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.

FollowHisSteps

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2019
3,674
1,201
113
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:15-20

Jesus hates one thing, being neither a denier of God or on fire for God, but just a compromiser.

So if those who burn with love, praise and enthusiasm to follow and burn for Jesus causes you to hate,
beware that Jesus does not spit you out of His mouth.

Opinions on subjects vary, and we can wax and wane, but when we reject our foundations, we can find
the Lord can reject us. To walk with the Lord is a living thing, that matters and is eternal in its nature.
So know He loves you and desires the best for you, so humble yourselves, repent and listen to Him.
 
Feb 24, 2019
68
35
18
For the 20th time.


Do the lost need salvation?





JPT

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:7 KJV

Sounds like Jesus thought the lost sheep was a sinner that needed to repent
 

FollowHisSteps

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2019
3,674
1,201
113
sinless

People deal with guilt many ways. One is lashing out at others, and not getting space and working it through.
Jesus deals with our guilt with the cross, humbleness, mourning over the death and pain caused, meekness,
service and love.

The issue is not arriving but being like Jesus, in our hearts, minds, and spirits.
And it hurts, it costs, it means losing this world to gain eternity.

The cost is strange, because it is a daily transformation and walk, where you become someone different
from the person you started as.

Paul said he was still striving and aspiring, he had not yet arrived.

Those who are not on the road mock, ridicule, make enemies of, abuse, are rude and do anything to bring down
those who are on the walk, because they do not serve Jesus or aspire to Him, but wish to appear so.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
2 tim 3:2-5

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
2 tim 3:12-13

We are rather to be children of the light like the apostles

Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;
in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;
in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;
known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
2 Cor 6:4-10
 
Oct 31, 2015
2,290
588
113
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:7 KJV

Sounds like Jesus thought the lost sheep was a sinner that needed to repent

Yes sir..


You seem to be one of the few here that can read.


The rest just try to explain away the words of our Lord.


God loves us dearly and desires for us to be close to Him, to bless us and restore our soul.


Those who wander away from Him are in danger of eternal death if the do not repent.



That’s why all of heaven rejoices when a wayward child of God returns to the Lord in repentance.





JPT
 

FollowHisSteps

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2019
3,674
1,201
113
I remember when I was lost, and then was found. Such joy and freedom within.
To know you are loved, cared for, supported, reached out to, makes all the difference.

Until I found this from another human, I did not realise how lost and alone I really was.
A lifetime spent searching and desiring to know leaves a great hole in ones soul.
Even reading scripture and knowing the ideas, is only just the beginning.

Going from being untrusting and non-tactile to being able to hug and mean it, is a lot.
Jesus said those who are forgiven much love much.

One could also put it another way. Those who understand how much we owe and need forgiving
are humbled and broken and realise who God is, that He should come and die for us, what a Lord,
what a saviour, and their whole lives sing a song of Praise to Him.
 

gb9

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2011
12,333
6,694
113
Do sheep need salvation?


Keep playing games with God’s word, you are only deceiving yourself, and those who count on you for sound advise.




JPT
playing games with God's word?

that would be you, you have had this sheep question answered many times by me alone, yet you keep rejecting truth that in this parable the sheep is saved, it is the Shepherd's sheep. ^ MY lost sheep.

you point to 1st John for salvation by command keeping, yet fail to mention that John, in the same letter, says the commands are believe in the name of the Son and love one another.

yes indeed, you need to stop all your games and lies and deceit about God's word.
 
N

NoNameMcgee

Guest
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:7 KJV

Sounds like Jesus thought the lost sheep was a sinner that needed to repent

if a sheep,still His sheep
which He is still the Shepard over


of course God will rejoice when this sheep is walking in the right direction again and listening to the voice of the shepard


is your goal to say works are "a requirement to remain saved"

or are you only implying God will in somewise cast His own out?

(or that man can pluck themself from His hand? either in the present or in times to come?)

i dont want to be rude

but your posts seem a bit vague to be honest (from my perspective)




1.

john 6
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

_______

2.

Ezekiel 36:26
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

___________

3.

1 peter 1

3.Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

_________

4.

1 john 3

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.


romans 4

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.



