Not By Works

i love this, amen -

the way to fix a mis-buttoned shirt is to unbutton it all and start over.
you can do it button by button, but the misaligned fabric will be bunched up and in your way. it's easier to do if you start by unbuttoning completely.
whatever the details/sequence one takes, it is impossible to 'get it right' without unbuttoning every single button that has been put through the wrong slit.

I had to do that a few years back.

Over a period of time I started to ask myself "What is it I really believe and why?

My head was done in, all over the place regards my walk with God.

I then decided to look into what I believed and why.

And this is no lie.
It was very hard indeed.
My mind was becoming more mixed up.
I was in a battle.
One thought being challenged by another thought, the other thought being the truth.

I had to unbutton the shirt and take it off.
Put the garment back on again and God buttoned the shirt back up for me.

Great shift in paradigms of the mind.

the ironic thing about this is this- the same argument we are having with studyman is almost the exact same argument that lead to council of nicea- was Jesus fully divine or not.

we tell the truth and say He is.

studyman lies and says no.

now, think about this- if Jesus was just a man, He cannot be Lord and Savior. no mere mortal can.

and this is why studyman is wrong. as posthuman said, if you get the foundation wrong, then keep building, it gets more and more off.

Here is the Proof, that we were JUSTIFIED from HIS Death on the Cross:

Romans 5:8-10 (HCSB)
8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!
9 Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.
10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, ⌊then how⌋ much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!

Romans 5:15-16 (HCSB)
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.
16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.

Romans 5:17-18 (HCSB)
17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone.

1 Corinthians 6:20 (HCSB)
20 for you were bought at a price. {PAID IN FULL} Therefore glorify God in your body. {AND THAT SPAWNS OUT OF GOD'S LOVE WITHIN YOU.}

I was noticing that Paul got accused of the same crap the workers for accuse those who stand on grace of........read chapter 3 and some were SLANDEROUSLY reporting that PAUL was doing evil that good may come<----MODERN view...we can sin like the devil and do as we please because we believe in eternal security/GRACE.......

One of their few on fire fallacious straw boy arguments...........WRONG!!!!!

why does the flesh always wants to pick and start fights?

Who is picking a fight....me, I am just multi tasking....monitoring a phone, news playing, head phones with Queensryche Eyes of a Stranger, CC and giving her ALL I can captain......

you are in the position of defense, you're fine. Those who falsely claim that eternal-security believers can live like the devil as much as we please, they are the ones that pointed the finger

Amen to the Word of God.

As God's co- wórkers, we urge you NOT TO PUT GOD'S GRACE IN VAIN.

A good and faithful servant worķìng for God òbeys His commands so that he may be made WORTHY OF GOD'S GRACE, thus we are called to be holy and LIVE HOLY LIVES as He is Holy.

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are GOD'S FIELD, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:9

In that FIELD are four kinds of soil and the enemy sowed bad seeds in the same FIELD.

The bible warns us not to be deceived. Don't let the evil one snatch away the seed sown in our hearts so as to fall away when trouble, persecutions, worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth come our way.

"WE WERE NOT JUSTIFIED AND RECONCILED TO GOD TO BE DISOBEDIENT AGAIN. SINCE WE HAVE RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT THROUGH FAITH, LET US OBEY GOD AND LET US WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT, SOWING SEEDS OF LOVE TO PLEASE THE SPIRIT."

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 5:6 NIV

REPLY
REPORT

Hi folks. Hope y'all are having a blessed evening. I actually just needed a safe place to pray.

Is English your second language? Some times you say things that just do not make sense, like the last half of the sentence that I put in red.

I AM a Born Again Christian and that Happened to me when I attempted suicide three times that last week of 1977. To make a long story short, I TOTALLY SURRENDERED TO CHRIST AS MY LORD AND MASTER. HE HAS BEEN LEADING ME EVER SINCE. HE LED ME to move from Nebraska to California, and I DID NOT KNOW WHY. He eventually LED me to become a Volunteer Protestant Prison Chaplain in the two of the highest level of super max prisons there is, 9.5 years at the first one, and 5.5 years at the second one. He Led me to minister in the HOLE where the worst inmates were housed, and He also led me to be the one to teach sermons to the Inmates, in all there were 3 different Chapels. All together I was in the Prison Ministry 15 years. So HE HAS BEEN IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, and HE IS DOING A WAY BETTER JOB OF RUNNING MY LIFE, than I ever had. And there is a LOT of services that I am not mentioning too.

NOT ONCE HAVE I EVER FELT LIKE I HAD TO OBEY HIM. I DID IT, BECAUSE I LOVED HIM. It is A LOVING PLEASURE TO SERVE HIM, so your SAYING I HAVE TO OBEY HIM, is COMPLETELY FOREIGN TO ME. In fact it is a FALSE GOSPEL.

The ONLY MOTIVE TO SERVE HIM, is BECAUSE YOU LOVE HIM. WORKING for Him because you only feel "I Have To", is nothing but filthy rags to HIM. Is that simple enough for you to understand?

amen, let's not forget to be merciful, to have compassion, even for those who seem to be our enemies but deep down, they can be our brethren

No it's not simple at all. I don't understand it, but I do agree.

The only reason we obey God is because He first loved us and has enable us to obey out of love. Not to please Him but because He has told us we are wonderfully made for His purposes, we are His beloved children.

Nothing we do can make Him love us more, because He loves us so much already.

That doesn't make what we do worthless. It means what we do is not for a paycheck but an act of agape love to the world in order to show God's grace and light to a world steeped in hate and lies and darkness.

even sociopaths can be saved?

God can change a heart of stone to one of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

amen!, with God all things are possible
I can sense my heart smiled at the softening effect of such promise
it's like hope in the midst of wilderness, or a cold winter walk and finding a warm cabin with warm hospitality to ease the cold
may God bless you, and your knowledge of scripture, and continue to be a witness, a beacon of hope, so that all may hear the voice of hope, and know the light of God's love

beautiful are the feet who brings good news

As God's co- wórkers, we urge you NOT TO PUT GOD'S GRACE IN VAIN.

As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1

I noticed that whenever someone speaks or teach about obedience to God, you and the others who believe in OSAS would quickly say that they are working for their own salvation, call them Pharisees, sinless perfectionists and several other names for whatever reason or intent. What confuses me is when your group say that only genuine believers or born again will or can obey the commandments. If I obey the commandments and teach others to do so, am I not a genuine believer?

Which would you prefer, to claim that you are saved forever by grace through faith ALONE or obey the commandments that God has given us to do which is to LOVE God and our brothers?

You are saying that you obey Him because you love Him and .I agree to that because it is written that if we love Him we should obey His commands. What really bothers me is how this can apply to you, and not to me and those who boldly state and promote obedience to God's laws and commands as being part of His own words and teachings

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 1 Corinthians 4:5


I believe that the free gift is eternal life IN Jesus.(romans 6:23) We should be IN Christ Jesus to get eternal life.


...what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to ENTER LIFE, obey the commandments.” matthew 19:16-17


Jesus is the LIFE that we must ENTER (john 14:6) and if we want to be IN Jesus we must obey the commandments.


How would we know we are IN Jesus?


This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 john 2:1-6)


The preceeding verses makes it clear that to WALK as Jesus did means OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDMENTS.


Jesus is the author of eternal salvation for those who OBEY Him.


...and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him hebrews 5:7-10


FAITH AND OBEDIENCE ARE BOTH ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION.


...And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.hebrews 11:6


...As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. james 2:26


Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1

a note for you to consider

If you can be worthy of Gods grace, You no longer need grace, you have earned a reward.