Requirements of Salvation

[BlessedCreator]

i'm not sure about that.
what manner of conscience does the man in the back of the sanctuary crying 'have mercy on me a sinner!' have?
daring not to lift his eyes? why not? yet this is the one who goes home justified, not the one whose conscience appears 'clean' to himself.
which one trusts in God?

James 2:12 KJB
"So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty."

"The meaning is, that in all our conduct we are to act under the constant impression of the truth that we are soon to be brought into judgment, and that the law by which we are to be judged is that by which it is contemplated that we shall be set free from the dominion of sin. In the rule which God has laid down in his word, called "the law of liberty," or the rule by which true freedom is to be secured, a system of religion is revealed by which it is designed that man shall be emancipated not only from one sin, but from all. Now, it is with reference to such a law that we are to be judged; that is, we shall not be able to plead on our trial that we were under a necessity of sinning, but we shall be judged under that law by which the arrangement was made that we might be free from sin. If we might be free from sin; if an arrangement was made by which we could have led holy lives, then it will be proper that we shall be judged and condemned if we are not righteous. The sense is, "In all your conduct, whatever you do or say, remember that you are to be judged, or that you are to give an impartial account; and remember also that the rule by which you are to be judged is that by which provision is made for being delivered from the dominion of sin, and brought into the freedom of the gospel." The argument here seems to be, that he who habitually feels that he is soon to be judged by a law under which it was contemplated that he might be, and should be, free from the bondage of sin, has one of the strongest of all inducements to lead a holy life." - Barnes commentary on James 2:12

 

[G2RBeliever]

All scripture is profitable, that is true.

But if you are not rightly dividing the word of truth, you are not studying to show yourself approved unto God. 2 Timothy 2:15

I concur and back at ya!

 

[posthuman]

Read the Bible, its all there.

Yes. Throughout, "gospel" is singular.

No one knew about the gospel of grace until the ascended Christ revealed it to Paul.

Grace from God toward the humble who confess their sin goes back to Genesis 3, and was preached in the earliest scriptures, c. f. James 4:6 & Job 22:29

To walk righteously is wisdom and salvation is through hope in the One who saves, overlooking transgressions in mercy.

 

[ScottyPchristian]

Jesus also said, the contents of the Word is what everyone will be judged by. That would include Jesus words recorded in Mark, "he who believes and is baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:16) Faith without works is dead. (James 2)

My understanding is that good works come about as a result of being saved, so we don't do good works to earn salvation. We will want to obey God after He saves.
Yes, everyone will be judged according to his works. That judgement is to receive our reward, some will get a great reward because they were more obedient and did more for the cause of Christ during their lives. Some will receive a small reward, because they did less.

There will be two judgments, one for believers and the other for unbelievers. So everyone will receive varying degrees of punishment and reward. That's my understanding of the scriptures, which deal with this doctrine.

The "good works" we do are not ours, the indwelling Holy Spirit convicts us and inspires us to do the good works. So they are not ours, in the first place.

 

[Guojing]

Yes. Throughout, "gospel" is singular.



Grace from God toward the humble who confess their sin goes back to Genesis 3, and was preached in the earliest scriptures, c. f. James 4:6 & Job 22:29

To walk righteously is wisdom and salvation is through hope in the One who saves, overlooking transgressions in mercy.

Why don't you state your understanding of the content of the good news under the gospel of the kingdom, as well as Paul's gospel, so that others can tell what do you understand from them?

What is the good news preached in the 4 gospels by Jesus and the apostles to the Jews?
What is the good news preached by Paul in his epistles to the Gentiles?

 

[crossnote]

and explained to "the teacher of Israel"

Then there’s the confusion between what is ‘to us’ and what is ‘for us’ when it all ends up being for us. lol

 

[Guojing]

Then there’s the confusion between what is ‘to us’ and what is ‘for us’ when it all ends up being for us. lol

1 Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

 

[crossnote]

1 Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Speaking of 1Cor 10...
1 Corinthians 10:11 KJV
[11] Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

 

[posthuman]

What is the good news preached in the 4 gospels by Jesus and the apostles to the Jews?
What is the good news preached by Paul in his epistles to the Gentiles?

Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!

 

[Wansvic]

who baptized the twelve?

The word is silent. However, since Jesus gave Peter the keys (plural) to the kingdom, (Matt. 16:29) and Peter made the statement that everyone was to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38-39) it is obvious he and the other apostles would have had to be obedient as well.

 

[Wansvic]

Your last paragraph is your interpretation on why God sent Peter to the Gentiles. He never called Peter to be an apostle to the Gentiles, and Peter never again preached to the Gentiles after that one-off incident.

Peter was the first to introduce the same message he had given to Jews to the Gentiles . Acts 11:14 points out that the angel of the Lord told Cornelius to send for Peter who would tell him words by which he would the saved. Peter stated that after he saw the Holy Ghost poured out upon the Gentiles who was he to withstand God. Withstand God how? He asked his fellow Jews how they could forbid water baptism to those whom God had filled with His Spirit.

Scripture indicates that Jesus told Peter to feed His lambs one time. He than tells Peter is to feed His sheep, and goes on to say, feed my sheep again. (John 21:15-17) As scripture has depth. I see a connection between Peter "feeding" the salvation message first to the Jews who would be considered sheep. Then assisting in the Samaritans conversion; they being half-Jewish would constitute them as being sheep as well. And, lastly, the Gentiles who would be considered lambs due to the recent arrival into God's plan of salvation.

