you and I did not even exist when this was written and it was already done!
Christ made the life of grace possible, in this He quickend us!
Jn 1:16
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
thks
HOW CAN I BE 100% SURE THAT I WILL GO TO HEAVEN WHEN I DIE?
- Thread starter seymourclear
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Christ made the life of grace possible, in this He quickend us!
Jn 1:16
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
thks
When was grace written ? does the Lord give a new grace ? .i fugure is same grace from when he spoke ir .but grace don't seem eefficient for many and that no Faith to be Saved . All The attributes of The Lord are of Him & nost of All is Him you know this buying the seven fold Spirit but to have Faith from Grace All must have of The 7 food Spirit Will and received .
when eph 2 was written!
thks
((Abundance of grace))
Jn 10:10
rom 5:17-20
rom 1:7
rom 16:20
rom 16:24
1 cor 1:3
2 cor 1:2
2 cor 4:15
2 cor 13:14
gal 1:3
eph 1:2
phil 1:2
phil 4:23
eph 6:24
col 1:2
1 thes 1:1
2 thes 1:2
1 tim 1:2
1 tim 1:14
1 tim 6:21
2 tim 1:2
titus 1:1
philemon 1:3
1 pet 1:2
2 pet 1:2
2 Jn 3
heb 4:16
2 cor 4:15
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
last verse of scripture!
last word!
rev 22:21
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
If you have obeyed the word of God on how to be saved, then you are saved and in Acts 2:47, the Holy Spirit tells you that God Himself adds you to His church. You are not “voted” in by men, which is a doctrine of man. How much better to be added to the church by God than by men. Notice WHO is being added to the church: the SAVED are the ones being added. What does this fact do to the popular doctrine of men who claim they are saved without the church? God does not give us a choice. If you are truly saved, you are in His church. Of course anybody can “claim” to be saved. Christ LOVES His church; He died for it. Eph. 5 you don’t give your life for something that’s not important. Anything that Christ loves, we should love, too. If Christ believed the church was worth dying for, we certainly should think it is important.
In the same chapter that tells us that God adds all saved people to His church, in fact in just a few previous verses, God’s apostle Peter, to whom Christ gave the “keys” to the kingdom of God, told the people there that day HOW TO BE SAVED. They even asked the question, “ What must we do?” If you read the contex there, it is plain that they already believed. When they were convinced that Jesus was truly the Messiah, they were “pricked in their heart.” They would not be interested in being saved unless they believed that Jesus could save them. Peter’s answer to “What must we do ( to be saved), was REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED…for the remission of your sins; which they immediately did and the Holy Spirit says that 3000 souls We’re baptized. They were baptized in the name of Jesus, for the remission of sins. They did exactly what Peter told them to do; and consequently, God added them to His church. The Holy Spirit said they were “saved.” Acts 2:47.
Is there any reason why you and I can’t do exactly what they did and be saved, too? If you believe the Bible, then, if you do exactly what the people in Acts 2 did you can be SURE you have been saved from your past sins. You can absolutely know for sure that God has added you to His church; and since He only adds the “saved” to His church, you can know with certainly that you are saved.
However, if you listen to men and the doctrines of men, they will tell you that you are NOT saved like Peter said in Acts 2:38. They will give you a “different” plan of salvation. One of the most popular doctrines of men today is that you are saved by saying a “sinner’s prayer.” Even though there is no such thing in the New Testament and not one person in the New Testament was ever saved that way, they still insist you can be saved that way. Another very popular doctrine of men is that you are saved by “faith alone” , even though the Holy Spirit says in James 2:24 that you are NOT saved by “faith only.” They still insist that you can be saved that way.
Here’s what I know, I know that the apostle Peter, full of the Holy Spirit told more than 3000 people that the way to be saved, the way to have the remission of sins, and the way to receive the Holy Spirit was by “repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus.” That’s good enough for me. Trust God, not men.
