Do we have to abide in the Messiah and obey Him to enter the kingdom?

Shamawh

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I fully agree with: “But to me the key is the empowerment, that comes from Him and His power.”, this is not subjective at all. The indwelling Holy Spirit is with you or it is not with you, but only the person where the Spirit is dwelling can for certainty know the Spirit is there or is not with him/her at the time. As from my first post I talked about quenching the Spirit only.

I can know when I have quenched the Spirit and went on my own, but it is usually after the fact. I’m selfishly doing what I am not wanting to do, so I can go back and see when I quenched the Spirit that then allowed me to get in trouble. I did not kick the Spirit out, but did quench the Spirit to sin.

We get to do all these wonderful commands which helps us to grow our Love and appreciate our Love all the more. We have a birthright to heaven (this huge Love feast) which cannot be lost like we loss a set of keys, stolen by anyone, will not be taken back by God, but we can like Esau just give our birthright away. If we have a huge appreciation for Godly type Love, we would never give our birthright away, so God wants our Love to grow, but if we desire only carnal type love (as a result of not keep God’s commands) our birthright becomes worthless to us and we could give it away.

Some really sober thoughts and self reflection here, real food for thought, thank you again and praiseYah!
 
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Daniel9v9

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But in John 15 Jesus is speaking only to His 11 faithful apostles. So if being in Christ automatically resulted in bearing fruit then this message would’ve been pointless to give to these 11 men. Also in John 15:2 Jesus says that The Father cuts off every branch in Me that beareth not fruit.

We are justified once and for all, but our sanctification is progressive. That is, we are fully saved by Christ, but we are gradually being moulded into His image, because this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is received as a gift upon being saved. The Holy Spirit does what He says He does - He produces good fruits in us.

This is why Scriptures both say we are redeemed and that we must do good works. But we shouldn’t confuse justification with sanctification. Justification is binary but sanctification is gradual. There are not varying degrees of being saved, but there are varying degrees of piety.

All who are in Christ do bear good fruit. If they don’t, then they’re not in Christ or they have abandoned Him through sin, rebellion, and unbelief. They’re a dead branch only fit for burning. Consider further the analogy that our Lord uses, that the gentiles have been grafted in. We don’t graft ourselves in, but God in His grace has done this and we are upheld and sustained by Christ.

So, salvation is entirely from God, but we must still do good works, because that’s our purpose in Christ. To put this very forcibly, good works is not about us - it’s about loving our neighbour and loving God. We are unprofitable servants at the mercy of God!
 
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BNR32FAN

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The Holy Spirit has always been active within mankind ... since creation.

before pentecost .... Jesus speaking to Peter

Matthew 16:13


15 “But what about you?” he (Jesus) asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven (through the Holy Spirit).

I don’t disagree with that at all. Jesus also said that the 11 faithful apostles already knew the Holy Spirit on the night He was arrested.
 
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BNR32FAN

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We are justified once and for all, but our sanctification is progressive. That is, we are fully saved by Christ, but we are gradually being moulded into His image, because this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is received as a gift upon being saved. The Holy Spirit does what He says He does - He produces good fruits in us.

This is why Scriptures both say we are redeemed and that we must do good works. But we shouldn’t confuse justification with sanctification. Justification is binary but sanctification is gradual. There are not varying degrees of being saved, but there are varying degrees of piety.

All who are in Christ do bear good fruit. If they don’t, then they’re not in Christ or they have abandoned Him through sin, rebellion, and unbelief. They’re a dead branch only fit for burning. Consider further the analogy that our Lord uses, that the gentiles have been grafted in. We don’t graft ourselves in, but God in His grace has done this and we are upheld and sustained by Christ.

So, salvation is entirely from God, but we must still do good works, because that’s our purpose in Christ. To put this very forcibly, good works is not about us - it’s about loving our neighbour and loving God. We are unprofitable servants at the mercy of God!

Then how can someone fail to abide in Christ as stated in John 15:6 and why would Jesus tell His faithful 11 apostles to abide/remain in Him if they were incapable of failing to do so? He told them this in John 15:4.
 
