Grace Has a Name

[BrotherJJ]

Yes, presently. It is not about tomorrow. It is about this very moment. If you are believing/obeying, and loving God this very moment, you are being saved.

If a person is not still believing, obeying, and loving God this very moment, he is not being saved. He is perishing.

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

You believe in easy salvation. This is deception. Your belief contradicts God's word. The road/gateway to eternal life is difficult and few find it.

Matthew 7:14
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Luke 13:23-27
And some one said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’

Jesus saves only his true followers. His true followers listen to him, and they imitate him in his obedience to his Father until death. Philippians 2:8, Romans 6:16

Jesus doesn't save the people who merely pretend they are serving him but privately reject him by their disobedience to his commandments.

Matthew 7:19-23
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them (my true followers) by their fruits.
21 “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’

The passages you quoted (Matt 7, Lk 13, Rom 6, Phil 2, etc.) are all about identifying false professors, not about born‑again believers losing eternal life. Jesus says of the false professors in Matthew 7: ""I NEVER knew you."" Not I knew you once but stopped knowing you. Never. That's not a saved person losing salvation -that's an unsaved person who never believed the gospel to begin with.

The contrast in Scripture is always between: those who believed & were sealed (Eph 1:13–14; John 5:24) & those who never believed (John 8:24 & Matt 7:21–23).

1 Corinthians 1:18 doesn’t teach loss of salvation. ""Being saved"" is the present experience of salvation's power, not the future verdict. The same Paul who wrote that also wrote that the believer has eternal life now (Rom 6:23), is justified now (Rom 5:1), is sealed now (Eph 1:13) & shall never perish (Jo 10:28).

The narrow gate passages describe how few actually believe the gospel & not how many believers lose salvation. Jesus says the false professors ""never"" belonged to Him. The saved are those who entered through the narrow gate by faith, not by performance.

The issue isn't ""easy salvation."" The issue is whether salvation is by Christ's finished work or by our fluctuating obedience. Titus 3:5–7 says God saved us ""not by works of righteousness which we have done,"" but by the Hoy Spirit's regeneration, renewal & sealing. Ephesians 1 says the moment you heard & believed the gospel, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit >0 God's guarantee, not yours.

If salvation depends on ongoing perfect obedience, then it's no longer grace (Rom 11:6).

If eternal life can be lost, it was never eternal.

 

[Jan001]

If eternal life can be lost, it was never eternal.

Neither you nor I have already received eternal life.

We have the hope of eternal life while we are alive here on earth. We haven't already received it. Titus 3:7

We can't literally receive eternal life until after we die and are judged worthy to receive it. Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10

John 3:36
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

To believe in God requires obeying him.

This is a righteous work!

 

[BrotherJJ]

Neither you nor I have already received eternal life.

We have the hope of eternal life while we are alive here on earth. We haven't already received it. Titus 3:7

We can't literally receive eternal life until after we die and are judged worthy to receive it. Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10

John 3:36
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

To believe in God requires obeying him.

This is a righteous work!

John 3:36 contrasts believing with refusing to believe. It doesn't say belief equals obedience or that obedience is a righteous work required to receive eternal life.

Jesus consistently uses present tense > ""has eternal life"" < for the believer (Jn 3:36, 5:24, 6:47). The ""hope of eternal life"" in Titus 3:7 refers to the future experience of what believers already possess, not a conditional reward based on performance.

 

[Jan001]

John 3:36 contrasts believing with refusing to believe. It doesn't say belief equals obedience or that obedience is a righteous work required to receive eternal life.

Jesus consistently uses present tense > ""has eternal life"" < for the believer (Jn 3:36, 5:24, 6:47). The ""hope of eternal life"" in Titus 3:7 refers to the future experience of what believers already possess, not a conditional reward based on performance.

Jesus states very plainly what deeds we must do now here on earth so that he will grant us eternal life after we die.

I believe him!

Matthew 19:16-19
Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. 19 Honor your father and mother. Also, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

[BrotherJJ]

Jesus states very plainly what deeds we must do now here on earth so that he will grant us eternal life after we die.

I believe him!

Matthew 19:16-19
Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. 19 Honor your father and mother. Also, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 19 is not Jesus giving the gospel. The rich young ruler asked, ""What good deed must I do to have eternal life?"", a Law question. Jesus responds with the Law to expose his self‑righteousness, not to teach salvation by works. That's why the man walks away & why Jesus concludes, ""With man this is impossible." If eternal life were earned by commandment‑keeping, no one could be saved.

