Hebrews 6:1-6

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eternally-gratefull

Guest
I do not follow the OT laws but Christ's NT gospel. Where does it say that God requires me to be perfectly sinless. Even in the OT they had a hard time in trying to show the Jews God was not looking for flawless law keeping but a faithful obedience, 1 Sam 15:22.
No, your wrong, even in the OT, They realised the could not follow Gods requirement. thus they needed grace. Because they could not follow Gods moral law.


This is the point Paul is making in Rom 4:4,5. Paul is writing to Jews in Rome that had become Christians yet those Jews were still clinging to the OT law. Paul used Abraham as an example when he pointed out that the OT law could not justify. All the OT law allowed for to be justified was flawless law keeping yet the Jew would eventually sin bring God's wrath upon the Jew, Rom 4:15. The law brought wrath for it required perfect law keeping which the Jew could not do. Abraham was an eacmple of one who sinned, who did not try to earn salvation by flawless law keeping (worketh not) but reckoned righteous by an obedient faith.
Your no different than them, Your just as guilty by adding rules to Gods grace, and rejecting Gods grace.


The gospel requires obedience to it by believing, Jn 8:24; repentance, Lk 13:3,5, confession, Mt 10:32,33 and baptism Mk 16:16. I obeyed these things therefore I have obeyed the gospel. Those who do not obey these things have "not obeyed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" and God will have vengeance upon them, 2 Thess 1:8 for their lack of obedience. So no one is earning salvation by obedience to the gospel no more than Abraham earned his justification by obeying God in sacrificing Isaac, James 2:21. Your straw man is dying, on life support.

The gospel requires faith.

Faith saves

Faith produces obedience.

You have it all backwards.
 
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LOL putting it in red does not change its meaning. the Gospel is not doing righteousness. If it was it would be no Gospel. For none of us can do a righteousness which compares with the righteousness of God. To OBEY the Good News is to receive Christ as our Saviour, to commit our lives to Him for Him to save us, to be accepted as righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, and to experience the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

So I guess its you who will experience His vengeance
It does not matter what color font the truth remains those that OBEY NOT the gospel are lost.

No obedience = no salvation.

Some here twist this verse backwards by saying one is saved by not obeying the gospel.
 
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Abel was righteous because he had faith. Not because he was righteous.

He trusted God. When are you going to do that?

Abel had an obedient faith as seen by his work in offering to God.

The Hebrew writer did NOT say "BY faith only Abel obtained witness he was righteous"

Abel did trust God by DOING what God said in sacrificing, he did not trust God by doing nothing.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
It does not matter what color font the truth remains those that OBEY NOT the gospel are lost.
Thus your lost

No obedience = no salvation.
No faith no salvation, proven by the fact, You have never done one work of righteousness (although you may do many works which appear righteous, like get baptised, go to church, preach against sin, Take communion etc etc) but they are not works of righteiousness, they are works of satan.

Some here twist this verse backwards by saying one is saved by not obeying the gospel.
No one has ever claimed that. Now thats a strawman if I ever saw one, Your good at those. they do not help you though.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
Abel had an obedient faith as seen by his work in offering to God.
No Abel had true faith, vs mere belief, He trusted God. so he did what God asked.

The Hebrew writer did NOT say "BY faith only Abel obtained witness he was righteous"
Your right, he said by faith.. Then he showed the results of his faith.



Abel did trust God by DOING what God said in sacrificing, he did not trust God by doing nothing.
lol. Dude your funny. If he trusted God you want me and everyone else here to think he would not do anything?

get real.


He did the work BECAUSE he had faith.

Just like he was saved BECAUSE HE HAD FAITH

Salvation and the works were the result of faith, faith is not the result of salvation and works. You have it backwards!
 
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and here you immediately reveal your error. The continual cleansing in the blood of Christ is for Christians. When Jesus says, he who is bathed 'needs only to wash his feet' He was speaking of this. So yes the Christian has to walk in the light (keep his life totally open to God's light) so that God will make his sins clear to him so that he seeks daily cleansing. But it is only effective because he has first been 'bathed' (has committed his life to Christ for salvation and trusted Him to save). John is talking to those who are already Christians, not preaching the Gospel.



True, but they had to come to this position by an initial faith in and commitment to God to be circumcised in heart. That had to precede their righteous walk,

1 Jn 1:7 was written to Christians and for Christian to remain saved>have all sins cleansed away by the blood of Christ, they must continue to walk in the light. So that cleansing comes about due to an obedient work in walking. Again, the walking does not earn them the cleansing but a necessary condition attached to the cleansing.