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Daniel9v9

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I fully agree none will stand before YHWH and live without His mercy. However I feel there is a key fact you are leaving out, and I know there is so much Scripture we cant include all of it every post, but the Spirit empowerment spoken of here:

Hebrews 10:16, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says YHWH: I will put My Law into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.”

His Spirit makes us love His law not reject it and call it done away or bad in any way. Im not saying you claim that as I dont fully know your views, but Him giving us strength to love and walk in His laws can not be ignored.

I don’t disagree with this at all - The Holy Spirit does change our hearts and minds so that we do love God’s Law and desire to live in accordance to it. This is the fruit of the Spirit.

But Christ fulfilled the whole Law in our place, so that our salvation is not dependent on us keeping the Law, but trusting in the person and promise of Him who fulfilled it (Matthew 5:17). So, we are saved by faith apart from works of the Law (Romans 3:28), but we do uphold the Law (Romans 3:31).

The Gospel is not a Law. It’s good news. It’s not “do this”, but “trust this” - namely that Christ died for your sins. We are redeemed for the purpose of doing good works, but we don’t do good works in order to be saved.
 
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Daniel9v9

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Then how can someone fail to abide in Christ as stated in John 15:6 and why would Jesus tell His faithful 11 apostles to abide/remain in Him if they were incapable of failing to do so? He told them this in John 15:4.

It has to do with faith - we can resist the Holy Spirit and reject God’s grace; we can abandon Christ and make a shipwreck of our faith. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no good fruit. Apart from Christ we can do nothing.

But we are justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Yet we are saved for the purpose of doing good works.
 
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Shamawh

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I don’t disagree with this at all - The Holy Spirit does change our hearts and minds so that we do love God’s Law and desire to live in accordance to it. This is the fruit of the Spirit.

But Christ fulfilled the whole Law in our place, so that our salvation is not dependent on us keeping the Law, but trusting in the person and promise of Him who fulfilled it (Matthew 5:17). So, we are saved by faith apart from works of the Law (Romans 3:28), but we do uphold the Law (Romans 3:31).

The Gospel is not a Law. It’s good news. It’s not “do this”, but “trust this” - namely that Christ died for your sins. We are redeemed for the purpose of doing good works, but we don’t do good works in order to be saved.

Luke 16:16-17, “The Law and the Prophets were until John, since that time the Kingdom of YHWH is preached, and every man is pressed to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one yodh of the Law to fail.”

John 5:28-30, “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth – those who have done* righteousness, to the resurrection of life, and those who have practiced* evil matters, to a resurrection of judgment. Of Myself I am unable to do any matter. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own desire, but the desire of the Father who sent Me.”

Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Yah and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah."

Revelation 14:12-13, “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of יהוה and the belief of יהושע. And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Master from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, in order that they rest from their labors, and their works follow with them.”

Revelation 22:14-15,“Blessed are those doingb His commands,c so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city. (Mat 19:17. cLong before the books were compiled to form “The New Testament,” Rev 22:14 was quoted, as it is here given, by Tertullian (CE 208), and by Cyprian (CE 251) – see the well-known Antenicene Fathers.) “But outside are the dogs and those who enchant with drugs, and those who harlot, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and all who love and do falsehood."

Everyone of those quotes is Yahshua/Jesus

John 5:43, “I have come in My Father's Name, but you do not follow Me. Let another come in his own name; him you will follow.”

Mat 24:35, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but My words (teachings) will not pass away.”

John/Yahanan 7:16-17, “Yahshua answered, them, and said: My doctrine is not Mine, but His Who sent Me. If any man will do His will, he will know about this teaching, whether it comes from YHWH, or whether I am speaking of My own authority.”

Mat 4:4, “But He answering, said, “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of יהוה.” (Deut 8:3)

John/Yahanan 12:48, “He who rejects Me, and does not follow My words has One Who judges him. The word that I have spoken, the same will be used to judge him in the last day.”

None will enter w/o mercy, however you may want to do a study on what the Messiah says...
 
