Posted on 04/08/2016 7:34:38 AM PDT by Salvation
The Gospel proclaimed on Wednesday of this week included the familiar John 3:16. So familiar is this verse, that many hold up signs or have bumper stickers that simply say, “John 3:16.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life (John 3:16).
It is indeed a beautiful verse, but I would argue that many use it inauthentically by pulling it out from its place within a longer passage. The fuller segment is John 3:16-21, which is as much a passage of warning as it is of consolation and assurance.
Here it is again, along with the remainder of that longer passage:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God (John 3:16-21).
This fuller context has somewhat of a different tone. It sets forth a great drama in which our lives are cast. It amounts to sober assessment of the obtuseness of many human hearts and of the urgent need for us to decide well in life.
Those who merely quote the first verse run the risk of presenting this text as a kind of a freewheeling assurance that all is well and that salvation is largely in the bag, that judgment and condemnation are not a significant factor since “God so loved the world.” And while the concept of faith is included in this first verse, without the larger context the tendency is to soft-pedal the need for repentance and for the obedience of faith. In so doing, the true drama and sober teaching of the fuller text are lost.
The longer passage fleshes the message out and has a balance that the shortened text does not. Here is what Jesus is in effect saying, expressed in more modern language:
As I live, I and my Father do not desire that any should die in their sins or be lost. I have not currently come as your judge but as your savior. I will come one day as the judge of all, but now is a time of grace and mercy extended to you.
But you need to know that you have a decision to make, a decision that will determine where you will spend eternity.
So please listen to me! Open the door to me and let me draw you to the obedience of faith and the beauty of holiness. If you do this, light will dawn for you, for I am the Light and your life will grow ever brighter.
But if you will not repent and come to a lifesaving obedience of faith, your heart will begin to despise me and the light of my glory. You will become accustomed to the darkness and begin to consider the Light (which I am) to be obnoxious, harsh, judgmental, and even cruel. Yes, you will begin to hate me, for I am the Light. You will prefer the darkness because you love your sins more.
Come to your senses and don’t let this happen. You have a decision to make: for the light or for the darkness, for me or for the prince of this world, Satan. Be sober and understand the dramatic choice before you. Your salvation depends on your choice to come to obedient faith in me or to reject me.
And know this: on the day of your judgment, the verdict will not be rendered by me so much as by you. For by then, you will either love the Light or hate it. And I will not force you to live in a light you detest. You will be free to go your own way. It will not be I who reject you. It will be you who reject me.
Be sober. Don’t let this happen. Don’t marginalize or ignore me. Don’t prefer the world and its twisted values and passing pleasures. Your sins will make you hate the light and prefer the darkness. You have a decision to make.
This message is much more complex than that contained in the popular, abbreviated text known as John 3:16. God’s mercy is offered, but the final verdict will center on whether or not we accept it. This message may be less consoling but it is true nonetheless, and only the truth can set us free.
There is a tendency by many to pull out certain verses and isolate them from their context and from the fuller message of the Gospel. The full and authentic Gospel echoes the opening call of the Lord Jesus: “Repent and believe the Good News.”
So yes, John 3:16! But please continue reading. The whole Gospel, please!
Ah the gullible who seek after a sign!
Are you saying that GOD could NOT do this?
Who are YOU to limit GOD??!!??
Catholic_Wannabe_Dude(Hail Mary!!!)
“...supernatural process of generating new spiritual babes in host human bodies...”
http://www.mormonhandbook.com/home/salvation.html
with Mormon references...
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A common Mormon testimony
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A common Muslim testimony
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I bear you my testimony that I know the Book of Mormon is true,
I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God and
I know that the Church is the only true church
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I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and
I bear witness that Mohammed is the servant and
Messenger of Allah
(the "Shahada")
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Jesus walked the earth in a human body, and that body was crucified and put in a tomb, dead. God raised that dead human body by transforming it into a new type of human body fit for living in a completely different where/when, HEAVEN. But that body could still function on the same where/when plane of our human bodies! Yet go back and forth between two completely different where/whens.
When we are born from above, we are newborns, and God has put the earnest of our inheritance into our 'before' dead human spirit, so that The Holy Spirit of God then is responsible in raising us up in the way that we should go!
