Sermon on the mount - life or legalistic junk
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2 Peter 1.1-12 NASB-
1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: [SUP]2 [/SUP]Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; [SUP]3 [/SUP]seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. [SUP]4 [/SUP]For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. [SUP]5 [/SUP]Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, [SUP]6 [/SUP]and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, [SUP]7 [/SUP]and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. [SUP]8 [/SUP]For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [SUP]9 [/SUP]For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. [SUP]10 [/SUP]Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; [SUP]11 [/SUP]for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
The Bible tells us plainly in this passage that we have become partakers of the divine nature. If I do these things it makes me fruitful of my true knowledge of Jesus Christ.
It also states that if I lack any of these things, then I am blind and short sighted and I forget that I was purged of my past sins. It finally finishes and says if I do practice things I shall not Fall or stumble, which is translated as SIN.
The example of the angry man still ebing angry after 2 years of being saved can only be concluded as follows:
He was short sighted and blind and forgot he was purged from his former sin of anger.
Once the heart is changed the desire to change behaviors like rage overcome a person. This is true repentance and is not a one time verbal mentally assenting sinners prayer with 1000 other people standing around you promising the same thing. This repentance is the life changing enabling/restraining grace that keeps you from getting angry 2 years later.
Willful sin is a form of apostasy, that leads to death, not missing the mark as a saint...and then asking Father's forgiveness.
For example:
Why should we even be having discussions about leaders of churches engaging in worldly behavior today?
Christian character still maters!
Sin in the Bible is defined as doing something God told you not to do and you do it anyway.
1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: [SUP]2 [/SUP]Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; [SUP]3 [/SUP]seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. [SUP]4 [/SUP]For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. [SUP]5 [/SUP]Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, [SUP]6 [/SUP]and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, [SUP]7 [/SUP]and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. [SUP]8 [/SUP]For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [SUP]9 [/SUP]For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. [SUP]10 [/SUP]Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; [SUP]11 [/SUP]for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
The Bible tells us plainly in this passage that we have become partakers of the divine nature. If I do these things it makes me fruitful of my true knowledge of Jesus Christ.
It also states that if I lack any of these things, then I am blind and short sighted and I forget that I was purged of my past sins. It finally finishes and says if I do practice things I shall not Fall or stumble, which is translated as SIN.
The example of the angry man still ebing angry after 2 years of being saved can only be concluded as follows:
He was short sighted and blind and forgot he was purged from his former sin of anger.
Once the heart is changed the desire to change behaviors like rage overcome a person. This is true repentance and is not a one time verbal mentally assenting sinners prayer with 1000 other people standing around you promising the same thing. This repentance is the life changing enabling/restraining grace that keeps you from getting angry 2 years later.
Willful sin is a form of apostasy, that leads to death, not missing the mark as a saint...and then asking Father's forgiveness.
For example:
Why should we even be having discussions about leaders of churches engaging in worldly behavior today?
Christian character still maters!
Sin in the Bible is defined as doing something God told you not to do and you do it anyway.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Has the end come? Has the gospel of the kingdom been preached in all the world?Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Paul said the gospel he preached has been preached in all the world.
Has the end come? Has the gospel of the kingdom been preached in all the world?Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Paul said the gospel he preached has been preached in all the world.
Grace and truth are realized through Jesus Christ and faith makes it possible to receive/accept grace. This is all I have been saying. without Faith, you cannot receive or accept grace. You guys want to say grace only.
I hear several hirelings telling people...Grace makes it possible for you to repent....Sounds super spiritual and all good, but at best IT IS a lack of Holy Spirit revelation knowledge and worst a outright lie, not found anywhere in the Bible.
2 Cor 7.10 says in part....For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation.....that godly sorrow is the Holy Spirit convincing you that God's grace, goodness, mercy and truth is available to you, but only only when you come to yourself, admit your condition and by faith accept the gift of Jesus Christ and you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
I heard a popular hireling with an inherited ministry on christian TV the other night say: That confessing is not with the mouth or a heart condition it is simply believing in Jesus every day....He has direct & indirect influence over millions of "modern day grace only, Jesus believing Christians"...yet he is proven wrong by Romans 10.10
I hear several hirelings telling people...Grace makes it possible for you to repent....Sounds super spiritual and all good, but at best IT IS a lack of Holy Spirit revelation knowledge and worst a outright lie, not found anywhere in the Bible.