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Daniel9v9

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Luke 16:16-17, “The Law and the Prophets were until John, since that time the Kingdom of YHWH is preached, and every man is pressed to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one yodh of the Law to fail.”

John 5:28-30, “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth – those who have done* righteousness, to the resurrection of life, and those who have practiced* evil matters, to a resurrection of judgment. Of Myself I am unable to do any matter. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own desire, but the desire of the Father who sent Me.”

Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Yah and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah."

Revelation 14:12-13, “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of יהוה and the belief of יהושע. And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Master from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, in order that they rest from their labors, and their works follow with them.”

Revelation 22:14-15,“Blessed are those doingb His commands,c so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city. (Mat 19:17. cLong before the books were compiled to form “The New Testament,” Rev 22:14 was quoted, as it is here given, by Tertullian (CE 208), and by Cyprian (CE 251) – see the well-known Antenicene Fathers.) “But outside are the dogs and those who enchant with drugs, and those who harlot, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and all who love and do falsehood."

Everyone of those quotes is Yahshua/Jesus

John 5:43, “I have come in My Father's Name, but you do not follow Me. Let another come in his own name; him you will follow.”

Mat 24:35, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but My words (teachings) will not pass away.”

John/Yahanan 7:16-17, “Yahshua answered, them, and said: My doctrine is not Mine, but His Who sent Me. If any man will do His will, he will know about this teaching, whether it comes from YHWH, or whether I am speaking of My own authority.”

Mat 4:4, “But He answering, said, “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of יהוה.” (Deut 8:3)

John/Yahanan 12:48, “He who rejects Me, and does not follow My words has One Who judges him. The word that I have spoken, the same will be used to judge him in the last day.”

None will enter w/o mercy, however you may want to do a study on what the Messiah says...

I hold to all of this, but I’m sorry - you’re confusing justification and sanctification. I’m happy to go through all of these verses one by one to explain how, but I think it could be easier to refer you to Romans and Galatians, where Paul talks about it in great detail.

What Paul is saying - namely, that we are justified by faith apart from the works of the Law - is not contrary to what our Lord says.

Salvation is from God alone.
 
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Shamawh

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I hold to all of this, but I’m sorry - you’re confusing justification and sanctification. I’m happy to go through all of these verses one by one to explain how, but I think it could be easier to refer you to Romans and Galatians, where Paul talks about it in great detail.

What Paul is saying - namely, that we are justified by faith apart from the works of the Law - is not contrary to what our Lord says.

Salvation is from God alone.

Only in YHWH can man have righteousness.

Isaiah 45:21-25,“Declare and bring near, let them even take counsel together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has declared it from that time? Is it not I, יהוה? And there is no mighty one besides Me, a righteous Ěl and a Saviour, there is none besides Me. “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am Ěl, and there is none else. “I have sworn by Myself, a word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, so that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear. “One shall say, ‘Only in יהוה do I have righteousness and strength’ – he comes to Him. And all those displeased with Him shall be put to shame. “In יהוה all the seed of Yisra’ĕl shall be declared right and boast.”

John/Yahanan 5:28-30, “Do not be astonished at this-for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and will come forth. Those who have practiced righteousness will be resurrected in order to live; and those who have practiced wickedness will be resurrected in order to be damned."

Revelation 14:12-13, “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of יהוה and the belief of יהושע. And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Master from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, in order that they rest from their labors, and their works follow with them.”

Revelation 22:12-15, "And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work will be. I am the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who keep His Laws, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and worshipers of gods and everyone who professes to love, yet practices falsehood."

Im not a fan of galatians, Paul says James, Peter and John only appear to be pillars of the faith but do not walk according to truth of the gospel.

