Posted on 06/14/2015 11:09:03 AM PDT by RnMomof7
Question: Can fallen man do anything to please God? Can the natural man make choices all the time for things that are good and evil?
Response: All fallen, unregenerate human beings are endowed with many of God's common graces. God has blessed all men with a conscience and the capacity to promote virtue and civil righteousness. It is abundantly clear that many beautiful aspects of the world we live in have been brought forth by those which are unredeemed by God's regenerative grace. God has gifted natural men and women with the skill to create beautiful music, make profound works of art, to invent intricate machines and do countless things that are productive, excellent and praiseworthy. But even these "good things" are not done purely to glorify God. i.e. the source of natural man's affections and motives for doing things come from a polluted well.
Fallen man's many good works, even though in accord with God's commands, are not well pleasing to God when weighed against His ultimate criteria and standard of perfection. The love of God and His law is not the unbelievers' deepest animating motive and principle (nor is it his motive at all), so it does not earn him the right to redemptive blessings from a holy God. The Scripture clearly implies this when it states "...without faith it is impossible to please Him." (Hebrews 11:6a, NASB) and "whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)
So then even his "virtue" is considered evil in the sight of God. His purpose for doing good works are not from a heart that loves God. Being unspiritual, that is, without the Holy Spirit, "... men do not rise above themselves" (Calvin) But now through our justification and regeneration in Christ, we are enabled, for the first time, to be pleasing to God on the basis of Christ's work.
"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." - Romans 8:7
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Quiz: If "Those who are in the flesh cannot PLEASE God" as Romans 8:7 declares, and "And without faith it is impossible to PLEASE God." (Heb.11:6) then how can those in the flesh have the faith necessary to PLEASE God? (Answer: 1 Cor 2:14, 1 Cor 2:12 & John 6:63, 65)
NO .. it does not.
Once you receive Christ as Savior, you become born again, and you can’t be born again over and over and over.
The old covenant was a performance based one. The New Covenant is not, since any who will accept His Sacrifice for them are then indwelt by the Holy Spirit and the law is moved out of the way, for a family relationship based on Love. When we are born from above, as babes God sends His Spirit to raise us up in the Way that we should go.
In that we’re all staring enemy islamism in the face shouldn’t Christians and Jews be seeking common ground rather than engaging in this constant doctrinal bickering?
With which decision does He put His Holy Spirit in you? And you know He does put His Holy Spirit in the believer because He said so through Paul. So with which ‘decision’ does He put His Spirit in you to raise you up in the way that you should go?
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Tell me, dear one, when does God do that part underlined above?
“The natural man attempting to earn a works based salvation blasphemes the work of God and Christ Jesus on the Cross.”
Amen. The righteous shall live by FAITH. The law is not of faith, for:
“The one who does them shall live by them”.
“There really isn’t anything else we can do, so just press.”
Truth. Into this tension steps the soothsayer, revivalist and lordship salvationist promising to fix the supposed breach between us and the Father.
Jesus is the fix. When the saducees asked Jesus what work God required so they would be accepted by God, He told them the work of God is to believe on Him Whom God has sent (to make them worthy by faith, not works, not based on performance).
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
When the blood, His Blood, seals the Covenant, it is done only once, for all, for ever. It is not repeated over and over. It is done once. God has declared the Covenant by His Son, and sealed the declaration of righteousness BY FAITH with His blood on the Mercy Seat. You partake of the New Covenant by faith, not of works, never by works for such blasphemes the perfect blood shed for you.
The doctrinal basics are necessary to strengthen the ranks.
Much of the apparent bickering is due to a false doctrine of salvation by works in the souls of so many believers, which misguides their thinking as they further study the Bible. The issues isn’t to fight Islam, nor to crusade for Christ, nor to win academic discussions, but only to Glorify Christ, which we perform in our thinking.
His policy is based upon salvation by grace, not salvation by works, which conveniently eliminates arrogance.
I thought you might enjoy this study:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3300299/posts?page=1
While some might argue a few points, the study highlights the importance of faith in what Christ provided at the Cross, which we so easily might lapse into secondary disregard by substituting good works for faith in Him.
Yeah thata wacky Paul just whipped out his KJV prayed the sinners prayer and wrote: Romans 11:17- 21 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
Saved or not saved:
Jimmy Swaggert (before during or after adultery)
JIm and Tammy Faye Bakker
Peter Popoff and his "Magic Wheel chairs"
Earnest Angley
David Koresh
Jim Jones;
Joel Osteen;
Eddie Long;
Benny Hinn
Kenneth Copeland
Ellen Gould White
T.D. Jakes (Denies the Trinity)
:Hal Lindsey
Kenneth Hagin Sr. and Jr.
Jack Van Impe
Fred Phelps
The rest of the Westboro Baptist congregants
Nuts! Belief is not a work! It is a commanded mental ascent to acknowledgment of truth.
If you were a Christian you would realize that there are much more vital things to be concerned about. But those who are not Christians will have to deal with the Islamic murderers right in their neighborhoods. Christians? Not so much, we outta here soon baby!
Amen ...Repent and believe
Amen
I think the works of evil are also manifest before God.. and will be justly judged
The "faith" that threatens the mid east and frightens people around the world is a works based religion.. they kill for the "glory " of their false god..
doug.. doctrine matters
It’s Talmudic that if you’re planting a tree and hear the moshiach has come, first finish the planting, then go to greet him.
I believe God sets more by what we do here on Earth than in being enraptured about the rapture.
IMHO.
May the Lord Bless You and Yours....
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