[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Isthere a contradiction in the Bible?[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Considerthis: In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says “Not everyone who says to me,‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one whodoes the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Yet Romans 10:13says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will besaved.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Thecontradiction of sorts is also in the Old Testament. Hosea 8:1-3says, “Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over thehouse of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant andrebelled against my law. To me they cry, 'My God, we—Israel—knowyou.' Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.” Yet Joel 2:32 says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who callsupon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Sowhich is it? Or, is there really a contradiction?[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Inasmuchas 2 Timothy 3:16 says “ALL Scripture is breathed out by God andprofitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and fortraining in righteousness....”, it would do no good to pick outcertain passages in the Bible without knowing what it says elsewherein the Bible. [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]So,there are, apparently different ways of calling on the Lord, and notevery way will bring success. To just speak “Lord, Lord,” is notenough to gain God's favor; we must call on the Lord through ouractions. I tell you that those whom the Lord judges to be righteousare calling on Him through their righteousness as expressed in theiractions. On the other hand, those who merely speak God's name whilenot walking in His path must sound like a clanging cymbal to Him,utterly meaningless. And as we are all in God's image, what does theclanging of a cymbal tell us if we were to pass it on the street? Nowords are coming out, therefore in the context of words there is nocommunication.[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Considerthis: Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been savedthrough faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Similarly, Godmakes clear when, as Judges 7:2 says, “The LORD said to Gideon,'The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites intotheir hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, “My own hand hassaved me.”'” There are some who say that, based on Ephesians2:8-9, it is not our works that save us, it is our faith in God. Butour faith in God requires some action on our part and such actionimplies works. But it is the works that God has laid out for us todo, that will demonstrate our faith in Him, for it goes on to say, inEphesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in ChristJesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we shouldwalk in them.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Whatworks would those be? It would be the works that are in fulfillmentof the two great commandments of Jesus, which sums up the Law and theprophets: That we love God with all our heart soul and mind, and welove eachother as we love ourselves. [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]So,to just say “Lord. Lord” without doing the works laid out for uswill not get us saved. But by showing through our actions that wehave accepted the works that God has laid out for us, we are callingon Him and we will thus be saved. [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Considerthis: In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says “Not everyone who says to me,‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one whodoes the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Yet Romans 10:13says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will besaved.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Thecontradiction of sorts is also in the Old Testament. Hosea 8:1-3says, “Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over thehouse of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant andrebelled against my law. To me they cry, 'My God, we—Israel—knowyou.' Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.” Yet Joel 2:32 says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who callsupon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Sowhich is it? Or, is there really a contradiction?[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Inasmuchas 2 Timothy 3:16 says “ALL Scripture is breathed out by God andprofitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and fortraining in righteousness....”, it would do no good to pick outcertain passages in the Bible without knowing what it says elsewherein the Bible. [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]So,there are, apparently different ways of calling on the Lord, and notevery way will bring success. To just speak “Lord, Lord,” is notenough to gain God's favor; we must call on the Lord through ouractions. I tell you that those whom the Lord judges to be righteousare calling on Him through their righteousness as expressed in theiractions. On the other hand, those who merely speak God's name whilenot walking in His path must sound like a clanging cymbal to Him,utterly meaningless. And as we are all in God's image, what does theclanging of a cymbal tell us if we were to pass it on the street? Nowords are coming out, therefore in the context of words there is nocommunication.[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Considerthis: Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been savedthrough faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Similarly, Godmakes clear when, as Judges 7:2 says, “The LORD said to Gideon,'The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites intotheir hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, “My own hand hassaved me.”'” There are some who say that, based on Ephesians2:8-9, it is not our works that save us, it is our faith in God. Butour faith in God requires some action on our part and such actionimplies works. But it is the works that God has laid out for us todo, that will demonstrate our faith in Him, for it goes on to say, inEphesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in ChristJesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we shouldwalk in them.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Whatworks would those be? It would be the works that are in fulfillmentof the two great commandments of Jesus, which sums up the Law and theprophets: That we love God with all our heart soul and mind, and welove eachother as we love ourselves. [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]So,to just say “Lord. Lord” without doing the works laid out for uswill not get us saved. But by showing through our actions that wehave accepted the works that God has laid out for us, we are callingon Him and we will thus be saved. [/FONT]