Galatians 2:4-14, " 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

English Standard Version

and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.



seemed to be pillars is word #G1380 δοκέω dokeo (d̮o-ke'-ō) v., 1. to suppose, consider, imagine., 2. (by implication) to seem (truthfully or uncertainly)., 3. (by inference) to presume., 4. (also) to repute or estimate., 5. (by extension) to be of reputation, estimable. {(used only in an alternate in certain tenses)} [a prolonged form of a primary verb, δόκω dốkō of the same meaning], KJV: be accounted, (of own) please(-ure), be of reputation, seem (good), suppose, think, trow, Compare: G1166, G1209, G2309, G3543, G3049, G5426, See also: G1384
 
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Shamawh

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John 5:43, “I have come in My Father's Name, but you do not follow Me. Let another come in his own name; him you will follow.”

Mat 24:35, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but My words (teachings) will not pass away.”

John/Yahanan 7:16-17, “Yahshua answered, them, and said: My doctrine is not Mine, but His Who sent Me. If any man will do His will, he will know about this teaching, whether it comes from YHWH, or whether I am speaking of My own authority.”

Mat 4:4, “But He answering, said, “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of יהוה.” (Deut 8:3)

John/Yahanan 12:48, “He who rejects Me, and does not follow My words has One Who judges him. The word that I have spoken, the same will be used to judge him in the last day.”

John 14:23-24, "יהושע answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he shall guard My Word. And My Father shall love him, and We shall come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not guard My Words. And the Word which you hear is not Mine but of the Father Who sent Me.”
 
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Shamawh

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Mat 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does them, shall be like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not do them, shall be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and great was its fall.”
 
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nolidad

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I beleive so and here are a few passages why I think this way. I would like to hear others views on this matter and ask that Scripture is used.

John/Yahanan 15:5-16, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, produces much fruit; but without Me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch, and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and letting My words; abide in you, you will ask what you will, and it will be done for you. In this is My Father glorified: when you produce much fruit; and in this way you become My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you; continue in My love. If you keep My Commands, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's Commands, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be complete. This is My Command: Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: that one would lay down his life on behalf of his brothers. You are My brothers, if you do whatever I command you.”

John 12:25-26, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life shall lose it, and he who hates his life in this world shall preserve it for everlasting life." Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Saved people do abide in Christ! They will produce fruit. They are not perfect. They may ,God forbid, even know seasons of sin- but to abide in christ simply means to be saved.
 
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Pipiripi

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To believe in Jesus means to trust in the person and works of Jesus Christ. This is what saves us. From this then, obedience follows, which are the good fruit of the Holy Spirit. Namely, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - or in a word, love for God and love for our neighbour.

To illustrate this using John 15, a person either is or isn't part of the tree. If he is, then he will bear good fruit. So in this way, we are not saved by our obedience - for we are not saved by works, but by faith - but obedience is the result of being saved. Very simply, God doesn't need our good works, but our neighbour does. And it's through loving our neighbour that we love God. But this does not cause nor sustain salvation, but is the blessed result of salvation - being molded into the image of Christ. And so, we are created in Christ for good works.
Jesus says don't trust in nobody, see if what are coming out of their mouth is true. How? It must be in accordance with the Bible.
 
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Shamawh

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Saved people do abide in Christ! They will produce fruit. They are not perfect. They may ,God forbid, even know seasons of sin- but to abide in christ simply means to be saved.

praiseYah!

Isaiah 61:1-11, "61:1, “The Spirit of the Master יהוה is upon Me, because יהוה has anointed Me to bring good news to the meek. He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,"61:2, "to proclaim the acceptable year of יהוה, and the day of vengeance of our Mighty One, to comfort all who mourn,"61:3, "to appoint unto those who mourn in Tsiyon: to give them embellishment for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. And they shall be called trees of righteousness, a planting of יהוה, to be adorned."61:4, "And they shall rebuild the old ruins, raise up the former wastes. And they shall restore the ruined cities, the wastes of many generations."61:5, "And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the foreigner be your plowmen and your vine dressers."61:6, "But you shall be called, ‘Priests of יהוה,’ ‘Servants of our Mighty One’ shall be said of you. You shall consume the strength of the nations, and boast in their esteem."61:7, "Instead of your shame and reproach, they rejoice a second time in their portion. Therefore they take possession a second time in their land, everlasting joy is theirs."61:8, "“For I, יהוה, love right-ruling; I hate robbery for ascending offering. And I shall give their reward in truth, and make an everlasting covenant with them."61:9, "“And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. All who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed יהוה has blessed.”"61:10, "I greatly rejoice in יהוה, my being exults in my Mighty One. For He has put garments of deliverance on me, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."61:11, "For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the seed to shoot up, so the Master יהוה causes righteousness and praise to shoot up before all the nations!”
 
