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While yes, James wrote "Faith without works is dead." (that is, without works there isn't faith there)
And Paul wrote: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
We could instead rely here on Christ Himself, in His Word:
"Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
And:
"“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
That is, we *can't even last in faith, even, without *doing His commandments**. Works are required. No works means your house falls, death.
No dichotomy between faith and works. They go together. We are saved only by grace, only by faith. And that results in works. Hand in glove.
"Drop this girl, because she and her church are way, way off base in regards to God's Word. ""
My advice. Break off the relationship immediately; And continue to ask God to bring you a truly Godly woman into your life.
Thank God for his mercy and unmerited grace.....For when i was in a world of sin, he didnt dropped me like a a hot potato and write me off, like you two are suggesting be done with this young lady.
God is not like man....if he were.......we'd all be toast.
Please dont start trying to teach me your OSAS doctrine again.....I told you a million times, I dont know what you are talking about and dont know like you keep trying to teach it to me.First, I believe Eternal Security ultimately teaches that God's grace is a license for immorality on some level. However, the Bible condemns the thinking that we can turn God's grace into a license for immorality, though.
"For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." (Jude 1:4 NIV).
How do they deny Him?
By their lack of works (of course):
"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." (Titus 1:16).
But the true grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and that we should live soberly, godly, and righteously in this present world.
11 "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" (Titus 2:11-12).
Second, I am not suggesting that our fellows CF poster who started this thread should not try to witness the truth to her. In fact, I already said that he should tell her the reason why he is breaking it off. He should say that he believes Jesus is God and that he believes in the resurrection as a necessary part of salvation. But chances are that even if he were to witness to her, it is a very slim chance that she would accept what he is saying with the Bible (even if he were to do so). He should not stay in the relationship with a woman who is so against what the Bible says because it could influence him in the wrong way. Now, if they are already married that is a different matter. But this man has a choice to either choose a Bible believing Godly woman or he can choose this woman who denies that Jesus is God and who denies the resurrection. That to me is not good. So to let this woman go is not cold hearted in any sense of the word and it has nothing to do with God's saving grace. God's saving grace is there for people who honestly want to repent and to follow Jesus. Jesus's gift (Which is Himself - John 3:16) is not so that we can live for ourselves. We are not our own lords and masters. For Jesus said, "Why do you calle me, Lord, Lord, if you do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).
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Please dont start trying to teach me your OSAS doctrine again.....I told you a million times, I dont know what you are talking about and dont know like you keep trying to teach it to me.
RaymondG said:And i understand....she is good enough to witness to, but we are too good to be in a relationship with them......lest we be tempted to leave God.
But don't you believe in OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) or Eternal Security?
Yes, for what fellowship does light have with darkness?
We are told to avoid evil communications.
So are you two saying that Flesh and blood does and can, in fact, inherit the kingdom of heaven? When Jesus states this was he only talking about our bodies and not His? When he say, no one goes to heaven save He who left it.......was He saying that he had a Physical, flesh and blood body in heaven which came down and then went back?
I've told you many times that you are the first and only person I've heard mentioning this Doctrine. I didnt even know what the acronym meant until you wrote it out. What I dont understand is why you are so intent on trying to get me to believe this as a doctrine? And what does this have to do with the OP or anything I posted? And please forgive me if you suffer from any mental illnesses...If you do...I will start to understand this better and will show more understanding of your posts in the future...just let me know.
RaymondG said:I understand what you feel about everyone who has beliefs different from your own...they are in darkness and you should not have fellowship with them. Please forgive me if I decide to have more compassion on the ones who were in the same situation I was in before Christ found me. I am not better that this young lady, no matter how "saved" I did. I am inclined to treat her, how I would want to be treated.
RaymondG said:Am I wrong for this?
RaymondG said:Do you want to send me to the oven because of this?
RaymondG said:Should i pray for my heart to be hardened so I can only care about my salvation, and assume the lost to stay lost?
"Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers" 2Co 6:14. I am not calling the lady an unbeliever, first of all, and this verse is not saying drop unbelievers like a hot potato and write them off, and neither are we. You are taking our counsel out of context. We are saying, as a romantic interest to drop her if she is going to stay in what is cultish.Thank God for his mercy and unmerited grace.....For when i was in a world of sin, he didnt dropped me like a a hot potato and write me off, like you two are suggesting be done with this young lady.
God is not like man....if he were.......we'd all be toast.
It seems that the visions and dreams coming to pass are what is confusing you? If they're coming to pass they must be visions from God, right? Is there any place in the bible that addresses this scenario? Deut 13:1-3 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."I am a Christian and my faith is based on a certain foundation, I do not know who is right and who is wrong, but faith is a believe in something hoped for.
