Salvation is in your hands, Jesus did his part

[Bro.T]

-
​

In the account of the rich young ruler it can be seen that Jesus is addressing what to do to receive treasure in heaven and not what to do to become a born again child of God. Jesus states you will have treasures in heaven not you will receive Eternal Life.

The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

I mean the rich young ruler ask Jesus Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

And Jesus not one time told the rich young ruler to believe in Him. But Jesus (The Bible) states that again and again in The Gospel of John, that to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life a person must believe in Jesus.

John 3:14,15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is
condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

John 6: 27,28,29 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

John 6:47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believe in Me has everlasting life.

John 11:25,26,27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.


John 14 is addressing the love of believers not what an unbeliever must do to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life.

Revelation is not addressing what unbelievers must do to receive Eternal Life and become a born again child of God. Revelation is written to His servants addressing.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Those are some great verses you quoted there, but let's go back into Matthew 19: 16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Notice the young man says "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" The young man didn’t need to ask this question to Jesus, because he was already in a good place with the Lord. This is where the story gets interesting, because if you read the full story which we have to do, to get full understanding. We will see that the keeping of the Commandments Jesus mention wasn't the young man problem, it was something else. We do well learning from this, because it's always something we need to prove in our walk in the Lord.

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. The young may have been perfect in keeping the Commandments, and doing so he was blessed and had great possession, but when he was ask what he lack, and it was giving up everything to follow Jesus. The young man had a problem with that.

So Jesus says if thou be perfect, that means the young was really close to being perfect, but the young had great riches that he couldn't let go, and that goes with what Jesus says in Matthew (22:37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. This was very hard for the young man to do. So let's recap the story a little, the young man kept the commandments from his youth up, all most perfect, except one thing Jesus ask him to do, and that's sell all his possession and come follow him. This is about the young man heart, he did right by keeping the law from his youth up and he was bless, but his heart toward the lord was not all the way in place.

So let's continue in Matthew 19: 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

 

[d taylor]

Those are some great verses you quoted there, but let's go back into Matthew 19: 16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Notice the young man says "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" The young man didn’t need to ask this question to Jesus, because he was already in a good place with the Lord. This is where the story gets interesting, because if you read the full story which we have to do, to get full understanding. We will see that the keeping of the Commandments Jesus mention wasn't the young man problem, it was something else. We do well learning from this, because it's always something we need to prove in our walk in the Lord.

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. The young may have been perfect in keeping the Commandments, and doing so he was blessed and had great possession, but when he was ask what he lack, and it was giving up everything to follow Jesus. The young man had a problem with that.

So Jesus says if thou be perfect, that means the young was really close to being perfect, but the young had great riches that he couldn't let go, and that goes with what Jesus says in Matthew (22:37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. This was very hard for the young man to do. So let's recap the story a little, the young man kept the commandments from his youth up, all most perfect, except one thing Jesus ask him to do, and that's sell all his possession and come follow him. This is about the young man heart, he did right by keeping the law from his youth up and he was bless, but his heart toward the lord was not all the way in place.

So let's continue in Matthew 19: 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

-
​

Any way you look at it, just a few verses or the whole account. There is still no account of Jesus telling the rich ruler to believe in Him for Eternal Life. Which is the only way to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life and become a permanent born again child of God.

In Luke"s account the rich rulers ask “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Inheriting eternal life is not connected to unbelievers, but to believers. Only a believer would be able to inherit from God their Father. Just as a child would inherit from their earthly father.

This account is constantly addressing rewards
So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
---------------------------------------
So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

And in Mark
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
------------------------------------
So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”


I say the rich ruler was a believer already or he, saw Jesus and became a believer right before his questioning of Jesus.

 

[d taylor]

-
​

So what part did Jesus do if people still have to keep the commandments and give all their their possessions to the poor.

This is a classic example of saying eternal life is receive, not by belief in Jesus, But by a persons works, trying to obtain perfection in their life.