John's parent were righteous before God for their walking in the commands and statutes of God not because of faith only. Faith only is not remotely to be found in Lk 1:6.
 
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No Abel had true faith, vs mere belief, He trusted God. so he did what God asked.



Your right, he said by faith.. Then he showed the results of his faith.





lol. Dude your funny. If he trusted God you want me and everyone else here to think he would not do anything?

get real.


He did the work BECAUSE he had faith.

Just like he was saved BECAUSE HE HAD FAITH

Salvation and the works were the result of faith, faith is not the result of salvation and works. You have it backwards!
That is exactly correct.....and it is evident that Doing God's Righteousness is only possible if one has been BORN AGAIN....

1. The natural man cannot know, discern and or spiritually understand the word of God as it is foolishness unto him and he cannot KNOW IT.
2. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God
3. In the grace you are having been saved out of FAITH<--salvation is the result of faith (out of faith)
4. Being saved allows for being transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may put to the test what is that good and acceptable will of GOD
5. By having number 1, thru 4 a person is
a. Born from above and has the spirit so as to compare spiritual with spiritual and can now understand the word of God and how to apply it
b. Can now do number 4 on the list and begin to be transform outside because of the transformation on the inside (Trasformed <---comes from a Greek word that we get metamorphoses from) Change outside because of the change inward....a buttery fly is a caterpillar and is changed into a butterfly due to metamorphoses
C. A man that is saved by faith which is born from above who has begun to take the word of God and understand what it means and how to apply it can in turn begin to grow and produce fruit and do the works that have already been prepared before the casting down of the world........

A man that is already SAVED by FAITH, having had the righteousness of GOD imputed by faith as a gift (saved, born again), who is now sanctified in Christ (positionally) and sealed with the HOLY SPIRIT of God, can now and only now begin to understand the word which will shape, form and fashion him after the workings of CHRIST. Then and only then can they do the works that were prepared for the ALREADY CHILDREN OF GOD BY FAITH.

The just shall love by faith......
But with out faith (a clear spiritual gift 1st Corinthians 13) it is impossible to please God......

What is first on the list.......FAITH=HOPE--->RESULTS IN LOVE (this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not heard to bear (love God and love your neighbor)

It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that BELIEVE (first on the list is faith (believe=save)
If you believe in you heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved (Faith first on the list (believe=saved)
With the heart man BELIEVETH unto righteousness (faith first on the list=unto righteousness)
Therefore being justified by FAITH (faith first on the list=justified-->rendered legally innocent before God)

Faith has always come before works.....and faith is a GIFT FROM GOD........WORKS do not add to, facilitate, or get the free gift of FAITH.......

Faith which saves and makes it all possible.....see the numbered list above again :)
 
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Yet I can go get baptized (which is called in the bible a good work or righteousness) to earn salvation (because my focus is not on love but what I can get out of it) Yet what I have performed is an evil act of satan. Because it is a carnal work. (self centered or carnal)

Works don;t prove anything, the heart does. And you can not read anyones heart.




No, James said if we CLAIM we have faith, but do not have even one work (Zero zip nada works) our faith is dead. and their is no truth in us, We may believe in God, we do well. but we have no faith in God whatsoever, because those who have the faith of eph 2: 8-9 will do the works of eph 2: 10.

yet you claim one can be saved, do a bunch of works WHICH PROVES THEIR FAITH, yet still go to hell..

You do not teach james, you twist his words to suit your own gain. That is an evil work of satan. Not a righteous work of God.
Peter in Acts 2 did not command his hearers to be baptized and thereby earn your remission of sins. You still refuse to see that obeying Gods' will in being baptized does not earn salvation no more than Abraham obeying God's will in offering Isaac earned his justification. You will not see this difference for it will kill the faith only theology...if you saw this difference you would not have your straw man trot out.


If one has no works then he cannot even prove he has faith, he can claim he has faith. So if you have no works you cannot even prove you have faith, but only claim you do.

There is nothing in EPh 2:10 that guarantees that one who becomes a Christian will walk in good works. He of his own free will chose to walk in good works and can by his own free will quit and fall away.
 
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No, your wrong, even in the OT, They realised the could not follow Gods requirement. thus they needed grace. Because they could not follow Gods moral law.




