sure believe whatever you want your god like the changing tides and wind takes people in and out of salvation like an on and off switch. I want no part of that god.
Truth is not in the way we prefer things to be. I would like to be able to fly like Superman, but that is just not reality. I mean, do you think I am overjoyed at the idea that salvation can be lost by abiding in unrepentant mortal sin? Sure I don't. I wish things were easier, but I cannot change the reality of what the Bible says.
The parable of the prodigal son is proof that a believer can have salvation and then lose it, and then regain their salvation back again. How is this so? Well, if you were to read the parable in Luke 15 again sometime, you will discover that when the son came home from his prodigal life of squandering his inheritance on prostitutes and he sought forgiveness with his father, his father said that he was “
dead” and now he is “
alive AGAIN.” The father said this two times. This means that the son was dead spiritually when he was living a prodigal life in his sins, and when he came back home and sought forgiveness with his father, he became alive AGAIN spiritually. For he was alive spiritually once before he squandered his inheritance. James 5:19-20 also teaches this same truth.
You said:
you are proving a works based salvation which depends upon you and not God for your salvation.
Actually, I believe we are initially and foundationally saved by God's grace.
After we are saved by God's grace, we must enter the Sanctification process as a part of God's plan of salvation. For...
- We are justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24).
- Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).
- A person can deny God by a lack of works (Titus 1:16).
- Jesus agreed with the lawyer that to love God, and to love your neighbor is a part of inheriting eternal life (Luke 10:25-28).
- Those who have done good, shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, shall come forth unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:29).
- We have to continue in His goodness, otherwise we can be cut off [just like the Jews were cut off] (Romans 11:21-22).
- Helping the poor, and the unfortunate relates to inheriting the Kingdom (Matthew 25:34-40), and not helping the poor, and the unfortunate relates to going away into everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41-46).
- Whoever does not righteousness or does not love his brother is not of God (1 John 3:10).
- Whoever does what Jesus says is likened unto a wise man who built his house upon the rock, and when a storm came, it did not fall, (Matthew 7:24-25), but the person who does not do what Jesus says is likened unto a fool who built his house upon the sand, and when a storm came, great was the fall of that house (Matthew 7:26-27).
- Abiding in Jesus will bear much fruit, but if a person does not abide in Jesus [thereby being unfruitful], they are cast out [or cut off] like a branch to be burned in the fire (John 15:5-6).
- If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing (1 Peter 4:18-19).
- Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14) (NKJV).
I mean, what do you do with verses like these above? Do you just ignore them? Do you seek to re-write them by looking to some odd ball interpretation using the original languages?
As for salvation depending on me: Well, Jesus did offer up a way of salvation for us by which we could not be saved without Him. But He did leave it up to us to decide if we want to be saved because He doesn't want slaves or puppets. God wants those who truly love Him. Love only exists if it is by free will choice. For if Rick forced Sarah to love him by some kind of love potion, it would not really be true love, but it would be forced or faked. But if Sarah loved Rick freely of her own free will choice, and Rick felt the same way, then it would be true love. In your view of God, there is no true love. God just forces those He wants to love Him (Which is not true love).
You said:
Its exactly what Paul wars against in Galatians 2 about being perfected in the flesh after starting by the spirit in faith. the law is what perfects you not faith in Christ.
Paul was fighting against “Circumcision Salvationism.” This was the false belief that said that a person first had to be circumsied in order to be initially saved. Paul said to the Galatians,
“But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:” (Galatians 2:3).
“Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” (Galatians 5:2).
Circumcision is a part of the 613 laws of the Old Testament Law of Moses given to Israel and not the New Laws given to us by Christ and His followers. For we are told to serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter (See: Romans 7:6).
As for being perfect:
James says,
“Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” (James 2:22).
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (James 1:25).
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:21-22).
You said:
I'm afraid I see you teaching just like you see calvins teaching as false. You are promoting legalism, that obedience to the law is what keeps you saved.
Sorry, no offense, but if such is the case, then you do not know your Bible.
For the Bible clearly teaches that obedience to God's commands is tied to eternal life from Matthew to Revelation (See Matthew 19:17-19) (Luke 10:25-28) (1 John 1:7) (1 John 3:23) (Hebrews 5:9) (Revelation 22:14).
You said:
Its basically sinless perfectionism you are promoting by law-keeping. Paul has some unkind works for that in Galatians 1 and Galatians 2.
You speak against that which you do not understand. Sinless Perfection is not a salvation issue because Sinless Perfection does not deal exclusively with putting away mortal sin only but non-mortal sins.
