Not By Works

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

know1

Senior Member
Aug 27, 2012
3,100
180
63
I neglected to mention in my previous post, wolves in sheep's clothing will also pervert, twist, and outright lie.
 

PennEd

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
13,584
9,102
113
We disagree again, faith is being persuaded something is true and yes people have the moral capacity to be persuaded.
We CERTAINLY do!
I tell the Lord I am honestly trying my best not to be combative, but this is a horrible definition of faith, and in effect makes human intellect, and ability to understand and be "persuaded" omit God from the equation.

I'm going to have to extricate myself from this discussion, as you are clearly not being persuaded on God's gifts to us. And I am astonished on your understanding of the Gospel.

I truly wish God's blessings on you.
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,938
1,872
113
Except for the fact that scripture makes "belief/trust" in Jesus and His work as a condition for receiving the gift of salvation.

I'll go with God's requirement.
Here I think is the issue

When you say bekief/faith is a requirment, it looks like your saying we must earn our salvation. But thats not the case.

It’s better to say God loved the whole world. That he sent his son to die for that world

That whoever recieves him in faith will never perish but has eternal life,

I can not earn salvation by believing “its the work of good we believe” - spoken by Jesus.

So I can not take credit. God gets all the credit
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,938
1,872
113
We CERTAINLY do!
I tell the Lord I am honestly trying my best not to be combative, but this is a horrible definition of faith, and in effect makes human intellect, and ability to understand and be "persuaded" omit God from the equation.

I'm going to have to extricate myself from this discussion, as you are clearly not being persuaded on God's gifts to us. And I am astonished on your understanding of the Gospel.

I truly wish God's blessings on you.
I disagree

God is fully capable of making a dead human understand enough to trust in him. Romans 1 makes it very clear. That it is us who hide the truth from ourselves. God hides nothing. He is there for all to see, And he will help us understand the hard parts. while he draws us to himself
 

HeIsHere

Well-known member
May 21, 2022
5,891
2,284
113
Here I think is the issue

When you say bekief/faith is a requirment, it looks like your saying we must earn our salvation. But thats not the case.

It’s better to say God loved the whole world. That he sent his son to die for that world

That whoever recieves him in faith will never perish but has eternal life,

I can not earn salvation by believing “its the work of good we believe” - spoken by Jesus.

So I can not take credit. God gets all the credit

Yes I understand and agree.

It is my understanding "faith" and "belief" in Greek are the some word, one being a noun and the other a verb.

Certainly nothing we can do to earn our salvation, we do not add to the work of Christ Jesus in any way, however, believing IN/

trusting IN Jesus for the gift of salvation can only happen if one hears the Gospel, the Good News of the work of Christ Jesus for each

individual person and they accept the gift.

How can a person accept a gift unless they believe (think and are persuaded) it is real? Makes no sense to me.



I appreciate your elaboration, this is was the standard view across most evangelical churches, not sure what has happened.
 

HeIsHere

Well-known member
May 21, 2022
5,891
2,284
113
White is all colours combined... black is the absence of colour.
Ugh... not what I was talking about.

In color theory, white is the color of all wavelengths together. When you see a white object, all color wavelengths are reflected off of that object. When every color reflects from the object, there's no color left. Therefore, white is the absence of color in the object, while our eyes see all the reflected colors.

Link
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,938
1,872
113
So acting responsible 'makes' us righteous?, or we act righteous because of Christ transforming us?
We can not even think of acting righteous (love) until we are first loved by God

We love because he first loved us.

I always ask myself when i think of these discussions. Was the tax collector acting righteous when he fell to his knees and called out to God with faith of a mustard seed?

Or was he brought to the point of being poor in spirit (Literally Bankrupt) and in this state, Acted out of desperation. “Lord have mercy on me”

I would not call that an act of righteousness, Nor would I call this a good deed, nor would I call this the tax collector saving himself. I Definately would bot call this saving himself.
 

HeIsHere

Well-known member
May 21, 2022
5,891
2,284
113

HeIsHere

Well-known member
May 21, 2022
5,891
2,284
113
John 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

John 1:12-13 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Ephesians 1:13 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…”
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,742
3,670
113
We can not even think of acting righteous (love) until we are first loved by God

We love because he first loved us.

I always ask myself when i think of these discussions. Was the tax collector acting righteous when he fell to his knees and called out to God with faith of a mustard seed?

Or was he brought to the point of being poor in spirit (Literally Bankrupt) and in this state, Acted out of desperation. “Lord have mercy on me”

I would not call that an act of righteousness, Nor would I call this a good deed, nor would I call this the tax collector saving himself. I Definately would bot call this saving himself.
There is a righteousness before God (absolute) and only by the imputed righteousness of Christ through faith, and there is a righteousness before men (which is relative).
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,742
3,670
113
Is that what I wrote? Good twist and straw manning my words
It was simply a rhetorical question.
It is quite inescapable that people are called to believe throughout scripture.
Not inescapable but imperative.

Let me ask again, "So acting responsible 'makes' us righteous?, or we act righteous because of Christ transforming us?"
 

HeIsHere

Well-known member
May 21, 2022
5,891
2,284
113
It was simply a rhetorical question.

Not inescapable but imperative.

Let me ask again, "So acting responsible 'makes' us righteous?, or we act righteous because of Christ transforming us?"

I am sorry I do not know what you are asking.
Scripture is clear.. the call is to believe on Christ Jesus and his completed work on our behalf.
Upon trusting in, believing in Christ Jesus for the gift of salvation we are made righteous.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
19,184
6,605
113
62
I am sorry I do not know what you are asking.
Scripture is clear.. the call is to believe on Christ Jesus and his completed work on our behalf.
Upon trusting in, believing in Christ Jesus for the gift of salvation we are made righteous.
We are considered legally righteous in the eyes of God. We aren't in practice righteous.
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,742
3,670
113
I am sorry I do not know what you are asking.
Scripture is clear.. the call is to believe on Christ Jesus and his completed work on our behalf.
Upon trusting in, believing in Christ Jesus for the gift of salvation we are made righteous.
I'm asking "Does acting responsible make us righteous" OR "Do we act righteous because Christ is actively working in us (sanctifying us)? It's really not a difficult question, more like Salvation 101.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,833
13,558
113
There is a righteousness before God (absolute) and only by the imputed righteousness of Christ through faith, and there is a righteousness before men (which is relative).
so Abraham had whereof to boast, but not before God..

;)