Not By Works

Philippians 1:6
6 And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

I see this verse quoted a lot on this thread. I hope someone can interpret it for me. I assume Paul is speaking to believers. What is a saved person lacking that God needs to complete it. How is this accomplished?

Proverbs28:13
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Apostle John is speaking to believer's whose sin needs to be confessed so that he can receive forgiveness from God or anyone offended by this sin. This is not a confession unto salvation but owning up to a sin and not trying to cover up a sin. This confession is something Christians do as needed to remain in fellowship with our Heavenly Father.

Do you believe you are the only one that can use context the way it needs to be used? You make a point and then expect those on the forum to go look up what you stated? You need to work on your forum etiquette.

Interesting question.

BillG, I was not responding to you, so I have not accused you of anything. I did not say to you it was highly unlikely that you will acknowledge Jesus with your charity. So your whole post is out of line.

My post was responding to recon, not you.

You mean the faith actually described by your little band of Christians don't you?

Yes, that is the grace part of salvation.

It's called the power of God unto salvation.


16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Romans 1:16-17


There is no righteousness of faith, without the work of obedience.


Justification means to be declared righteous.


Faith without the work of obedience is dead.


Why do you keep ignoring this divine principle.


Faith comes to a person when they hear God speak to them, however that faith must be activated in order to produce the intended divine result, otherwise it remains incomplete.



James explains -

• by works faith was made perfect

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
James 2:21-22

• Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac

The "works" James is describing is the work or action of obedience.


Not the works of the law
Not good works
Not works that earn a wage


The work here that James is referring to is the work of obedience.


Works = The effort obedience requires.


James says that faith without this corresponding action of obedience, is dormant; inactive.


Just like a body without the spirit is dead, so faith without this obedience is dead, and is unable to produce the intended divine result.


For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26


So the component of the Gospel that activates the faith we receive by hearing the Gospel is for us to obey the Gospel.


in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:8

• on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

JPT

A band is an ensemble of people playing instruments they harmonise, produce beautiful music, work together.

Yet how can I or others be in the same band if we disagree on major issues?
So we are not in the same band.

You call me and others a brother in Jesus, yet we don't agree with stuff.
So we are not in the same band.

So why call others a brother?

What about the band members of Mormons, JW's, Baptists, Charismatics?

What's your thoughts on

1 Corinthians 3:9-15
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

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NO, YOU ARE CONFUSING SALVATION with SANCTIFICATION. SALVATION HAPPENS SOLELY BY GOD's GRACE and Mercy, and is a work of the HOLY SPIRIT that IS A GIFT OF GOD, PERIOD. Sanctification happens AFTER SALVATION, where we via our good works and FEEDING ON THE WORD, we learn to WALK LIKE CHRIST. We SIN LESS, and Less, and Less, as we get the word of GOD IN US, molding US to be LIKE CHRIST, as our SAVED, Born Again, Human Spirit MATURES.

You TOTALLY ARE CONFUSED ABOUT THE BOOK OF JAMES. James DOES NOT contradict other Authors of the BIBLE, he is saying if you doubt my SALVATION, look at my BORN AGAIN Human Spirit, how it was changed to WANT TO DO WHAT PLEASES MY LORD BECAUSE I LOVE HIM.

There are NO CONTRADICTIONS in my BIBLE, because I have interpreted it correctly. ANY TIME YOU THINK YOU HAVE FOUND A CONTRADICTION, IT WAS NOT GOD THAT MADE A MISTAKE, YOU DID, IN HOW YOU HAVE INTERPRETED THE BIBLE. I have shown you this before and it is a PARALLEL verse from 1 JOHN, that Shows you how JAMES SHOULD BE INTERPRETED. AT Least 2 twice before, and three strikes you are OUT. That means you will go on my Permanent IGNORE LIST, because of your False Gospel and your Refusal to admit there are NO CONTRADICTIONS in the BIBLE, is NOT worth wasting my time answering your posts.

1 John 3:14-19 (HCSB)
14 We know that we have passed [past tense] from death to life because we love our brothers.
[It is the change in our human spirit having been BORN AGAIN (past tense) the moment we first believed, not the CAUSE OF SALVATION, but rather it is FRUIT of GOD's LOVE, Rom. 5:5, that He had the HOLY SPIRIT pour into our HEARTS, the BORN AGAIN human spirit.]
The one who does not love remains in death.
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
["Has everlasting life in residing in him", implies WE DO HAVE IT, if we have been BORN AGAIN, before we do any works. ALSO "everlasting life" implies that you cannot lose your SALVATION that happens the moment you believe from the Heart, not just a profession from the head.]
16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.
17 If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his ⌊need⌋
—how can God’s love reside in him?
[Implying it does not, however, it is a permanent implant into our HEARTS (our BORN AGAIN human spirit), Rom. 5:5, which grows to produce in us LOVE for GOD and the Brethren after we have been BORN AGAIN.]
18 Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.
[Is the yardstick that we can see if our SALVATION was (past tense) real, it is not the CAUSE of SALVATION, but rather it is the fruit of that LOVE HE put in THE HEART of our human spirit that was born into ETERNAL LIFE, NEVER TO BE LOST AGAIN.]
19 This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence,


Obedience is the LOVE produced in us, that we ONLY have after SALVATION, because of GOD's LOVE having been poured in our Hearts (past tense) at the moment the HOLY SPIRIT came into our Hearts.

How about those who are in Christ share one among the other as the Ekklesia?

If I knew what you are trying to say I could answer.

You better hope dcon does not see that you said good works are involved in sanctification or he will rip you a new one. He did that to me.

Christ - permanent residence on the cross? No, but the blood he shed will forever cleanse each and every sin of the ones who have believed in Him!

Grace abounds? Absolutely! If grace did not abound and continue to abound no one would be saved! The abounding grace of God has nothing to do with maintaining salvation which is a one off eternal event at the moment of belief.

How many times dipped in the blood? The blood forgives my sin every time that I sin! be it 10, 50, 490, or 5000, or more? HALLELUJAH!

Forgiveness of future sin? If sin has not yet been committed, there is no transgression, and there is no need for forgiveness! The HOLY SPIRIT convinces the world of sin because they BELIEVE NOT ON CHRIST. The forgiveness and mediatorship of Christ is preemptive.

But when I do sin, because I have believed in Christ, there is forgiveness because of the precious blood of the Lamb!

Again you are attacking the messenger. Are you out of words to discuss what he has said. When you attack the messenger, you are just showing your ignorance. You show it a lot. Stay on topic, you started the thread.

Yes you are getting the picture. If you sin and do not confess and renounce them you are falling out of fellowship with God. If one falls out of fellowship with God, God will not forgive his sins.

Bottom line is: believers must confess and renounce their sins or they will not remain in fellowship with God. OSAS/ES depends on living the words that Jesus has given us to live. One of those words is confess and denounce your sins. Thank you for your thoughts.

You better hope dcon does not see that you said good works are involved in sanctification or he will rip you a new one. He did that to me.

Again you are attacking the messenger. Are you out of words to discuss what he has said. When you attack the messenger, you are just showing your ignorance. You show it a lot. Stay on topic, you started the thread.

You better hope dcon does not see that you said good works are involved in sanctification or he will rip you a new one. He did that to me.

I did not try to say anything. I did so.
Thank you for your time.

Excellent question. If you are saved and already have heaven, what is to complete?