Your no different than them, Your just as guilty by adding rules to Gods grace, and rejecting Gods grace.




The gospel requires faith.

Faith saves

Faith produces obedience.

You have it all backwards.

Those Jews in the OT were trying to merit their salvation by trying to keep the law perfectly but they would always fail. A faithful obedience was what God was looking for not flawless law keeping. David sinned so he did not keep God's law flawlessly but because of his obedient faith he would be righteous before God...same with Abraham.


Faith does save but it is not the only thing that saves:

Eph 2:8------------faith>>>>>>>>>>>saves
Lk 13:3,5---------repenting>>>>>>>>not perish/saves
ROm 10:9,10-----confession>>>>>>>saves
1Pet3:21----------baptism>>>>>>>>saves

Since there is just ONE way to be saved then faith must include repentance, confession and baptism for remission of sins else you would be claiming one can be saved while not repenting/impenitent, while denying Christ, while still lost in his unremitted sins. You cannot have one first saved then repent, confess Christ and be baptized for remission of sins..that is backwards from how the bible has it.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
Peter in Acts 2 did not command his hearers to be baptized and thereby earn your remission of sins. You still refuse to see that obeying Gods' will in being baptized does not earn salvation no more than Abraham obeying God's will in offering Isaac earned his justification. You will not see this difference for it will kill the faith only theology...if you saw this difference you would not have your straw man trot out.

Oh so now you changed? I do not have to be baptized at all to be saved? Since when did you change your mind?




If one has no works then he cannot even prove he has faith, he can claim he has faith. So if you have no works you cannot even prove you have faith, but only claim you do.
aint it funny that that is exactly what I have been saying since day one. But since you have not been listening to me. You make yourself look foolish by stating my words back to me, like I do not believe it myself.

Here is one difference though, I do not need to prove to God I have true faith, He knows before I do one work if it is real or not. I can not fool God into thinking I had faith, then do nothing to show my faith is real. He would not be God if I could do this.


There is nothing in EPh 2:10 that guarantees that one who becomes a Christian will walk in good works. He of his own free will chose to walk in good works and can by his own free will quit and fall away.
Thats exactly what eph 2: 10 says,

we are saved by faith not works (faith alone eph 2: 8-9) and our salvation has given us a new life, created in Christ for good works, in which we will walk in them.
 
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Thus your lost



No faith no salvation, proven by the fact, You have never done one work of righteousness (although you may do many works which appear righteous, like get baptised, go to church, preach against sin, Take communion etc etc) but they are not works of righteiousness, they are works of satan.



No one has ever claimed that. Now thats a strawman if I ever saw one, Your good at those. they do not help you though.

I am the one obeying and saying all people should OBEY the gospel to be saved. You are the one saying one does not have to do any obedient works in obeying the gospel to be saved.

God said to believe, repent, confess and be baptized to be saved. I have done this so I have done GOD's righteousness. Those that have not done this things are not doing God's righteousness therefore not of God, 1 Jn 3:10.
 

valiant

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Walking/following is a work, an obedient work and the Christian cannot continue to have all his sin cleansed away/be saved if he does not continue in the obedient work of walking in the light, 1 Jn 1:7.
and here you immediately reveal your error. The continual cleansing in the blood of Christ is for Christians. When Jesus says, he who is bathed 'needs only to wash his feet' He was speaking of this. So yes the Christian has to walk in the light (keep his life totally open to God's light. See John 3.19-20) so that God will make his sins clear to him so that he seeks daily cleansing. But it is only effective because he has first been 'bathed' (has committed his life to Christ for salvation and trusted Him to save). John is talking to those who are already Christians, not preaching the Gospel.


Lk 1:6 does NOT say John's parents were righteous before God by faith only. They were blameless, not because they were perfectly sinless, but because they walked/obeyed the commandments and statutes of God. God's OT law allowed for various types of sacrifices for sins and John's parents would have obeyed in keeping those sacrifices for sins leaving them blameless before God.
True, but they had to come to this position by an initial faith in and commitment to God to be circumcised in heart and by trusting in the blood of the sacrifices. They had no once for all sacrifice like we have. That had to precede their righteous walk.

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Abraham WALKED before God, walked here means he obeyed God, Heb 11:8,17. Walked does not mean he had belief only. And Paul said in Rom 4:12 "And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." Again, 'walk' means to obey God as Abraham did, we are to walk/obey in the steps of that faith of Abraham.