In the same chapter that tells us that God adds all saved people to His church, in fact in just a few previous verses, God’s apostle Peter, to whom Christ gave the “keys” to the kingdom of God, told the people there that day HOW TO BE SAVED. They even asked the question, “ What must we do?” If you read the contex there, it is plain that they already believed. When they were convinced that Jesus was truly the Messiah, they were “pricked in their heart.” They would not be interested in being saved unless they believed that Jesus could save them. Peter’s answer to “What must we do ( to be saved), was REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED…for the remission of your sins; which they immediately did and the Holy Spirit says that 3000 souls We’re baptized. They were baptized in the name of Jesus, for the remission of sins. They did exactly what Peter told them to do; and consequently, God added them to His church. The Holy Spirit said they were “saved.” Acts 2:47.
Is there any reason why you and I can’t do exactly what they did and be saved, too? If you believe the Bible, then, if you do exactly what the people in Acts 2 did you can be SURE you have been saved from your past sins. You can absolutely know for sure that God has added you to His church; and since He only adds the “saved” to His church, you can know with certainly that you are saved.
However, if you listen to men and the doctrines of men, they will tell you that you are NOT saved like Peter said in Acts 2:38. They will give you a “different” plan of salvation. One of the most popular doctrines of men today is that you are saved by saying a “sinner’s prayer.” Even though there is no such thing in the New Testament and not one person in the New Testament was ever saved that way, they still insist you can be saved that way. Another very popular doctrine of men is that you are saved by “faith alone” , even though the Holy Spirit says in James 2:24 that you are NOT saved by “faith only.” They still insist that you can be saved that way.
Here’s what I know, I know that the apostle Peter, full of the Holy Spirit told more than 3000 people that the way to be saved, the way to have the remission of sins, and the way to receive the Holy Spirit was by “repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus.” That’s good enough for me. Trust God, not men.
Grace is only one of The 128 attributes of Himself ,we only know 7 then 9 Plus blessing gifts. That means we dont know All of The Holy Spirit But that does not mean He is limited to just to 4 fold! when He Says 7 Fold Spirit .Grace is on going it is main part of The
Earth grow maintain All get grace daily just being able to breath Grace is not limited it is Major to See who The Lord is .Even having grace in All. The World Good & evil . Do know Grace has different categories
- Common Grace: The general kindness God shows to all of humanity, regardless of their faith, such as providing rain, sunshine, and moral conscience.
- Saving (Saving/Special) Grace: The unmerited favor by which God forgives sins and grants eternal salvation through Faith.
- Sanctifying Grace: The ongoing work of the Holy Spirit that transforms a believer’s character over time to become more like Christ.
- Sustaining Grace: The divine strength and comfort provided by the Spirit to help people endure suffering, temptation, or hardship
- Here is What man deserves
- Justice: Getting what you do deserve (punishment for wrongdoing).
- This is Lord God
- Mercy: Not getting what you do deserve (withholding punishment).
- Grace: Getting what you don't deserve (receiving a free, unearned blessing).
- If I was going to push single attribute ,i would just Go with Mercy
That’s why the Holy Spirit has so many scriptures that tell us how merciful and forgiving God is. And that’s where “repentance and confession come in. Repentance on our part when we sin, confession to God and mercy, compassion and forgiveness on God’s part. Without God’s mercy, none of us will make it to heaven, because no one will ever be able to live a sinless life.
David said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And you FORGAVE the iniquity of my sin.” Psalms 32:5
Repentance plays a role in our becoming a Christian—we must “repent” of our past sins. Just as the Jews in Acts 2. After they were convinced that they had killed the Son of God, they had to be sorry for that sin ( repent) and seek forgiveness through Baptism in the name of Jesus. But then, repentance becomes a huge part of the Christian’s life as we sin almost daily and are constantly needing God’s forgiveness.
