you are not. The transition must be instante.
Instant Salvation Is Realized in Present Time
John 5:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes [present tense] him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but
has passed from death to life.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may
know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:12,13)
There is a clear dichotomy: You either have or have not the Son of God with eternal life. The change must be instantaneous. Eternal life is a present possession for the believer, not just a future reward.
Salvation is clearly presented as a present reality:
Men are divided clearly into two groups, believers and non-believers, the saved & the perishing.
he who believes has everlasting life. (John 6:47)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those
who are being saved and those who are perishing. (2 Cor 2:15)
It is clear the whosoever believes in Him has everlasting life and does not come into condemnation. This salvation must be instantaneous in that it is a new birth, a recreation and only depends upon trusting the SAvior (not the chance-giver). One either is a saint or an ain't. The moment a non-believer becomes a believer, he must be saved, for scripture guarantees salvation to the believer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. It is clear that the Philippian jailer was at once saved, for he believed.