But Abraham walked before God AFTER he had initially been accounted as righteous. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. His acceptability before God was as a consequence of faith. This was then followed by a righteous walk.

You say, ." Again, 'walk' means to obey God as Abraham did'. In fact in Paul's statement it clearly does NOT. Paul says that it was to 'walk in the faith of our father Abraham.' In other words to have the faith that makes them accounted as righteous. It is deceitful to change what he actually says to meet with your requirements.

You constantly mix up initial salvation and consequent righteousness.

Those verses I quoted from the OT show how the word "walk" is used to refer to obeying God as "walking in the light" in 1 Jn 1:7 refers to an obedient work. Walking/obeying God is not legalism but is called "righteousness" as John's parents "walking" made them righteous not legalists, Lk 1:6.
What John meant is clear from his Gospel. See John 3.19-21. It is to walk in the light of God so that what they are is revealed. 'Light is come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his works may be openly revealed that they are wrought in God. So walking in the light does NOT mean walking in righteousness. It means walking in God's light so that sin might be shown up. In Abraham's case it indicated a walk of faith. You see walking with God is not 'walking in righteousness' (although that follows). It is waking in faith and openness towards God.


One is either walking in darkness or walks in the light, no inbetween.

1 Jn 1:6 "
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"


We cannot have fellowship with Jesus Christ unless we are open towards Him. That is the basis of fellowship. So it is true that we are either walking daily with our lives open towards Him or are not. But the stress is on fellowship with God not walking in righteousness. You seem to be besotted with idea of you being righteous. But you are not. 'There is none righteous no not one'. That is why we must first be accounted as righteous through faith before we can walk before God

Here walking in darkness is equivalent to not doing the truth.
As often you missed a bit out. Accuracy in the word does not appear to be your aim. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness WE LIE and do not the truth. The point about walking is to be in fellowship with HIM. We do not do that if we walk in darkness. As a consequence we do not live truly.

In other words it is because if in our walk we are not open towards God then He cannot reveal to us the truth about our sin.

It is not possible for one who continues to walk in darkness/that continues to do not the truth to ever be saved.
It says NOTHING about being saved. Here he is talking about walking in fellowship with God. It is a personal relationship. And sadly sometime we do walk in darkness, hiding our sins from God. But this does not necessarily mean that we are unsaved. It means that temporarily we are out of fellowship with Him.

Clearly if someone refuses ever to come to the light they experience the condemnation of John 3.18-21. But that is not what John is talking about here. He is talking about maintaining fellowship with God.

Obviously he must first do the truth to be saved...."
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light" Jn 3:21. One is in the dark and remains in the dark until he doeth truth. You are trying to find a way to get one to the light WITHOUT first DOING the truth.


It is the opposite way round. It is because he walks in the dark so that his sins will not be revealed. Thus He does not 'believe in Him' (verse 16). But the one who comes to His light (because he has believed in Him), is doing TRUTH. He is responding to the claims of the Saviour (verses 16-18). Here to DO THE TRUTH is to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.,

Christ's NT baptism of the great commission in Col 2:12 is not an anti-type to OT circumcision. If it were then only males could be baptized and would have to be baptized on the 8th day yet baptism for remission of sins is for all.
Partly true. But the emphasis is not on being baptised but on the significance of what I do when I am baptised. I die with Christ and rise again. I experience the cross and resurrection in my life. Have you died with Christ and risen again? See Romans 6.1-11. And that is linked with the circumcision of the heart which indicates the application of sacrificial blood to the heart resulting in a transformed heart. You see how continually experiencing salvation in Jesus Christ PRECEDES walking in righteousness?.

Col 2:11 when one is water baptized a spiritual circumcision takes place, a circumcision without hands where God does the work of removing the body of sin.
This is only true if the baptism takes place at the moment of believing. It is faith in Christ and in our dying with Him and rising again with Him that deals with the problem of sin, a circumcision of the heart. Baptism cannot accomplish this. It is the coming to faith of the person being baptised which results in the change within. It is experiencing the power of the cross.

1) this removal of the body of sin (salvation/remission of sins) does not take place until one is baptized.
It takes place when we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour, when we repent and 'believe the Gospel'. If baptism is delayed then it occurs before baptism.

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen Col 2:12. Says nothing about a baptism "made without hands" but baptizo means a literal burial, immersion in water from which one is risen.


