- Mar 31, 2019
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Sister, you have a bad translation where "belief" is translated as "faith" when Paul has revealed that the Greek word used is ambiguous for "belief" and should not always be translated as "faith". The following translation of the Ephesians passage is right when it translates the Greek word "pistis" as "belief" in this context, when most other translations are wrong, translating it as faith in the context of the "gift" of initial forgiveness. However, the "gift" is something different from salvation in general, referring to the special case at the beginning of our faith as explained in this other passage through David, but most translations of your Ephesians passage assume the "gift" is descriptive of salvation in general, overlooking most Jews who work hard at the temple with animal sacrifices to gain mastery over sin.You misunderstand salvation through faith. . .not by works (Eph 2:8-9). That is your choice.
When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are credited righteousness (dikaiosuné), not because of their work, but because of their belief (pistis) in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are credited righteousness (dikaiosuné) without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.” Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was credited righteousness (dikaiosuné) by God because of his belief (pistis). But how did this happen? Was he credited righteousness (dikaiosuné) only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! (Romans 4:4-10 NLT fixed)
Changing the initial "gift" to salvation as what "is not a reward for the good things we have done" is wrong as David's experience will show. The following translation failed when it switched the focus from the "gift" of initial forgiveness to salvation in general when salvation requires one to work hard daily with animal sacrifices at the temple to gain mastery over sin.
God saved you by his grace when you believed (pistis). And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation/the gift is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things/work (ergon) he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT fixed and overlaid with commentary)
The first contact is free and is different from the rest of the relationship that costs! Our common experience is that companies offer "free trials" to encourage purchases. God's initial forgiveness is free when the rest of His additional many forgivenesses are not free and require us to work hard daily in the temple with animal sacrifices in God's full plan of salvation. In David's story, his sin destroyed his faith because faith requires obedience to "all" of God's good works.
“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. However, if righteous (adjective) people turn from their righteousness (noun) and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins. (Ezekiel 18:23-26 NLT fixed)
The above passage explains that David was lost in sin, where all his previous good works were forgotten before he entered into a new faith below where he now knew he was lost when he did not know that before.
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. (2 Samuel 12:13 NLT)
In the story of David, his initial forgiveness is free but not the rest of his future forgivenesess in the full cost of salvation from his slavery to sin, which would require David to work hard daily at the temple with animal sacrifices to gain mastery over sin.
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7:23-26 NIV)
The passage says the gift of initial forgiveness is free and not salvation when God puts us to work which is not rest! It says God forgives our past sins as a gift, when you first believe, to put us to "work" and not to give us rest from the "work" He planned for us long ago. One of these works "ready since he made the world" is the Sabbath corrected from human tradition in Hebrews. The word "salvation" in place of the "gift" of initial forgiveness is a bad translation, making the passage say we do not need to "work" for our salvation from sin when the original actually says He wants us to do the "work" God planned for us long ago. He expects "work" and not to rest for those who have received the gift of initial forgiveness for past sins. The gift of crediting righteousness for having believed grants initial forgiveness for prior sins for having "believed". Faith requires at least one act of God's given works of righteousness and you get that first act as a gift when God credits your having believed, as your first act of "righteousness", completing your faith before doing any additional regular works of righteousness at the temple.Not talking about living by grace. Talking about salvation of Eph 2:8-9 by grace.
God saved you by his grace when you believed (pistis). And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation/the gift is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things/work (ergon) he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT fixed)
United in our hope for the soon return of Jesus, Jorge
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