Name the Impossible in Hebrews 6:1-8

[smaller]

If you do not confess the sins God reveals to you, you are in darkness. If your faith is not exclusively in Christ and the Cross, it means it is in self or something else. Therefore you are living under a voided Cross.

Forgiveness is a One Way Street.

Colossians 2:13
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Jesus is NOT some kind of magical AMULET whereby we "activate" His Eternal Things via incantations or exercises.

 

[iLOVE]

Forgiveness is a One Way Street.

Colossians 2:13
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Jesus is NOT some kind of magical AMULET whereby we "activate" His Eternal Things via incantations or exercises.

I am not talking about losing your salvation. I am talking about fellowship with God almighty. We are being saved through sanctification and we want Jesus overrule all negative things in our life by admitting wrongs He reveals to us. Remember sin creates a wound in your soul that brings in the enemy. The enemy brings sickness, disease, infirmities, mental problems, sexual immorality, poverty, divorce, domestic altercations, making bad decision, and so much more. The scripture says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us." That is why the scripture says the message of the cross will sound like foolishness. Most Christians process everything by facts and not truth. In the Kingdom of God, truth is a higher law than facts. Most Christians do not understand the Cross. Therefore thy are being schooled still under the "Law." This is also called double mindedness.

 

[ChristDependent]

Every scripture you have posted can't be done with our will power. The Holy Spirit keeps them through us by placing your faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross. This is how you grieve the Holy Spirit by not having faith in Jesus and Him crucified. God is only moved by faith...and not your, I will, I will, I will. Satan was kick out of heaven because of pride and self. The scripture says the worlds wisdom voids the Cross immediately.

It might have been clearer if you had just resorted to this scripture.

2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

1 Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

If however, I still do not get your meaning as being different from those references, feel free to clarify some more.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

It is impossible for someone to be born again "again", because they are always His, even if they no longer believe in Him and deny Him, but He still abides in them.

Hyper grace theology.
Scary.

 

[ChristDependent]

If you do not confess the sins God reveals to you, you are in darkness. If your faith is not exclusively in Christ and the Cross, it means it is in self or something else. Therefore you are living under a voided Cross. 1 John 1:5-10 NKJV, 1 Corinthians 1:17-25 NKJV

1 John 1:5-10 is about having fellowship with the Father & the Son by walking in the light. We apply faith in Him as our Good Shepherd to help us walk in the light even when we are not, as we are trusting Him to lead us in the right way. Maturity & discipleship in Christ can take time.

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Even a fruit-bearing disciple may find himself purged so that he may bear more fruit.

1 Corinthians 1:17-25 is about the hearing of the gospel is how any one who believes can be saved. We apply faith in Him as our Savior that we are saved, but if someone falls away from that faith and no longer believes, He still abides in Him.

2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Yet He calls every one having His seal, even former believers, to depart from iniquity still.

2 Timothy 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

You phrase of "your faith is not exclusively in Christ and the Cross" is not clear when you post "Therefore you are living under a voided Cross." It is only the faith is voided; not the cross. Faith can be restored. What had happened at the cross isn't going anywhere, and neither is Jesus that is in us.

 

[ChristDependent]

Hyper grace theology.
Scary.

http://www.gotquestions.org/hyper-grace.html

The term hyper-grace has been used to describe a new wave of teaching that emphasizes the grace of God to the exclusion of other vital teachings such as repentance and confession of sin. Hyper-grace teachers maintain that all sin, past, present, and future, has already been forgiven, so there is no need for a believer to ever confess it. Hyper-grace teaching says that, when God looks at us, He sees only a holy and righteous people. The conclusion of hyper-grace teaching is that we are not bound by Jesus’ teaching, even as we are not under the Law; that believers are not responsible for their sin; and that anyone who disagrees is a pharisaical legalist. In short, hyper-grace teachers “pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (Jude 1:4) and flirt withantinomianism.

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

I am sharing about the reality of Jesus Christ in what it means to be bought with a price and sealed as His, and that is why the call is given out to every saved believer and even former believer that they should be going before that throne of grace for help in discerning the lies of the world by the truth in His words as kept in the KJV so they can have the answers they seek to lean on Him in departing from any and all iniquity.

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The defiled physical body shall be destroyed, and the spirit is still saved, having His seal, but it is better to avoid such chastening from the Father by leaning on Jesus Christ to help them depart from iniquity.