Of course it is a baptism made without hands of which water baptism is the symbol. It is by spiritually dying with Christ and rising with Him. If of ourselves we do not die with Him (experience the power of the cross) and rise with Him our baptism will do us no good..

Lk 7:29 those that rejected John's baptism were seen to have been rejecting the counsel of God. So what can be said of those that refuse Christ's baptism of the great commission, Mt 28:19,20; Mk 15:15,16; Lk 24:47? They also are rejecting the counsel of God, rejecting the gospel:

Acts 2:41 "
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:..."

Why were they baptised? Because they believed in Christ and experienced His salvation. The great commission was so that men might BELIEVE and be baptised. It is faith that saves them, not baptism. Baptism is a symbol of their faith. They recognised that in it they were dying with Christ and rising with Him.

Conversely, those that rejected Peter's gospel sermon rejected baptism. Then those that have not been baptized have not received the gospel.
the one does not follow from the other. Many have believed the Gospel and been saved, even though they were not baptised. I believe in being baptised. But baptism does not save us. It is trust in Christ which saves.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
Those Jews in the OT were trying to merit their salvation by trying to keep the law perfectly but they would always fail. A faithful obedience was what God was looking for not flawless law keeping. David sinned so he did not keep God's law flawlessly but because of his obedient faith he would be righteous before God...same with Abraham.
lol.. David was declared righteous by God when he was a kid in the field. Saved forever. before he even slew goliath

Abraham was declaried righteous by God before he even did any work, and committed all his horrific sins.

they were saved because they had faith in God. Their faith was proven by their works. Their horrific sins just proved they were still sinners who need Christ.

We can all see ourselves in them, we may not sin the sins they sinned, but we still sin. Which makes us just as guilty as they were.

They were saved by grace through faith. Just like we are.




Faith does save but it is not the only thing that saves:

Eph 2:8------------faith>>>>>>>>>>>saves
Lk 13:3,5---------repenting>>>>>>>>not perish/saves
ROm 10:9,10-----confession>>>>>>>saves
1Pet3:21----------baptism>>>>>>>>saves

Since there is just ONE way to be saved then faith must include repentance, confession and baptism for remission of sins else you would be claiming one can be saved while not repenting/impenitent, while denying Christ, while still lost in his unremitted sins. You cannot have one first saved then repent, confess Christ and be baptized for remission of sins..that is backwards from how the bible has it.
ook at you. You just in the last post said baptism does not save, now you say it does again. Can;t you get your story straight?
 
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eternally-gratefull

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double post.. ..........................
 
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No Abel had true faith, vs mere belief, He trusted God. so he did what God asked.



Your right, he said by faith.. Then he showed the results of his faith.





lol. Dude your funny. If he trusted God you want me and everyone else here to think he would not do anything?

get real.


He did the work BECAUSE he had faith.

Just like he was saved BECAUSE HE HAD FAITH

Salvation and the works were the result of faith, faith is not the result of salvation and works. You have it backwards!

Abel did not have faith only like you wished Heb 11:4 would have said.

Heb 11:4 does say "by faith Abel offered unto God". Abel did NOT have faith only but his faith INCLUDED obedience in offering as God said.

So the Hebrew did not say "Abel by faith only" for Abel did not have faith only but had faith AND obedient works.


You keep saying "Abel had faith", and "Abel trusted God" but will NOT say that his faith/trust included obedience. You are trying very hard to get faith only in Heb 11;4 when it's not there.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
Abel did not have faith only like you wished Heb 11:4 would have said.

Heb 11:4 does say "by faith Abel offered unto God". Abel did NOT have faith only but his faith INCLUDED obedience in offering as God said.

So the Hebrew did not say "Abel by faith only" for Abel did not have faith only but had faith AND obedient works.


You keep saying "Abel had faith", and "Abel trusted God" but will NOT say that his faith/trust included obedience. You are trying very hard to get faith only in Heb 11;4 when it's not there.
once again, there is NO SUCH THING AS FAITH ALONE.

Your STRAWMAN is getting old dude, your started to sound like a broken record, and its the worse song ever written. and we can;t get it to stop!
 
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That is exactly correct.....and it is evident that Doing God's Righteousness is only possible if one has been BORN AGAIN....
Being born again/water baptism is doing God's righteousness.

