That's kind of the point of my questions. Just seeking answers.
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Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
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Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
https://christianforums.net/threads/psalm-70-1-save-me-o-god-lord-help-me-now.108509/
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Depending upon the Holy Spirit for all you do?
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How are famous preachers sometimes effected by sin?
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Jesus promise: Recipients of eternal life will never perish!
- Thread starter FreeGrace
- Start date
No, I don't believe that someone has to "do something" before they can be saved. The Bible is very specific; they HAVE TO believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. That's exactly what Paul said the jailer had TO DO.
To answer your question about how can a spiritually dead person believe, everyone has that ability. It comes from the intellect which can understand the gospel message and God's promises.
No one chooses to "be alive". But that's what God does for the one who believes in His Son.
What does the first part of your question mean, "Paul says God man is alive"???
Are you referring to 'faith' as a noun or a verb?
As a noun, yes, it is God who provides what we believe to be true. That is 'faith' as a noun.
But, as a verb, mankind has the ability to either accept or reject what God promises.
I said:
"Man has free will to accept or reject God's gift of salvation.
Man cannot save himself, but must believe in the work of Jesus Christ, who died for everyone and gives eternal life to those who believe.
Spiritual growth is separate from getting saved. One must be saved before there can even be any spiritual growth.
A believer must be in fellowship (sins confessed and be filled with the Holy Spirit) in order to live the Christian life.
Every believer is a recipient of eternal life, and will never perish, per Jesus' promise in John 10:28."
I don't see any contradiction here. We know who God will be gracious and have compassion on because the Bible tells us.
Isa 55:7 - Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
So basically, God is gracious to and has compassion for those who turn to Him. For the rest, He has wrath.
What is absolute is what Jesus promises to recipients of eternal life; they will never perish. Jn 10:28
And Jesus explained in Jn 5:24 WHEN one possesses eternal life; when they believe.
"Man has free will to accept or reject God's gift of salvation.
Man cannot save himself, but must believe in the work of Jesus Christ, who died for everyone and gives eternal life to those who believe.
Spiritual growth is separate from getting saved. One must be saved before there can even be any spiritual growth.
A believer must be in fellowship (sins confessed and be filled with the Holy Spirit) in order to live the Christian life.
Every believer is a recipient of eternal life, and will never perish, per Jesus' promise in John 10:28."
I don't see any contradiction here. We know who God will be gracious and have compassion on because the Bible tells us.
Isa 55:7 - Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
So basically, God is gracious to and has compassion for those who turn to Him. For the rest, He has wrath.
Ditto.
What is absolute is what Jesus promises to recipients of eternal life; they will never perish. Jn 10:28
And Jesus explained in Jn 5:24 WHEN one possesses eternal life; when they believe.
There are several views of what repentance is and means. Based on the literal Greek, it is composed of 2 words; "meta" and "noeo". So, literally, it means to "change the mind".
In that sense, everyone who comes to faith in Christ has to change their mind about a number of things:
1. they have to admit they are sinners.
2. they have to acknowledge that because of their sin, they face an eternity apart from God in the lake of fire.
3. they have to believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins.
4. they have to know that Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe in Him for it.
The word 'repent' also carries the concept of turning from sins. However, to do that involves lifestyle. Is anyone saved by any kind of lifestyle? The Bible says salvation is by faith. It does not say salvation includes lifestyle.
The theology of Lordship Salvation, made popular by John McArthur, insists that the believer MUST make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives (a lifestyle issue) in order to be saved.
That is viewed by free grace theology as akin to the party of the Pharisees claiming one must be circumcised to be saved, as seen in Acts 15:1 - 1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
and Acts 15:5 - 5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
So, in a nutshell, free grace theology believes that salvation is by grace through faith only, and NOT by or of works.
Once saved, the believer is permanently sealed, permanently saved, forgiven, justified, born again. The Christian life is accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit only when the believer is in fellowship.
This seems like a contradiction. First you say we cannot do something to be saved and then you say we must believe to be saved. Which is it?
God referred to Job as a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil and yet he allowed Satan to incite Him against Job (Job 2:3). Hardly an example of mercy bestowed upon Job at that point.
Nathan
Member
Your description states we do something before God does. That is a works based salvation.
I edited my original post. The question was supposed to say God made us alive, do you believe we choose to be alive? If we choose to be made alive, then it's based on us not God. That again is a works based salvation. A false gospel.
John 6
43 Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
45 It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me
Do you believe God draws people to Christ?
No it doesn't. Just making a claim without any supporting evidence doesn't make it true.
God already did all He needed to do for man to believe. He provided the sacrifice of His Son to pay the penalty of our sins, and provides the free gift of eternal life to all who believe. And He has revealed His divine power and attributes for everyone so that no one has any excuse. Rom 1:19-20
No, it's not.
I answered no.
It's Not our choice. It's God's choice to save us and to make us alive.
Sure. John 12:32 says so.
Nathan
Member
Ponder this - why did Christ have to be tested?
1 Peter 1
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Gregg T
Member
Rom 10:9-10 [NASB] "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
Faith results in righteousness, and confessing the Lord Jesus results in salvation.
To believe in God is to repent of unbelief.
So, faith 'alone' is an unwarranted embellishment of faith. Saved by grace through faith, yes, but that faith is accompanied by both repentence from unbelief and an outward expression with the mouth.
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Gregg T
Member
Is the act of believing a work? Yes or no please.
Is believing in God an action of God or man? Yes or no please.
Nathan
Member
Gregg T
Member
Does God believe for you?
Nathan
Member
No, He enables us to believe. Therefore the action of believing is God, the response to His action(which is a reaction) is us.
John 6:29 (ESV)
Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
James 1:18 (ESV)
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Now, this is in regards to salvation. The person who has not believed in Christ most certainly believes something. Everyone believes something.
Whether they have not believed in Christ because the have not been called yet by God, or if they have denied Gods call, I do not know.
All I know is that I was dead in my sins and God made me alive in Christ. He brought me forth, even after years of believing in a false gospel. He saved me, and now I truly believe it.
It's not believe and you're saved. Your faith has to be tested. Jesus even said it is necessary that temptations come. Mt. 18:7 You have to endure God's discipline (not what you think it is) to the end to be saved. "But he who endures to the end will be saved." Mt. 24:13
James said the same thing. "Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
You have to be tested and endure trials and sufferings and temptations to see if your faith is genuine. Endurance is necessary to run the race. The testing is to see if a man's faith is genuine, if he falls into unbelief or holds it fast. Those who believe for a while and then fall away are not saved.
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Pet. 4:12-13
Nathan
Member
It should be known that God does not test us to see for Himself. God knows everything.
It should also be known that in Christ, through faith, we can know that we do have eternal life. We don't have to wait and see if we pass the test if we stay in the faith - we can have assurance.
Trials/temptations/discipline is always a way to show us the truth and point us to God - pure unity in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27 For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.