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.....28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

So how we receive the kingdom of heaven is the question; as vessels unto honor for looking unto Him as our Good Shepherd in running that race to be received at the Marriage Supper or to be received later on after the great tribulation as vessels unto dishonor in His House for not looking to Him for help to depart from iniquity & become castaways as in left behind at the pre tribulational rapture event.

So it is not hyper grace. Once a believer has been cursed as a vessel unto honor in His House, he or she can never be that vessel unto honor once that door to the Marriage Supper has been shut.

 

[smaller]

I am not talking about losing your salvation. I am talking about fellowship with God almighty. We are being saved through sanctification and we want Jesus overrule all negative things in our life by admitting wrongs He reveals to us.

Well, that's NOT going to happen. To enter into belief in Christ is to enter into a type of war. Romans 7:23. The casualty in that battle is our own flesh, because God in Christ, by His Spirit, remains against and contrary to the flesh. Gal. 5:17. Thinking the flesh will be blessed is not all that true, nor are the promoters of such schemes accurate in saying so. The flesh can however be deceived into thinking it's blessed by rituals and activation incantations. It's not going to happen. I came out of that ether that floats around in charismania quite some time ago. And it exists in other sects as well. There's a 'bless my flesh' structure in just about every sect or the people won't adhere. Similar to the O.T. prophets who only heaped the niceties upon the masses. They were all lairs too, prophesying "smooth" things that the flesh likes to hear for itself.

Remember sin creates a wound in your soul that brings in the enemy.

Sin dwelling in the flesh is a perpetual state, as is evil present with us. Romans 7:17-21. We never rid the flesh of these internal realities by rituals and incantations. We are literally bound in a body of death and the body is dead because of sin. There is no need for God to be blessing a dead because of sin body. There is no purpose in it. It's a temporary hangout that has other Divine Purposes, such as the demonstration of the need for Eternal Grace and Mercy from Christ. The basis of need is the state we are currently in.

Romans 8:10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

The enemy brings sickness, disease, infirmities, mental problems, sexual immorality, poverty, divorce, domestic altercations, making bad decision, and so much more. The scripture says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us." That is why the scripture says the message of the cross will sound like foolishness.

The cross imposes an offense to the flesh, because it's going the same way Jesus' Body did. To death. The flesh really doesn't care much to hear that, and will go kicking and screaming.

Most Christians process everything by facts and not truth. In the Kingdom of God, truth is a higher law than facts. Most Christians do not understand the Cross. Therefore thy are being schooled still under the "Law." This is also called double mindedness.

The Cross is NOT a blessing to the flesh. Nor is the Cross or the blood or any number of other matters that preachers use as a fulcrum, activated by our observations, incantations or rituals. They are ONE WAY workings of God in Christ. That work is diminished by no man, activated by no man, controlled by no man.

 

[ChristDependent]

The Cross is NOT a blessing to the flesh.

There seems to be some blessings to the flesh given by the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Matthew 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 7 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

1 Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

We are a new man now by our faith in Jesus Christ, and it is by the Spirit in us that we mortify the deeds of the body by trusting Jesus Christ as our Good Shepherd to help us to live as His now.

 

[smaller]

There seems to be some blessings to the flesh given by the cross.

The flesh profits nothing from the Cross. It is a temporal planting meant to die, which is what the Cross shows the flesh, even the flesh of God Himself in the flesh. The flesh rejects that picture for itself, because it is against the Spirit and the Spirit against it. Gal. 5:17.

So no, the CROSS is not 'good news' to the flesh whatsoever. Look at the flesh of Jesus and understand the fate of the flesh. The Cross is an offense to the flesh because it is the conveyance of death of same.

 

[ChristDependent]

The flesh profits nothing from the Cross. It is a temporal planting meant to die, which is what the Cross shows the flesh, even the flesh of God Himself in the flesh. The flesh rejects that picture for itself, because it is against the Spirit and the Spirit against it. Gal. 5:17.

So no, the CROSS is not 'good news' to the flesh whatsoever. Look at the flesh of Jesus and understand the fate of the flesh. The Cross is an offense to the flesh because it is the conveyance of death of same.

I think you are still stuck on a theme for which you statements of "The flesh profits nothing from the Cross. " and "So no, the CROSS is not 'good news' to the flesh whatsoever." cannot be applied to everything which is what I am trying to share.

