14. A search on the word "blameless", turns up at least 4 instances where blamelessness is OUR CHOICE (Philip2:15, Col1:21-23, 2Pet3:14, Jude24 w/20-21).
This particular point isn't relevant to the discussion - particularly in the context of the verses that you have cited here. You are trying to twist these verses to get us believers to do something in order to keep our salvation - works. Being blameless is indeed a choice but that isn't relevant to the state of one's salvation once they are saved. Not relevant in the context of it being a requirement for salvation.
For starters in Philipians 2:15 you have referenced a partial sentence that gives no indication whatsover that such a choice will result in either heaven or hell. Regardless you need to go back two verses to Philipians 2:13 which specifically states that it is God who works in us to will and to act according to His pupose. The whole point of the admonition in verse 12 is to check ourselves to see that God is doing this. It is calling for a reliance upon God not ourselves. Why do you leave this critical information out of your references?
In Collosians 1:21-23 you at least have put them in the total context. Thanks for that. But the issue here is not choice in behavior or sin - but in believing the gospel. Verse 22 specifically says that we are made holy in God's sight and without blemish THROUGH the death and resurrection of Jesus. The admonition in verse 23 is to continue in belief which goes hand-in-hand with the point made in Philipians 2. The admonition is to check that we are truly saved. How do we do that? How do we know we are saved. Verse 23 makes it clear -that we are established and firm in the faith and not moved from the hope. That is how we know our election and calling is true.
But what you are trying to do with these verses is to make them an admonition to live correctly so that we can be saved. That is just simply incorrect and reflects a burdonsome works-based salvation. This is so critical to truly knowing what grace is. We are checking our lives, behavior, and fimness in faith to confirm our salvation already received - not to earn it or keep it.
And you do the same thing with Jude vs 20-21. You are trying to throw the yoke of a works based salvation on us by using the admonition there to keep ourselves in God's love, twisting it to mean that if we don't do so then falling from salvation is the result. But that is wrong because as verse 20 clearly indicates, we are to do this while waiting for the mercy of Jesus to bring us to eternal life. That phrase would never be used if it were possible to loose salvation. The point is we have it - therefore we will have eternal life - and therefore we should live accordingly by "building ourselves up most holy in the faith," "praying in the Spirit," and "keeping ourselves in God's love." There is nothing there to indicate that we will wind up in hell if fall short or that we will loose our salvation. At best it is another indicator to measure the authenticity of our salvation. All Paul is saying is this is what we should do since we are saved. But you want us to be burdened into thinking that such a gift can be lost and that we should be using these verses to maintain salvation. That's wrong - that's works.
As verse 24 in Jude clearly states - it is God who keeps us from falling. Nothing there about us keeping ourselves from falling.
For starters in Philipians 2:15 you have referenced a partial sentence that gives no indication whatsover that such a choice will result in either heaven or hell. Regardless you need to go back two verses to Philipians 2:13 which specifically states that it is God who works in us to will and to act according to His pupose. The whole point of the admonition in verse 12 is to check ourselves to see that God is doing this. It is calling for a reliance upon God not ourselves. Why do you leave this critical information out of your references?
In Collosians 1:21-23 you at least have put them in the total context. Thanks for that. But the issue here is not choice in behavior or sin - but in believing the gospel. Verse 22 specifically says that we are made holy in God's sight and without blemish THROUGH the death and resurrection of Jesus. The admonition in verse 23 is to continue in belief which goes hand-in-hand with the point made in Philipians 2. The admonition is to check that we are truly saved. How do we do that? How do we know we are saved. Verse 23 makes it clear -that we are established and firm in the faith and not moved from the hope. That is how we know our election and calling is true.
But what you are trying to do with these verses is to make them an admonition to live correctly so that we can be saved. That is just simply incorrect and reflects a burdonsome works-based salvation. This is so critical to truly knowing what grace is. We are checking our lives, behavior, and fimness in faith to confirm our salvation already received - not to earn it or keep it.
And you do the same thing with Jude vs 20-21. You are trying to throw the yoke of a works based salvation on us by using the admonition there to keep ourselves in God's love, twisting it to mean that if we don't do so then falling from salvation is the result. But that is wrong because as verse 20 clearly indicates, we are to do this while waiting for the mercy of Jesus to bring us to eternal life. That phrase would never be used if it were possible to loose salvation. The point is we have it - therefore we will have eternal life - and therefore we should live accordingly by "building ourselves up most holy in the faith," "praying in the Spirit," and "keeping ourselves in God's love." There is nothing there to indicate that we will wind up in hell if fall short or that we will loose our salvation. At best it is another indicator to measure the authenticity of our salvation. All Paul is saying is this is what we should do since we are saved. But you want us to be burdened into thinking that such a gift can be lost and that we should be using these verses to maintain salvation. That's wrong - that's works.
As verse 24 in Jude clearly states - it is God who keeps us from falling. Nothing there about us keeping ourselves from falling.