Posted on 10/01/2002 9:33:43 PM PDT by P-Marlowe
It is a general principle ...First anything that is not of Faith is sin
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because [he eateth] not of faith: for whatsoever [is] not of faith is sin.
Anything not of Faith is dead works
Hbr 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of
No matter what we do without Faith God is not pleased
Hbr 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Doing works in the name of God is not the answer.unless they originate with Him
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
Works that are not of Faith do not glorify God
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before God.
Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
We are not to do things to be seen of men or to try to win the approval of God
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
The book of James addresses an important issue...Our faith should lead us to do good works,if there is no fruit the tree is dead...It is by our works that God is glorified . But the works do not lead to salvation...and they should not be done to impress men...they should be out of obedience to the gospel
Whenever I see a statement like yours I must say that I would be the first to admit that I am a "shallow" believer. I am not about to go and brag on how righteous I am. I am not righteous. I have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus, but not by anything that I do or anything that I continue to do.
While I agree with you that "true" believers are the only ones who make it to heaven, I must insist that nobody is going to get there by doing anything other than latching on to the hem of Jesus' garment and praying that he pulls us along the road.
I believe that even the most sincere belief is nothing more than a shallow belief. We all have our own degrees of shallow belief. The important thing is not that we have a "true" belief, but that what we believe is true. You can have a true belief in something that is empirically false. I would point to some of the "cults" and I am certain that those people all have a true and sincere belief, but that what they believe is not itself true.
Jesus said he is the way the TRUTH and the life. We must first recognize him for who he is, and then believe in him. If we believe him to be something that he is not, such as a created being, or the brother of Satan, or merely a good teacher, then we do not believe the truth and hence we do not believe in Jesus.
I know what you intended, and agree with the intenetion, but the word believe really does need to be explicated. Jas. 2:19 "...the devils also believe, and tremble," and we know where they will be. So there will at least be some believers in hell.
Yes, this is correct and contrasts with your previous post where you stated Anything that is not of faith is a work...If you feel a prompting of God and follow it that is NOT a work it is obedience. Your original wording was not very good and gives the wrong impression.
But the works do not lead to salvation
Faith and works are inextricably linked. One without the other does no good for your salvation. Works do not get you into heaven. Nothing we do can earn our way to Heaven but our actions can have the effect of us declining the free gift.
Likewise, faith alone can not get us into Heaven. Faith without works is dead.
This is a point many miss. Heaven is as inescapable as hell. It is presumed no one wants to escape heaven, but then the question of the fallen angels comes up.
Hank
Rom 14:16-19 Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
2 Tim. 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
It appears the Scriptures teach these are the very things we should do.
Hank
A mature christian I would hope know ego from Christ. I do not know a better way to explain it to a new believer.
Working to earn the approval of God or man is not faith. It is just work ,the difference is hard to explain, it something you have to grow into..
There was a time when I thought I had to be on every committtee, be moving all the time..Ya learn after a while that God will put you where He wants you and can use you ...when God says go you go in faith..
I think a proper reading of the scripture says what I said ..read it again Hank
But righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
This is a work of faith..guided by the Holy Spirit..and out of that God will be glorified..
I think you mis read what I meant or what the scripture says
It is a stretch to call study of the word of God a work hank..you in a bad mood today?
You got a scripture for that one mom? If someone gives money to feed the poor, or if they volunteer to care for sick people in the hosptial because they have a passion for helping others and compassion for the sick and the poor, that is a sin? Somehow I don't think you can back that up.
This goes with the scripture that tells us our righteouness is as filthy rags...
God judges the heart.He knows what is ego and what is faith..
Hbr 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Thus, the Calvinist produce fruits to show they are saved, the Arminian produces fruit to stay saved, the believer in eternal security produces fruit because he is saved.
Amen, brother!
Maranatha!
(Romans 10:17)
I think I know what you intended to say, but I did not say anything, only quote Scripture. Either the Scripture I quoted agrees with what you said, or it doesn't.
If what you said, "We are not to do things to be seen of men or to try to win the approval of God," and what the Bible says, "for he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men," and "Study to shew thyself approved unto God," mean the same thing, fine.
I don't think any reasonable person would believe they mean the same thing. I challenge you to submit what you said, and the verses I quoted to any ten people you choose, and ask them if what you said and the verses I quoted mean the same thing.
Hank
Since when did you become an advocate of freudian psychology. The "ego" was an invention of Freud. This is what is wrong with all theology today, the introduction of psychobable.
The heart is nothing more than what a person really believes and values, and nothing more. As for the self (if that is what you mean by the "ego,") the "self" is the "soul" Christ came to save.
Mat. 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Luke 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
Hank
I would rather follow a perfect religion imperfectly than follow an imperfect religion perfectly.
My issue is not with Jesus, in whom I believe wholeheartedly and am attempting to follow, however imperfect my attempts might be. My issue is with those who claim to be Christians, and as such think that they alone are entitled to a place in heaven, to the exclusion of all who don't "believe" as they do.
I enjoyed the article. It articulates an issue that the Christian religions will have to deal with at sometime or another: What exactly does "believing in Christ" mean?
If, as the article implies, there is more to it than a one-time profession of faith at a rally, then those who assume that they have been saved by such, are clinging to false hopes, and they must re-examine their own faith and commitment to Christ.
Very good point.
What/Who is Jesus and what is he not?
I suppose that if you took a survey of Christians, you would get a variety of answers. Some will tell you that Christ is a resurrected being whom we can see and touch; others would say that Jesus has been assimilated into something called the Trinity, which is not perceptible to our senses, only our hearts. Both concepts cannot be true.
Is the Jesus of the New Testament the same as the God of the Old Testament? If so, are the Jews "saved" because they believed in Him in Old Testament times, or are they condemned to hell because they regarded him as "merely a good teacher" rather than the Savior of mankind when He appeared among them in the New?
The Catholics depict Christ dying on the cross, thorns and all. Protestants depict a "living" Christ in the Holy Land caring for sheep. Neither of these represents the Christ of today. Christ lived on earth. He died on the cross. (Note the past tense here.) What form does He have today?
It comes down to this:
I believe what I believe about Jesus based on what I read in the Bible, and you believe what you believe (presumably based on the Bible as well). Who's to say that my concept of Him is right and yours is wrong?
Amen!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.