Not By Works

Amen! Although it is our responsibility to choose to believe and we will be held accountable for unbelief (John 3:18) coming to Christ is not "exclusively" a matter of human decision. Unless the Father draws us (John 6:44) and enables us/it has been granted by the Father (John 6:65) we would NEVER come to Christ all by ourselves. The approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to come to Christ and we must choose to come to Him once enabled. The impulse to come to Christ comes from the Father.

Nope. I disagree, I did not "choose" to believe......Maybe it's semantics brother, I love the way you say things and admit you are far more experienced and mature than I am... but I can't take credit for my faith.... (if thats not what you were implying I am sorry for misunderstanding you... I respect you a lot as my older brother in Christ)

Nope. I disagree, I did not "choose" to believe.


I agree we are held accountable for unbelief and can choose to start as willfully ignorant only to then be blinded.

But I didn't hear the gospel and say "oh I choose to believe that"....


I heard it as a child and didn't understand it. Went through life not caring about it. Was drawn to the truth and it terrified me. Tried to honestly reject it but I did it through reading the bible and looking for HONEST proof against Jesus....


The bible rang true then I had to believe when I couldnt escape the fear of the judgement I knew I deserved.

I also didn't choose to trust in Christ over my own actions.... at first I believed my actions would dictate wether or not I am seen as righteous come judgement.... I did not choose to be delivered from this into trusting in Christ....

God used members of His body to show me my error... again at first I rejected this and looked to Gods word for truth.....

And when the truth rang as Christ being my righteousness.... I believed it because it rang true... not because I wanted it to...



I could say I chose to pick up the bible but that was only because I believed what God revealed to me in regards to the bible being the truth...

That would be an example of faith producing works which I cant even take credit for.



Maybe it's semantics brother, I love the way you say things and admit you are far more experienced and mature than I am... but I can't take credit for my faith.... (if thats not what you were implying I am sorry for misunderstanding you... I respect you a lot as my older brother in Christ)

Maybe it is just in the semantics brother. I grew up in the Roman Catholic church and for around the first 30 years of my life thought eternal life was something to be received based on the merits of my goodness/performance. As a Roman Catholic, I certainly was trusting in works for salvation. Over the years, people have tried to share the gospel with me (including my older brother) but the simple truth of the gospel just continued to go right over my head.

It was not until I prayed to Jesus one day and asked Him that whatever it takes to get me to heaven, please make the answer crystal clear to me so that I can say there is the answer and I will only have myself to blame for failing to accept the answer. As a Roman Catholic, I was drowning in NON-assurance of salvation and it continued to nag at me for years! Soon after I prayed to Jesus, I came across a gospel tract about the Roman Road to salvation on the internet. I did not grasp it at first, but I knew that I was really onto something and I could feel the Lord drawing me in more and more! Eventually, I became convinced of my sins, repented and believed the gospel. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

I knew without a doubt that I had become born again and it was like a bright light came on over my head immediately after and it was like I could hear the voices of multiple people who tried to share the gospel with me from my past and I looked back at that moment saying to myself, "that's what he/she meant, that's what they were trying to tell me." NOW I GET IT!!! Praise the Lord!

Now I don't believe that God forced me to believe the gospel or that He somehow "zapped" me with saving faith in Christ and I had no choice in the matter whatsoever, as if it was fatalistically determined by God (as taught in Calvinism) but without the Father drawing me and enabling me (John 6:44,65), there is NO WAY that I would have come to Christ and chosen to believe the gospel all by myself. I clearly remember making a conscience decision to repent and believe the gospel, but it was not without God drawing me and enabling me. That's my testimony.

Maybe it is just in the semantics brother. I grew up in the Roman Catholic church and for around the first 30 years of my life thought eternal life was something to be received based on the merits of my goodness/performance. As a Roman Catholic, I certainly was trusting in works for salvation. Over the years, people have tried to share the gospel with me (including my older brother) but the simple truth of the gospel just continued to go right over my head.

It was not until I prayed to Jesus one day and asked Him that whatever it takes to get me to heaven, please make the answer crystal clear to me so that I can say there is the answer and I will only have myself to blame for failing to accept the answer. As a Roman Catholic, I was drowning in NON-assurance of salvation and it continued to nag at me for years! Soon after I prayed to Jesus, I came across a gospel tract about the Roman Road to salvation on the internet. I did not grasp it at first, but I knew that I was really onto something and I could feel the Lord drawing me in more and more! Eventually, I became convinced of my sins, repented and believed the gospel.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

I knew without a doubt that I had become born again and it was like a bright light came on over my head immediately after and it was like I could hear the voices of multiple people who tried to share the gospel with me from my past over the years and I looked back at that moment saying to myself, "that's what he/she meant, that's what they were trying to tell me." NOW I GET IT!!! Praise the Lord!

Now I don't believe that God forced me to believe the gospel or that He somehow "zapped" me with saving faith in Christ and I had no choice in the matter whatsoever, as if it was fatalistically determined by God (as taught in Calvinism) but without the Father drawing me and enabling me (John 6:44,65), there is NO WAY that I would have come to Christ and chosen to believe the gospel all by myself. I clearly remember making a conscience decision to repent and believe the gospel, but it was not without God drawing me and enabling me. That's my testimony.

