Marvin Knox said: ↑
"What might clarify things (and save a whole lot of time) would be if you just tell everyone in plain every day words what faith is."
It's a bit of a convoluted response. But it helps
a little.
Faith is
not doing what God tells you to do. It will result in doing what God tells you to do. But it is not doing what God tells you to do.
Faith is
not a commandment. It will illicit a positive response to a commandment from God. But it is not a commandment.
True faith will always produce works. Everyone believes that because that's what the Word of God says.
The possession of faith is the proof that you truly believe. The works following are the proof that you have that faith.
Perhaps this may seem like straining at a gnat. But I don't think so.
Answering the following question will tell me whether I have made the distinctions above for no reason or if I am onto something a bit different concerning your particular view of salvation - as I think I may be.
Do you agree that there is a
particular initial time in the process of salvation when we pass from death to life and will never again come into condemnation because we are evermore seated with Christ in glory as part of His body and sealed with His Holy Spirit forever?
Yes I do. I understand now where I have confused you.
Saving faith is not the same as faith. The ten lepers, when they obeyed Christ they were all healed, but only one did something different than the others.
The one came back, glorified God, and gave him thanks. Why? Because his heart was soft.
In Jeremiah 4:3-4 God commands us to prepare our hearts, He say's circumcise your heart and take away the foreskin.
The other nine leper's hearts were hard, they were all healed but they were not saved, because they did not get their hearts right, which God commands us to do.
Remember what Jesus said about the sower sowing seeds, only the seeds that fell on good ground bared fruit.
This is a good place to talk about once saved always saved.
How can you get uncircumcised once you have been circumcised? Can you sew dead skin back on? Don't think so.
All through out the Bible salvation is compared to circumcision of the heart.
God told Abraham to circumcise everyone in his household, and they all became Jews. It was one thing you could not hide and it was something you could not lose.
If any man be in Christ he is a new creation, the old (foreskin of the heart) has passed away and the new has come.
Paul said a Jew is not one outwardly but inwardly, circumcision is of the heart.
It's all about the heart, if your heart is soft the seed of the Word can penetrate it and you will bare fruit, you will be saved.
Because the one lepers heart was right, the Word (seed) of Holy Spirit could penetrate his heart, and he obeyed from the heart the Holy Spirit and was saved. Romans 6:17
By obedience to the Word of God all ten lepers were healed, because they all obeyed Jesus, but only one obeyed from the heart the Holy Spirit, and he was the only one was made whole. (saved)
Faith cured all ten lepers, but that was not saving faith. Saving faith happens in the heart. I hate to break this to the Calvinist but God does not force you to get your heart right, He persuades you. Faith means to persuade you.
Faith is a commandment, but it's not a forced commandment, it's a persuasion.
If faith is not a commandment, then why did Peter tell Jesus to command him to come to Him on the water. Because the disciples knew they had to have a commandment before they could do any miraculous thing.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It's a commandment.
Does that help? It's ok, it took my pastor two and a half years before he realized I was not insane, but when he finally got it, it changed his life.