Christsfreeservant

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Is obedience required for salvation? Are there things we must do or not do in order to receive salvation from sin and eternal life with God?

John 8:51 ESV: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

John 14:23-24 ESV: “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.’”

Hebrews 5:9 ESV: “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”

John 3:36 BLB: “The one believing in the Son has eternal life, but the one not obeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Acts 5:32 ESV: “And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Romans 2:6-8 ESV: “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

Romans 6:16 ESV: “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 ESV: “..when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

1 John 2:3-5 ESV: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”

1 John 3:24 ESV: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 5:3 ESV: “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome…”

2 John 1:6 ESV: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

1 Peter 1:2 ESV: “…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

Luke 9:23-26 ESV: “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’”

John 10:27 ESV: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Romans 8:12-14 ESV: “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Romans 8:5-8 ESV: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 6:7-8 ESV: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

1 John 3:7-10 ESV: “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Titus 2:11-14 ESV: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Ephesians 2:10 ESV: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

James 1:21-25 ESV: “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”
 

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Is obedience required for salvation? Are there things we must do or not do in order to receive salvation from sin and eternal life with God?

John 8:51 ESV: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

John 14:23-24 ESV: “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.’”

Hebrews 5:9 ESV: “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”

John 3:36 BLB: “The one believing in the Son has eternal life, but the one not obeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Acts 5:32 ESV: “And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Romans 2:6-8 ESV: “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

Romans 6:16 ESV: “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 ESV: “..when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

1 John 2:3-5 ESV: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”

1 John 3:24 ESV: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 5:3 ESV: “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome…”

2 John 1:6 ESV: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

1 Peter 1:2 ESV: “…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

Luke 9:23-26 ESV: “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’”

John 10:27 ESV: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Romans 8:12-14 ESV: “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Romans 8:5-8 ESV: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 6:7-8 ESV: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

1 John 3:7-10 ESV: “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Titus 2:11-14 ESV: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Ephesians 2:10 ESV: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

James 1:21-25 ESV: “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

Is the following true ?

John 6

27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”

And this ?

37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
 
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Christsfreeservant

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Is the following true ?

John 6

27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”

And this ?

37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
First, what is your response to the 24 Scripture verses posted in the OP?
 
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Aussie Pete

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Is obedience required for salvation? Are there things we must do or not do in order to receive salvation from sin and eternal life with God?

John 8:51 ESV: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

John 14:23-24 ESV: “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.’”

Hebrews 5:9 ESV: “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”

John 3:36 BLB: “The one believing in the Son has eternal life, but the one not obeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Acts 5:32 ESV: “And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Romans 2:6-8 ESV: “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

Romans 6:16 ESV: “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 ESV: “..when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

1 John 2:3-5 ESV: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”

1 John 3:24 ESV: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 5:3 ESV: “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome…”

2 John 1:6 ESV: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

1 Peter 1:2 ESV: “…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

Luke 9:23-26 ESV: “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’”

John 10:27 ESV: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Romans 8:12-14 ESV: “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Romans 8:5-8 ESV: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 6:7-8 ESV: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

1 John 3:7-10 ESV: “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Titus 2:11-14 ESV: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Ephesians 2:10 ESV: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

James 1:21-25 ESV: “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”
The only qualification to be saved is to be a sinner. They are the only people that God will save. Most people believe that they are fundamentally good.

The question that you are addressing is what should happen after someone is born again. No one who is not born again could live up to any of the requirements God has. All are born "sons of disobedience". So no, salvation requires nothing but to receive the Lord Jesus. That is obedience in itself.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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The only qualification to be saved is to be a sinner. They are the only people that God will save. Most people believe that they are fundamentally good.

The question that you are addressing is what should happen after someone is born again. No one who is not born again could live up to any of the requirements God has. All are born "sons of disobedience". So no, salvation requires nothing but to receive the Lord Jesus. That is obedience in itself.
Did you read the 24 verses quoted? What do they say?
 