Are we a new man; a new creature or not? Yes, I acknowledge that this body of death is still present, but I do acknowledge that I am a new man, bought with a price and sealed as His wherein my physical body becomes the Temple of the Holy Spirit. So how does that not seen as a profit to this flesh now?

Will we not be resurrected in new body or not? How is the message of the Cross not good news to that?

 

[smaller]

I think you are still stuck on a theme for which you statements of "The flesh profits nothing from the Cross. " and "So no, the CROSS is not 'good news' to the flesh whatsoever." cannot be applied to everything which is what I am trying to share.

Are we a new man; a new creature or not?

Yes, still however with flesh that is contrary to and against the Spirit. There is no getting around this part of the equations. Not if we are 'truthful.' Romans 7:17-21, Gal. 4:14, Gal. 5:17, etc etc. Many scriptures speak of our "vile" present flesh, current state. We should not wander off into fantasy land, with these present realities in hand.

Yes, I acknowledge that this body of death is still present, but I do acknowledge that I am a new man, bought with a price and sealed as His wherein my physical body becomes the Temple of the Holy Spirit. So how does that not seen as a profit to this flesh now?

We are to reign over the present adversity we are bound with, lest it over run our flesh.

Will we not be resurrected in new body or not? How is the message of the Cross not good news to that?

The Good News is not good news to the natural man. To the natural man it, The Gospel, is the message of death.

Romans 7:9
For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

The practice of "renaming" is done because of this.

 

[iLOVE]

Anything which we place our faith, other than Christ and the Cross is the flesh, and God will not accept it - Galatians 6:14 NKJV.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life - (John 3:16).

Jesus makes it crystal clear that you must only believe in Him!

 

[ChristDependent]

Yes, still however with flesh that is contrary to and against the Spirit. There is no getting around this part of the equations. Not if we are 'truthful.' Romans 7:17-21, Gal. 4:14, Gal. 5:17, etc etc. Many scriptures speak of our "vile" present flesh, current state. We should not wander off into fantasy land, with these present realities in hand.

The problem here is that in spite of acknowledging to the contrary, you seem to dismiss the benefit that we have in Christ now in regards to being Spirit-filled and our body being the temple of the Holy Spirit now. You seem to imply even our future perfect state in a resurrected body is off to fantasy land. This is why I think those two statements of "The flesh profits nothing from the Cross. " and "So no, the CROSS is not 'good news' to the flesh whatsoever." from previous post cannot apply to everything.

I have no confidence in the flesh. I used to by trying to keep that commitment to follow Christ, and kept failing miserably, but He has set me free from that commitment to rest in Him & His promises to me ALL the TIME in helping me to live as His in following Him as His disciple.

We are to reign over the present adversity we are bound with, lest it over run our flesh.


The Good News is not good news to the natural man. To the natural man it, The Gospel, is the message of death.

Romans 7:9
For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

The practice of "renaming" is done because of this.

But now the reality is that it is not I who live, but Christ Who lives in me, and my faith is in the Son of God for the power I need in following Him as He is my Good Shepherd and not just as my Saviour.

 

[ChristDependent]

Anything which we place our faith, other than Christ and the Cross is the flesh, and God will not accept it - Galatians 6:14 NKJV.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life - (John 3:16).

Jesus makes it crystal clear that you must only believe in Him!

I have no confidence in the flesh. I used to, by trying to keep that commitment to follow Christ, and kept failing miserably, but He has set me free from that commitment to rest in Him & His promises to me ALL the TIME in helping me to live as His in following Him as His disciple.

My signature declares my hope in Him.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Name the Impossible in Hebrews...

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins..." (Hebrews 10:23-26 NASB)

Contrary to popular hyper-grace doctrine, the Bible says it is impossible for the one who claims to believe in Christ to still have the sacrifice of Christ if they 'go on sinning willfully'.

 

[smaller]

The problem here is that in spite of acknowledging to the contrary, you seem to dismiss the benefit that we have in Christ now in regards to being Spirit-filled and our body being the temple of the Holy Spirit now.

What makes you say that? I think it's quite wonderful that God in Christ Loves sinners and saves sinners. Is this something new to you?

You seem to imply even our future perfect state in a resurrected body is off to fantasy land.