God calls
We are exposed to the truth of Jesus
If our in dwelling response is belief or faith (God is not deceived with anyone... like judas)
then we are made new
given new desires, sealed, kept by His power

we repent from unbelief (change of mind)

He then works a greater repentance in us (change of inner man)


3341. metanoia
Strong's Concordance
metanoia: change of mind, repentance​
Original Word: μετάνοια, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: metanoia
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an'-oy-ah)
Definition: change of mind, repentance
Usage: repentance, a change of mind, change in the inner man.



our walk does not dictate wether or not we are saved if we have the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ


if you believe God can save someone from a just punishment...

then later punish them with that same punishment....
when were they saved?

I am sorry but revolving door salvation is a man made concept that doesnt jive with scripture
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
would you agree the parable is dealing with someone who is backslid?

i feel like he is painting a picture of a rebellious son who walked away (not wandered away like the sheep)

that was the reason he used the word "dead" and "lost"

i think plainly telling us what the state of the backslider is in the eyes of God the Father

"Adam . . . was the son of God" (Luke 3:38), yet God said, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17).

when the prodigal's Father said "my son was dead" its the same word, in the Greek used in the following verse's:

Ephesians 2:1 (KJV)
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:5 (KJV)
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Colossians 2:13 (KJV)
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;



Ezekiel 18:24 (KJV)
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
I was a prodigal myself

I walkd away from church, God, and anything to do with God for 5 years. I lived in sin, (sexual, drunkedness, and all kinds of things) just like the prodigal

A few things were certain

1. I could feel gods chastening, it continued the whole time, in fact, in the end, like the prodigal, i was bankrupt (emotionally), no place to go. I was ready to end it all, because i did not have anyplace to go. The only thing which stopped me was my kids. It was at that time GOD called out, by a friend of mine from long ago who i had not heard from since before the circumstances in which i left, calling me and i ended up going back home (joined his church family)

2. I never for once stopped believing i needed saved, that jesus was my savior,

So please, i speak from example, because i experienced it. You can not use adam as a point of reference, adam was one of a kind, no one living today experienced what adam did, his death caused the death of mankind, and led to the world being the way it is today, in adam all die, so you amd i were born dead because of his sin.

The son was still the son, he did not die spiritually (stop being his fathers son) he died emotionally and financially, the source of blessing he had come to know was cut off, he was left on his own, and when the joy and power of those blessings run out, all that is left is pain and suffering, ask anyone who was been a prodigal, i am not the only one here. And they will tell you the same thing

If we died in that state, our father would still come get us, because that is what loving fathers do.

Now if i was not a son,

1. I never would have been chastened
2. I never would have known the complete joy of being saved, so the pain would not have been as sever
3. I would have continued living in sin without guilt, and hearing god in my ears after every si

4.i never would have come back, or even had the desire to come back.
 
N

NoNameMcgee

Guest
would you agree the parable is dealing with someone who is backslid?

i feel like he is painting a picture of a rebellious son who walked away (not wandered away like the sheep)

that was the reason he used the word "dead" and "lost"

i think plainly telling us what the state of the backslider is in the eyes of God the Father

"Adam . . . was the son of God" (Luke 3:38), yet God said, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17).

when the prodigal's Father said "my son was dead" its the same word, in the Greek used in the following verse's:

Ephesians 2:1 (KJV)
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:5 (KJV)
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Colossians 2:13 (KJV)
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;



Ezekiel 18:24 (KJV)
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

we were dead in sin
then QUICKENED (made alive)
no longer dead

born again

not by our own power
but Gods

by grace through faith

and what will justify us in judgement is the righteousness of Christ (again by GRACE through FAITH)


1 John 3:4
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Galatians 2:16
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Romans 3
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference

Philippians 3
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:


Philippians 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:



it sounds to me like you believe your walk will justify you🤔
 

FollowHisSteps

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2019
3,674
1,201
113
I am wondering, piety, the walk of God in holiness seems to get to people badly.

John Wesley taught that outward holiness in the form of "right words and right actions" should reflect the inner transformation experienced through the second work of grace.

The crisis of entire sanctification perfects the believer in love and empowers that person for effective service. It is followed by lifelong growth in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The life of holiness continues through faith in the sanctifying blood of Christ and evidences itself by loving obedience to God’s revealed will.

sanctification

It is strange for some that to link salvation with sanctification, but the question is what is our calling
and what is our end and goal.

