Posted on 12/12/2013 12:59:05 PM PST by DouglasKC
How do you know you're saved?
Imagine you arrive at a most important banquet that's hosted by Christ Himself. After all--you're a Christian. Picture coming to His home and walking right up to the door. Perhaps you're a little surprised that the door is closed and you're shut outside. But not to be deterred, you knock and knock. No response, no reaction. So you call out, "Jesus open the door, Lord it's me." Still, no response, no reaction. At long last, you hear Jesus' voice and He says, "I never knew you!" What a devastating and shocking situation in which to find yourself.
(Excerpt) Read more at ucg.org ...
Izzat so?!
1 John 5:13
I have put these things in writing for you who have faith in the name of the Son of God, so that you may be certain that you have eternal life.
Izzat so?!?
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
1 John 3:21-24
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
And those are???...
I think I may have read this somewhere...
I asked about apostolic tradition given only certain apostles in Acts laid hands for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So your church would have to have a succession of apostles leading back to the original apostles. Like the Romans claim. Remember Peter and John were sent to Samaria to lay hands, yet Phillip was already there. It seems that only certain apostles could do this for various purposes.
Yup. The scripture you quote is a good one. It's good because it's really the first baby step in the life of a Christian. What Christ is saying is that man on his own can do nothing that is pleasing to God. But once we believe through Christ and have his indwelling spirit then anything is possible because with God all things are possible. Our "works" are not ours but are the result of the Lord working through us.
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Well sure. But this isn't the sum total of what God commands. For example:
1Jn 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
1Jn 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
1Jn 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
1Jn 3:6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
1Jn 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Christians are expected to strive and overcome sin. As Paul points out God's written commandments are to show us how we are sinning physically and spiritually.
That's where obedience comes in. Oh the commandment says "Do not covet". Ah..thanks Lord for revealing that. I'm sorry, I repent, help me not to covet...fill me with your spirit to help me.
That's obedience.
Okay, that's one verse. And it's more of a confirmation that yes, Christians will have eternal life in the future...and many other scriptures refer to a future time:
Mar 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's,
Mar 10:30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
An age to come, the future.
Joh_6:54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Christians are raised up to eternal life at the last day...the future.
Rom 2:5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Rom 2:6 who "WILL RENDER TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS":
Rom 2:7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
Here Paul talks about eternal life being granted in the future...when God rewards the faithful and punishes the unjust..
1Ti 6:15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
1Ti 6:16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. <
Who alone has immortality? Christ.
1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
1Ti 6:18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
1Ti 6:19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Eternal life in a time to come...the future.
Tit 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,
Tit 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
We certainly have the HOPE and promise of eternal life. That's what John is referring to. God will do what he promises...if we overcome.
I have a little explanation on my profile page which might interest you regarding 'to faithe'.If God left it up to me to keep the Grace He Promises in Christ then I would fail because of whom I would be up against. You nor I can ever be worthy of His Grace of God in Christ. Behold, I share with you a mystery ...
You raise some good points... but the Philip in Samaria was not the original Philip apostle, but the deacon Philip from Acts 6. But then again there's the example of Ananias laying hands on Paul to impart the holy spirit to him.
Perhaps in our Christian walk we come to a point where we have the authority through Christ to ask to give God's spirit to someone. As I said, I don't know. As far as apostolic tradition goes I think most churches would claim that that they have an unbroken line back to Christ even though that line may have been lost in history.
But still there is no statement, as far as I can see, that anyone in scripture received the indwelling spirit of the Lord without having hands laid on them...save for the two small groups mentioned before.
I agree completely. The Hebrews couldn't do it because it's not humanly possible and they didn't have the indwelling spirit of the Lord....God knew this:
Deu_5:29 Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!
That new heart was fulfilled under the new covenant mediated by Christ:
Jer 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
God's laws, which are the written expression of his love, are written in the hearts and minds of believers through the spirit of God. This spirit then lives through us and we step back and say "lord, take my life and help me overcome". The end result is that it our lives fall in line with God's laws.
Armstrongism and the UGC ...
Great, another cult with a bunch of cash tied up in PR playing Christian.
No thanks, the Faith is spelled out rather clearly, messing with it, is, well messy...
Maybe you and the Mormons should form a basketball league...
The Mystery is revealed by Paul when he wrote that Abraham believed God and it was counted for him righteousness. My Joy in Christ is precisely because though I could not earn His Grace, He saved me from the natural end for what I continue to carry as a burden while in this body.
And before you go off down the 'run the good race and endure until the end and you will receive eternal life' path, Salvation cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Jesus is The Word made flesh Who dwelt among us. Satan is so sly that if you were responsible to continue your belief in Jesus as your Savior inorder to have Salvation when you die, then you would fail to maintain. And since you cannot be brought again to that rock, to speak to it to receive 'the water of Life', then you would be lost AFTER you claimed God's Promise. So, 'it is God Who is in you to will and do of His good pleasure.' God keeps His Promise because He sees all of Time at the same time, not in stumbling steps of 'try and be good' living. Paul explained that one, too ... 'Oh wretched man that I am ...'
Another thought as I was studying...Cornelius and the first group of gentiles received the holy spirit the same way the first Jewish apostles did.
Act 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Act 10:45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
Act 10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
Act 10:47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"
As far as I know we don't read anything about them after this. Perhaps they too could ask for God to impart his spirit on others and maybe it's from this line which many are "descended". Maybe whoever comes from this line has the same authority. Speculation I know but interesting to consider.
Well....maybe YOU should form a....a....hmmm...can't think of a worse insult than being in a basketball league. You win.
Christ alone is the only thing that saves me of course. But then again I don't keep the commandments of God to be saved. Indeed I don't keep them at all. I step back and let jesus christ do this thing...albeit not perfectly. Jesus Christ can't sin therefore Christ will keep his own commandments.
I don't do or earn anything. But I also don't have eternal life...yet. The bible is pretty clear that eternal life is a future event for Christians. In the meantime, as Paul and others say, we are to persevere and endure until the end.
The Word made flesh Who dwelt among us. Satan is so sly that if you were responsible to continue your belief in Jesus as your Savior in order to have Salvation when you die, then you would fail to maintain.
I think that's exactly what scripture says happens. However it's not anything we do but over time we are changed by Christ and that makes it more of a given as we go through our Christian life that we will have eternal life:
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
This is it in a nutshell. Give up our life and let Christ take over. Christ will change us...we metamorph (the meaning of transform in that verse) into the character of Christ.
Seriously Christians have nothing to brag about...it's all the work of God that's doing everything.
Why would you post- this nonsense?
Because it's the scriptural view....why do you think it's nonsense?
Bible bullies are rife with contempt, for the word of God. Just love telling other folks how “it all works.” Instead of listening, hearing and ...
I can honestly say that this is the first time I've been called a bible bully or even heard the term. I assume that means that you take issue with actually using and believing what the bible says? Well to me I think it's very important to verify what people tell us against what scripture says. That way we won't be led astray. If that's being a bible bully then hey, I'll wear that label.
Doug, I did not call you a bible bullie. Take care.
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.