Posted on 08/17/2015 9:45:07 AM PDT by amessenger4god
Right here.
By believing.
John 1:10-13 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Yes, I know that.
You don't have to nit pick.
Absolutely we do.
It's HIS work in us that transforms us.
If the work of grace has no effect in our lives, one has to consider that they are not saved.
It's GOD who works in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure.
When we get saved, we'd better expect God's grace to do SOMETHING in our lives to change them.
“The OP author first cites a statement by Jesus telling us to “do the will of the Father”, and then from this statement advises us to do nothing but say unto Him “Lord, Lord”.”
False witness is sin. You know full well that’s not what I said or meant. It was the very people who scream “Lord, Lord” in Matthew 7 who offer their works as reason for salvation. Jesus calls them lawless. They don’t recognize their sinfulness and need for the Savior.
I would suggest running to Christ, rather than your own, incredibly low standard of what gets you into Heaven.
I would also point out that real mean don’t get their wives and children into Heaven. They point their wives and children to Christ, so that HE can get them into Heaven.
Additionally, it is those in Matthew 7 who are the mere professors lacking real faith in Christ in James 2:14.
“The attitude expressed here and in many replies strikes a discordant nerve with me. Since not one of us can attain perfection I guess we shouldn’t even try? We should all be whore mongers, thieves and murders?”
JAKraig, I appreciate your thoughtful response, but I think you are misunderstanding or assuming negatively towards what we are saying. It is not a disregard for works or obedience.
What we are arguing against is the merit-based mindset that many, many Christians fall into. “Earning one’s way”. It is this attitude that Paul vehemently opposes.
There are two options:
1. Work hard in order to earn and/or keep your salvation. The Bible calls this self-righteousness, which God utterly hates. This is demonstrated by the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This is selfish and fear-based.
2. Accept that you are a son, no longer a slave, and that God has freely pardoned you. Works of gratitude, incredible joy, and love flow forth freely and abundantly, because just as a child in their father’s arms, you feel secure and loved unconditionally. The fruit you produce is good and healthy. It comes from abundance and selflessness (since you aren’t working for yourself, but for God).
I choose #2.
“And what makes one’s faith an obedient faith? Doing the will of the Father, as opposed to merely acknowledging Jesus with a “Lord, Lord”.”
I would agree with you, but I’d add that faith and trust are synonymous. There is no such thing as a “disobedient faith”. James is not arguing that salvation = faith + works. He is arguing that faith naturally leads to works and the absence of works proves that one is only a mere professor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gEUuS_nr8s
Actually, Jesus says one thing and Paul says another...And which one should you believe???
You find out which one was addressing the Gentile church and go with that one, for doctrine...
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
The 'Faith' we hear so much about turns out to be faith in a religious institution, a Church...
Verse 9 defines the faith of the Christian...
It would help you if you would study and discover whether those born from above will be standing at the Judgment you have cited. You can choose to stand there ... or you can choose to believe Jesus has already endured the judgment for you, as in faithing in Him for deliverance. Faith is an action word. You faithe in Christ to direct you each and every day, so that your sin nature loses power over you.
It is soterology, the deliverance ONLY Jesus has accomplished and offers to you and to me by His Grace for believing in Him as our Lord and Savior. When you do that in this life, you will not be standing for judgment later. You will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ IN HEAVEN, but you will not stand before the Judgment here on Earth in the future.
You have something there. But to address the theme of the discussion on this thread, none of what we do justifies us in the eyes of the Father. I'm sure you agree. What I think you refer to is a repentant regenerated soul filled with the Holy Spirit seeks the Will of the Father and walks in the footsteps of His Son Jesus Christ. Which is prophecy fulfilled from:
Ezekial 36:
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.
24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Jeremiah 33:
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. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
The above is what I believe Jesus Christ was trying to lead Nicodemus to in their evening chat in John chapter 3.
John 3:
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Which ties into the teaching in Hebrews in the NT:
Hebrews 8:
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
I asked of you the following, regarding your post #5: “Where do you believe this division will occur, where Jesus says depart from me you workers of iniquity?” May I ask again for your response to that query? It is vital in addressing the concepts of rewards and judgment.
What does Jesus say as to where the division will occur?
I would offer to replace 'must' with 'will do.' I shared some OT passages which get to my meaning on this.
Put another way a theologian friend of mine offered the following from one of his church teaching sessions:
Faith is an action or readiness to act based on the belief, sustained by confidence, we have in the object of our belief. It is not mere belief that something is true, rather it is the will lured into action by value. Faith acts on the preponderance of evidence as to one's perception of what is reality.
Faith and Believe are close but differ
The distinctive feature of faith, in contrast with mere belief, is the element in it of will to action. Belief is an act of the intellect, and faith has been described as “an act of the intellect commanded by the will.” But faith is more than an act of the intellect, and the will does more than command. Faith is not merely the assent that something is true, it is our readiness to act on what we believe true. Faith is will lured by value into action. Faith is decision.
The clearest example of both elements of faith in the same context is Hebrews 11. Verse 6 says, “he that cometh to God must believe that he is...” (emp. added). Beginning with verse 7, the writer observed that a number of notable Old Testament characters trusted in that about which they believed. They acted on their belief. Note the words indicating action.
Look in Matthew chapter 24 and beyond, during the Loivet Discourse. What you seem to prefer is that you will not be taken with the Raptured Church, who are no longer under ANY condemnation because Jesus has paid it ALL (not one sin you could ever commit would be taking God by surprise when you profess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is The Savior, your Savior). The Judgment you cited happens when separation of sheep and goats occurs. The Goats are harvested by the Angels to send them into outer darkness. The Sheep are left on the earth. The judging happens AFTER Christ returns to the Earth with His Bride, the Church, The Body of Christ.
Make that the Olivet Discourse ... tired and arthritic fingers. You might also like to read the end of the Book of the Revelation of John ... the returned of Jesus to the earth, not in the air.
Faith is not a work and righteousness is wholly a matter of grace. The modern gospel puts everything backwards. To put it simply: Christians aren’t born again because they believe, they believe because they’ve been born again.
Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone, and not of works, lest anyone should boast. (see Ephesians 2:8-9)
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.