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Shamawh

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Matthew 17:5-8, “While he was still speaking, see, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And see, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I did delight. Hear Him!” And when the taught ones heard, they fell on their faces and were much afraid. But יהושע came near and touched them and said, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And having lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but יהושע only.”
 
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Daniel9v9

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Only in YHWH can man have righteousness.

Isaiah 45:21-25,“Declare and bring near, let them even take counsel together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has declared it from that time? Is it not I, יהוה? And there is no mighty one besides Me, a righteous Ěl and a Saviour, there is none besides Me. “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am Ěl, and there is none else. “I have sworn by Myself, a word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, so that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear. “One shall say, ‘Only in יהוה do I have righteousness and strength’ – he comes to Him. And all those displeased with Him shall be put to shame. “In יהוה all the seed of Yisra’ĕl shall be declared right and boast.”

John/Yahanan 5:28-30, “Do not be astonished at this-for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and will come forth. Those who have practiced righteousness will be resurrected in order to live; and those who have practiced wickedness will be resurrected in order to be damned."

Revelation 14:12-13, “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of יהוה and the belief of יהושע. And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Master from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, in order that they rest from their labors, and their works follow with them.”

Revelation 22:12-15, "And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work will be. I am the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who keep His Laws, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and worshipers of gods and everyone who professes to love, yet practices falsehood."

Im not a fan of galatians, Paul says James, Peter and John only appear to be pillars of the faith but do not walk according to truth of the gospel.

Galatians 2:4-14, " 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

English Standard Version

and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.



seemed to be pillars is word #G1380 δοκέω dokeo (d̮o-ke'-ō) v., 1. to suppose, consider, imagine., 2. (by implication) to seem (truthfully or uncertainly)., 3. (by inference) to presume., 4. (also) to repute or estimate., 5. (by extension) to be of reputation, estimable. {(used only in an alternate in certain tenses)} [a prolonged form of a primary verb, δόκω dốkō of the same meaning], KJV: be accounted, (of own) please(-ure), be of reputation, seem (good), suppose, think, trow, Compare: G1166, G1209, G2309, G3543, G3049, G5426, See also: G1384

All of Scripture is God-breathed and the very words of the Holy Spirit. Paul and the other apostles proclaim the same Gospel as our Lord Jesus Christ. This is particularly clear in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where they wish not to burden the gentile Christians with the Law, which they themselves could not keep. This does not mean that the Law is void or forgotten - that we are to be antinomian - but that we are not justified by the Law, but by faith. Christ fulfilled the Law and we uphold the Law as a result of faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

To believe that we are saved by a collaborative effort between Christ's obedience, death, and resurrection, and our personal works, is a confusion of both Law and Gospel, and it minimises the depth and severity of sin. If Christ did not pay for all our sins, which sins did He pay for? The Roman Catholic Church has an answer to this, which makes sense in the Roman theological system, though I strongly disagree with it - but it's an important foundational question, because it reveals how synergism in salvation falls short, and how contrary it is to the Gospel message. That is, if the person and works of Christ is not sufficient for salvation, what's lacking? And what did it effect? The Gospel means "good news", because it's a joyful message of forgiveness of sins - all sins. It's not conditioned by anything we do - we add nothing to it - we just receive it.