And like repentance, “confession” plays a part in God’s plan of salvation and also in our daily life as a. Christian. But we are confessing 2 different things. Many scriptures tell us to “confess” Christ. Matthew 10:32- “If you confess ME ( Christ) before men, I will also confess you to my Father.” And Romans 10:10 confession is made unto salvation. 1 Tim. 6:12 -“when you made the good cofession.” That confession was made in order to be saved. We have the God approved example in Acts 8 of the eunuch, at the time of his conversion, making this good confession just before he was baptized, Phillip asked him if he “believed” and he said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” That’s the confession we make when we are becoming a Christian, when we are being born again, when we obey God’s plan of salvation. One of the biggest errors in the doctrines of men is when they tell you to confess your “sins” in order to be saved or as part of a plan of salvation. We are to confess our sins, yes, but scriptures show we are to do that AFTER we become Christians, not in order to become a Christian. I know it’s a fine line, but realizing we are a sinner is the first step to “repentance.” The Jews at Pentecost in Acts 2 did not ask “what shall we do?” Until AFTER they were convicted of killing Jesus. They realized their sin and knew they were lost and wanted to know what they could to be saved. Peter did not tell them to confess their sins. He told them to repent of their sin and be baptized. But AFTER we become Christians, we are told to confess our sins to God and to ask forgiveness.
1 John 1:9- “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” John is not telling alien sinners what to do to be saved. He calls them “little children” whose sins have been forgiven. (2:12) This is what Christian’s do on a regular basis when they sin.
Proverbs 28:13- “
Whoever conceals his sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounced them finds mercy.”
Psalms 32:5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you…and you forgave…”
James 5:16- we also are told to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another.
There is certainly nothing wrong with an alien sinner confessing his sins and realizing that he is a sinner, but that should not be used as a substitute or replacement for confessing our faith in Christ at the time of our conversion as did the eunuch.
Finally, “God who is rich in mercy for His great love with which He loved us …” Remember that God loves you and does not want you to be lost. He says He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He is FOR you. He WANTS you to be saved. One of the sweetest scriptures is Psalms 103:13-14- “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame, HE REMEMBERS THAT WE ARE DUST!”
God loves us. We are His children. He knows that we are not strong, and He is so merciful and forgiving. How Great is our God. All praises to Him!
David said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And you FORGAVE the iniquity of my sin.” Psalms 32:5
Repentance plays a role in our becoming a Christian—we must “repent” of our past sins. Just as the Jews in Acts 2. After they were convinced that they had killed the Son of God, they had to be sorry for that sin ( repent) and seek forgiveness through Baptism in the name of Jesus. But then, repentance becomes a huge part of the Christian’s life as we sin almost daily and are constantly needing God’s forgiveness.
And like repentance, “confession” plays a part in God’s plan of salvation and also in our daily life as a. Christian. But we are confessing 2 different things. Many scriptures tell us to “confess” Christ. Matthew 10:32- “If you confess ME ( Christ) before men, I will also confess you to my Father.” And Romans 10:10 confession is made unto salvation. 1 Tim. 6:12 -“when you made the good cofession.” That confession was made in order to be saved. We have the God approved example in Acts 8 of the eunuch, at the time of his conversion, making this good confession just before he was baptized, Phillip asked him if he “believed” and he said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” That’s the confession we make when we are becoming a Christian, when we are being born again, when we obey God’s plan of salvation. One of the biggest errors in the doctrines of men is when they tell you to confess your “sins” in order to be saved or as part of a plan of salvation. We are to confess our sins, yes, but scriptures show we are to do that AFTER we become Christians, not in order to become a Christian. I know it’s a fine line, but realizing we are a sinner is the first step to “repentance.” The Jews at Pentecost in Acts 2 did not ask “what shall we do?” Until AFTER they were convicted of killing Jesus. They realized their sin and knew they were lost and wanted to know what they could to be saved. Peter did not tell them to confess their sins. He told them to repent of their sin and be baptized. But AFTER we become Christians, we are told to confess our sins to God and to ask forgiveness.