 

[posthuman]

The word is silent. However, since Jesus gave Peter the keys (plural) to the kingdom, (Matt. 16:29) and Peter made the statement that everyone was to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38-39) it is obvious he and the other apostles would have had to be obedient as well.

The word does say that Christ Himself baptized no one at all with water

 

[BlessedCreator]

Forget about faith and grace for a moment. It's all about having a good conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21). You cant even begin to have faith (trust/confidence) in God without doing acts of obedience. Of which the first act of obedience to begin having faith is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. With obedience comes a good conscience and then comes faith in God. Grace means simply the favor of God. If you live contrary to His will (in sin) you cant trust in Him nor expect His favor (grace) to be with you.

 

[Wansvic]

If you want to read into what James was actually doing there, that is your choice.

I take what James literally stated in Acts 21:20-25, as well as in his James 2. To Jews who believed, he stated that faith without works is dead. But Gentiles who believed are exempted.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
For therein (the gospel) is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:16-17

The gospel message requires one step of faith, followed by another, and another as seen in Peter's message to all that the Lord shall call. (Acts 2:38-39)

 

[Wansvic]

Faith means to have trust/confidence in God.
You can't have trust in God without having a good conscience toward God.
You can't have a good conscious toward God without obeying Him.
Believing in Jesus is the first commandment of God we are told to obey.
There are many other commandments we must live in obedience unto if we desire to be saved.

We are told in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 KJB
"9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

We see just from those 2 verses alone that there is a standard of righteous and holy living that God requires of us if we are to be counted worthy.
That is what is being spoken of in James 2:26 where it says faith without works is dead.

The works are not any righteous or holy works of our own, but of God. The works are the will of God, told to us through the commandments and precepts taught in the Holy Bible.

Without obedience unto God's will, your faith is dead, you are not living a holy life, and you will not see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14 KJB
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: "

Yes.

The NT believer is under the law of Christ, not under the OT law of Moses. (1 Cor 9:20-21) There is a big difference between legal and loving obedience. Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, 1 John 3:22-24)

 

[Wansvic]

Acts 8:37
[37] And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

So me complied with the command given by Peter at Pentecost and submitted to water baptism. And went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:38-39)

 

[BlessedCreator]

Yes.

The NT believer is under the law of Christ, not under the OT law of Moses. (1 Cor 9:20-21) There is a big difference between legal and loving obedience. Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, 1 John 3:22-24)

Jesus also said in Matthew 25:30
"And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "

Whether you do it out of love for God, for treasure in Heaven, or simply because you don't want to end up hell because you weren't a profitable servant, it matters not. All that matters is that we see that there are works required of God to enter the kingdom of God. They are not any righteous works we thought up ourselves but simply obeying the commandments and precepts taught in God's holy words in the Holy Bible. There is a standard of righteous and holy living that God requires of us to enter the kingdom of God. That righteous live is only done through obeying God's commandments, namely found in the NT.

 

[Wansvic]

My understanding is that good works come about as a result of being saved, so we don't do good works to earn salvation. We will want to obey God after He saves.
Yes, everyone will be judged according to his works. That judgement is to receive our reward, some will get a great reward because they were more obedient and did more for the cause of Christ during their lives. Some will receive a small reward, because they did less.

There will be two judgments, one for believers and the other for unbelievers. So everyone will receive varying degrees of punishment and reward. That's my understanding of the scriptures, which deal with this doctrine.

The "good works" we do are not ours, the indwelling Holy Spirit convicts us and inspires us to do the good works. So they are not ours, in the first place.

My comment related to our need to follow Peter's instructions given on the Day of Pentecost in order to be receive the spiritual rebirth. Following these instructions is separate from our conduct as born again believers.

After being spiritually reborn, the indwelling Holy Spirit empowers the newly born Christian to walk in God's ways. Does the newborn child of God still deal with unintentional sin due to their corrupted flesh? Yes. However, as children of God their unintentional sinful behavior can be forgiven through repentant prayer.

I agree that judgement of a believer will be related to their conduct after their spiritual rebirth.

 

[Wansvic]

The word does say that Christ Himself baptized no one at all with water

I agree. However, Jesus attended many water baptisms without objection. Also, Luke's account states that to refuse to submit to water baptism is to reject the very counsel of God. (Luke 7:29-30)

John the Baptist introduced the concept of water baptism of repentance for the remission of sin. (Luke 3:3-4 below) However, only after Jesus' death, burial and resurrection did water baptism have spiritual significance. We know this because the actual process of remitting sin was only made available through the shed blood of Jesus. And, as such, that is why Peter modified John the Baptist's instruction to include the use of the name of the Jesus Christ. This truth is also confirmed by the fact that the Ephesus disciples were re-baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus by the Apostle Paul. (Acts 10:2-6) Paul knew this was the process for washing away sin per Ananias' instruction to him. (Acts 22:16)

Luke 3:3-4
And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

 

[Micaiah-imla]

In 1 Corinthians 6:9, we read - Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? The unrighteousness are not believers. Paul goes on to give a list of sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and in Galatians 5:19-21, Paul goes on to say that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

No, you do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren. Are you not aware that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? (1 Corinthians 6:8-9).

So if one is conducting them self in a dangerous manner that could lead to death, and someone comes up to that person and tells them that those who behave like this will not live long; you would interpret this as a warning to someone other than this person being warned?

It would be like telling a child to ride their bike in a safe manner to avoid getting hurt but then saying, but not you, you will never get hurt. I just wanted to make you aware that other kids can get hurt.