 

[Brightfame52]

Really ?
Salvation isn't from God ?
Salvation isn't through Jesus Christ ?
Salvation doesn't require a recipient ?

Yeah really

 

[David Lamb]

Really ?
Salvation isn't from God ?
Salvation isn't through Jesus Christ ?
Salvation doesn't require a recipient ?

I didn't take Brightfame52's post as meaning that. I think it was the last bit about taking and opening. After all, before we are saved, we are dead in trespasses and sins, so unable to take and unwrap spiritual gifts.

 

[d taylor]

This is error sorry friend

-
​

The only error is your calvinistic beliefs.

 

[Brightfame52]

-
​

The only error is your calvinistic beliefs.

You scoff truth friend.

 

[Hoping2]

Yeah really

EEEEK !

 

[Hoping2]

I didn't take Brightfame52's post as meaning that. I think it was the last bit about taking and opening. After all, before we are saved, we are dead in trespasses and sins, so unable to take and unwrap spiritual gifts.

I can't believe that, as God offers repentance from sin to all men.
We have the choice of whether or not to turn from sin.

 

[David Lamb]

I can't believe that, as God offers repentance from sin to all men.
We have the choice of whether or not to turn from sin.

So how does a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, make a spiritual choice of turning from sin to Jesus Christ? Just like Lazarus, who'd been dead for four days, coming out of his tomb alive, not because he made a choice to come out rather than staying there, but because of the life-giving call of the Saviour: "Lazarus, come forth!"

 

[d taylor]

-​

Receiving God's free gift of Eternal Life (salvation) does not involve turning from sin, the only condition is to believe in Jesus.

What is believing in Jesus, it is to believe Jesus is who He says He is. The Son of God/The promised Messiah, the resurrection and the life and that this is belief gives eternal life.

​

 

[d taylor]

So how does a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, make a spiritual choice of turning from sin to Jesus Christ? Just like Lazarus, who'd been dead for four days, coming out of his tomb alive, not because he made a choice to come out rather than staying there, but because of the life-giving call of the Saviour: "Lazarus, come forth!"

-
​

A person is not dead like Lazarus. They are living individuals able to think, reason. They also can examine evidence that is provided in The Bible and either be convinced by what The Bible states or not be convinced.

The story is not in The Bible to illustrate the false calvinist theology that people are dead like a cadaver. So they can not believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Why Am I a Zero-Point Calvinist? – Grace Evangelical Society

Three False Calvinist Assumptions – Grace Evangelical Society

Book review of The Dark Side of Calvinism
Amazon.com

 

[Lost Witness]

The Lord does it all.
Men don't do anything.
'I' make a mess of things, that's what me, a man does

 

[Hoping2]

So how does a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, make a spiritual choice of turning from sin to Jesus Christ?

Just as scripture says..."So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17)
Man hears, and makes the choice to leave sin behind and to serve God henceforth.

Just like Lazarus, who'd been dead for four days, coming out of his tomb alive, not because he made a choice to come out rather than staying there, but because of the life-giving call of the Saviour: "Lazarus, come forth!"

Yes, a call was made and Lazarus replied.

 

[Bro.T]

-
​

Any way you look at it, just a few verses or the whole account. There is still no account of Jesus telling the rich ruler to believe in Him for Eternal Life. Which is the only way to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life and become a permanent born again child of God.

In Luke"s account the rich rulers ask “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Inheriting eternal life is not connected to unbelievers, but to believers. Only a believer would be able to inherit from God their Father. Just as a child would inherit from their earthly father.

This account is constantly addressing rewards
So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
---------------------------------------
So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

And in Mark
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
------------------------------------
So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”


I say the rich ruler was a believer already or he, saw Jesus and became a believer right before his questioning of Jesus.

Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? This is about the young man heart, he did right by keeping the law from his youth up, which includes the Sabbath day on the seventh day of the week, and he was bless, but his heart toward the lord was not all the way in place, because he had great possession.