1 John 1:9- “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” John is not telling alien sinners what to do to be saved. He calls them “little children” whose sins have been forgiven. (2:12) This is what Christian’s do on a regular basis when they sin.
Proverbs 28:13- “
Whoever conceals his sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounced them finds mercy.”
Psalms 32:5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you…and you forgave…”
James 5:16- we also are told to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another.
There is certainly nothing wrong with an alien sinner confessing his sins and realizing that he is a sinner, but that should not be used as a substitute or replacement for confessing our faith in Christ at the time of our conversion as did the eunuch.
Finally, “God who is rich in mercy for His great love with which He loved us …” Remember that God loves you and does not want you to be lost. He says He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He is FOR you. He WANTS you to be saved. One of the sweetest scriptures is Psalms 103:13-14- “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame, HE REMEMBERS THAT WE ARE DUST!”
God loves us. We are His children. He knows that we are not strong, and He is so merciful and forgiving. How Great is our God. All praises to Him!
U seen grace around chapter 3 Genesis
Do I see it in text word? not sure but I do see Grace in the Lord Himself ! that's sufficient for me and I'm pretty sure I see all Varies of Grace in Genesis.
Here’s what I know, I know that the apostle Peter, full of the Holy Spirit told more than many people that the way to be saved, the way to have the remission of sins, and the way to receive the Holy Spirit was by “repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus.” That’s good enough for me. Trust God, not men.
Grace should lead to The water .In Jesus name as spoken. Still Faith is To Get Sealed Of Holy Spirit Baptism then your set apart Sealed without man hands
Grace should lead to The water .In Jesus name as spoken. Still Faith is To Get Sealed Of Holy Spirit Baptism then your set apart Sealed without man hands
There is no scripture that says we are saved by “Holy Spirit” baptism. The baptism that Peter says removes our sins (Acts 2:38) is “water” baptism. How do I know? Because the promise of God was that they would get the Holy Spirit AFTER they were baptized for the remission of sins. Why would He promise the Holy Spirit AFTER they were baptized if they already had it and were already being baptized with it? That is not logical!
1 Thess. 5:21, Paul says we are to “prove all things.” The “proof” must come from the. scriptures; from what God has said.
I half read your message .What Does Sealed mean in The Holy Spirit? Help you along JN Baptist is the One who said the Truth baptism Jesus Gives, that would be Not be of Water ! ...Another to note highly, is to be branched into the Anointing ,this is the Holy Spirit
so how much more you want? if u dont know Him in The Spirit you will be as goat .Thinking u do lord favor and by not bending like The wheat u stiff in a man kingdom .
Eph. 1:12-13, John 6:27, and 2Cor. 1:21-22, are all passages that talk about Christian’s, children of God, being sealed by the Holy Spirit. You asked what does that mean? It means that Christian’s are “marked” and preserved by God’s Spirit. Those scriptures are speaking to people who are saved according to the gospel of Christ. What those scriptures do NOT say is that we are sealed by Holy Spirit baptism. That is not in there. That is a presumption. In fact baptism is not mentioned at all in these passages; so they do NOT teach salvation by Holy Spirit baptism. That is not taught in the New Testament, nor will you ever find anyone being saved by Holy Spirit baptism.
Holy Spirit baptism only happened twice in the New Testament—once in Acts 2 and again in Acts 10. Both times it was given as a “sign” so that others would believe. First, it was given to the apostles on Pentecost so that the Jews assembled there would know that these men were speaking for God. Second, it was given to the gentiles ( Cornelius) as a sign to the Jews that God had also accepted Gentiles in His kingdom. Read Acts 11. When the Jews heard that the gentiles had received the baptism if the Holy Spirit, they were finally convinced that God had accepted gentiles into His Kingdom.
Give me one example where people were saved by
Being baptized by the Holy Spirit.
—-not Acts 2:38: those 3000 did not receive the Spirit until after they were “water” baptized for the remission of sins. You “SHALL RECEIVE” . the gift of the Spirit is future tense.