The reason I believe I am "right" or more "right" is that in my opinion once you start allowing interpretation to the Bible, where does it start and end? Without the physical bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ then Christianity falls flat. If you say no, let us interpret it spiritually, who in the end has the correct interpretation and who gives any authority to interpret it that way.
That being said, they received visions and dreams, are they of God? I do not know for sure. I have a belief and yes it might sound like I think they are wrong and I am right, but I also cannot deny they do receive something from someone.
My post asking for advice and yes like you might see, I am a bit confused
I believe that faith contains substances and evidence.....and it is not blind. A mustard seed knows without doubt that it will become a big mustard seed tree and there are no other options. But I encourage you to hold fast to what you believe and ignore anything Ive said.
Yes, but not in the way that you seem to be assuming. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says we will not all sleep (die) but we will all be changed. The perishable must put on the impreishable and this mortal must put on immortal.
Jesus did not enter heaven with the same body He had before the crucifixion, He entered heaven with a body that had been glorified. It was still a body...Thomas was able to touch the wounds on His hands and in His side...He still ate...the disciples and Mary were able to hug Him.
Jesus resurrection was a physical one and ours will be too. In that day we will be changed.
It seems that the visions and dreams coming to pass are what is confusing you? If they're coming to pass they must be visions from God, right? Is there any place in the bible that addresses this scenario? Deut 13:1-3 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
"Going after other gods" is also attempting to worship God in the way that others worship false gods. God says not to worship Him in their ways but only in the way He has instructed. Saying that Christ was not resurrected bodily was something that the first century church was also having to deal with but Paul said that if Christ is not resurrected from the dead then we have no hope of a resurrection either and our faith has become of no use...but He is resurrected BODILY as well as spiritually. The tomb was empty...no bones. Christ appeared physically to the apostles and many others for 40 days after His resurrection, He ate and drank with them, they touched Him.
Don't let dreams and visions that come true lead you astray, God is testing you and when you pass it and flee from false worship then He will lead you to the one He meant for you, or possibly you were sent to rescue her.
Hi Guys, I need some advice.
I am a Christian and I have seen some people differ in their belief as to exactly what Christians believe. My belief is that your salvation/ever lasting life is obtained through your faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. That you are saved by faith and faith alone.
Now my problem is that I am in a relationship with a woman for a year and a half. She is Old Apostolic, the religion basically originated in South Africa.
They use the Bible, but they interpret it spiritually. They also go to church 6 days a week including twice on Sunday's. They are very faithful and their religion is held very high.
They also believe that you basically work through faith for your salvation and that is a fundamental difference. The other big difference is that they believe that Jesus was only an example that God sent us to show how to live, he had the gift of Christ in him and we must all strive to live like he did. When Jesus died he rose in the mind of people, so that Christ gift rose and not the physical body of Christ. So that being said they do not believe that Jesus will come again because he already came. They also believe that the Church is the body of Christ and thus when they refer to Jesus/the Son then they refer to the Church.
Before I met her I was single for a long time and asked Jesus to send me a faithful girl to spend my life with. I received exactly what i asked for, well exempt that her belief differs from mine.
I am not sure why it turned out like this and what to do. Why did God put me in this situation?
I have to basically change to their religion if i ever want to marry her btw.
Also they believe in Visions and Dreams and that is the way God speaks to us, the scary thing is that some of the dreams they spoke about actually happens exactly how it was seen. This is the only thing that makes me confused, because why will they get visions and dreams that is exactly to the point of how it was given. God warns them through visions and dreams, it actually makes one think.
it is possible that you are correct. The only thing the Bible clearly says on the subject is that we will all be changed. What that change looks like, we do not know. The issue was that there will be a bodily resurrection for all saints, just as there was for Jesus...it was not a spiritual resurrection and it was not an elevated consciousness of Christ...nor will it be. Our bodies will be raised...what happens after that is up to God.I believe that the Bible teaches that in the Pre-Trib Rapture, believers (both alive and dead) will receive new spiritual bodies that will be immortal (similar to the body of angels). John 1:12 says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God," In the Rapture, the saints will be married to Jesus and will then be in Heaven at this point. (Prior before the Rapture, the dead saints were in Paradise or Abraham's Bosom).
In the bodily resurrection of the saints (Which is in two parts):
It will be a physical flesh and blood resurrection. The first phase of the resurrection of the saints takes place sometime before the Millennium (Which is yet future). The second phase of the resurrection of the saints takes place shortly before the Judgment and before believers can be with GOD on the New Earth.
So when the Scriptures say that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God it is talking about Heaven and not the Millennium or the New Earth. The only exception to this rule is Jesus Christ. He is the only One who still has a flesh and blood body and who is able to enter Heaven.
For...
"...no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." (John 3:13).
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Hi Guys, I need some advice.
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Before I met her I was single for a long time and asked Jesus to send me a faithful girl to spend my life with. I received exactly what i asked for, well exempt that her belief differs from mine.
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