 

[Bro.T]

Here in Acts is an example, if you make a vow to GOD you had better keep it.

Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it, at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

Would you have traded your salvation for a piece of land? Everything that you have in this world, you cannot take it to the next. Have you ever seen a Brink's truck follow a rich man to the grave? No. If you know a person is doing something that is contrary to the Law, don't agree with them, tell them they are wrong, or you may find yourself like these two people that put "man's face" on GOD. They thought that they were making a vow to Peter and the rest of the apostles.

 

[d taylor]

Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? This is about the young man heart, he did right by keeping the law from his youth up, which includes the Sabbath day on the seventh day of the week, and he was bless, but his heart toward the lord was not all the way in place, because he had great possession.

-

​

Again where is it seen Jesus telling the rich ruler to believe in Jesus. I mean the title of your thread is Salvation is in your hands, Jesus did his part.

There is no Eternal Life (salvation) without a person believing in Jesus for Eternal Life. You can keep all the commandments you want and give every single cent you have away, but if you have not believed in Jesus for Eternal Life. the lake of fire will be waiting for these people.

 

[David Lamb]

Just as scripture says..."So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17)
Man hears, and makes the choice to leave sin behind and to serve God henceforth.

Yes, a call was made and Lazarus replied.

Yes, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But as Ephesians 2 says:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:4-9 NKJV)

God made us alive, God raised us up. Similarly with Lazarus. Yes, Lazarus did respond, but not when he was still dead, only once Christ has granted him new life.

 

[Bro.T]

-

​

Again where is it seen Jesus telling the rich ruler to believe in Jesus. I mean the title of your thread is Salvation is in your hands, Jesus did his part.

You creating this thought, the story explain itself.

There is no Eternal Life (salvation) without a person believing in Jesus for Eternal Life. You can keep all the commandments you want and give every single cent you have away, but if you have not believed in Jesus for Eternal Life. the lake of fire will be waiting for these people.

Now Paul said in (Rom. 3:23-25) (v.23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (v.24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (v.25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

So the bible tells you to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2 :36-38). And by doing so you come up under his precious blood and then you are saved from your sins that are past, not present or future sins but for sins that are past. We were all locked under death by Adam’s sin, even the second death, which is the lake of fire. But when Jesus became (he was God in the beginning) man and died for the sins of the world, he gave us access back to the tree of life (himself) which Adam had caused us to lose. That’s what grace is, our free gift our access back to the tree of life but that’s another lesson for another time.

So by coming under the blood of Jesus being baptize, you are saved from your past sins. And if you are saved now, it is on a day to day basis. Because for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 23:3), and if you continue to live you will sin again. When the bible speaks of laws we no longer have to keep, it is speaking of the sacrificial laws and Priesthood laws. These animal sacrificial laws were a school master pointing us to the fact that Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins. Since Jesus died we are no longer under a school master, (required to offer up bulls and goats for our sins).

Now we must believe (have faith) Jesus died for us (Hebrews 10:4,9-10) 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 9 then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

This doesn't mean we don't have to obey God's moral laws of conduct. That would be like a man getting paroled from prison and then ignoring the same laws that sent him to prison in the first place. Jesus only died once, so if we willingly break God's law, after accepting Jesus, our reward will be eternal damnation

It is the willful sinning that you need to put in check. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (Hebrew 10: 26, 27)

 

[Hoping2]

Yes, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But as Ephesians 2 says:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:4-9 NKJV)

Thanks be to God.
But those gifts are still dependent on our reception of them.
For instance, we are "raised up together", when we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life at our water baptism into Christ and into His death, burial, and resurrection. (Rom 6:3-5)
Without the water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of past sins, there would be no "raising together".

God made us alive, God raised us up. Similarly with Lazarus. Yes, Lazarus did respond, but not when he was still dead, only once Christ has granted him new life.

Without an eye witness in Lazarus' tomb, that is a chicken or the egg conundrum.