2 Cor 7.10 says in part....For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation.....that godly sorrow is the Holy Spirit convincing you that God's grace, goodness, mercy and truth is available to you, but only only when you come to yourself, admit your condition and by faith accept the gift of Jesus Christ and you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
I heard a popular hireling with an inherited ministry on christian TV the other night say: That confessing is not with the mouth or a heart condition it is simply believing in Jesus every day....He has direct & indirect influence over millions of "modern day grace only, Jesus believing Christians"...yet he is proven wrong by Romans 10.10
All I am and have been saying is what the Bible teaches, it is not by grace alone that you are saved...grace is the method, truth is the change agent, and faith is the action to confessing and believing in what Jesus did for you.....
You then have enabling grace, restraining grace, gifting grace, manifold graces and more...
Grace is much more than unmerited favor. Strongs Concordance is your best place to start.
Peeps here like to refute works of any kind for salvation and I would agree with them, works never saved anybody, neither did Grace alone....
Here is one that gets me kicked at all the time....God's grace will carry you right to the gates of hell....until you have faith in what Jesus did for you, God's grace is there, but you have to receive grace by faith, just like his other promises...
Grace must be balanced with faith...its never all grace and all faith, it is a balance of grace and faith that brings salvation....its like sodium and chloride...either one of those alone would be poison to you, but together they form salt...
God grace never saved anyone with out a person appropriating that grace, which is the sacrifice of his son, by faith.
We have many hirelings teaching today that it is by grace alone you are saved and you do not need repentance, you do not need faith....When I peel back the onion on these delusional people and show them the truth it sets them free...
Maybe you can't see reality here because you don't want to. Everything good that can happen to a human has happened because of the gracious(grace) acts of God. There is no balance with faith because faith comes from the graciousness of God. You do not produce your own faith any more then you produce your own body, we are given a measure of faith, we are given a Savior, we are given love, we are given a kingdom...all because of the grace of God that is an expression of His love for mankind.
1 Peter 1 - I agree that the person has lost sight of the fact that his sins are forgiven. He lost his identity and is "short sighted" and what happened to him in Christ. It's the renewing of the mind that needs to take place and the complete reliance on the grace of God to effect real transformation by the Holy Spirit.
Real repentance is not a product of our own will-power or fleshly attempts to change but only comes when it is granted by God. ( Acts 11:18 ; 2 Tim. 2:25 )
IMO - This is where the religion of Christianity misses it. They are trying to "dictate" the fruit of the spirit without teaching them about Christ Himself and His life in us now. They are missing the foundation of the gospel and in turn have substituted it with a behavior modification program which is based on self-effort and human will-power which is doomed to failure.
Behavior certainly does matter for various reasons. Here is a video that talks about this in the light of the grace of God shown in Christ. Some like to watch videos - some don't. I post what has helped me and if others like to watch them - they can.
[video=youtube;yPFZv08ZCoY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPFZv08ZCoY[/video]
Real repentance is not a product of our own will-power or fleshly attempts to change but only comes when it is granted by God. ( Acts 11:18 ; 2 Tim. 2:25 )
IMO - This is where the religion of Christianity misses it. They are trying to "dictate" the fruit of the spirit without teaching them about Christ Himself and His life in us now. They are missing the foundation of the gospel and in turn have substituted it with a behavior modification program which is based on self-effort and human will-power which is doomed to failure.
Behavior certainly does matter for various reasons. Here is a video that talks about this in the light of the grace of God shown in Christ. Some like to watch videos - some don't. I post what has helped me and if others like to watch them - they can.
[video=youtube;yPFZv08ZCoY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPFZv08ZCoY[/video]
The truth is without the grace of God in Christ - no one would be saved.
The grace of God is a manifestation of His great love for us.
Trying to separate grace from Christ, from truth, from faith is like trying to separate the wet from the water.
These are all from Christ Himself - grace. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of grace and the Spirit of Jesus Himself.
Be strong in the grace that is "in" Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:1 (NASB)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
We are to fix our hope completely on the grace that is being brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
We are to have our hearts established in grace which is only in Christ Himself.
Hebrews 13:8-9 (KJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
[SUP]9 [/SUP] Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
It is the word of His grace that is able to build us up and that brings us our inheritance that is in Christ to us.
Acts 20:32 (NASB)
[SUP]32 [/SUP] "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Jesus Himself is the Truth.
Faith comes with the hearing of Christ Himself.
Romans 10:17 (NASB)
[SUP]17 [/SUP] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
The reality is - that grace, truth and faith are all from Christ Himself and all these things are of God.
We need to believe the message of Christ's finished work on the cross and resurrection and then we receive the abundance grace that is supplied in Christ. Romans 5:17
The grace of God is a manifestation of His great love for us.
Trying to separate grace from Christ, from truth, from faith is like trying to separate the wet from the water.
These are all from Christ Himself - grace. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of grace and the Spirit of Jesus Himself.