—-not Acts 10: after they were baptized with the Spirit, they were COMMANDED to be “water baptized”. The same Peter who said it was for the remission of sins in chapter 2, now COMMANDS them to do the same thing here for the same reason. Peter has not changed his message,
—-not Acts 8: The Samaritans we’re “water” baptized ( verse 12) and saved, before they ever received the Holy Spirit by Peter and John when they came from Jerusalem and laid their hands on them.
—-not Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch said, “See, here is WATER. Can’t I be baptized?” That is NOT Holy Spirit baptism—that is Water baptism.
We are sealed by the Holy Spirit when we become a child of God; and the scriptures teach we become a child of God , free from our sins, when we are “water” baptized for the remission of sins. THEN, we receive the Holy Spirit and are sealed by Him.
John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: *What happened to baptism?
Acts 10:43 - Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 11:17 - If therefore God gave them the same gift (Holy Spirit) as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” *What happened to baptism?
Acts 15:7 - And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 16:30 - And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” *What happened to baptism?
Galatians 3:26 - For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. *What happened to baptism?
Ephesians 1:13 - In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. *What happened to baptism?
what is eternal life?
is it the grace of justification or full eternal salvation?
thks
John 1:12- those who believe have the right “to become” children of God. It does not say “those who believe BECAME. Children of God as you would like us to believe. Baptism is not in this verse because they have not gotten to that point yet.
But baptism does not have to be mentioned in every verse, in order to be necessary. Who made that rule? Men—not God. Just because baptism is not in EVERY VERSE about salvation does not prove anything. It is enough that Jesus and the Holy Spirit both said it saves us . ( Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21). That shouid be enough for anyone who loves and wants to please God.
“Faith” is not in Acts 2:38. Are you going to be consistent and say that because “faith” is not innActs 2:38 it proves that “faith” is not necessary for salvation? I don’t think so. But that destroys your argument.
Faith is always a prerequisite for baptism. It must come first as Phillip says in Acts 8. “If you believe, you may ( be baptized). The converse of that is true also: “If you do not believe you may NOT ( be baptized). Jesus Himself made faith and baptism “equal” in importance when he joined them together with the word “ and” and put them both as necessary BEFORE salvation; not AFTER salvation. So, of course, faith will always be mentioned as the beginning or first step, because without it there would be no baptism. But it is presumptuous to assume that because it is always mentioned first, and often without the mention of baptism, then that proves baptism is unnecessary. It does not. You can put ALL of the “faith” passages together from the book of John and every other book on the Bible and it will not erase, nor “cancel out” what Jesus and the Holy Spirit both have said about baptism—it forgives sins, it washes away our sins, it SAVES us. John said the purpose of his book was to produce “FAITH.” “That you might believe.” John 20:31. That was the emphasis of his writing. To say that proves baptism is not necessary is to “twist” what John is trying to do.
Scripture does not cancel out scripture.
I think you read something Wrong But all good cus i forgot why if i replied to something u said or left out prob what i questioned . Answer to post is Same way Jesus did.He shown himself proof
False. The text means they did become children of God the moment they believed in and received Jesus, as this right instantly imparts the actual status and new birth described in the very next verse. (John 1:13)
It either needs to be mentioned, or it needs to precede faith whenever faith is mentioned without baptism. Faith is not baptism and faith precedes baptism and we are saved through faith. It's just that simple. Now repentance for example does not need to be mentioned because it 'precedes' belief/faith. (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21)
God. If water baptism was absolutely necessary for salvation, then God would not have made so many statements in which He promises eternal life/salvation to those who simply believe/place faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. (John 1:12; 3:15,16,18,36; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 13:38-39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:24-28; 4:5-6; 5:1-2; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:6-14, 26; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 10:39; 1 John 5:13 etc..).
It actually proves everything.
