What About Saved by Grace? Update: Please Read.
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Could it be that the different approach was because Israel had had 1,500 years of dealing with God and His Oracles, but that the Gentiles were coming in ice-cold? Things like homosexuality, lies, fornication, philanthropy and the like were everyday matters for the Gentile, whereas, although they were Law-breakers, the Israelites knew morals and knew prophecy. Let's take two examples.
In Acts 2 it is; "Ye men of Israel ... REPENT!" Well, repent is to change the direction you are going. Our Lord Jesus had just fulfilled 33o plus prophecies before their eyes and they called for His blood. It was not as though Jesus was unknown. He was vying for Messiah with Israel. But the Corinthians were out and out heathen and polytheists as well. The wording of the gospel would be different. But the basic message is the same, as given by the Master Himself in Mark 16:15-16;
15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Matthew is different because it is not the gospel of grace that Matthew sets forth, but the gospel of the Kingdom. A man is saved SO THAT he may rule with Christ. To qualify for salvation one needs to believe. But to be found worthy of co-rulership with Christ is by how obedient you were.
Luke reveals Christ as a Man. So the gospel there is the gospel of grace - remission of sins "for all the world beginning at Jerusalem".
John deals with the remission of sins, NOT for the Kingdom like the Mark and Luke, but that men might (i) have God dwelling inside of them, (ii) that a corporate New Man might be God's House on earth, and (iii) in having the Triune God in the man, that man might be partaker of the divine life to display Christ.
Then, each of the letters addresses problems, but at the same time reveal Christ. Colossians is about the Head and His supply to His body. Ephesians is about the Body and what it is saved for. Philippians is about the personal experience of Christ to be intimate with Him ... and so on. So each mention of "saved" ties in with a specific theme. Man is made of three parts (Gen.2:7; 1st Thess.5:23), so there are at least three different "salvations" as each part has a different consistency. Then the character must be saved ... and so the spectrum of different "salvations" grows and grows.
But the foundational rule is that man could not save himself. Christ came as a worthy Man and did it by His Works. One hast to put trust in these Works to (i) be released from your sin and sins, (ii) to be reconciled to God, (iii) to be justified before God (not men), (iv) to experience a new and heavenly birth to become heirs AND have the Father's divine life to display Christ and be a "help meet" for Him. Even then, the full salvation depends on whether, after all this, you are found worthy of being a co-ruler with Christ when He sets up His Kingdom on earth when He comes.
"Salvation" is not a bedtime story. It is a vast and complex process to satisfy a 100% righteous God. Fortunately, knowledge of the whole process is not a prerequisite. Faith in a Person and His Work is.
In Acts 2 it is; "Ye men of Israel ... REPENT!" Well, repent is to change the direction you are going. Our Lord Jesus had just fulfilled 33o plus prophecies before their eyes and they called for His blood. It was not as though Jesus was unknown. He was vying for Messiah with Israel. But the Corinthians were out and out heathen and polytheists as well. The wording of the gospel would be different. But the basic message is the same, as given by the Master Himself in Mark 16:15-16;
15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Matthew is different because it is not the gospel of grace that Matthew sets forth, but the gospel of the Kingdom. A man is saved SO THAT he may rule with Christ. To qualify for salvation one needs to believe. But to be found worthy of co-rulership with Christ is by how obedient you were.
Luke reveals Christ as a Man. So the gospel there is the gospel of grace - remission of sins "for all the world beginning at Jerusalem".
John deals with the remission of sins, NOT for the Kingdom like the Mark and Luke, but that men might (i) have God dwelling inside of them, (ii) that a corporate New Man might be God's House on earth, and (iii) in having the Triune God in the man, that man might be partaker of the divine life to display Christ.
Then, each of the letters addresses problems, but at the same time reveal Christ. Colossians is about the Head and His supply to His body. Ephesians is about the Body and what it is saved for. Philippians is about the personal experience of Christ to be intimate with Him ... and so on. So each mention of "saved" ties in with a specific theme. Man is made of three parts (Gen.2:7; 1st Thess.5:23), so there are at least three different "salvations" as each part has a different consistency. Then the character must be saved ... and so the spectrum of different "salvations" grows and grows.
