show me where we here and now have eternal salvation?
eternal life is not life eternal but the life of God in us! (grace)
Jn 1:16-17
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Jn 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Jn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
eph 2:1 & 2:5 quickend or brought to life!
fragile can lose
2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in
earthenvessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
can lose the blessing of Christ and grace by sin!
mt 25:30
1 cor 6:9-10 & 15-20
gal 5:19-21
eph 5:2-6
never inherit the kingdom of God or eternal salvation
can reject Christ and renounce our baptism
2 Timothy 2:12
(((even if you think you're saved by "faith alone"!)))
Children of disobedience are under condemnation and the wrath of God abides on them! eph 5:6
(((even if you think you're saved by "faith alone"!)))
You just said it right there..
" even if you think you're saved"
What we think about the status of our salvation in completely irrelevant, as we are capable of and in fact inclined to think only good things about ourselves.
Many people believe they are saved but are not.. Even in Jesus's time there were deeply religious people who believed they were saved but were not. The Pharisees come to mind. These were people like Saul, who did all the right things. They were trusting in their works for salvation. The rich young ruler he also did all the right things kept all of God's laws. He would be a deacon in any church but he was not saved.
Jesus spent His whole ministry cutting through our bologna that we put up in order to get to the heart of the matter.
" you have heard it said do not commit adultery but I tell you anyone who looks at a woman lustfully commits adultery with her in his heart"
This should deflate the pride of any man who thinks he's been a virtuous husband.. you haven't...
This is why salvation, eternal life, life with the Father, heaven, not going to hell which are all synonymous cannot be works based. Because even as born again regenerate Christians are still on our very best day, evil and in need of a savior.
That's what Jesus's whole ministry was about. He wasn't trying to get us to be better people. He was holding up a mirror and saying you need a Savior and I am He.
In spite of my transformed life. I am not much better than i was as an unbeliever. Why? Because " the good i want to do I do not do but the evil that I don't want to do that I keep on doing " That is what it means to be human. To be corrupt, to be utterly depraved, that is why salvation comes by grace through faith not the result of works. And that is why no one may boast.
"If a man says he is without sin he is a liar and the truth is not in him"
Jesus's work on the cross did away with sin once and for all. We still need to turn from our sins as we discover them in our lives but those sins no longer have any bearing on our eternal destiny.
" if you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness "
Think about that for a minute....
Jesus's work on the cross was so powerful that it's an act of justice when He forgives us!!
Justice.... as in the right thing to do.. as in a legal obligation.
Not that God is obligated to us but to the work Jesus did.
That is why my name here is onlysaved.. I make no other claims about myself. Im not good, im not righteous in my own merit. I am not holy by life choices, I don't feel comfortable calling myself any name associated with Christ. It's all been His work not mine. I don't see that I have any right to make claims of being like Him.
My faith came from Him, my obedience ( what little there is) comes from Him, Justification, restoration, salvation.. All God's work i had almost to do with it.
Relationship with God is not about avoiding sin, it's about where your loyalty lies and yes some sin will fall away during that relationship and over the course of it but when you study God's word you can only come to the conclusion that at our very best we fall very short. That's why we need a Savior.
