Ben Johnson said:
As I've stated already my major contention with you isn't how you come to grace - but instead it's how you are supposed to keep it. The proof text verses do not even address the point at hand - namely that you have to maintain your salvation through merit/works.
But since you did see fit to list some verses let's take a look at them and see how grace is in fact maintained and upheld by God - not man - using those same verses.
Romans 5:17
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
The verse clearly states that all of humanity was affected by one man - whose sin affected us all. That is what was meant when Paul says death reigned through one man. Until we "receive" God's grace we are all doomed to die in sin. There is nothing anyone can do about it. But when we "receive" God's grace we receive the gift of righteousness through Jesus. It is not through ourselves - it is not though an effort to stay out of sin - but through Jesus' effort which made us righteous and which is complete. We reign with Christ in life - not in fear of death - not in fear of loosing our salvation.
I do realize that you are bent on making this into a debate on Calvinism and through your 4th point you have insinuated that faith is an act of freewill - but there is nothing in the above verse to support this notion. Granted there is nothing there to support the opposite - but my point is that how the will is affected is just simply not addressed here.
Moving on to Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
I simply have to ask - where is the admonition to maintain salvation or loose it? In fact just the opposite is presented here. Paul proclaims it loudly - we are saved by grace! And it's through faith "-and this not from yourselves..."
Ben - you're kidding me - right? You actually want me to deduce from this verse that my faith isn't a gift? That it is an act of freewill? How antithetical to the point of a single verse can you get. If we are "responsible" to maintain our salvation through merit - through holiness - through effort why does it say it is a gift of God?
This point has been by far your weekest yet my friend. A simple reading of the verses will show that you are forcing an interpretation of "responsible grace" onto the text.
