- Dec 13, 2015
- 5,261
- 4,247
- 37
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Calvinist
- Marital Status
- Married
What puzzles me on these forums are the multitude of threads that deny that faith is the only requirement for salvation. They say that faith in the gospel is "too easy" and that there should be a more difficult way out. Often times they're stuck in their works and cannot see the grace of Jesus and what he did for humanity on the cross. In fact, there isn't a single verse in the Bible that says that anything other than faith is a requirement for salvation! I challenge you to find one single verse that refutes the claim that protestants have been making for over 500 years now. That's right, you can't. Because that IS the requirement for salvation. Don't believe me? Read the Bible! It doesn't say works, it doesn't say fulfilling the law (Which is an impossibility. Because to fulfill the law you would have had to have kept it perfectly from birth till death), it doesn't say not sinning will save you (In fact it says that if you say that you've never sinned or don't believe that your sins have been wiped out you're a liar (1 John 1:8, Acts 3:19). It...doesn't say a darned other thing than faith in Christ and the work that he did on the cross for YOU, for us, and for the whole world can save us from our sins.
In fact, the Bible says that to God? Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). So you who are trying to EARN your salvation on your own, are in for a surprise when you have to appear before Christ and have to give an account for your lives.
As always it doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you did. If you accept Christ as your savior and believe in the gospel than you are saved, sealed, and are completely forgiven past,present, and future. Your sins are completely wiped out (Isaiah 43:25, 1 John 3:5, Romans 8:1, Hebrews 10:1-18).
However, the Bible does have a few things to say about what a true faith is. Like Hebrews Chapter 11 for example, and James's famous statement that a true faith would have works and obedience to God. Basically, faith means reliance on God . It means knowing that despite evidence of the contrary, we all have a heavenly home in Jesus. It's looking forward to that hope. It's obeying Christ and God without question. It's leaving your old life behind and going with the new life that Christ has for you.
When I went to Christ for instance, I went all in. I completely left my old life of sin behind and I went to Christ for a completely new life. A life that he was more than glad to give me. A true faith is a commitment to Christ now and forever and there isn't a day that doesn't go by that I don't look forward to going home to be with Christ. Regardless of people calling me crazy, regardless of "evidence" of the contrary, regardless of "evidence" of evolution and the Big bang...etc. I KNOW for 100% certainty that when I die, I will be with Christ and that I have Eternal Life NOW. Yes, I will die a physical death, but my spirit will live on and my physical body will later be resurrected. Perfect and without sin, forever.
Now I know what a lot of you who think I'm wrong are going to say. What about those who fall away? The Bible is quite crystal clear that you have to have a lifelong faith in order to be home with God. Quite true, but the Bible also says that those who have true faith would also endure to the end due to us being sealed with an unbreakable seal by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit KEEPS us in the faith. Peter talks about this topic in 1 Peter 1:4-5 & 1 Peter 1:23-24. Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13-14, Titus 3:5-7. And even Christ himself talks about it in John 1:13, John 6:37-40, John 10:28-30 & in a few other places.
Point being, you have to have the Holy Spirit to be saved. Once you have the Holy Spirit you are saved FOREVER. It is a sealed and done deal and nobody and I mean NOBODY can change that decision. Not even yourself. If you had "faith" and then later decided "I don't have faith anymore" than you never had true saving faith and you never had the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn't leave a person. Especially when Christ said that he would be with you for forever (John 14:16). True saving faith would be like the faith that I had when I personally came to Christ. Christ saw it, he heard me, he gave me the Holy Spirit that very night and it was a done and sealed deal. THAT is salvation.
Yes, It's easy. Yes, it sounds unlikely, stupid, whatever. But it's what God did when he died for us almost 2,000 years ago. After all, it's in the Bible so it has to be true right? Otherwise, you're calling God a liar and if you say salvation isn't by grace through faith, than you're calling God a liar and the Holy Spirit is not in you. Not to mention, who are we to tell God how to save humanity? Why aren't we kneeling at his feet as we should be THANKING him for his path of salvation? Thanking him for his free gift of eternal life that we NEVER could have earned on our own? Why aren't we thanking him for choosing us from before the foundation of the world? Us who are filthy miserable sinners and certainly didn't deserve ANY kind of mercy? I don't know about you guys, but the moment I die and I see Christ and God the Father for the first time? I'm doing just that! Can I get an amen?
In fact, the Bible says that to God? Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). So you who are trying to EARN your salvation on your own, are in for a surprise when you have to appear before Christ and have to give an account for your lives.
As always it doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you did. If you accept Christ as your savior and believe in the gospel than you are saved, sealed, and are completely forgiven past,present, and future. Your sins are completely wiped out (Isaiah 43:25, 1 John 3:5, Romans 8:1, Hebrews 10:1-18).
However, the Bible does have a few things to say about what a true faith is. Like Hebrews Chapter 11 for example, and James's famous statement that a true faith would have works and obedience to God. Basically, faith means reliance on God . It means knowing that despite evidence of the contrary, we all have a heavenly home in Jesus. It's looking forward to that hope. It's obeying Christ and God without question. It's leaving your old life behind and going with the new life that Christ has for you.
When I went to Christ for instance, I went all in. I completely left my old life of sin behind and I went to Christ for a completely new life. A life that he was more than glad to give me. A true faith is a commitment to Christ now and forever and there isn't a day that doesn't go by that I don't look forward to going home to be with Christ. Regardless of people calling me crazy, regardless of "evidence" of the contrary, regardless of "evidence" of evolution and the Big bang...etc. I KNOW for 100% certainty that when I die, I will be with Christ and that I have Eternal Life NOW. Yes, I will die a physical death, but my spirit will live on and my physical body will later be resurrected. Perfect and without sin, forever.
Now I know what a lot of you who think I'm wrong are going to say. What about those who fall away? The Bible is quite crystal clear that you have to have a lifelong faith in order to be home with God. Quite true, but the Bible also says that those who have true faith would also endure to the end due to us being sealed with an unbreakable seal by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit KEEPS us in the faith. Peter talks about this topic in 1 Peter 1:4-5 & 1 Peter 1:23-24. Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13-14, Titus 3:5-7. And even Christ himself talks about it in John 1:13, John 6:37-40, John 10:28-30 & in a few other places.
Point being, you have to have the Holy Spirit to be saved. Once you have the Holy Spirit you are saved FOREVER. It is a sealed and done deal and nobody and I mean NOBODY can change that decision. Not even yourself. If you had "faith" and then later decided "I don't have faith anymore" than you never had true saving faith and you never had the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn't leave a person. Especially when Christ said that he would be with you for forever (John 14:16). True saving faith would be like the faith that I had when I personally came to Christ. Christ saw it, he heard me, he gave me the Holy Spirit that very night and it was a done and sealed deal. THAT is salvation.
Yes, It's easy. Yes, it sounds unlikely, stupid, whatever. But it's what God did when he died for us almost 2,000 years ago. After all, it's in the Bible so it has to be true right? Otherwise, you're calling God a liar and if you say salvation isn't by grace through faith, than you're calling God a liar and the Holy Spirit is not in you. Not to mention, who are we to tell God how to save humanity? Why aren't we kneeling at his feet as we should be THANKING him for his path of salvation? Thanking him for his free gift of eternal life that we NEVER could have earned on our own? Why aren't we thanking him for choosing us from before the foundation of the world? Us who are filthy miserable sinners and certainly didn't deserve ANY kind of mercy? I don't know about you guys, but the moment I die and I see Christ and God the Father for the first time? I'm doing just that! Can I get an amen?