Be strong in the grace that is "in" Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:1 (NASB)
[SUP]1 [/SUP] You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
We are to fix our hope completely on the grace that is being brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13
[SUP]13 [/SUP] Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
We are to have our hearts established in grace which is only in Christ Himself.
Hebrews 13:8-9 (KJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
[SUP]9 [/SUP] Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
It is the word of His grace that is able to build us up and that brings us our inheritance that is in Christ to us.
Acts 20:32 (NASB)
[SUP]32 [/SUP] "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Jesus Himself is the Truth.
Faith comes with the hearing of Christ Himself.
Romans 10:17 (NASB)
[SUP]17 [/SUP] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
The reality is - that grace, truth and faith are all from Christ Himself and all these things are of God.
We need to believe the message of Christ's finished work on the cross and resurrection and then we receive the abundance grace that is supplied in Christ. Romans 5:17
A
Still doesn't make any sense. Why can't you define grace?
You fight and rail against it but you can't even define what you are fighting against.
I believe God gives us faith by His grace. Without grace people would not have faith to be saved.
I hear you words and all in can see is you don't know what God's grace is or you would not speak as you do.
With your many words, I still see no rain.
Grace is admiting that everything God has given us, we don't deserve. Grace is agape love. Grace is blessing those who curse you. Grace is forgiving those who don't deserve it. Grace is laying your burdens at the foot of the cross and knowing God will take care of it.
Faith is given to us by the grace of God. We didn't earn it. It did not come from ourselves but from God. People who fight against grace want to claim they made and can increase their own faith, but it's a lie.
Their faith is not in God and God's grace, but in their own works and their own ability.
People who understand grace know that it is God who increases our faith and we each have a measure of faith.
People who understand agape love recognise that a weak brother who doesn't have as much faith as them, should not be ridiculed and made to feel less beloved by God.
Agape love reveals that no matter your measure of faith be it big or small, it is enough to do the good works and task God has created you for. This all by God's grace and love.
Why would you down play grace?
People who believe in grace alone are not delusional. They just recognize that repentance and faith are given to people through the grace of God.
However those "delusional" people you mention are often folks who fall under false doctrine of the WOF movement, but you are leading them to works salvation.
You fight and rail against it but you can't even define what you are fighting against.
I believe God gives us faith by His grace. Without grace people would not have faith to be saved.
I hear you words and all in can see is you don't know what God's grace is or you would not speak as you do.
With your many words, I still see no rain.
Grace is admiting that everything God has given us, we don't deserve. Grace is agape love. Grace is blessing those who curse you. Grace is forgiving those who don't deserve it. Grace is laying your burdens at the foot of the cross and knowing God will take care of it.
Faith is given to us by the grace of God. We didn't earn it. It did not come from ourselves but from God. People who fight against grace want to claim they made and can increase their own faith, but it's a lie.
Their faith is not in God and God's grace, but in their own works and their own ability.
People who understand grace know that it is God who increases our faith and we each have a measure of faith.
People who understand agape love recognise that a weak brother who doesn't have as much faith as them, should not be ridiculed and made to feel less beloved by God.
Agape love reveals that no matter your measure of faith be it big or small, it is enough to do the good works and task God has created you for. This all by God's grace and love.
Why would you down play grace?
People who believe in grace alone are not delusional. They just recognize that repentance and faith are given to people through the grace of God.
However those "delusional" people you mention are often folks who fall under false doctrine of the WOF movement, but you are leading them to works salvation.
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As we read on in Matthew 7:24-27, we find two different foundations with two different results, and not salvation by works, as some would suppose. Each house has a different material upon which its foundation is laid, and each house has a different final outcome. One house is built by a wise man upon a rock and it stands. The other is built by a foolish man upon the sand and it collapses.
Those deceived by their own self-righteousness in Matthew 7:22-23 were "outwardly" doing all the things that the righteous would do yet they did not truly know Christ (had no personal relationship with Christ) which stemmed from not truly believing in Him.
*The rock the wise man builds upon is true righteousness found in Jesus Christ alone. *The sand the foolish man builds upon is self-righteousness.
*Only those who truly believe in Him are wise and hear the words of Jesus and properly act on them. *The foolish man twists the words of Jesus and acts on their own self-righteous works system and calls that acting on the words of Jesus.
Those deceived by their own self-righteousness in Matthew 7:22-23 were "outwardly" doing all the things that the righteous would do yet they did not truly know Christ (had no personal relationship with Christ) which stemmed from not truly believing in Him.
*The rock the wise man builds upon is true righteousness found in Jesus Christ alone. *The sand the foolish man builds upon is self-righteousness.
*Only those who truly believe in Him are wise and hear the words of Jesus and properly act on them. *The foolish man twists the words of Jesus and acts on their own self-righteous works system and calls that acting on the words of Jesus.