How many of us understand Grace?

[donadams]

If our salvation is in any way located in us, in what we do, then we are our own saviors, or, at least, co-saviors with Jesus Christ, which is, as far as I'm concerned, a blasphemous idea. Our faith puts us in the position to be saved by Jesus, the One and Only Savior, but it is not the means of our salvation any more than my faith in my dentist to fix my teeth is what actually fixes my teeth. With every fiber of my being, I can trust the ability of my dentist to fix my teeth, doing so for weeks, or months, or even years, but if he doesn't actually fix my teeth, my faith in his skill helps my teeth not one bit. My faith merely puts me in position to have my teeth fixed by my dentist; my faith in him isn't what fixes my teeth. So, too with my Savior, Jesus Christ. My belief in him, my faith in his saving work, just puts me in position to be saved by him, not by my faith.

Is mercy also a free gift?

 

[Tenchi]

Is mercy also a free gift?

What has this question to do with my last post?

 

[donadams]

What has this question to do with my last post?

I have a good reason

 

[Free]

Is mercy also a free gift?

Mercy is a free gift, just like grace, just like justification.

 

[donadams]

Mercy is a free gift, just like grace, just like justification.

Then why do we need to exercise it?

Matt 5:7

Also please explain

Matt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Luke 7:47
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Thanks

 

[Free]

Then why do we need to exercise it?

Matt 5:7

Also please explain

Matt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Luke 7:47
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Thanks

First, I don't see what this post has to do with your initial question, "Is mercy also a free gift?" Second, we need to exercise it both out of obedience to Christ and because it was first given to us freely:

Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Mat 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Luk 10:36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
Luk 10:37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Rom 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Rom 11:30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,
Rom 11:31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Rom 12:6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
Rom 12:7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
Rom 12:8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Eph 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Eph 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Heb 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jas 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

1Pe_2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Jud 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Jud 1:22 And have mercy on those who doubt;
Jud 1:23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

(All ESV.)

All of these verses show either the command to show mercy or that we have been shown mercy by God.

 

[donadams]

First, I don't see what this post has to do with your initial question, "Is mercy also a free gift?" Second, we need to exercise it both out of obedience to Christ and because it was first given to us freely:

Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Mat 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Luk 10:36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
Luk 10:37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Rom 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Rom 11:30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,
Rom 11:31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Rom 12:6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
Rom 12:7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
Rom 12:8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Eph 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Eph 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Heb 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jas 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

1Pe_2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Jud 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Jud 1:22 And have mercy on those who doubt;
Jud 1:23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

(All ESV.)

All of these verses show either the command to show mercy or that we have been shown mercy by God.

Do good works i agree

As opposed to dead works

Thanks

 

[Free]

Do good works i agree

As opposed to dead works

Thanks

And what does that have to do with the topic?

 

[Tenchi]

I have a good reason

Why have you avoided my question?

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

There are some false doctrines in here. The most obvious one is the underlined part. SDA's in particular believe this error. I can only surmise the reason.

So I take it to mean that you think grace is only for past sins? If so, is it one-time only? Or does grace take care of present and future unintentional sins? Does grace ever take care of any present or future intentional sins? If grace covered my past sins 45 years ago, can it cover all my past sins again today? If grace can't cover present or future sins, then what covers those? Without grace to cover our present or future sins, are we to assume we must be perfect after grace is initially given?

And concerning willful sins, have you never read 1 Corinthians 10:13?

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Co 10:13)​

If with every temptation God provides a way out, a person chooses to not take the way of escape every time he succumbs to temptation. That sounds like intentional sin to me. Doesn't that convict you? I guess you'll need a better understanding of grace to address that.

Sin always lies at the door with its desire to take over you (Gen. 4:7) as long as we live in this sinful world, whether saved or not. The difference is that saved people are aware of sin and empowered to rule over it, they're disciplined and focused on God's calling; the unsaved don't care, they just indulge in sin and make excuses.

