My opinion here -What then?
On your own, you are not and never will be. We can’t give to God until we receive from God.What then?
It is notable that Jesus talked to different people different ways. To the Pharisees, He said, 'You hypocrites! You sons of the devil! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? To the rich young ruler, He said, 'Sell all that you have and give it to the poor; you will have treasure in heaven. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.' To the woman at the well, He said, 'If you knew the gift of God and who I am, you would have asked Me and I would have given you living water.' To the woman who spread ointment on His feet, He said, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Of the tax collector, in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, He said the tax collector said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" Then He said, "this man went down to his house justified." Of the man from another town, whose son he healed with a thought, when he found out the next day that the fever had left his son at the same time Jesus had said, "Your son lives," it is said, "Then he believed and his whole household." Jesus did not say anything about a cross to these other people. One can assume the same requirement was true for them as well.What then?
FWIW none of us measure up to that; yet, we must do that. God's continuing grace keeps giving and forgiving. He remembers we are but dust. None of us is tough enough.What then?
It is notable that Jesus talked to different people different ways. To the Pharisees, He said, 'You hypocrites! You sons of the devil! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? To the rich young ruler, He said, 'Sell all that you have and give it to the poor; you will have treasure in heaven. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.' To the woman at the well, He said, 'If you knew the gift of God and who I am, you would have asked Me and I would have given you living water.' To the woman who spread ointment on His feet, He said, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Of the tax collector, in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, He said the tax collector said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" Then He said, "this man went down to his house justified." Of the man from another town, whose son he healed with a thought, when he found out the next day that the fever had left his son at the same time Jesus had said, "Your son lives," it is said, "Then he believed and his whole household." Jesus did not say anything about a cross to these other people. One can assume the same requirement was true for them as well.
I don't know what Jesus would say to me if we were to have a verbal conversation. I have long believed the Gospel, including the part about how I am a hell-deserving sinner. But in counting the cost, I am not sure I am willing to pay the cost. I have religious OCD. I have had many "sincere" moments of conversion to Christ. But my concentration on submitting to Him only lasts a couple of seconds at a time. I therefore am always doubting my salvation. Maybe I just said words but I was not born again?
Do you know what Jesus Christ of Nazareth was talking about?What then?
You mean stop loving your Creator?Is there something you have to "do" every moment to maintain your salvation? What if you do it for five years and then stop? What if you do it for five months and then stop? Five hours? Five seconds?
No one is that good. Lord Jesus could not carry His physical cross, He was too weakened by the torture inflicted by the Romans. God knows our weaknesses. So God gives us a new nature, one that is of God Himself. Then Jesus comes to live inside the new person. Carrying our cross is only possible after we are born again, and that only by God's grace. Jesus is well able to enable us to deny ourselves.What then?
Great question!!What then?
No, it's not a constant effort. It's more whether you keep your "eyes on Him", so that you are heading in the right direction.Is there something you have to "do" every moment to maintain your salvation? What if you do it for five years and then stop? What if you do it for five months and then stop? Five hours? Five seconds?
an easy believism answer
Cute, but not exactly accurate. On the other hand, I know more than one six year old that have a better mind for organizing the intangible than many adults.I think I like that: “an easy believism answer”. What exactly do you mean by that? I have a personal philosophy that says ‘if a teacher or theologian can’t explain a spiritual principle to a six year old so that they understand it, then the teacher doesn’t actually understand the principle’.