If you claim being born again is some "spiritual" event God must do to man then you are putting culpablity upon God for all those do not do righteousness. Again, you have put 100% accountability and responsibility upon God for man being born again whereby man can then do righteousness so if man does not do righteousness it's God's fault for failing to make that man born again.

Since being born again is water baptism and God has commanded water baptism then man is accountable/responsible for his own role in his salvation by obeying that command to be baptized and if he does not, then man is at fault for his being lost, not God.
 
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eternally-gratefull

Guest
Being born again/water baptism is doing God's righteousness.
your right, because it is his work. thats why it is his righteousness

He made you alive, you did not make yourself alive by doing something.

He washed you in spiritual water, not some man immersing you in impure water.

but you do not teach this, you teach you make yourself alive and make some man wash you in water. and that will make you clean.

you reject the work of God. enough said.
 
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Oh so now you changed? I do not have to be baptized at all to be saved? Since when did you change your mind?
You must not have read what I posted. YOU are claiming if one does works then he is earning his salvation yet Peter commanded men to do the works of repenting and beig baptized so Peter was commanding them to earn their salvation by doing those works? Hardly. God commanded Abraham to earn his justification by offering Isaac? Hardly. This is the problem your theology presents you by wrongly claiming any work automatically earn salvation.



eteranlly-gratefull said:
aint it funny that that is exactly what I have been saying since day one. But since you have not been listening to me. You make yourself look foolish by stating my words back to me, like I do not believe it myself.

Here is one difference though, I do not need to prove to God I have true faith, He knows before I do one work if it is real or not. I can not fool God into thinking I had faith, then do nothing to show my faith is real. He would not be God if I could do this.




Thats exactly what eph 2: 10 says,

we are saved by faith not works (faith alone eph 2: 8-9) and our salvation has given us a new life, created in Christ for good works, in which we will walk in them.

No, you have been saying all along that if one does works he is trying to earn salvation so you have been saying one can obtain salvation by faith with no works. But if one has no works then he cannot even prove he has faith. So you are trying to get one saved by a faith one cannot even prove he has.

Eph 2:10 says one cannot be a Christian unless he walks in good works. So here again we have WORKS being a necessary part of salvation for if the Christian quits doing good works he will fall way and be lost. So those good works are necessary for the Christian to keep/maintain his promise of salvation.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
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Walking/following is a work, an obedient work and the Christian cannot continue to have all his sin cleansed away/be saved if he does not continue in the obedient work of walking in the light, 1 Jn 1:7.
You are using 1 John 1:7 to teach that salvation is "maintained" by works, which is not the point that John is making. 1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. It's one or the other. Either we walk in the light because we are in the light or else we walk in darkness because we are still in darkness. There is no middle ground.

Lk 1:6 does NOT say John's parents were righteous before God by faith only. They were blameless, not because they were perfectly sinless, but because they walked/obeyed the commandments and statutes of God. God's OT law allowed for various types of sacrifices for sins and John's parents would have obeyed in keeping those sacrifices for sins leaving them blameless before God.
They were both righteous before God (based on what?) What did Abraham do and it was accounted to him for righteousness? Abraham BELIEVED God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So was Abraham accounted as righteous based on his faith or by works? (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:2-3). Why would it be any different for John's parents? Why would it be any different for us? (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9). Zacharias and Elisabeth were not righteous through their own goodness (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10), but through their faith, just as with Noah (Hebrews 11:7) and Abraham (Romans 4:3). Even under the Old Testament, the only way to be in right standing with God was by faith (Hab. 2:4; Galatians 3:11). No one could keep the law perfectly (Romans 3:23), so faith had to be put in the mercy and forgiveness of God which was illustrated by the Old Testament blood sacrifices.

Abraham WALKED before God, walked here means he obeyed God, Heb 11:8,17. Walked does not mean he had belief only.
This "belief only" that you keep alluding to from James 2:24 is an empty profession of faith, a dead faith and not genuine faith (James 2:14). Of course Abraham walked before God BECAUSE he had genuine faith. If Abraham would have refused to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22; James 2:21) then he would have demonstrated his lack of faith, but Abraham's faith was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6) many years before he obeyed God in Genesis 22.

And Paul said in Rom 4:12 "And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." Again, 'walk' means to obey God as Abraham did, we are to walk/obey in the steps of that faith of Abraham.
Believers walk/obey God BECAUSE they are saved, not to become saved. You continue to try and "shoe horn" works "into" salvation through faith, not works. Works salvation is no salvation at all.