The blueprint of our spiritual journey is the Exodus, Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, but Egypt was not delivered out of them, the struggle never ceased, they continued to sin, even rebelled against Moses, in the end nobody entered the promised land except Joshua and Caleb. Egypt, wilderness and the promised land symbolize our old carnal life, our new spiritual life and the kingdom of heaven. Salvation is the start of our spiritual journey, not the end of it.

By grace all sins are justified, either past, present or future, but each individual will receive their own reward according to their WORK. An unprofitable Christian is still saved, but he'll suffer, and he'll have nothing in the next life. In fact they'll suffer in this life, and apostates suffer greater than atheists, as to him much is given, much is required, see Lk. 12:47-48. That's the difference between grace and BLESSING - grace is given, blessing is earned, it's contigent upon obedience.

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God ... (Deut. 28:1-2)

If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:14-15)

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

Sin always lies at the door with its desire to take over you (Gen. 4:7) as long as we live in this sinful world, whether saved or not. The difference is that saved people are aware of sin and empowered to rule over it, they're disciplined and focused on God's calling; the unsaved don't care, they just indulge in sin and make excuses.

The blueprint of our spiritual journey is the Exodus, Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, but Egypt was not delivered out of them, the struggle never ceased, they continued to sin, even rebelled against Moses, in the end nobody entered the promised land except Joshua and Caleb. Egypt, wilderness and the promised land symbolize our old carnal life, our new spiritual life and the kingdom of heaven. Salvation is the start of our spiritual journey, not the end of it.

By grace all sins are justified, either past, present or future, but each individual will receive their own reward according to their WORK. An unprofitable Christian is still saved, but he'll suffer, and he'll have nothing in the next life. In fact they'll suffer in this life, and apostates suffer greater than atheists, as to him much is given, much is required, see Lk. 12:47-48. That's the difference between grace and BLESSING - grace is given, blessing is earned, it's contigent upon obedience.

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God ... (Deut. 28:1-2)

If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:14-15)

The exodus serves as a warning to people today that would hear His voice and harden their hearts and as a blueprint for those who would hear His voice and trust Him. The ones who died in the wilderness did not enter the promised land. But those who placed their trust in Christ to deliver them from the giants blocking their way into the promised land... they enjoyed the blessings of salvation. And for those of us who have put our trust in Christ, we wouldn't give Him up for anything... because to know Him is to love Him...

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Pe 1:6–9)​

 

[Bro.Tan]

??? You give no basis for making this sudden leap into legalism. If God's grace is earned through law-keeping, then it is not undeserved favor, which is how the Bible defines His grace extended to us in Christ Jesus. Instead, it is by law-keeping that we come to deserve, to have earned, God's grace. But Scripture denies this view quite directly.

Romans 11:5-6
5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice.
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Galatians 3:11-14
11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Galatians 5:4-6
4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.



??? But when Jesus died for my sins, all of them were future sins. He died 2000 years ago, right? I don't, then, understand or agree with your statement here at all. And Scripture doesn't agree with what you've said here, either.

Romans 6:10
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Hebrews 10:10-14
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Hebrews 7:26-27
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

1 Peter 3:18
18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;



??? Absolutely not! This is out-and-out legalism/works-salvation - both of which are antithetical to God's grace. God accepts none of us on the basis of the quality of our living, only on the basis of our having trusted in Christ as our Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10).

2 Timothy 1:9
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

Titus 3:5-7
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Because our Salvation is in the Person of Christ and not in our works, our law-keeping, our salvation is secure. God always accepts Christ and so always accepts those who, by faith in him, are placed into him by the Holy Spirit and made "new creatures in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:1-13; Romans 8:9-16). And so, we read:

Hebrews 13:5-6
5 ...for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper...”

Philippians 1:6
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

John 10:27-29
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jude 1:24-25
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Thank for the awesome verses. When the bible speaks of laws we no longer have to keep, it is speaking of the sacrificial laws and Priesthood laws. These laws were a school master pointing us to the fact that Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins. Since Jesus died we are no longer under a school master, (required to offer up bulls and goats for our sins).