Very simply, if you believe in Christ, you are redeemed, and this enables you to do good works. If you don't believe, you cannot do good works (before God). A good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad. Likewise, if you believe, you have both forgiveness of sins once and for all and every day, because God is merciful. But for those who in their unbelief reject God's grace, they will have to pay for their own sins. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
 
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Shamawh

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All of Scripture is God-breathed and the very words of the Holy Spirit. Paul and the other apostles proclaim the same Gospel as our Lord Jesus Christ. This is particularly clear in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where they wish not to burden the gentile Christians with the Law, which they themselves could not keep. This does not mean that the Law is void or forgotten - that we are to be antinomian - but that we are not justified by the Law, but by faith. Christ fulfilled the Law and we uphold the Law as a result of faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

To believe that we are saved by a collaborative effort between Christ's obedience, death, and resurrection, and our personal works, is a confusion of both Law and Gospel, and it minimises the depth and severity of sin. If Christ did not pay for all our sins, which sins did He pay for? The Roman Catholic Church has an answer to this, which makes sense in the Roman theological system, though I strongly disagree with it - but it's an important foundational question, because it reveals how synergism in salvation falls short, and how contrary it is to the Gospel message. That is, if the person and works of Christ is not sufficient for salvation, what's lacking? And what did it effect? The Gospel means "good news", because it's a joyful message of forgiveness of sins - all sins. It's not conditioned by anything we do - we add nothing to it - we just receive it.

Very simply, if you believe in Christ, you are redeemed, and this enables you to do good works. If you don't believe, you cannot do good works (before God). A good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad. Likewise, if you believe, you have both forgiveness of sins once and for all and every day, because God is merciful. But for those who in their unbelief reject God's grace, they will have to pay for their own sins. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

1 John/Yahanan 2:6, "He who says he abides in Him, is himself also obligated to walk as He walked."

1 John 3:24, “And the one guarding His commands stays in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He stays in us, by the Spirit which He gave us.”

I agree with some of what you say but what about this? How do these passages fit into your view?

John/Yahanan 5:28-30, “Do not be astonished at this-for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and will come forth. Those who have practiced righteousness will be resurrected in order to live; and those who have practiced wickedness will be resurrected in order to be damned."

Revelation 14:12-13, “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of יהוה and the belief of יהושע. And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Master from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, in order that they rest from their labors, and their works follow with them.”

Revelation 22:12-15, "And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work will be. I am the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who keep His Laws, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and worshipers of gods and everyone who professes to love, yet practices falsehood."
 
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BNR32FAN

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It has to do with faith - we can resist the Holy Spirit and reject God’s grace; we can abandon Christ and make a shipwreck of our faith. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no good fruit. Apart from Christ we can do nothing.

But we are justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Yet we are saved for the purpose of doing good works.

So your saying that just because a person had faith at one time then he doesn’t have to remain in Christ in order to receive eternal life?
 
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Daniel9v9

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1 John/Yahanan 2:6, "He who says he abides in Him, is himself also obligated to walk as He walked."

1 John 3:24, “And the one guarding His commands stays in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He stays in us, by the Spirit which He gave us.”

I agree with some of what you say but what about this? How do these passages fit into your view?

John/Yahanan 5:28-30, “Do not be astonished at this-for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and will come forth. Those who have practiced righteousness will be resurrected in order to live; and those who have practiced wickedness will be resurrected in order to be damned."

Revelation 14:12-13, “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of יהוה and the belief of יהושע. And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Master from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, in order that they rest from their labors, and their works follow with them.”

Revelation 22:12-15, "And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work will be. I am the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who keep His Laws, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and worshipers of gods and everyone who professes to love, yet practices falsehood."

The first thing I'd say is that, this is not my personal view or opinion, but what's held by all the bodies that come out of the Reformation, and for good reason, because it's the essential Gospel message and what was confessed by the early Church. Now, some bodies do a better job in maintaining this than others, but historically speaking, this is what it means to be Evangelical - to proclaim with Paul that we are saved by faith apart from the works of the Law. We are saved by God's grace and we don't merit our salvation.