Also brother... I am turning 30 this year.

Maybe that would make you more like my uncle in Christ?🤣🤣


Just playing.

That is so incredible..... I know how stubborn I can get even now.

I have catholic people in my family who disagree about certain things.... when I have tried to talk to them about the gospel... they seem to answer with anti - protestant propoganda.....

If I ask to leave out denominations all together and discuss scripture, they have something against kjv as well as similar translations....

I also heard some of them

1. Dont pray to saints or mary or anything like that.

2. dont trust the pope.

3. dont believe in purgatory.


but
4. still ..... have a troubled assurance



Did you by anychance hear a lot of anti kingjames and anti protestant stuff as a catholic?

Also brother... I am turning 30 this year.

Maybe that would make you more like my uncle in Christ?🤣🤣

Just playing.

That is so incredible..... I know how stubborn I can get even now.

I have catholic people in my family who disagree about certain things.... when I have tried to talk to them about the gospel... they seem to answer with anti - protestant propoganda.....

If I ask to leave out denominations all together and discuss scripture, they have something against kjv as well as similar translations....

I also heard some of them

1. Dont pray to saints or mary or anything like that.

2. dont trust the pope.

3. dont believe in purgatory.

but
4. still ..... have a troubled assurance

Did you by anychance hear a lot of anti kingjames and anti protestant stuff as a catholic?

One cannot preach "sanctification" unless one preaches the true, one and only, Gospel of salvation first.

The person who is slave to sin is the one who has not yet been obedient to the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

That would be the correct Gospel, where one receives the gift of eternal life, which is once and for always, ...received by grace through faith apart from any and all works.

The worker for salvation claims heaven ...but Jesus states I never knew you.

Maybe it is just in the semantics brother. I grew up in the Roman Catholic church and for around the first 30 years of my life thought eternal life was something to be received based on the merits of my goodness/performance. As a Roman Catholic, I certainly was trusting in works for salvation. Over the years, people have tried to share the gospel with me (including my older brother) but the simple truth of the gospel just continued to go right over my head.

It was not until I prayed to Jesus one day and asked Him that whatever it takes to get me to heaven, please make the answer crystal clear to me so that I can say there is the answer and I will only have myself to blame for failing to accept the answer. As a Roman Catholic, I was drowning in NON-assurance of salvation and it continued to nag at me for years! Soon after I prayed to Jesus, I came across a gospel tract about the Roman Road to salvation on the internet. I did not grasp it at first, but I knew that I was really onto something and I could feel the Lord drawing me in more and more! Eventually, I became convinced of my sins, repented and believed the gospel.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

I knew without a doubt that I had become born again and it was like a bright light came on over my head immediately after and it was like I could hear the voices of multiple people who tried to share the gospel with me from my past over the years and I looked back at that moment saying to myself, "that's what he/she meant, that's what they were trying to tell me." NOW I GET IT!!! Praise the Lord!

Now I don't believe that God forced me to believe the gospel or that He somehow "zapped" me with saving faith in Christ and I had no choice in the matter whatsoever, as if it was fatalistically determined by God (as taught in Calvinism) but without the Father drawing me and enabling me (John 6:44,65), there is NO WAY that I would have come to Christ and chosen to believe the gospel all by myself. I clearly remember making a conscience decision to repent and believe the gospel, but it was not without God drawing me and enabling me. That's my testimony.

Wow, just realized I was writing HTML code and didn't even have to. Look at all those nifty word processor buttons up there. Yay! This will make things MUCH easier.

We refer instead to the words of Jesus instead, “He who sins is a slave of sin, and a slave does not have a permanent place in the household, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Many have the temporary place.

No temporary place for those in Christ and have Christ Jesus in them.

Only He is sinless...get your facts straight.

You sin every day, the fact you deny your sin is a sin, because it shows pride and is a lie.

Your Jeeezus = Failure did not conquer sin and death


The true Christ Jesus = victorious and we are victorious in Him, all sin dealt with at the cross and He rose from the dead...conquering death.

Jesus Christ preached the Gospel of the Kingdom. Death to sin by faith, united with Christ in baptism, then a life lived unto God alone and not to one’s self. A life lived via the Holy Spirit which He came for the purpose of baptizing us with, according to the Scriptures.

The mainstream “gospel” of Christianity became no gospel at all.

We see why I have peace and you do not. A pervert calls the Lord Jesus Christ by a perverse title.

You reject His words plainly and appeal to the thoughts of fallen man, accuser of the brethren. But I will live on every word which proceeds from His mouth, by grace and by faith.

We see why I have peace and you do not. A pervert calls the Lord Jesus Christ by a perverse title.

You reject His words plainly and appeal to the thoughts of fallen man, accuser of the brethren. But I will live on every word which proceeds from His mouth, by grace and by faith.

Your Jesus is not Jesus that is the point, and it painful to associate HIS name with your false teachings.

So I perverted no name... but one thing is clear to all of us.....
You pervert the Gospel and it does not deserve to have the name of Jesus the Christ associated with it!

We see why I have peace and you do not. A pervert calls the Lord Jesus Christ by a perverse title.

You reject His words plainly and appeal to the thoughts of fallen man, accuser of the brethren. But I will live on every word which proceeds from His mouth, by grace and by faith.