Now we must believe (have faith) Jesus died for us (Hebrews 10:4,9-10) 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 9 then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

This doesn't mean we don't have to obey God's moral laws of conduct. That would be like a man getting paroled from prison and then ignoring the same laws that sent him to prison in the first place. Jesus only died once, so if we willingly break God's law, after accepting Jesus, our reward will be eternal damnation (Hebrews 10:26-27) 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Let us avoid this at all costs, seeking a better reward. Jesus will return real soon And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12).

 

[Bro.Tan]

Do you know most people, then? That's an awful lot of people to know. Several billions.



So, you mean Christians, then? Still, there are a great many Christians. Many millions, worldwide. Do you know many millions of Christians? Have you heard them say, "I am under grace"?



??? Jesus dying for our sins is an act of grace, a divine demonstration of divine grace, yes. But what do you mean by "coming under his blood"? And how are you connecting doing so to divine grace expressed to us through the cross of Christ?

I don't know of any place in Scripture where Jesus is called the "Tree of Life," nor does Scripture anywhere say that Adam took the Tree of Life out of Eden by way of his sin. Adam's sin ejected Adam from Eden, not the Tree of Life.



The term "grace" has more than one meaning in Scripture. It may mean "undeserved favor and mercy," or it might mean "the condition resulting from grace," or "show gratitude," or "comeliness, a good appearance," etc. Grace, though, is not "a free gift," though it may produce a gift freely given. In other words, grace may prompt the giving of a gift, but it is not the gift itself. For example, Christ's sacrificial death on our behalf expresses divine grace but is not grace itself, which existed prior to the expression of grace and gives rise to that expression.



Psalm 69:2-5
2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies; What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
5 O God, it is You who knows my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from You.

When the context of Psalm 69:4 is examined, it's pretty apparent that Jesus is not in view. Verse 5, in particular, excludes Christ as the object of the passage since he was never guilty of "folly" or of "wrongs." Instead, the Psalmist - David - is speaking of himself, not Jesus.



Yes, Satan succeeded in drawing Adam and Eve into sin but the main effect of this wasn't to cut off humanity from the Tree of Life in the Garden, but to create a spiritual separation between Man and God that only the Atonement could remedy.



You are making too much of the Tree of Life. As I pointed out, Jesus is never called the Tree of Life in Scripture.

Continued below.

Let's take a look at that Tree of life in the last book of the Bible in Revelation 2: 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Let's see who this tree of life is, lets go in Revelation 1: 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. This is Jesus who was in the beginning with Adam and Eve in the garden.

 

[Bro.Tan]

Christ is not found in scripture until matt 1:1
Messiah until Daniel

Hi donadams......

There's a lot scripture that talks about Christ. Let's go into Isaiah 53: 1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
This is talking about Jesus.
Let's go into Hebrews 10: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.7 Then said I, Lo, I come (In the volume of the book it is written of me,) To do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

This is Jesus who comes in the volume of the book. On your phone you have a volume button and you can turn the volume up and down, that's how Jesus is written in the Bible. Let's go to Psalm 40: 6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; Mine ears hast thou opened: Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: In the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God:
Yea, thy law is within my heart.

That's just a few there, peace in Jesus name

 

[donadams]

And what does that have to do with the topic?

We must do good

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

Thank for the awesome verses. When the bible speaks of laws we no longer have to keep, it is speaking of the sacrificial laws and Priesthood laws. These laws were a school master pointing us to the fact that Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins. Since Jesus died we are no longer under a school master, (required to offer up bulls and goats for our sins).

Now we must believe (have faith) Jesus died for us (Hebrews 10:4,9-10) 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 9 then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

This doesn't mean we don't have to obey God's moral laws of conduct. That would be like a man getting paroled from prison and then ignoring the same laws that sent him to prison in the first place. Jesus only died once, so if we willingly break God's law, after accepting Jesus, our reward will be eternal damnation (Hebrews 10:26-27) 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Let us avoid this at all costs, seeking a better reward. Jesus will return real soon And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12).

