“Not In The Flesh”

[Jan001]

By truly believing in the Lord Jesus! One can't claim belief if it's not permanent (Mat 24:13). If they discontinue the Christian life they were never saved (1Jo 2:19). You can't say you believe and later say you don't believe! Believing is like receiving eternal life. You can't loose eternal life, because it's eternal!

I believe initial salvation consists of belief and water baptism according to Jesus' command in Matthew 28:18-20.

Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

A person does not believe in Jesus unless he also obeys His commandments. Jesus is not "Lord" to the people who disobey Him.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable and disobedient and worthless for any good work.

A person can not actually receive eternal life until he dies. While he is on earth, he will constantly be tempted by his own desires, the devil, and the world, and so he can choose to deny Christ by his own sins and thereby not be approved worthy at death by Jesus to enter eternal life.

We must continue in the faith until we die if we want to be approved to enter eternal life.

Colossians 1:22-23 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

 

[Jan001]

I like your inquires and comments, they are to the point! Yes, but the proof of belief is in the lifestyle. Genuine faith is permanent and always is manifested by good works: "I will shew thee my faith by my works" (Jas 2:18). No works--no faith! You can't have works without faith either!!

I think a person can fall away from the faith and then be restored to grace more than once during his long lifetime.

 

[WordSword]

How do you understand the following:

Galatians 5:4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

I believe they lost their salvation. They no longer have the Holy Spirit living within them. If they do not repent before they die, Jesus will not approve them worthy to inherit eternal life.

I believe they were only at the stage of deciding which way to go. They had not made a final decision but did show an interest in the idea of mixing the Law and the Gospel. Paul was "confident" that they would continue as they have been in the Gospel, demonstrating they were undecided about choosing the wrong way; and there are no passages in this chapter that confirm they chose the wrong way. It just says they were hindered from obeying the truth, by trying to mix the religions. The phrase "if ye be circumcised" (5:2) confirms they hadn't chose the Law yet, or he would have said, "since ye are circumcised."

 

[WordSword]

I think a person can fall away from the faith and then be restored to grace more than once during his long lifetime.

I believe the phrase "falling from grace" is only a hypothesis, because he said "whosoever of you are justified by the law" (5:4), which the particular word "whosoever" indicates nobody for certain, but that if there were anyone to choose this way.

 

[Jan001]

I believe they were only at the stage of deciding which way to go. They had not made a final decision but did show an interest in the idea of mixing the Law and the Gospel. Paul was "confident" that they would continue as they have been in the Gospel, demonstrating they were undecided about choosing the wrong way; and there are no passages in this chapter that confirm they chose the wrong way. It just says they were hindered from obeying the truth, by trying to mix the religions. The phrase "if ye be circumcised" (5:2) confirms they hadn't chose the Law yet, or he would have said, "since ye are circumcised."

Past tense: "You have fallen away from grace." They are no longer saved. I believe they forfeited the sanctifying grace of God (the Holy Spirit's presence within them) by their decision. Now, they must repent and confess in order to receive the Holy Spirit (sanctifying grace) within them again. Thank you for sharing your view.

 

[Jan001]

I believe the phrase "falling from grace" is only a hypothesis, because he said "whosoever of you are justified by the law" (5:4), which the particular word "whosoever" indicates nobody for certain, but that if there were anyone to choose this way.

Paul did not name the individual names of the fallen-away Christians. He was addressing all of the Galatians as a group. He was stating that whichever of them had become circumcised, they had already lost the grace of God (Holy Spirit's presence within them).

 

[WordSword]

Past tense: "You have fallen away from grace." They are no longer saved. I believe they forfeited the sanctifying grace of God (the Holy Spirit's presence within them) by their decision. Now, they must repent and confess in order to receive the Holy Spirit (sanctifying grace) within them again. Thank you for sharing your view.

Thanks for your sharing too! Scripture often uses suppositions to get the point across. Paul use the supposition, "that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." It's the Law or the Gospel (grace), it can't be both. "Whosoever of you are justified by the law." If any truly think they are justified by the Law, they aren't saved anyway.

If any would be entangled again with the yoke of bondage, this also shows they weren't saved. One cannot truly believe in Christ, then latter truly claim they do not believe in Christ. It can only be one or the other. One can claim to believe, but if they don't show this outwardly, they are not believers. If we ever permanently discontinue the Christian lifestyle, it manifests we were never save; for the saved "endures unto the end" (Mat 24:13). "If they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. They went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not of us (1Jn 2:19).

 

[WordSword]

Paul did not name the individual names of the fallen-away Christians. He was addressing all of the Galatians as a group. He was stating that whichever of them had become circumcised, they had already lost the grace of God (Holy Spirit's presence within them).

I think "whosoever of you" (Gal 5:4) means "if there are any of you."

 

[Jan001]

Thanks for your sharing too! Scripture often uses suppositions to get the point across. Paul use the supposition, "that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." It's the Law or the Gospel (grace), it can't be both. "Whosoever of you are justified by the law." If any truly think they are justified by the Law, they aren't saved anyway.

If any would be entangled again with the yoke of bondage, this also shows they weren't saved. One cannot truly believe in Christ, then latter truly claim they do not believe in Christ. It can only be one or the other. One can claim to believe, but if they don't show this outwardly, they are not believers. If we ever permanently discontinue the Christian lifestyle, it manifests we were never save; for the saved "endures unto the end" (Mat 24:13). "If they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. They went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not of us (1Jn 2:19).

There is the Law of Moses which is no longer in force. There is the Law of Christ which is in force and will continue to be in force until Jesus returns.

1 Corinthians 9:21 To those (Gentiles) not having the law (Law of Moses) I became like one (Gentile) not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those (Gentiles) not having the law (Law of Moses).

I do not see where in Scripture it states that if a person does not endure faithfully to the end, that he was never saved.

1 John 2:18-19 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

To me, this means that these persons who quit the Christian faith were not the enduring-to-the-end type of Christians. It does not mean that they were never saved. John is speaking to the people who he believes will be the enduring-to-the-end type of Christians.

James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Luke 8:13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

A person has to first believe (have faith) before he can stop believing. A person cannot fall away from the faith if he never had faith to fallaway from.

A person who is baptized as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-19 is saved. It is this baptism which forgives our sins and saves us. Once a person has been saved by this baptism, he must remain faithful until he dies if he wants to be approved to enter into eternal life.


The baptism as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-19 is what initially saves us:

1 Peter 3:19-22 After being made alive, he (Jesus) went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Perhaps we will interact on another thread soon!

 

[WordSword]

I do not see where in Scripture it states that if a person does not endure faithfully to the end, that he was never saved.

What we going to do with Mat 24:13. Enduring unto the end means always showing you are a Christian!

1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

To me, this means that these persons who quit the Christian faith were not the enduring-to-the-end type of Christians. It does not mean that they were never saved. John is speaking to the people who he believes will be the enduring-to-the-end type of Christians.

"If they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." They were never of the believers!

Luke 8:13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

A person has to first believe (have faith) before he can stop believing. A person cannot fall away from the faith if he never had faith to fallaway from.

He fell from a hypocritical profession of Christianity. You must be reborn to be able to continue unto the end. Hypocrites and apostates are those who have never been reborn.