It's not enough to build doctrine on only part or half of a verse. You need to read it all. Mark 16:16 - ..but he who does not believe will be condemned. *John 3:18 - He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO) does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO) because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 1 Peter 3:21 - .. (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That does not destroy my argument at all because repentance and faith are two sides to the same coin and where you have one, you must have the other. The Bible sometimes only mentions repentance as a condition for salvation. One example of this would be Luke 13:3, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Also see (Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; Acts 5:31). A few times both repentance and believe/faith are mentioned in the same verse (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21). There are many, many verses which mention belief/faith as the condition for salvation (John 3:15,16,18; 5:24; Acts 10:43; 16:31; Romans 1:16; 3:22-28; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9 etc..).
Repentance is a "change of mind" and the new direction of this change of mind is faith in Christ. Two sides to the same experience of receiving Christ. When only repentance is mentioned, faith is implied or assumed. When only faith is mentioned, repentance is implied or assumed. Where you have one you must have the other. *Repentance and belief/faith are inseparable in receiving salvation. If you believe the gospel, then you already repented in the process of changing your mind and choosing to believe the gospel. If you have truly repented, then you believe the gospel. *Not so with baptism. *You can repent and believe the gospel, but NOT YET BE WATER BAPTIZED.
CONTINUED..
Yes, faith comes first and we are saved through faith. (Ephesians 2:8) Not faith and baptism.
Yet many folks in various false religions and cults have been water baptized anyway without believing unto salvation. Such folks may believe "mental assent" that Jesus Christ exists, is the Son of God and that His death, burial and resurrection of Christ "happened." Well even the demons believe that, yet these folks are not believing in/trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of their salvation (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and are instead, are trusting in water baptism + other works to save them.
False. In Mark 16:16, Jesus said - He who believes and is baptized will be saved (general cases without making a qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized) but he who does not believe will be condemned. The omission of baptized with "does not believe" shows that Jesus does not make them equal in importance. Condemnation rests on unbelief and not on a lack of baptism. So, salvation rests on belief. *NOWHERE did Jesus say, "whoever is not baptized will be condemned." If water baptism is absolutely required for salvation, then why did Jesus not mention it in the following verses? (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26). What is the ONE requirement that Jesus mentions 9 different times in each of these complete statements? BELIEVES. *What happened to baptism? *Hermeneutics.
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. That is not merely a first step towards receiving salvation. Faith receives salvation.
Your logic is flawed and your church of Christ indoctrination runs deep.
The forgiveness of sins, washing away our sins, saves, is signified but not procured in the waters of baptism. A symbol is not the reality but is a picture of the reality.
John 20:31 - but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. *No mention of baptism. To say that baptism is necessary is to "twist" what John clearly said in John 20:31 and multiple other passages of scripture in the book of John. (John 1:12; 3:15,16,18,36; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26)
Quitting bad things can give one a bit of assurance of salvation. However, salvation opens the door to being able to transition from a life lived walking in the selfishness of the flesh to the selfless love of Christ-likeness to be found walking by the Spirit. As one makes this transition one is able to obtain increasing assurance.
While some can suppress some of their bad desires using only the power of the flesh, few are able to let go of selfishness and think only of how to help others.
While some can suppress some of their bad desires using only the power of the flesh, few are able to let go of selfishness and think only of how to help others.
You and I have already discussed this issue many times, so I will not repeat everything we have said in past discussions, but there are a couple of things I’d still like to say.