I do not understand the desire to be under the law. It is almost as if people truly believe they can satisfy its requirements and escape its condemnation. Maybe you can explain it to me. Start by giving me one law that you do not need Jesus' forgiveness for breaking.

 

[donadams]

Why have you avoided my question?

Sorry what question

 

[Free]

We must do good

Yes, but what does that have to do with the topic?

 

[donadams]

Yes, but what does that have to do with the topic?

It does cos some reject works completely misunderstanding grace

Dogma helps clarify if your interested

Dogma / De Fide or “thee faith” (found 31 times in the New Testament) eph 4:5 Jude 1:3

Truths revealed by Christ, taught by His apostolic church! (Matt 28:19)
(The rule of faith)

The faith that binds all Christians! Matt 16:18-19 & 18:18

Christ and His church are one and teach one truth faith! Acts 9:4 eph 5:32 / Jn 8:12 - Matt 5:14
Matt 17:5 - acts 3:22 Matt 18:18
Truth: Jn 14:6 - 1 Tim 3:15

Most people who oppose catholic dogma actually believe about 90%


109. There is a supernatural intervention of God in the faculties of the soul, which precedes the free act of the will.
110. There is a supernatural influence of God in the faculties of the soul which coincides in time with man’s free act of will.
111. For every salutary act internal supernatural grace of God (gratia elevans) is absolutely necessary.
112. Internal supernatural grace is absolutely necessary for the beginning of faith and of salvation.
113. Without the special help of God the justified cannot persevere to the end in justification.
114. The justified person is not able for his whole life long to avoid all sins, even venial sins,
without the special privilege of the grace of God.
115. Even in the fallen state, man can, by his natural intellectual power, know religious and moral
truths.
116. For the performance of a morally good action Sanctifying Grace is not required.
117. In the state of fallen nature it is morally impossible for man without Supernatural Revelation,
to know easily, with absolute certainty and without admixture of error, all religious and
moral truths of the natural order.
118. Grace cannot be merited by natural works either de condigno or de congruo.
119. God gives all the just sufficient grace (gratia proxime vel remote sufficiens) for the
observation of the Divine Commandments.

122. The Human Will remains free under the influence of efficacious grace, which is not
irresistible.

125. The justification of an adult is not possible without Faith.
126. Besides faith, further acts of disposition must be present.
127. Sanctifying grace sanctifies the soul.
128. Sanctifying grace makes the just man a friend of God.
129. Sanctifying grace makes the just man a child of God and gives him a claim to the inheritance
of Heaven.
130. The three Divine or Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity are infused with
Sanctifying grace.
131. Without special Divine Revelation no one can know with the certainty of faith, if he be in the
state of grace.
132. The degree of justifying grace is not identical in all the just.
133. Grace can be increased by good works.
134. The grace by which we are justified may be lost, and is lost by every grievous [mortal,
serious] sin.
135. By his good works the justified man really acquires a claim to supernatural reward from
God.
136. A just man merits for himself through each good work an increase of sanctifying grace,
eternal life (if he dies in a state of grace) and an increase of heavenly glory.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

The exodus serves as a warning to people today that would hear His voice and harden their hearts and as a blueprint for those who would hear His voice and trust Him. The ones who died in the wilderness did not enter the promised land. But those who placed their trust in Christ to deliver them from the giants blocking their way into the promised land... they enjoyed the blessings of salvation. And for those of us who have put our trust in Christ, we wouldn't give Him up for anything... because to know Him is to love Him...

Yes, in the next life we’ll be physically United with Christ, his kingdom is our promised land. In this life though, spiritually united, like a long distance relationship. This is our temporary home, like a rented apartment, we don’t belong here, and don’t pretend that we do.