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spiritfilledjm

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Faith is all that is required...but works, while they don't save anyone in and of themselves, are the fruit that the Holy Spirit is working in one's life and is part of salvation, but it is not what saves. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Hebrews 10:26-27 are good warnings regarding continuing to deliberately sin. Also, Jesus' words in Matthew 7:15-23.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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If obedience is required for salvation, then most Christians are probably in serious trouble...
The question is not if obedience is required. Obedience is required. Absolute sinless perfection is not required but making sin our practice disqualifies is for eternal life with God.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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Faith is all that is required...but works, while they don't save anyone in and of themselves, are the fruit that the Holy Spirit is working in one's life and is part of salvation, but it is not what saves. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Hebrews 10:26-27 are good warnings regarding continuing to deliberately sin. Also, Jesus' words in Matthew 7:15-23.
Did you read the 24 verses quoted in the OP? What do they teach?
 
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spiritfilledjm

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Pretty much exactly what I said. I'm actually shocked you left out the ones I mentioned.
We don't work to earn our own salvation. Works are included in our salvation. They are the evidence that genuine faith exists. The 24 verses describe what faith looks like our doesn't look like. Still, if we don't obey the Lord but we continue to walk in sin, we don't have salvation. We don't have eternal life with God. We don't know God and we don't love God. So there are conditions for us to be saved from our sins. These are requirements. We must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We must walk in obedience to our Lord and not in sin. One ends in eternal life. The other ends in death.
 
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spiritfilledjm

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We don't work to earn our own salvation. Works are included in our salvation. They are the evidence that genuine faith exists. The 24 verses describe what faith looks like our doesn't look like. Still, if we don't obey the Lord but we continue to walk in sin, we don't have salvation. We don't have eternal life with God. We don't know God and we don't love God. So there are conditions for us to be saved from our sins. These are requirements. We must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We must walk in obedience to our Lord and not in sin. One ends in eternal life. The other ends in death.

It's really a circular argument. Faith is what saves but the sign that one has faith is how one chooses to resist sin. Without resisting sin, deliberately sinning, one really doesn't have faith but rather a head-knowledge that God exists and sent His Son to die for our sins. Without works, or as I put it, resisting sin, one does not have faith, which is what saves. They work in tandem with one another. Ultimately, I do believe that the Bible teaches that it is one's faith that ultimately saves, but the work that one does is a part of that faith and without it, faith does not exist.
 
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Is obedience required for salvation? Are there things we must do or not do in order to receive salvation from sin and eternal life with God?

John 10:27 ESV: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

John 8:51 ESV: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

John 14:23-24 ESV: “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.’”
John 10:1-5 is the context for John 10:27-28.

Matthew 5:19-20--Matthew 7:24-25 is the context for John 8:51.

John 12:44-50 is the context for John 14:23-24.

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness

John 18:37 for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice. (John 3:21)
John 12:48-50 And I know that His Commandment is Life Everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak.
 
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Faith is all that is required...but works, while they don't save anyone in and of themselves, are the fruit that the Holy Spirit is working in one's life and is part of salvation, but it is not what saves. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Hebrews 10:26-27 are good warnings regarding continuing to deliberately sin. Also, Jesus' words in Matthew 7:15-23.

Matthew 7:21-25 Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. (anomia from anomos = without law)
Matthew 7:25-27 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these words of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon the rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock.

Works are mandatory... in the Kingdom Law, given to Jesus' Disciples, in the Sermon on the Mount... which runs from Matthew 5:1--Matthew 7:29. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 24:14
 
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Ligurian

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The question is not if obedience is required. Obedience is required. Absolute sinless perfection is not required but making sin our practice disqualifies is for eternal life with God.

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.
What plugs that hole, regarding sin? Repentance and forgiveness, brother to brother. Matthew 5:22-24 and Matthew 6:14-15. This is the sure mercies of David: the everlasting covenant: the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.
 
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Ligurian

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If obedience is required for salvation, then most Christians are probably in serious trouble...
Obedience to what?

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises unto the fathers:
Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
1 Corinthians 7:18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.

Of course, the Promise itself requires physical circumcision. ;)

Genesis 17:9 And God said to Abraam, Thou also shalt fully keep My covenant, thou and thy seed after thee for their generations. 10 And this is the covenant which thou shalt fully keep between me and you, and between thy seed after thee for their generations; every male of you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and you. 12 And the child of eight days old shall be circumcised by you, every male throughout your generations, and the servant born in the house and he that is bought with money, of every son of a stranger, who is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with money shall be surely circumcised, and My covenant shall be on your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male, who shall not be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from its family, for he has broken My covenant.