Don't know why you'd say that either. I do have a different sight of end time matters than the pretrib picture. Yeah. I don't stake my witnessing on that matter though. It is far far down the list. Certainly not willing to divide with believers over pretrib, or as you present, some believers getting "left behind" for their torture sessions. Heavens no. At the last trump ALL believers will be changed. That's it. Done deal. If Christ can prevail over our sin and our blindness in the flesh, then he will do so unilaterally/from only ONE Direction, by His Own Power to do so. Phil. 3:21. I personally think end times matters are going to be the opposite of what most positions present. It will come very very quickly with a veritable FLOOD of Gods Mercy, that that from US and through US by Christ IN US. So, yeah, I very much anticipate this flood. And seek it, daily. Gods Mercy is really all that matters to me. And it is Gods Desires to give this to us in Resurrection.

This is why I think those two statements of "The flesh profits nothing from the Cross. " and "So no, the CROSS is not 'good news' to the flesh whatsoever." from previous post cannot apply to everything.

The Cross is an offense to the flesh. The flesh really doesn't care to speak the truth of it's status. That's why I share the things that Paul showed us about himself, in the flesh. Just to drive home the point. And that only because we as bodies of believers tend to cover our sorry hides with lies and hypocrisy. So, yeah, I kind of enjoy ripping those covers off. It is the status of our vile flesh that shows our need, our real need for His Mercy. It's not just LIP SERVICE, Gods Mercy.

And I'll go one step further to say that God can and does put the flesh in dire straights to prove the point. A couple of those states are lies and hypocrisy. These are the covers we do NOT want to be found under. These are the states that Jesus HATED the most. And these are states of the demonic, whereby Gods own people are captured in the flesh.

I have no confidence in the flesh.

Brilliant conclusion. And very scriptural. We ARE to put forth an openly declared vote of NO CONFIDENCE in our own flesh. Phil. 3:3. Just as the Apostles did via exposures. They don't have to be nitty gritty details, but putting on Paul's shoes in these matters, to me, is mandatory disclosure in order to be in truth and be truthful. It tends to "level the ground" between believers. I have found over the years that liars and hypocrites can NOT go there. So it's a good measure to sort through who is who.

That's also WHY Paul and John for example, wrote what they wrote on these matters, so we can know and avoid lying hypocrisy and those who spread false Gospels. I personally will not sit under lying hypocrisy, posing as Gospel.

I used to by trying to keep that commitment to follow Christ, and kept failing miserably, but He has set me free from that commitment to rest in Him & His promises to me ALL the TIME in helping me to live as His in following Him as His disciple.

Part of what happens, particularly with us who know and understand OSAS is exactly what you speak of above. I used Paul's disclosure to DECLOAK myself from lying hypocrisy. Even though the disclosures are not all that fun. I do understand that there is a reason that "every thought" MUST be brought into captivity. Because we do deal with thoughts from our adversary, internally, in the flesh, every single day. So, no, this is not a pleasant reality to enter into. But it does drive home the point of our inability to SAVE OURSELVES by our own POWER. That's just not going to happen, nor is it possible. It is then that we understand OSAS.

But now the reality is that it is not I who live, but Christ Who lives in me, and my faith is in the Son of God for the power I need in following Him as He is my Good Shepherd and not just as my Saviour.

True again. And in that there is absolutely no need to put on the falsehoods that our vile flesh likes us to have on. We do bear what we bear in very faulted vile earthen vessels. There is little use in claiming otherwise. Not if we want to be in truth and be truthful.

 

[ChristDependent]

Name the Impossible in Hebrews...

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins..." (Hebrews 10:23-26 NASB)

Contrary to popular hyper-grace doctrine, the Bible says it is impossible for the one who claims to believe in Christ to still have the sacrifice of Christ if they 'go on sinning willfully'.

Do you still believe I am preaching hyper-grace doctrine? I had thought I had addressed that issue if you still were thinking that.

Let's examine your statement; "the Bible says it is impossible for the one who claims to believe in Christ to still have the sacrifice of Christ if they 'go on sinning willfully' "

That is not what the Bible says exactly. He simply meant that once bought; you cannot be bought again. Once ransomed, there is no ransoming again, because you are forever His. It is impossible because that would mean His sacrifice the first time was not good enough.

