Gal 5:24 "those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
"have crucified" is in the aorist past tense. It's not talking about an ongoing process. Those of use who are in Christ have crucified our flesh in that we reckon ourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom 6:11) Since we're in Christ sin is an entity distinct from us and has no impact on our destiny. Unlike the theology of salvation-by-works Christians.
So do you take this to mean that when a believer sins, they are not sinning because Christ died in their place, right? If so, the problem with this kind of view is that it is not consistent with the context.
Paul's point in leading up to Galatians 5:24 is dealing with crucifying the affections and lusts in the sense of putting sin away by overcoming it (Note: This would be putting away of grievous sin, like lying, lusting, hating, etc.). For Paul says that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Paul says that certain grievous sins can cause one not to inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23). So the focus here is one's actions and it is not in some kind of sin and still be saved gospel concept (if that is what you are suggesting it is).
Romans 6:11 is also not suggesting that when a believer sins, he is not really sinning because Jesus paid the price for their sin. It is again talking about overcoming grievous sin.
This is also supported by the context.
For the next verse tells us not let sin reign in our body.
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."
(Romans 6:12).
You said:
You're interpreting the Bible to mean that salvation is contingent upon one's ongoing performance, which is salvation by works. This as opposed to salvation be a settled matter for those in faith as Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24
This would be isolating one verse out of the Bible to support your own conclusions. Of course this is how one initially gets saved. A person first believes in Jesus to be saved, but the story does not end there. In John 8:47, Jesus says to the Jews:
“He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (John 8:47). In other words, we have to obey God's words otherwise we are not of God.
This is what Jesus was teaching.
You said:
To view salvation as contingent upon works is a rejection of the gospel. It's essentially disobedience to the gospel. You're reading Rom 11:22 to be saying that salvation is contingent upon you doing good things, which is not what it's saying. "His goodness" is not referring to our goodness. But again your interpretation puts you squarely in the salvation by works category of Christian.
This is what you have been taught. So this is all that you see. You see works as being bad in relation to being a part of God's good kingdom. But that is what Romans 11:22 says. Believers can be cut off if they do not continue in His goodness (God's goodness). I did not write that verse in the Bible. God inspired Paul to write it. You either believe it or you don't. It says just prior that we are to be not high minded but to fear. Again, fear would be a useless emotion to have in your belief. Yet, again, it is here in Romans 11 and in many other places in our Bible. Philippians 2:12 says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Why all the trembling if it is not talking about fear?
You said:
As for Heb 3:11-14 it seems to me that you yourself are calling for people to depart from the faith and put in its place your salvation by works theology. Heb 3:14 is talking about evidence that one has genuinely come to really trust in Christ and subsequently been made a partaker of Christ (like myself) in that they do persevere in their faith to the end, despite being exhorted by salvation by works Christians to depart from the faith.
So you just ignore the part of the passage that says a believer's heart can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin?
Also, Hebrews 10:26 says,
"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"
But by what you said, you give me the impression that a believer can willfully sin and still be saved (Which runs contrary to this verse).
You said:
Heb 4:2 is about people like salvation by works Christians to whom I've preached the gospel of grace. But they reject it because of lack of faith on their part.
Sorry, it does not say such a thing.
It says they did not mix in faith. This means they were all "Works Alone Salvationism" with no faith in God's grace. So no. You are not reading this verse right. If your view on this verse was correct, it would say nothing about mixing in faith at all. It would say that it should be faith alone in Christ is the only way and that works in any way is heresy. But of course if this was the case, then there would be a problem with the teachings of Jesus in Luke 10:25-28, and Matthew 19:17-19.
You said:
As for Mt 7:23 which you brought up Jesus says, "I never knew you". He doesn't say, "I used to know you, but then you lost your salvation". People who have come to know him do continue in the faith and lifestyle consistent with that faith. But what salvation by works Christians can't seem to get through their thick skulls is that they do so not in order to be saved nor to maintain their salvation status, but rather they do so because of the new creation.
Now, I am not implying you believe this way personally, but have you considered that these believers who never known Jesus were the kind of believers who have always believed a gospel that justifies iniquity as a part of God's grace? They thought they could commit grievous sin (iniquity) and still be saved. So yes. They did good works, but they also worked iniquity, too. Again, Jesus did not say that one should have trusted in His finished work alone and not worry about iniquity or sin. Yet, Jesus says the opposite of that.
Your issue is with doing good works as a part of salvation, but Jesus said that the unprofitable servant will be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:30). So I am not sure what Bible you are reading.
In any event, may the Lord's goodness be upon you (even if we strongly disagree in regards to the Bible).