Those verses I quoted from the OT show how the word "walk" is used to refer to obeying God as "walking in the light" in 1 Jn 1:7 refers to an obedient work. Walking/obeying God is not legalism but is called "righteousness" as John's parents "walking" made them righteous not legalists, Lk 1:6.
Walking does not make us righteous. We walk in the light BECAUSE we are righteous, not to become righteous. You continue to read the Bible through the lens of salvation by works, which IS legalism. John's parents were righteous before the Lord because of their faith (cause) and walking in the all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless was the (effect). So how does a lost unbeliever walk in the light when he is still in darkness (Acts 26:18) in order to be made righteous? Your works based false gospel is simply Campbellite smoke and mirrors. For by grace we have been saved through FAITH? or by walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord? What does Ephesians 2:8,9 say? This is where you have to "shoe horn" works into salvation through faith, not works in order to make it fit your biased doctrine.

One is either walking in darkness or walks in the light, no inbetween.
Exactly! One is either in darkness or in the light (Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 5:8).

1 Jn 1:6 "
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"

Here walking in darkness is equivalent to not doing the truth. It is not possible for one who continues to walk in darkness/that continues to do not the truth to ever be saved. Obviously he must first do the truth to be saved...."
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light" Jn 3:21. One is in the dark and remains in the dark until he doeth truth.
One remains in darkness until he turns from darkness to light through FAITH in Christ. Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. In John 3:19-21, Jesus is giving a description of those who are condemned (they practice evil) and a description of those who are saved (they practice the truth). In verse 21, Jesus is giving a description of someone who is saved, they practice the truth and come to the light, they don't practice evil and hate the light. If Jesus is teaching that we are saved through obedience (works) which follow saving faith in Christ, then why didn't He mention it in the following verses? (John 3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26). What is the ONE requirement that Jesus mentions in each of these COMPLETE statements? BELIEVES. *What happened to additional obedience/works as a prerequisite for salvation?

You are trying to find a way to get one to the light WITHOUT first DOING the truth.
DOING what truth? What truth do unbelievers do? They need to repent and believe the gospel in order to turn from darkness to light. Until then, they remain in darkness. John 3:
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. This is not works salvation.

Christ's NT baptism of the great commission in Col 2:12 is not an anti-type to OT circumcision. If it were then only males could be baptized and would have to be baptized on the 8th day yet baptism for remission of sins is for all.
Once again, the context shows that baptism is presented as the New Testament counterpart of circumcision in the Old Testament. They are presented in a careful parallel to each other. The one who is "in Christ" is circumcised with a circumcision made "without hands." The parallel usage of circumcision and baptism demands that we understand the "baptism" to be made "without hands" also. You missed this point. It's not about 8 days.

Col 2:11 when one is water baptized a spiritual circumcision takes place, a circumcision without hands where God does the work of removing the body of sin.
The spiritual circumcision takes place prior to receiving water baptism, a circumcision without hands where God does the work of removing the body of sin, which water baptism symbolizes and pictures.

1) this removal of the body of sin (salvation/remission of sins) does not take place until one is baptized.
That is false (Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31; 26:18). Water baptism and not Christ's finished work of redemption is clearly the main object of your faith.
:(

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen Col 2:12. Says nothing about a baptism "made without hands" but baptizo means a literal burial, immersion in water from which one is risen.
You continue to confuse the picture (water baptism) with the reality (Spirit baptism) just as Roman Catholics confuse the picture (bread and wine) with the reality (broken body and shed blood of Christ).

Lk 7:29 those that rejected John's baptism were saved to have been rejecting the counsel of God. So what can be said of those that refuse Christ's baptism of the great commission, Mt 28:19,20; Mk 15:15,16; Lk 24:47? They also are rejecting the counsel of God, rejecting the gospel:
Why would someone get water baptized who rejects the gospel? There are plenty of people who still get water baptized though who have been deceived into believing they have accepted the gospel, but they have actually accepted a different gospel of works salvation.

Acts 2:41 "
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:..."
Then they that gladly received his word (through repentance/faith) were afterwards baptized.

Conversely, those that rejected Peter's gospel sermon rejected baptism. Then those that have not been baptized have not received the gospel.
Those who rejected Peter's gospel sermon signified this by refusing to get baptized. Those who accepted his gospel sermon signified this by getting baptized. Acts 10:43 - To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"