As with human childhood, to benefit from the parenting we have to accept the directions, but we must walk the path, God will not do that part for us because we must learn how to be this new creation He is making.
So yes, we are babes being ferried around in human bodies, being gradually transformed. Sadly, I doubt Catholics have even a clue, because they haven't started with being born from above since their religion teaches them they must strive to become worthy of this 'thing' called new birth from above.
One sometimes wonders just what a Catholic believes is going to go to their imaginary purgatory and if it is yet a newborn, or something that the god of Catholicism will refashion in Purgatory? The Bible clearly tells us the transforming is something all born from above will experience, but the Bible is also clear that the process happens to start and proceed while still in these 'host human bodies'.
So it is the the gullible that believe.
... And the doubters that disbelieve.
I guess you will find out on Judgement Day.
The mission of the Catholic Church is to help people reach everlasting life with God through love of God and neighbor.
The Catholic Church preaches the Word of God and baptizes as Jesus directed. It attempts to lead all to God. The Church does not condemn people for their sins, it is the Lord’s just and merciful decision when they die.
Individuals can either accept the teachings of Jesus or not. Their conscience and understanding will be evident to Jesus.
Christians try to lead others to JESUS so they can have everlasting life through faith in Him and his death and atonement.
Loving loving God and people doesn't save anyone. They are the good results of what happens to the person who already is saved through faith in Jesus.
Jesus called people to HIM.
You do admit that Our Lord is God don't you? Loving Him is the essence of faith in Him. Refer back to your days in catechism class, "Why did God make you?"
"He made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him..." One doesn't serve what one doesn't love and one can't love what one doesn't know.
Jesus Christ is God.
Reborn as βρέφος brephos Strong's G1025 newborn-babe
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" (1 Pet. 2:2 AV).
Through use of the milk, grow to be spiritual infants, starting to walk in the Lord as νήπιος nēpios Strong's G3516 babes
"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe" (Heb 5:13 AV).
Becoming through discipleship to be responsible, one becomes a spiritual trainable child, a παιδίον paidion Strong's G3813 child-like person immature in The Faith "I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father" (1 Jn. 2:13f,g AV).
Having grasped the basic doctrines and fully applied them to one's life, no longer subject to Satan's influences, one becomes a spiritual young adult, a νεανίσκος neaniskos Strong's G3495 servant of God (traditionally up to about 40 years old)
"I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one" (1 Jn. 2:13d,e AV; cf verse 14).
Eventual long experience with one's Heavenly Father in His Work, one would be acknowledged by God and other spiritually mature persons as a guiding "father" of the human disciples, a πατήρ patēr Strong's G3962 a recognized elder of the assembly
"I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning" (1 Jn. 13a,b,c, 14a,b,c AV).
For example, Apostle Paul was one of the spiritual fathers of the members of the assembly inaugurated at Corinth: "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15 AV).
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Without going into a lot more detail, the above is the scriptural example of stages of growth of a new person, born in the spirit, ad residing/abiding in the body that also still contains the "old man" with his habits that must be overcome by living "in the spirit," in the new life with Christ, and no longer yielding to the depravity of the old person. Some habits of the old person might be immediately overcome and quenched; others might take longer.
But for sure, the singular and most important feature of the new spiritual person is that the mind, shared by both phases of being, has been changed, permanently. The Greek word describing this is μετάνοια metanoia Strong's G3341, a change of the mind, which translated into English is "repentance" (but into Katholish "penance" which may be something like crawling forty miles on your knees to Lourdes, or something like that, and is not what the Greek means). A correct rendering of "repentance" given in the Authorized Version is typified as follows:
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God," (Heb. 6:1 AV).
That is, repentance is turning, about face, to God from sin and sinning. Again:
"Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:19-20 AV)
But know this, that this kind of growth is fully attained only by entering the life of discipleship as a condition of salvation and sanctification. It is most unlikely that if one has not partaken of such an eternal scriptural process of discipleship, that one is fit to advise others in the new life in Christ.
Thus, the above describes the two person's residing in the true Christian. On the one hand, the "old man" is the personality attending with birth and growth of the physical body. But the birth of the "new man" starts with the communication of the Word of God to the old man's mind, through which a "new man" is formed by a supernatural act of God arising from faith in the truth of His Word, God Alone doing the saving, from faith alone doing the submitting and change of the person's mind, thus giving birth to the new person. This new person is entirely forever owned by Jesus, Whose Spirit then never leaves the person alone, even though the old body must die, and the soul and spirit must return to God.