Sanctifying Grace is that grace of God which sustains the believers in the journey toward Christian Perfection: a genuine love of God with heart, soul, mind, and strength, and a genuine love of our neighbors as ourselves. Sanctifying grace enables us to respond to God by leading a Spirit-filled and Christ-like life aimed toward love.

Nazarene church
 
Feb 24, 2019
68
35
18
The son was still the son, he did not die spiritually (stop being his fathers son) he died emotionally and financially
Here is were you and I disagree....the parable is about a "son" becoming a backslid sinner

Twice in this lesson Jesus said "my son was dead and lost'". You have added emotionally and financially........the lesson wasn't about finances or emotions, it was about a lost son.

As I pointed out the word "dead" is the same word used in other verses dealing with us being dead in our sins.

I think it can be dangerous to make the text say something it didn't say

I'm aware of the argument that you make that no matter what he was still a SON.......But I think this is the reason for the lesson Jesus is giving.....that even though I am a son, if I rebel, turn my back on God, I can become DEAD.....LOST
 
N

NoNameMcgee

Guest
Here is were you and I disagree....the parable is about a "son" becoming a backslid sinner

Twice in this lesson Jesus said "my son was dead and lost'". You have added emotionally and financially........the lesson wasn't about finances or emotions, it was about a lost son.

As I pointed out the word "dead" is the same word used in other verses dealing with us being dead in our sins.

I think it can be dangerous to make the text say something it didn't say

I'm aware of the argument that you make that no matter what he was still a SON.......But I think this is the reason for the lesson Jesus is giving.....that even though I am a son, if I rebel, turn my back on God, I can become DEAD.....LOST

Jesus never said HIS SON was dead

Jesus told a parable in which a father said his son (who was still alive) was dead


(it is dangerous to make the text say something it does not say)
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,500
13,436
113
58
Jesus never said HIS SON was dead

Jesus told a parable in which a father said his son (who was still alive) was dead

(it is dangerous to make the text say something it does not say)
Certain people will argue that the prodigal son was spiritually alive, then spiritually died (lost his salvation) and was spiritually alive again (regained his salvation) from Luke 15:32 based on their interpretation of certain translations which read: ..thy brother was dead, and is alive AGAIN (KJV) ..for your brother was dead and is alive AGAIN (NKJV) ..this brother of yours was dead and is alive AGAIN (NIV)

Another argument is that being made "alive again" foreshadows the "born again" experience that Jesus spoke of in John 3:3. Of course Jesus wasn't talking about being born again spiritually again and again. We are born once physically and born AGAIN once spiritually.

I find it interesting that certain translations of Luke 15:32 simply read your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found (ESV); your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found (NCV); this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found (NRS); this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found (NAS).
 

GodsGrace101

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2018
2,225
517
113
The flesh is not being redeemed in case that is what you mean here.
Hi UG,,,I hear things on this thread that are just not right.

I don't know what you mean by flesh...
We're made of 3 parts:
Body
Soul
Spirit

All three are being redeemed...we are a whole person....
Our body itself will be redeemed at the end of the world when it will become immortal.

If by flesh you mean the sin nature...which is what is usually meant by this term,,,,the flesh, the sin nature....then you would not be right and the flesh is also being redeemed.

A person can only be perfected by love....one that does not love does not know God.
1 John 4:8

This is why Jesus told us the Two Great Commandments have to do with love....
Mathew 22:37-39 Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.

We are to present ourselves a living sacrifice....a sacrifice united to Jesus' sacrifice...
He said we are to pick up our cross every day...
Romans 12:1
Mathew 16:24.....
 

GodsGrace101

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2018
2,225
517
113
Jesus never said HIS SON was dead

Jesus told a parable in which a father said his son (who was still alive) was dead


(it is dangerous to make the text say something it does not say)
It's sad how you don't understand this.
We also have been through this.

1. The son was not PHYSICALLY dead....why do you keep saying he was ALIVE???


AND


2.

JESUS is telling the parable.
JESUS made up the parable.
JESUS is the AUTHOR of the parable.
JESUS is trying to make YOU understand something.
JESUS is saying EVERY SINGLE WORD IN THAT PARABLE.

BTW,,, the Prodigal Son received 2/3 of his father's inheritance to him at the time that the son asked for it. He got it.....he squandered it....that's it.

If you think differently,,,,please post support.