The gospel passages John 3:16, 3:36, 5:24, 6:47, use present tense: the believer ""has"" eternal life now. Matthew 19 shows why we cannot earn it; John shows how we receive it: by faith & not by works.

 

[Jan001]

Matthew 19 is not Jesus giving the gospel. The rich young ruler asked, ""What good deed must I do to have eternal life?"", a Law question. Jesus responds with the Law to expose his self‑righteousness, not to teach salvation by works. That's why the man walks away & why Jesus concludes, ""With man this is impossible." If eternal life were earned by commandment‑keeping, no one could be saved.

The gospel passages John 3:16, 3:36, 5:24, 6:47, use present tense: the believer ""has"" eternal life now. Matthew 19 shows why we cannot earn it; John shows how we receive it: by faith & not by works.

We will all find out at our judgment if our interpretations of the Scriptures are correct.

2 Peter 3:16
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

 

[BrotherJJ]

Our initial salvation gives us hope for our completed salvation at our death. We don't always receive what we hope for.

1 Thessalonians 5:8
But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Romans 5:2
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.



So, if you are given a gift, you can never lose or destroy this gift no matter what you do to it?

If you are given a new car and you drive it so carelessly that you wreck it beyond repair, do you still possess the new car?

Your analogy collapses because you’re treating salvation like an object you maintain instead of a new birth God performs. A car is something you own & can damage; salvation is something God creates & sustains. The Bible never describes salvation as a fragile possession but as a new creation, a new birth, a sealing & a union with Christ. You can your wreck a car. You cannot ""wreck"" the new birth because God is the One who gives it, keeps it & completes it (Phil 1:6, Jn 6:39, Eph 1:13–14)

 

[Jan001]

Your analogy collapses because you’re treating salvation like an object you maintain instead of a new birth God performs. A car is something you own & can damage; salvation is something God creates & sustains. The Bible never describes salvation as a fragile possession but as a new creation, a new birth, a sealing & a union with Christ. You can your wreck a car. You cannot ""wreck"" the new birth because God is the One who gives it, keeps it & completes it (Phil 1:6, Jn 6:39, Eph 1:13–14)

When we die, Jesus Christ judges us. What criteria does he use to determine if we are worthy to live with him in heaven for eternity? Does he ask us if we believed in him? Or does he judge us instead by our works, which prove whether our faith is genuine? John 5:22

 

[BrotherJJ]

When we die, Jesus Christ judges us. What criteria does he use to determine if we are worthy to live with him in heaven for eternity? Does he ask us if we believed in him? Or does he judge us instead by our works, which prove whether our faith is genuine? John 5:22

Heb 9:27 it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Judgment Day - 2 Final Judgment Seats

Scripture draws a clear distinction between the Judgment Seat of Christ & the Great White Throne Judgment.

The Judgment Seat of Christ is for believers only (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10), where sin is not judged because Christ already bore their judgment on the cross; believers stand there to have their works evaluated—rewarded if they were done in Christ's name, or burned up if they were worthless (1 Cor 3:8–15), yet the believer himself ""will be saved."" Salvation is a free gift, not a wage, grounded entirely in God's grace & faith in Christ's redemptive, sin‑atoning death & resurrection. At conversion, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit it's God's guarantee of their future inheritance (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13–14).

The Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11–13) is for unbelievers only—those who rejected God's grace & refused to trust Christ's atoning sacrifice. With no covering for sin (Jn 15:22), they are judged according to their works, every deed & every word recorded & measured by the standard of God's Law. Jesus said the one who rejects Him will be judged by His word on the last day (Jn 12:48) & John 5:24 assures believers they ""will not come into judgment"" but have already passed from death to life. The only unforgivable sin is lifelong unbelief—rejecting the Holy Spirit's testimony about Christ until death (Mk 3:22–30). Thus believers possess eternal life now (Jn 3:36), secured by Christ's finished work, while unbelievers face judgment for every sin because they refused the only sacrifice that could remove them.

 

[Jan001]

Heb 9:27 it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Judgment Day - 2 Final Judgment Seats

Scripture draws a clear distinction between the Judgment Seat of Christ & the Great White Throne Judgment.

The two judgments are only one event—final judgment—but they describe two different viewpoints of this final judgment. The deeds of each person, good or evil, will show everyone in the world whether he will be rewarded with eternal life or with eternal condemnation.


Revelation 20:11-12
Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books.

Matthew 25:33-36
and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ........41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”

John 5:28-29
Do not be astonished at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and will come out: those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.