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To: Prophet in the wilderness
If people believe that they still have to earn their salvation through obedience, then ?
In effect they are they saying to GOD " that your sons ( Jesus Christ ) blood is not " GOOD ENOUGH " so I have to fill in the holes through my obedience " .

That's kind of a distortion of the belief that man has freewill to accept or reject God's salvation. Obedience to God IS love of God.

Christ told us the parable of the prodigal son. In that parable the son who obeyed his father lived under the rules of his father because he loved him. The prodigal son did not want to do what his father wanted and chose to live lavishly away from his father. The father loved them both and eventually the prodigal son returned and lived under the rules of his father (obeyed him). In that example, both sons were free to leave at any time.

So ? to those people view and live with the belief of ( in their minds, there is not permanent salvation, unless MAN still keeps his dirty hands in it ) Salvation through obedience, what are you going to do ?

Again a misunderstanding. God will never withdraw his salvation as long as we want it. However, there is example after example in the bible showing that man can reject God's gift of salvation after God gives it.

The clearest is here:

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 and who have fallen away; it is impossible, I say, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify the Son of God afresh to themselves and put Him to an open shame.

How do you intepret those verses?

111 posted on 04/03/2005 6:49:13 AM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: DouglasKC
Even to some of the most seasoned and knowledgeable Christians, some scripture is hard to grasp.
There are many oxymorons and ( seemingly ) contradicting scripture in the Bible.

I do not try to rely on just ONE bible verse to get the whole meaning of a subject or issue.

My best understanding of that verse that you put before me is ?
It could be referring to those Christians who were saved, but, harden their hearts,
TOTALLY tuned away,and TOLTALLY renounced the Christian faith,
the bible, GOD, what Christ did on the cross.
Those Christians who have actively become enemies of the Cross, GOD, Jesus Christ, and the Christian faith.
However ? GOD is always extending his hand of mercy to anyone until their last breath.

I think, the topic in this discussion ( correct me if I am wrong ) is those Christians who struggle with sin, and maybe have back slidden, and have not had the time to confess their sins to GOD, and repent.

Yes, I can understand the point that your trying to make with that scripture, and I need to ask you , what is your interpretation of Jer 3:14 were GOD say that he is married to the backslider.
In that verse GOD is calling the backslider to repent and turn to him.
We need to be careful in our attitudes towards the backslider, because, we need to be aware were WE stand, least we fall also.
One thing that some people forget, ALL OF US ( for all have sinned ) sin every day, and some sins, we are not even aware of , unless GOD brings it to our attention.

A good example of that is the whole book of JOB.
Job was a Righteous man in GOD's eyes, a Godly man, and obeyed GOD in every way, HOWEVER ?
GOD let him endure those tests, to show JOB , that JOB still had some " UN SEEN " sin in his heart and life.
EVEN ONE SIN, will separate us from GOD.

Even the Apostle Paul wrote and admitted, that he struggled with sin in his life in the 7 th chapter of the book of Romans ( do you think ? Paul was perfect ? and ALWAYS obeyed GOD ? no. Paul was not wearing halos on his head ).

All of us struggle with sin every day ( some of us don't even want to admit it though.. or are not even aware of it ) .... and yes, there is sin in YOUR life, that your not even AWARE of , and it is GOD's job to bring that to your attention.
You can be obedience, but, still have unseen or unaware sin in your life, and what if those people pass on, and didn't even repent or confess it to GOD ?
JOB was not aware of his sin until GOD showed him.
Take care.
117 posted on 04/03/2005 9:20:39 PM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM 53 : 1 The ( FOOL ) hath said in his heart , There is no GOD .)
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