But the foundational rule is that man could not save himself. Christ came as a worthy Man and did it by His Works. One hast to put trust in these Works to (i) be released from your sin and sins, (ii) to be reconciled to God, (iii) to be justified before God (not men), (iv) to experience a new and heavenly birth to become heirs AND have the Father's divine life to display Christ and be a "help meet" for Him. Even then, the full salvation depends on whether, after all this, you are found worthy of being a co-ruler with Christ when He sets up His Kingdom on earth when He comes.
"Salvation" is not a bedtime story. It is a vast and complex process to satisfy a 100% righteous God. Fortunately, knowledge of the whole process is not a prerequisite. Faith in a Person and His Work is.
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You say “they couldn’t preach the gospel before it happened". The gospel is grace, and grace happened at the beginning of time.
Lev. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
You say “We are to look to Paul to understand salvation.”
Paul was tried in court of not following the Lord and he was found not guilty, yet you say we are to listen to Paul rather than Christ. Paul was put on trial by the Jews as you read in Acts 24. He was pronounced innocent. Paul followed Christ. Scripture tells us Christ and the Father are one.
You speak of enduring to the end not being necessary for salvation. It is true that grace given to us is purely a gift, not something we earn. But scripture tells us of some things that determines whether or not we will receive this gift, and enduring to the end is one of them. It is written in scripture, and even you quote it.
Lev. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
You say “We are to look to Paul to understand salvation.”
Paul was tried in court of not following the Lord and he was found not guilty, yet you say we are to listen to Paul rather than Christ. Paul was put on trial by the Jews as you read in Acts 24. He was pronounced innocent. Paul followed Christ. Scripture tells us Christ and the Father are one.
You speak of enduring to the end not being necessary for salvation. It is true that grace given to us is purely a gift, not something we earn. But scripture tells us of some things that determines whether or not we will receive this gift, and enduring to the end is one of them. It is written in scripture, and even you quote it.
How can a person possibly have an action toward anything, if the mind is not involved? Where the mind leads the body follows. Very strange statement you made here.
I agree with the definition of repent = change of mind but perhaps to go deeper, it is a change of heart. A change of heart goes to the motive of a person. Man constantly changes his mind but the motive behind the change cannot be seen. It is known to God but not to other men.
So in this discussion, man could repent, change his mind but is the motivation proper. Does he have a form of repentance because he wants to better his position in life? Does he change his mind for Christ because at the time others he knows are loves are doing so? Did his piers pressure him into a change?
Therefore, repentance is a change of mind, driven by a change of heart. That heart out of a pure motive.
I agree with the definition of repent = change of mind but perhaps to go deeper, it is a change of heart. A change of heart goes to the motive of a person. Man constantly changes his mind but the motive behind the change cannot be seen. It is known to God but not to other men.
So in this discussion, man could repent, change his mind but is the motivation proper. Does he have a form of repentance because he wants to better his position in life? Does he change his mind for Christ because at the time others he knows are loves are doing so? Did his piers pressure him into a change?
Therefore, repentance is a change of mind, driven by a change of heart. That heart out of a pure motive.
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I'm not saying if they had died before the death, burial and resurrection they would have been lost . No those that believed on Jesus were saved. But they were not preaching the death ,burial and resurrection for sins as we have to believe to be saved today .Peter believed Jesus was the Son and was saved by faith in what he understood . But not what we had to believe and understand.
Does reading in context mean that you don't accept scripture as written, but only "in context"? I accept that we understand scripture much better when we know what the words meant to the writers at the time it was written. Such as to know that they thought the heart functioned as we know the mind does, or what the problems were that Paul was addressing. But carried to an extreme "in context" means that we could change scripture by deciding on the context we wanted instead of humbly listening to scripture. I see you doing that.
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One of the tragedies of Christendom that so many have isolated the Ephesian passage from the larger body of redemptive information. They emphatically declare that this text excludes water baptism as one of the constituents of the plan of salvation. Does that logic also eliminate the requirement to repent of sins?
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
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What version is that? "God winked at"?
Acts 17:29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Acts 17:29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
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How did the OP and everyone else miss the presentation of the gospel by Paul?
"Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed." 1 Cor 15:1-11
God gives us the grace to believe and repent. That is our justification. God saved us. (Romans 5:1)
Then we have a lifelong walk with God, being helped by the Holy Spirit, to grow more like Christ, as he makes us closer to the image of God. This is called sanctification, or being made into saints!
We will never be perfect on earth, so we need the final stage: glorification! When Christ returns, we will be glorified. That is when we will be perfect the image of Christ!
The gospel is found all over the NT, and prophecies about the Messiah from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22. Just read the Bible from cover to cover, and you will find the gospel and it's foreshadowing through the whole Bible!
"Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed." 1 Cor 15:1-11
God gives us the grace to believe and repent. That is our justification. God saved us. (Romans 5:1)
Then we have a lifelong walk with God, being helped by the Holy Spirit, to grow more like Christ, as he makes us closer to the image of God. This is called sanctification, or being made into saints!
We will never be perfect on earth, so we need the final stage: glorification! When Christ returns, we will be glorified. That is when we will be perfect the image of Christ!
The gospel is found all over the NT, and prophecies about the Messiah from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22. Just read the Bible from cover to cover, and you will find the gospel and it's foreshadowing through the whole Bible!
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The tragedy is "adding" water baptism and other works to the plan of salvation and therefore perverting the gospel. The requirement to repent is not eliminated from the plan of salvation. When only belief/faith is mentioned in connection with salvation, repent is implied or assumed. When only repent is mentioned in connection with salvation, belief/faith is implied or assumed. Where you have one, you have the other. If we truly repented, then we have placed our faith in Christ for salvation. If we have placed our faith in Christ for salvation, then we already repented in the process of changing our mind and choosing to place our faith in Christ for salvation. Repent (change your mind) -- "new direction of that change of mind" -- faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. *Two sides to the same coin.*
Acts 20:21 - testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. *Notice the order.
Acts 20:21 - testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. *Notice the order.
Jesus said you can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). Therefore grace is needed. Grace only takes place “through faith”. Grace is God doing something in, for, to or through someone through their faith.
The Bible says in 2 Cor. 13:4, that Jesus was crucified through weakness. Which it had to be because Gods Grace is only made perfect in weakness. Therefore, through weakness Jesus was crucified that He may taste death by the Grace of God (Hebrews 2:9). As Children of God we get to taste that same death in Christ daily by taking up our own cross daily (which can only be done by trusting His Grace which is made perfect through our weakness by placing and maintaining our Faith exclusively in Christ and His Finished Work at Calvary Cross where the victory was won) and walking with Christ in the newness of life (His victory). Rom. 6:3-5, Rom. 8:17, Gal. 2:20-21, 2 Cor. 4:11, 2 Cor. 12:9-10, 2 Cor. 13:4, Hebrews 2:9
The fruit that a Child of God bears comes only by Righteousness which is by Grace (Gal. 2:21). Grace only comes through the weakness and death of Christ (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Therefore, Grace is only made perfect through weakness (not our flesh); but only by trusting and placing and maintaining our Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross. This is the only way Grace flows in a Child of Gods life. This Child of God is considered weak, humble, and broken before God. (THE BEATITUDES MATTHEW 5)
The Bible says in 2 Cor. 13:4, that Jesus was crucified through weakness. Which it had to be because Gods Grace is only made perfect in weakness. Therefore, through weakness Jesus was crucified that He may taste death by the Grace of God (Hebrews 2:9). As Children of God we get to taste that same death in Christ daily by taking up our own cross daily (which can only be done by trusting His Grace which is made perfect through our weakness by placing and maintaining our Faith exclusively in Christ and His Finished Work at Calvary Cross where the victory was won) and walking with Christ in the newness of life (His victory). Rom. 6:3-5, Rom. 8:17, Gal. 2:20-21, 2 Cor. 4:11, 2 Cor. 12:9-10, 2 Cor. 13:4, Hebrews 2:9
The fruit that a Child of God bears comes only by Righteousness which is by Grace (Gal. 2:21). Grace only comes through the weakness and death of Christ (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Therefore, Grace is only made perfect through weakness (not our flesh); but only by trusting and placing and maintaining our Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross. This is the only way Grace flows in a Child of Gods life. This Child of God is considered weak, humble, and broken before God. (THE BEATITUDES MATTHEW 5)