The "new birth" is thus a supernatural event, and the ordained training in discipleship is the method by which every person must be prepared to function as a citizen of the Kingdom of God, managing His Estate, the earthly visible portion of which is the Kingdom of The Heavens.
I repeat. Loving God and loving people doesn’t save anyone.
JESUS saves people. Turning to Him and acc3epting Him by faith saves them.
Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the life and that no man comes to the Father BUT THROUGH HIM.
Nowhere does it say that love saves anyone.
But Scripture is replete with verses that tell us that faith saves a person.
Would you like to see them posted yet again?
The Catholic Church Cult does not baptize as Jesus directed. In fact, it does not even recognize what Jesus directed to be done, not admit the truth of it when told.
"All authority is given to me in Heaven and upon Earth.
Therefore journey and consecutively disciple people of all
nations, then baptize them* in the name of The Father and
of The Son and of The Holy Spirit and repeatedly teach
them* publicly to keep all things watchfully secure as many
as I commanded you! And lo! I Myself am being continually
with you all the days until the consummation of the age.
Amen." (Matthew 28:18c-20 APT; freely available from "The Gospels: A Precise
Translation," freely available from Happy Heralds, Inc.).
* = The people who have become disciples
It is people who wish to be inducted permanently as disciples into the Company of The Committed, those confessing allegiance to Christ verbally in public, that are to be inducted by the rite of water baptism into lifelong commitment as disciples. It is not for babies, and not for those persons who have been merely spiritually awakened and alerted to their spiritual condition.
The Romanists do not acknowledge any of this. The reason is because their understanding of the applicable scriptures and doctrine is defective.
JESUS saves people. Turning to Him and acc3epting Him by faith saves them.
So you're saying Jesus Christ isn't God, fair enough I suppose. No wonder you object to the BVM being called The Mother of God.
Are you really saying that only by accepting the very modern constructs of American Protestant vocabulary will one be saved? If I love my wife (and I do) I have faith in her. If I love my God (and I do) I have faith in Him.
I'm trying not to discount you as a crank, but you've gone out of your way to distance Jesus Christ from the Godhead more than once.
So a person dying who says "My Jesus I love you" goes to hell because he didn't pray the sinners prayer or answer an altar call? How about a person living who spends his time saying "My Jesus I love you" in word and deed?
I state that one can not achieve eternal life without loving God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the first place because God wouldn't subject a person to His eternal presence if that person didn't want to be in it.
The Catholic Church exists to enable people to fall in love with God in thought, word and deed. Her members do a pretty lousy job of it for the most part.
It's God's own love of the world that brought about the Incarnation in the first place. Someone wrote "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." As well as "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." Is that whole chapter missing from your Bible?
It is true that one cannot be saved without believing in God. But do you honestly believe that one can enter the Kingdom without observing the Great Commandment?
You're not framing the problem correctly. Here's the deal: If you do not hate who you are as born, and the depravities that you have committed, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. If you think you are "a good person" through some of your actions, forget it. You do not qualify.
Can one love God and love sin simultaneously? Isn't a simple requirement of loving God, hating sin?
It's no wonder the Catholic church tells its members they can't understand and shouldn't interpret Scripture themselves.
Reading comprehension lessons would do you a world of good because there's no way I said that or even implied that.
My contention is that the way to God is through Jesus NOT through the Catholic church.
Jesus is not the Catholic church and the Catholic church is not Jesus, and they don't have a corner on the market to finding Jesus.
Insults aside, a more precise statement would be: The way to the Father is through the Son.
I'm telling you that you can only get to God through Jesus and somehow you interpret that as *distancing Jesus from the Godhead*?????
Really???
Show me some verses where Jesus sayd that someone's love has saved them.
Show me verses where Jesus said, *Your love has saved you.*
Salvation by grace 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?”
Acts 16:27-31 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Romans 10:9-13 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Yes, I do. One can enter heaven when they are born again, by faith.
If entering heaven was based on our obedience to the Great Commandment, NOBODY would ever make it. We CANNOT keep the Law. It is not possible for us to do what God requires.
We cannot obey our way into heaven.
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