Salvation is by GRACE, nothing else. If salvation can be lost, it is as if you add 'PROVIDED YOU...'
"...provided you CONTINUE in His kindness, otherwise [
you will also be cut off... (Rm11:22, NIV)
or 'AS LONG AS YOU...'
"Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another, while it is still called "today", lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end." Heb3:12-14
"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you FALL FROM YOUR OWN STEADFASTNESS; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2Peter3:17-18
"For it is impossible to restore to repentance those who have once ...been
METOCHOS-PARTAKERS-
PARTNERS of the Holy Spirit,
for as long as they crucify Christ to themselves anew and hold Him to public shame." (NASV, "for-as-long-as", "WHILE")
or 'IF YOU...'
"Although you were formerly alienated and hostile, doing evil deeds, yet now He has reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you holy and blameless and beyond reproach---
if indeed
you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel
" Col1:22-23
(The HOPE of the Gospel, is JESUS---1Tim1:1---"continue in the faith and not
be moved away from JESUS!")
So to me it is important because to say we have to do something to attain or maintain our salvation is to say we are saving ourselves.
If salvation is
fellowship with God and Christ (see 1Jn1:3,6), then "keep
youselves in the love of God" (Jd21), "abide in Me, and I in you, anyone who does NOT abide is ...cast into the fire"---seems very clear to me. And there ARE verses that say we "save ourselves"---
but they are in understanding of our free-will-receiving/abiding-in CHRIST (it is HE who saves US, it is not US who
runs or wills that saves us, but it is us who have the FAITH to
receive the gift-of-salvation: "For by GRACE
through faith have you been saved...")
"If by the transgression of one, death reigned through the one, much more to those who
receive the abundance of grace and
receive the abundance of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." Rm5:17
PE contends that the two, "ALL MEN" (pas anthropos) of Rom5:18 mean different things---the FIRST means EVERYONE, the SECOND means only SOME of ALL TYPES; but read the CONTEXT: "So then, AS through one (Adam) came condemnation to all, EVEN SO through Jesus' act came justification to all. Do you see the context? Paul does not allow the two "all men" to be SEPARATE, he CONNECTS THEM!!! "In JUST THE SAME WAY as all are condemned through Adam, SO TOO IN THE SAME WAY justification came to ALL!
it's not even worth it to argue anymore...
kinda looks that way, don't it?
I dunno---it is a careful line I walk. I would thoroughly enjoy to count each of you in my "circle of friends"---and yet, I am bound to "contend for the faith", to "destroy arguments and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God"; as Joy has said, the walk with God is most important---and it is with this aim that I contend Scripture---it exists not in a vacuum, but conveys the very thoughts of our Lord God. "Friendship with the world is enmity against God" (Jms4:4); I know that in these discussions I do not bear anger or hatred
towards ANYONE here, and in my own heart do desire friendship with each of my brothers and sisters---yet I know that some of you get angry with me; but my priority, is that your anger with me, must succeed my resonsibility to my Lord and to "exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict"---it does grieve me when someone becomes angry with me---but if I search my heart and soul and find only God's Spirit motivating me, and search Scripture and find only harmony and clarity,
then to these, my Lord and His Word, must I be true. I strive for righteousness, in true humility, focusing every thought and striving on Him, subjecting myself to Him in all things; open to admonishment and correction, eager to learn and be taught. If we disagree on small points, then as far as _
I_ am concerned, we can still fellowship in love and harmony. But each person must know that second-place is as high as he or she can ever achieve with me.
Even if someday God blesses me with a wife, the words of a song ring true:
"There can be only one NUMBER ONE in my life, so second place will have to do for you; but I'm counting on spending the rest of my life, in love with the two of you."
And "J" (not her real "handle"), I hope you see that my approach is not "pure theory vacuous of spirit"---woven in your posts is the thread that also motivates me---to demonstrate the NATURE of our salvation, that it is FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD---to encourage the reader
closer to his or her Lord, that his/her joy be complete! THIS is my theme, this is the goal of "pure and sound doctrine"---just as I believe it was also Paul's goal...
Each of us manifests different gifts; but each of us sings the same song:
"Oh Lord, let my life be a prayer to You,
In everything I say, in everything I do;
The fields are white, the harvesters few;
let me be one of the few!!!"
The praise, the glory, the worship, always and forever go to He who is
WORTHY! Praise God and Jesus FOREVER!