The second thing I want to say is that when we read God’s Word, we must always read it in context; first its immediate context, then its broader context. We shouldn’t read verses in isolation. If we read all of these verses quoted in context, there's no problem. And even on their own, there’s still no difficulty or inconsistency with what Paul makes very explicit in Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians, for example. This is why I keep referencing entire books as opposed to individual passages, because we want to be careful to follow the entire thought. But if it's easier, I can reference a few explicit verses and you can look into the context if you're interested.

John 5:28-30 in its immediate context:
v21 "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to those he wishes." - It does not say or allude to that God gives life only partially, but fully. Life here is binary. Either it's received or not. It's life or death. There's are no degrees in between. Consider further the language that's being used of the dead being raised. What is dead cannot work or merit its own salvation, but life is given him externally. This agrees with all of the Scriptures when it uses the language of man being dead in sins and needing to be born again of the Spirit. This is a gift from God.
cf: Ephesians 2:1, John 3:3, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12

v24 "Amen, Amen, I tell you: Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He is not going to come into judgment but has crossed over from death to life." - Everything our Lord says is important, but whenever He says "Amen, Amen", this signals to us that what He is about to say is of utmost importance. Whoever hears the Gospel - trusts in the person and works of Jesus Christ - has crossed over from death to life, past tense. That is, salvation has already been procured. This concurs with all of Scriptures, but to take an example, see Ephesians 2 where it says: "Even when we were dead in our trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus". Again, past tense - We were dead, we were made alive, we were saved, we were raised up. Christ's work is finished. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This means all sin, not just some sins, or the sins of a few.
cf: John 1:29, Romans 5:17, John 19:30, Romans 5:1

John 5:28-30 on its own:
To say that those who do good are saved, and those who do evil are condemned, is not contrary to salvation by faith apart from works. "Those who do good" is a true, good, and fitting descriptive term for the saints in Christ. We do good because we are in Christ and bear good fruit in keeping with our repentance. We do good because the Holy Spirit produces good fruit. This doesn't mean we are saved because of our good works, but that we are recognised by our fruit. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. Again, this passage proclaims a binary view, in that we are either good or bad. There are no varying degrees of salvation, and Christ is not like some ladder that a person needs to climb in order to achieve redemption for himself. If he could do that, he wouldn't need Christ, and the Gospel wouldn't be good news, but more Law, which it's not.
cf: Matthew 7:18-20, Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 3:8, Matthew 5:16

John 5:28-30 in its broader context:
There is so much I can refer to her, but to keep things brief, I'll go with the three most explicit and best summaries in this area:

Galatians 2:16 - "We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we also believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law."

Luke 17:7-10 - "Which one of you who has a servant plowing or taking care of sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at the table’? Won’t the master tell him instead, ‘Prepare my supper, and after you are properly dressed, serve me while I eat and drink. After that you may eat and drink’? He does not thank the servant because he did what he was commanded to do, does he? So also you, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have only done what we were supposed to do."

Ephesians 2:8-10 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

These verses both on their own and in their context, very explicitly deny any kind of salvation by the works of the Law, but attribute salvation entirely to God's grace alone. In these verses God's Law and Gospel are seen in their proper relationship. Salvation and good works are closely related, but they shouldn't be confused. Good works are a result of salvation, it does not cause nor sustain salvation.

When we are justified, we are justified in full, not in part. It's not the beginning of salvation. All our sins are forgiven - not only some, and we certainly don't pay for our own sins, nor can we merit salvation as if it was given to us piecemeal. Following our justification, however, we are gradually sanctified, where we are becoming more Christ-like, bearing good fruit and loving God's Law. This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit through the Word, which has no bearing on our salvation. In a word, we are saved by grace and our purpose is to do good works. We don't do good works in order to be saved, for then grace stops being grace. This is written very clearly in Romans 11:6 - "Now if it is by grace, then it is not the result of works—otherwise grace would no longer be grace."

I'm happy to go through the other verses as well, but given that this post is already overly-lengthy, I hope just a couple of verses in their immediate context is sufficient:

Revelation 14:3 - We are purchased/redeemed by Christ. It's not our doing, but God's doing.

Revelation 22:17 - God's grace is a free gift, and not something to be merited.

The peace of Christ +
 
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