Only those that know Greek can know what scripture states?
Is this what you're saying?
You don't trust the New Testament?
I trust what the New Testament means. To find out what the author meant, we sometimes need to look at the text in its original language. You ask as if you are not aware of this reality. Do you always accept the translation as written?
In fact, I trust the translators most of the time. After all, they are scholars and they know the Greek better than I do. But I have also produced my own translations, simply as a form of Bible study, and I have learned the pitfalls and hazards of translation. There are some verses where the translation is ambiguous or uncertain, and in these cases, I find it helpful to use the Greek tools and the help of other Bible teachers to help me work through the passage.
But you and I are looking at the same texts and arriving at two distinct, incompatible interpretations. What accounts for the difference? I noticed that you are adding concepts to the text that aren't there. I figured you would want to know.
Agreed.
Jesus is stating that if we do not obey Him...
something will happen to us.
Where does he say that those whom God is saving will not obey him?
Ephesians 2:8
8For by grace you have been saved through faith;...
It is through our faith that God saves us by His grace.
The Grace comes first, then the faith
We can lose our salvation at any point....
If someone is in Christ, they will never fall away, as Peter has said
When we became saved we did not lose our free will.
It depends on our status before God. If we are chosen, he is not bothered by our free will choices because salvation invoves a transformation of our will' That is what it means to be Born Again."
Jesus said we could lose our salvation:
Luke 8:13
. 13“Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
Jesus said they believe for a while...
and then fall away.
Read the entire parable. Jesus considers the unbeliever and the three believers. Out of the three believers, two fall away and one perseveres. What made the difference?
Jesus’ parable of the sower portrays God as the wise and patient farmer who takes responsibility for preparing the soil of the human heart. The seed is always good, but the difference in outcome comes from the condition of the soil—a condition God Himself tends. He breaks up the hardness, clears the thorns, and enriches the ground so that those who hear the word can endure, mature, and bear fruit. This means perseverance is not a self-generated achievement but the result of God’s prior, gracious work. We do not cultivate our own hearts; the Father does the cultivating, ensuring that His people receive the word with depth, endurance, and a harvest that reflects His faithful care.
Abiding in the vine is Jesus’ way of showing that the life, strength, and fruitfulness of a believer come entirely from His own sustaining life, not from the branch’s independent effort. Just as a branch cannot make itself alive, cannot attach itself to the vine, and cannot produce fruit by straining, so a disciple cannot generate spiritual endurance or obedience by sheer willpower. The Father is the vinedresser who tends, prunes, and protects the branches, ensuring that those who truly share the life of the Son will bear the fruit that corresponds to that life. Abiding, then, is not a precarious performance but the visible expression of an already‑given union—God’s own work of joining a person to Christ and sustaining them in Him. The fruit that appears is the inevitable outcome of His faithful care, just as the perseverance of the branch is the result of the vine’s unbroken life flowing into it.
So
Ephesians 2:8 is incorrect?
It states that God saveds through our faith.
You believe God can save someone that does NOT have faith in Him?
Yes, of course. He does it all the time. Remember the account of Nicodemus? Jesus explicitly states that Nicodemus's ability to recognize the kingdom of God was to be an act of the Holy Spirit. Only when the Holy Spirit opened his eyes could Nicodemus see, and understand what message the miracles were meant to convey.
Now, when Paul says we are saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH what does he mean? The New Testament uses
“by” and
“through” to mark two different layers of
agency, especially when describing how God works in salvation, sanctification, and mission. The distinction is subtle in English but consistent in the Greek patterns behind it. The key idea is that
“by” usually points to the
ultimate agent, while
“through” points to the
instrument or means that the ultimate agent uses.
- By God — identifies the source, the one who initiates and empowers the action.
- Example: “By grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:8). Grace is the source; God is the primary actor.
- Through Christ — identifies the mediating agent, the channel or means by which God accomplishes His work.
- Example: “Through Him we have access to the Father” (Rom 5:2). Christ is the mediator of what the Father gives.
- Through the Spirit — identifies the empowering presence who applies God’s work to the believer.
- Example: “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body…” (Rom 8:13). The Spirit is the means by which God enables obedience.
So when Scripture says something happens
“by God”, it means God is the
origin of the action.
When it says something happens
“through Christ” or
“through the Spirit”, it means God is acting
by means of Christ or the Spirit.
Saved persons are created for good works.
Right, they were created.
Sanctifying work is ongoing.
Maybe you didn't catch the point of the verses.
So you must agree, then, that those whom God is saving can never fall away.
Romans 5 guarantees our salvation?
Yes. It's a simple matter of logic: IF A then B. If our faith is tested and it is proven, then our hope will not disappoint.
The same Paul that warned us not to FALL AWAY from our faith?
And the earnest is the seal.
The seal is baptism.
This can be learned by knowing early church history.
Baptism was known as the seal.
More puzz;e pieces that don't belong.
Roger...
you don't know from what God protects us?
Here it is again:
1 Peter 1:5
5who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We are protected BY FAITH for our salvation at the end of time.
You realize that you are changing it from "through faith" to "by faith", which denies the power of God and places the onus on us?
Protected from satan, sinful lives, disobedience, etc.
We are protected from being tempted beyond our ability to survive.
You just said that IF WE ENDURE...then we know sthat we will never fall away.
That's not me saying it. That is Paul, Peter, and James saying it.
We cannot know NOW that we will never have fallen away in the future.
For the chosen, whom God is saving, it is impossible for them to fall away.
Please post some scripture to support the fact that salvation cannot be lost.
Romans 5:1-5, 1 Peter 1:7, and James 1:2