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 ...
Nope.
MBR>
Jesus was asked a DIRECT question, and He replied with a DIRECT answer.
Put all the other stuff on TOP of it you want; what He said was the bottom line.
John pounded that FACT home in his writing.
Oh; the 'commandment was GIVEN to the JEWS - NOT the Gentiles.
You may want to read Acts 15 (or not)...
5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16 “‘After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’[b]—
18 things known from long ago.[c]
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] [d] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Romans 2:17-21
Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
If you want to ACT like a Jew and boast in the law - good luck - go for it.
So; in essence; you don't know.
Ain't exceptions the darnedest things!
I can: being told you are REQUIRED to dot a lot of T's and cross a lot of eyes to insure you get saved someday; maybe.
Actually; it's because the blender speed is set to high and the verses are getting all jumbled up: a little from here, a little from there... and pretty soon you gotta set of RULES that need to be followed.
Stroke of the pen; law of the land.
Kinda cool!
Yeah; I've noticed!
And; it used to work; but now?
No more Mr. NiceGuy!
It can only TRY to get me to a place that I've chosen not to go.
Are you really making the point that Christian can and should covet?
Paul said:
1Ti_2:7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Paul also said:
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
Rom 7:8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
Rom 7:9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
Rom 7:10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.
Rom 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
Rom 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
My response was a paraphrase of Paul. I'll assume that you didn't recognize that. Or do you not consider the letters of Paul inspired scripture?
My view on the law is exactly that of Paul's.....
Ain't exceptions the darnedest things!
Well are there any biblical examples of anyone receiving the spirit of God WITHOUT the laying on of hands except for the very first Jewish Christians or the very first gentiles Christians? If you can find one post it. If not then I'll remove the "as far as I know" to satisfy your mind... :-)
Well I guess we can exchange snarky comments all day if that's your thing...I'd much rather do a reasonable discussion on what scripture says on the matter though.
It’s ok, you insulted Christ enough for everyone...
Ooops....see my last post...
See response in post 232...
Thanks...you too.
Your perspective is self-contradicting, but I doubt seriously that you could see that even as folks are pointing it out to you. The biggest clue is the temporal mystery. I tried to point it out to you in such a way that you could ‘discover’ the nuance, but you don’t want to see it. So, one more time, Who is within the human spirit transforming the believer (that might read better as ‘faither’) by the renewing of your mind? It is isn’t done from the outside, it is done from the inside to the outside, as Paul wrote ‘It is He who is within you, to will and to do of His good pleasure.’ He doesn’t go into dirty places and dwell, but He dwells within the believer’s spirit beginning when we first believe. THAT is the mystery of Godliness, FRiend, that God sprinkles the Mercy seat of your spirit and comes IN to dwell with you as His new creation.
I'm pretty sure i said the exact same things in different words in post 215. I would be interested to know on what scriptures you're basing your thoughts here.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
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