The argument that “repentance and faith are the same coin” is not taught by the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not say that they are the same thing, or that they are 2 sides of the same coin. That idea is a “doctrine of men.” It was formulated out of necessity to justify the false doctrine of salvation by “faith only.” Most religious people believe repentance is necessary but if that is so, then that destroys the doctrine of saved by faith alone. In order to save their man made doctrine they came up with this idea that belief and repentance are the same thing—which is ludicrous. Common sense tells us that they are NOT the same. They are 2 different acts, separate components, just like repentance and confession are 2 different things. Just saying they are the same does not make it so. And since there is no scripture from the Holy Spirit that teaches they are the same, makes it all the more evident that this is made up by men to save a false doctrine. Faith, repentance, confession and baptism are all individual acts, that are performed at different times. While they may all happen just seconds or minutes or even hours or days apart, they are NOT in separable. They must be performed individually. A person may believe and NOT repent. The rich young ruler who came to Jesus, believed, but was unwilling to repent of his covetousness and change his life. He did not forsake his sin, nor change his present life. He did not repent. If they are the same thing, happening at the same time, then he woujd have been forced to repent the moment he believed. Not so.
John the baptizer preached a baptism of repentance but many, if not most of those Jews had yet to know or believe who Jesus was. John himself was not even sure for awhile. Just because they were baptized with John’s baptusm of repentance does not make them “believers” in Jesus. Those 2 things were never one and the same; and not part of a “two sided coin” as men will say. Where is the scripture that teaches a “ two-sided coin”? Just listing scripture that has faith and/or repentance in the same verse does not prove it. I can give scripture that couples “ faith” and “confession” together for SALVATION ( Rom. 10:9-10) but that does not prove that they are the same thing, or a “two-sided coin”, or that they happen at the same time, or that you can’t have one without the other. I can give scripture that puts faith and baptism together—by the LORD, no less— but that does not mean they are a”two-sided coin” or that if you have one, you automatically have the other. The ONLY 2 components you want to say are in separate able are faith and repentance- not faith and confession; not faith and baptism; only faith and repentance. And so, it become very clear, why you teach this. You are forced to teach it this way as long as you hold on to a “faith only” doctrine for salvation.
It’s like the so-called “sinner’s prayer”. It’s not in the Bible; no one was ever saved that way in the Bible, plus you have the example of Saul of Tarsus who prayed for 3 days but still had his sins in Acts 22:16, but all that makes no difference; it’s not important. What is most important to those who believe it, is saving a false doctrine of salvation by faith only; supported by the doctrines and commandments of men.
Matthew 15:9 - “These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.”
Repentance and faith are two sides to the same coin. Repentance is on one side and is a change of mind and faith is the other side, the new direction of that change of mind. The Bible makes this clear:
Matthew 21:32 - For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Mark 1:15 - And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the gospel.
Acts 20:21 - testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't teach salvation by "faith only" per James 2:24 which is not genuine faith but a bare profession of faith. (James 2:14) Not to be confused with salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) Hence, God imputes righteousness apart from works and saved by grace through faith, not works.
That fact that we must first repent (change our mind) before we can place our faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation doesn't destroy the doctrine of saved by faith alone. Faith (rightly understood) in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
I never said that repentance and belief/faith were the exact same thing. I said they were two sides to the same coin. Repent (change your mind) -- new direction of this change of mind -- belief/faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Not belief/faith in works for salvation but faith (belief, trust, reliance) in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
Again, I never said they were the exact same thing. Please try to pay closer attention to what I say. Neither repentance, belief or confession are the exact same thing. Also, confession and belief are not two separate steps to salvation but are chronologically together. (Romans 10:8-10)
Move on from the straw man argument.
Repent and believe the gospel are inseparable. Where you have one you must have the other. If you truly believe the gospel then you already repented and if truly repented then you believe the gospel. In regard to confession and belief, the word of faith is in our mouth and in our heart TOGETHER. (Romans 10:8) It's not believe today then finally confess next week or confess today then finally believe next week. Again, not two separate steps to salvation but chronologically together.
False. A person may believe "mental assent" in certain facts about Jesus and not repent but there is no saving belief without first coming to repent.
What did he believe? Certain facts about Jesus at best yet he did not believe in Jesus unto salvation. The rich young ruler could not give up his idolatrous god (riches) not even in exchange for eternal life. The rich young ruler failed to repent and believe in Jesus unto salvation.
You just don't get it. Sigh..
CONTINUED..