And Jesus confirms the Law of Moses, too, Matthew 5:17-20.
... and fulfills this prophecy by John 12:44-50:
Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him. 19 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require [it] of him.
... and therefore, passes the continuity test: Deuteronomy 13:1-3

This is the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.
 
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TheWhat?

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All I can do is provide my reading

Remember that Gentiles, by Old Covenant standards were very much unclean, and could have been considered disobedient if the Jewish believers tried to bring them into the faith.

[Act 11:11-12, 16-18 NKJV] 11 "At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 "Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. ... 16 "Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 "If therefore God gave them the same gift as [He gave] us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" 18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."

[Act 15:7-9 NKJV] 7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up [and] said to them: "Men [and] brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as [He did] to us, 9 "and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

[Psa 86:15 NKJV] 15 But You, O Lord, [are] a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

[Psa 145:8 NKJV] 8 The LORD [is] gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.

[Psa 18:25-27 NKJV] 25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 27 For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.

[Jas 2:13 NKJV] 13 ... judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

[Nah 1:6 NKJV] 6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him.

[Isa 66:2 NKJV] 2 ... "But on this [one] will I look: On [him who is] poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word."

[Luk 18:9-14 NKJV] 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise [his] eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

[Jhn 6:63 NKJV] 63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.
 
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Christsfreeservant

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It's really a circular argument. Faith is what saves but the sign that one has faith is how one chooses to resist sin. Without resisting sin, deliberately sinning, one really doesn't have faith but rather a head-knowledge that God exists and sent His Son to die for our sins. Without works, or as I put it, resisting sin, one does not have faith, which is what saves. They work in tandem with one another. Ultimately, I do believe that the Bible teaches that it is one's faith that ultimately saves, but the work that one does is a part of that faith and without it, faith does not exist.

I believe a lot of confusion comes into play regarding faith because it has been taught very weakly for a long while now. They remove Scriptures from their context and they build their doctrines of salvation around a few cherry picked Scriptures taken out of context, and this is where we run into problems. Or they present "faith" as nothing more than a one-time decision to receive Jesus into their hearts.

If we look at what faith means in the Bible we realize that faith means "divine persuasion." We can't even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father draws us to Christ, Jesus is the author and the perfecter of our faith, and the faith to believe in Jesus is not of ourselves, but it is a gift of God (Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2).

So, if faith means we are persuaded of God, and if faith originates with Jesus, and it is perfected by Jesus, and if this is God's gift to us and it is not of ourselves, then "faith" is going to submit to God's will and purposes for our lives. It is going to die with Christ to sin and live to God and to his righteousness. It is going to walk with him in obedience. It is going to surrender to Jesus as Lord or it is not God-given and divinely persuaded faith.

Also, where it talks about believing in Jesus, most always the word is "believing" which is present tense. This is not a past belief only. We don't "believe" and now we are saved from our sins and now heaven is secured us no matter how we live from that moment forward. Belief and actions are always coupled together, like in Hebrews 11. Without actions that go along with that faith our faith is dead. So, it is all who are believing (present tense) in Jesus who have eternal life, and that believing is evidenced as true faith by our actions which follow. James did a good job of describing this.

But if you read Paul's writings, he is presenting faith as present tense and involving our actions and that if our actions do not reflect that faith then true faith does not exist. The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who WALK not according to the flesh but who WALK according to the Spirit (Romans 8). So, faith is present tense and it is active and it involves obedience, repentance, and submission to Christ as Lord.

Jesus didn't just say we had to have faith. He said if we are going to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (daily die with him to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and for the flesh) we will lose them for eternity but if we lose our lives for his sake (die with him to sin), we will have life in him. And this parallels over to his teaching about how we must drink his blood and eat his flesh if we want to have eternal life with him.

So, Jesus most always described faith in terms of our actions, of us leaving mother, father, etc to follow him, of us not looking back once we have our hands to the plow, etc. He made it abundantly clear what was required of us to have salvation from sin and eternal life with him. And so faith is something that involves action and it is something that is present tense active in our lives or we don't have faith. And we must continue in that faith until the very end or we don't have eternal life with God.

For, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus Christ returns when our salvation will be complete, providing that we walk in obedience to our Lord and we forsake our sinful practices and that we continue in Christ until the very end. This is what the Scriptures teach.
 
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chad kincham

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Requirement for salvation?

To become a child of God, you must choose to receive Jesus, (John 1:12),by asking Him into your heart (Revelation 3:20), where He then dwells (Ephesians 3:17and Colossians 1:27), plus you must choose to repent and ask Him to forgive your sins so they are forgiven (Acts 3:19 and Acts 20:21), and call upon His name to be saved Romans 10:13.

Prayer for salvation: Lord Jesus, I believe you died for my sins and rose again - please come into my heart, forgive my sins, save my soul, and make me a new creation. In your name, amen.
 
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TheWhat?

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I believe a lot of confusion comes into play regarding faith because it has been taught very weakly for a long while now. They remove Scriptures from their context and they build their doctrines of salvation around a few cherry picked Scriptures taken out of context, and this is where we run into problems. Or they present "faith" as nothing more than a one-time decision to receive Jesus into their hearts.

If we look at what faith means in the Bible we realize that faith means "divine persuasion." We can't even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father draws us to Christ, Jesus is the author and the perfecter of our faith, and the faith to believe in Jesus is not of ourselves, but it is a gift of God (Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2).

So, if faith means we are persuaded of God, and if faith originates with Jesus, and it is perfected by Jesus, and if this is God's gift to us and it is not of ourselves, then "faith" is going to submit to God's will and purposes for our lives. It is going to die with Christ to sin and live to God and to his righteousness. It is going to walk with him in obedience. It is going to surrender to Jesus as Lord or it is not God-given and divinely persuaded faith.

Also, where it talks about believing in Jesus, most always the word is "believing" which is present tense. This is not a past belief only. We don't "believe" and now we are saved from our sins and now heaven is secured us no matter how we live from that moment forward. Belief and actions are always coupled together, like in Hebrews 11. Without actions that go along with that faith our faith is dead. So, it is all who are believing (present tense) in Jesus who have eternal life, and that believing is evidenced as true faith by our actions which follow. James did a good job of describing this.

But if you read Paul's writings, he is presenting faith as present tense and involving our actions and that if our actions do not reflect that faith then true faith does not exist. The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who WALK not according to the flesh but who WALK according to the Spirit (Romans 8). So, faith is present tense and it is active and it involves obedience, repentance, and submission to Christ as Lord.

Jesus didn't just say we had to have faith. He said if we are going to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (daily die with him to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and for the flesh) we will lose them for eternity but if we lose our lives for his sake (die with him to sin), we will have life in him. And this parallels over to his teaching about how we must drink his blood and eat his flesh if we want to have eternal life with him.

So, Jesus most always described faith in terms of our actions, of us leaving mother, father, etc to follow him, of us not looking back once we have our hands to the plow, etc. He made it abundantly clear what was required of us to have salvation from sin and eternal life with him. And so faith is something that involves action and it is something that is present tense active in our lives or we don't have faith. And we must continue in that faith until the very end or we don't have eternal life with God.

For, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus Christ returns when our salvation will be complete, providing that we walk in obedience to our Lord and we forsake our sinful practices and that we continue in Christ until the very end. This is what the Scriptures teach.

Ok, but have you read Galatians recently?

I've been up, down and upside down on the subject of works. What I find is that, the more obedient I try to be to the strictest of all possible standards I know of, the more I am full of darkness, further away from God, and it becomes all the more impossible to obey. Even when I seem to succeed at the impossible, the more cold and calloused I become. I can become angry toward sinners, hateful even, which I could choose to hide under the guise of holiness, but since I am honestly trying to obtain salvation, I cannot permit myself to lie to myself, and so I arrive at the inevitable conclusion that I have failed at what I set out to do, because all of the law hinges on love toward God and neighbor.

Then there are those occasions when after confessing or in prayer, I'm lifted up by God's Spirit and it is as though it is without effort that I'm brought near to the love of God I was seeking all along, without whom obedience is impossible. In my case, the difference is pride which deceives me into thinking that obedience was required of me and not a gift to be received by learning how to be close to God, the Spirit of obedience.

The scruples are a nasty beast. It's not easy to deal with it when it's coming at you from every direction.
 
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