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This is true, but how do you understand that exactly? What commandments do you think those passages are talking about exactly? Do you think we have to keep the commandments perfectly at all times in order to maintain our salvation? If not, then what do you think those scriptures mean exactly?
I don't think this is a fair question to ask. It depends on one's understanding of the obedience required in salvation. If we obey the command to humble ourselves and repent of our sins while acknowledging that we can't save ourselves and we are only saved by the shed blood of Christ, is that a case of trying to earn our salvation? No, right? It's a case of admitting that we can't earn our own salvation and that we depend entirely on Christ for our salvation instead.
The OT believers were justified the same we are in, in God's promise of Messiah.
Salvation is a gift that God offers that we must choose to accept or reject. God did all of the work by having His Son die on the cross for our sins. That's why salvation is by grace through faith and not by our works. But, we are responsible to accept Christ and His work on the cross and acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior.
After repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus it would be foolish for us to turn around and willingly break God's commandments. If we make an honest mistake Jesus can help us, but if we sin willingly, look out! "...there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation..." (Hebrews 10:26-27).
The bible says, we must not only be a hearer of the word, but a doer of the word also (James 1:21-22). DON'T FOOL YOURSELF! If we really have faith in Jesus our actions will prove it. If Jesus is our Lord then we will obey him. Even a child will obey a parent, by getting good grades in school, for the reward of a new bicycle. The child cannot earn money for the bicycle, but instead must act upon their faith to receive the free gift. We must do the same to receive eternal life. "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD” (James 2:20).
Of course, yet some do that. But, which commandments are you talking about exactly?
Right. If we go back to willingly living as we did before being saved by habitually sinning and having no remorse for it, then we're in trouble. Which is why we're warned about developing "a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God" and are told to "encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness" and why we need to "hold our original conviction firmly to the very end" (Hebrews 3:12-14).
I think what he is asking is whether or not our motive for doing works is in order to earn our salvation or do we do them because we have faith in Jesus as our Lord and we want to obey Him as our Lord and that is our motive for our works that we do to serve Him? It should be the latter, obviously, since salvation is by grace through faith, but not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
God is the saviour and does the saving but, we must obey God to recieve salvation. No one gets salvation until they obey and do what is right. Is this a fair summery of your position?
So is that earning our salvation in part? Is your position that while I was dead in sins and tresspasses I could hear God and obey his command to humble myself and repent? Could I, being apart from Christ, choose to obey him or could I do nothing?
No.
Yes.
You could choose to obey Him. There is nothing that says we need to be regenerated (born again) first before we can repent and put our trust in Christ for our salvation and forgiveness of our sins.
So being dead in our sins and tresspasses does not carry the full weight of death? Was it just Paul being over dramatic?
Yes I can see that, sound a little like 1 John 5: 17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We all so see in (1John 3:4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. Now we have just read the biblical definition of sin, the transgression (breaking) of the law (commandments.) It doesn’t matter what you or I think sin is, it’s what God says sin is that counts.
I'm not sure what you're asking here. Can you clarify? Are you aware that Jesus said that sinners are sick and in need of a physician?
Don't ask me ridiculous questions like this as if I would ever say that Jesus didn't really mean what He said. Does context mean anything to you? He wasn't saying that we literally could do nothing apart from him. If you look at the context of that verse you should see that we can not be fruitful (spiritually productive) apart from Him.
And I don't? Don't say things like this to me.
Being dead in sins means you are separated from God and don't have a personal relationship with Him. Think about what physical/bodily death is. It's a separation of the body from the soul and spirit (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). You need to rethink your understanding of what it means to be dead in sins.
You need to learn how to interpret scripture in context. He was talking about the deeper things of God there (1 Corinthians 2:10). He was talking about understanding the solid food of His word in contrast to only understanding the milk (1 Corinthians 3:1-2). The natural man cannot understanding the deeper things of God and is not able to take in solid food in a spiritual sense.
You believe we don't have free will until we're born again? If so, that's a new one that I've never seen before.
Yes, that is true what Paul is saying in (Ephesians 2:8-9), but Paul is talking about animal
I completely disagree. Let's take a closer look at what Paul was saying there.
Like you, for example.
I just showed you the real meaning of Ephesians 2:8-9, so now you have a chance to not be like those that Peter was talking about.
I’m sure you have your own theory on that but is it biblical?