And so once again, the sin of this sinning willfully part of the verse is about how a believer after having knowledge that there is no more sacrifice for sins, believes that there still is a need for another sacrifice for sins. That is the sin mentioned in Hebrews 10:26. If you read on, the scripture speaks of the result of that sin of believing that there is still a need for another sacrifice for sins, and that result for that sin is treating the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing.

Hebrews 10:26 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. 28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people

But in spite of sinning willfully by treating the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing by believing that there still is a need for a continual sacrifice for sins, they are still considered His people as God will judge them for believing that.

 

[ChristDependent]

What makes you say that?

Don't know why you'd say that either.

I am beginning to see that most of the members here are having a hard time understanding me. I understand what you are saying, but somehow, I cannot seem to clarify my position to you either.

Part of what happens, particularly with us who know and understand OSAS is exactly what you speak of above. I used Paul's disclosure to DECLOAK myself from lying hypocrisy. Even though the disclosures are not all that fun. I do understand that there is a reason that "every thought" MUST be brought into captivity. Because we do deal with thoughts from our adversary, internally, in the flesh, every single day. So, no, this is not a pleasant reality to enter into. But it does drive home the point of our inability to SAVE OURSELVES by our own POWER. That's just not going to happen, nor is it possible. It is then that we understand OSAS.

I was led to make a commitment to follow Christ to make Him Lord of my life; so trying to finish by the flesh what was begun in the Spirit was the vanity I was in. Later on, I did respond to an altar call by Billy Graham at an Urbana conference without thinking about what that altar call was for; the assurance of salvation. I had responded because like so many times before, I felt like I needed to make a recommitment in following Him, having that zeal of God and desire to do so, but it was still by the flesh.

I am just glad that Jesus has set me free to rest in Him & His promises to me in following Him thus getting to know Him and the power of His resurrection when I see myself following Him by faith what I could not do by doing the best I can in keeping that commitment.

True again. And in that there is absolutely no need to put on the falsehoods that our vile flesh likes us to have on. We do bear what we bear in very faulted vile earthen vessels. There is little use in claiming otherwise. Not if we want to be in truth and be truthful.

Psalm 100:3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

 

[smaller]

I am beginning to see that most of the members here are having a hard time understanding me. I understand what you are saying, but somehow, I cannot seem to clarify my position to you either.

I really don't have any issues with what you share other than what was already pointed out on the pretrib thingy. That's a slant that you picked up along the trail that I wouldn't bow to myself. But whatever. Certainly not going to start "dividing" over it. I don't have an end time view after 3 decades plus of scripture study and intense examinations of just about every posture under the sun.

What I won't do is condemn other believers to some kind of a two step harvesting process that you propose. I just don't see it that way. And there are scriptural reasons I don't. I can't bear condemning any believer on any basis, even if I disagree with them on some items. I wasn't called into faith to condemn one another. But the opposite. And that was a hard place to get to for me. I'll not be taking myself backwards. Romans 13:8-10 is a very hard place to step into for most believers. And I am no exception. It's just hard. And it is so because of the deep condemnations that most believers practice.

I personally think the "end" is going to be quite entirely glorious, myself. It's a completely opposite view of most end time sights. And I can prove a LOT of it from the scriptures. But I will admit to not having a conventional position because they are all flawed, including my own and including PREtrib.

I was led to make a commitment to follow Christ to make Him Lord of my life; so trying to finish by the flesh what was begun in the Spirit was the vanity I was in. Later on, I did respond to an altar call by Billy Graham at an Urbana conference without thinking about what that altar call was for; the assurance of salvation. I had responded because like so many times before, I felt like I needed to make a recommitment in following Him, having that zeal of God and desire to do so, but it was still by the flesh.

I've been involved with a couple Graham crusades myself. Brought people to the stadiums. Prayed with new believers. BG was a great influencer in my believing life, to the good for the most part. I don't know how many times I watched him growing up on the teevee. It would be nice to see someone step up to a similar plate today.

 

[for_his_glory]

Hebrews Chapter 10 says if we hold fast the profession of faith, which is Christ Jesus the one time only sacrifice for sin, then we are His forever. When we come to know truth, but keep holding fast to sin after knowing the truth then there is no more sacrifice for sin and we will pay the consequences for the sin we knowingly commit. If we are knowing or falling back to a sinful nature then we are not holding fast to faith in Christ Jesus as sin will be our destruction.