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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2022 20:41:20 GMT -5
8 Ways Satan Convinces You To Question Your Salvation
Though Satan can never steal the Christian’s crown, though he can never snatch him away from the hand of the Father, he is so envious and malicious that he will leave no stone unturned in robbing the Christian of comfort and peace, in making their life miserable, in giving them reason to live in constant sorrow and mourning, doubt and questioning.
Thomas Brooks once identified eight ways in which Satan keeps Christians—Christians like you!—in this sad, doubting, questioning, condition.
1He causes you to think more about your sin than your Savior. He wants to so fill your mind with thoughts of the sin you’ve committed in the past, or temptations to sin you face today, that all thoughts of Jesus Christ and his finished work are displaced and erased. His desire is that you would think so much of your sickness that you would neglect the remedy that is close at hand.
2He works in you to wrongly understand God’s graces. Just as falsely defining sin will lead a person astray, so too will wrongly defining God’s graces. In particular, Satan labors so a Christian will define saving faith only in such a way that it includes full assurance of salvation; he can then use that too-expansive definition to cause the Christian to make his doubt proof of his lack of justification.
3He leads you to make false inferences from harsh providences. He whispers to you that providence appears to contradict your prayers, desires, tears, hopes and endeavors. Once he has shown you this he says, “Surely, if God actually loved you and delighted in you, he wouldn’t deal with you in these ways…”
4He suggests to you that the evidences of grace in your life are counterfeit rather than genuine. He wants you to believe that what you call faith is actually just a fleeting fancy, that what you see as zeal is just natural and unsanctified enthusiasm, that you are not actually evidencing any true evidences of grace, but just natural ability.
5He convinces you that the kind of battle you have with sin is a battle that marks only unbelieving hypocrites. As you battle against sin, and while the same old sins continue to rise up against you, Satan tries to make you believe that these very battles are evidences of hypocrisy rather than a universal Christian condition.
6He suggests to your soul that the fact that you have less joy in Christ now than you once did proves that you have not been saved. He may bring to your mind a time when your heart was overflowing with joy in him, when you felt the tangible comfort of the Holy Spirit. And then he will have you contrast that to your present condition and use it to convince you that you must not be a Christian.
7He works within you to make you believe that relapses into sin—even sins you have labored to overcome—are evidence that you are not a believer. He may whisper to you that you are a fool and a hypocrite to believe that God could ever love someone who battles sin, overcomes it, and then later succumbs to that same old sin.
8He convinces you that only an unbeliever could face the manner and the weight of temptation you face right now. First he will weary you with constant temptations perfectly suited to your weaknesses and desires. Then he will try to convince you that the very fact that you face these temptations must mean that you are not a Christian at all.
Let me share just three short, choice quotes from Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. First, here are words of comfort for those who have fallen into sin, despite laboring hard against it:
Though their repentance is ever so sincere and sound, yet their graces are but weak, and their mortification of sin is imperfect in this life. Though by grace they are freed from the dominion of sin, and from the damnatory power of every sin, and from the love of all sin, yet grace does not free them from the indwelling of any one sin; and therefore it is possible for a soul to fall again and again into the same sin. If the fire is not wholly put out, who would think it impossible that it should catch and burn again and again?
And then a word on the sufficiency of Christ:
We have all things in Christ. Christ is all things to a Christian. If we are sick, Jesus is a physician. If we thirst, Jesus is a fountain. If our sins trouble us, Jesus is our righteousness. If we stand in need of help, Jesus is mighty to save. If we fear death, Jesus is life. If we are in darkness, Jesus is light. If we are weak, Jesus is strength. If we are in poverty, Jesus is plenty. If we desire heaven, Jesus is the way. The soul cannot say, ‘this I would have, and that I would have.’ But having Jesus, he has all he needs–eminently, perfectly, eternally.
And finally, an examination of the ways in which Satan tempts us:
Satan loves to sail with the wind. If your knowledge is weak–he will tempt you to error. If your conscience is tender–he will tempt you to scrupulosity and too much preciseness, as to do nothing but hear, pray, and read. If your consciences be wide and large–he will tempt you to carnal security. If you are bold-spirited–he will tempt you to presumption; if timorous, to desperation; if flexible, to inconstancy; if proud and stiff, to gross folly. Therefore still fit for fresh assaults, make one victory a step to another. When you have overcome a temptation, take heed of unbending your bow, and look well to it, that your bow is always bent, and that it remains in strength. When you have overcome one temptation, you must be ready to enter the battle with another.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2022 20:48:27 GMT -5
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”In the Gospel of John, in teaching about eternal life, Jesus Christ said that those having eternal life would never perish, and that no one would be able to pluck them out of his hand !!
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Post by John on Jan 21, 2022 21:23:41 GMT -5
Once a person is saved, there is no reason they ever have to lose their salvation, but it is not impossible. If a person goes back into a lifestyle of sin or never repents and they keep living in sin, they will not remain saved. It is not enough to just believe but we must follow Jesus.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2022 22:23:48 GMT -5
Jesus Is Coming Soon.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2022 22:38:47 GMT -5
Post OptionsPost by John on about an hour ago Once a person is saved, there is no reason they ever have to lose their salvation, but it is not impossible. If a person goes back into a lifestyle of sin, John your coming form a human thinking! Its not up to you ,or me its up to GodJesus and thats it! And He along will Judge because as fallen as I and you can put our 25$ in He will , Bema, Great White> ALL>ALL will be there! Me and You. Enjoy
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Post by watchful on Jan 22, 2022 7:49:09 GMT -5
I take the word of God to be alive and active, not always black and white and a case of either/or. We can be embattled from both sides, either tempted to fall from grace or tempted to use grace as a license for sin...and God will impart and speak to us through whatever scripture we need at any given time. Different people may be more prone to one or the other.
His blood covers us for inadvertent sins, because the scripture says we all offend in many ways. That is why the Lord gave us communion....we are to examine ourselves and confess our faults to Him when we take it. It washes us afresh in a way, washing our feet as it were, even though we've already had the bath. Restores our conscience if it has been defiled. But there are always sins and shortcomings that we aren't aware of that the Blood atones for and taking the Lord's supper avails for those things as well. We can't even repent of things we don't know about. Father, forgive them for they KNOW NOT what they are doing. But this is what growing in Christ is about....as we go along He brings things to our awareness and we take more ground of our hearts and lives for Him, little by little.
It appears that willful sins are in another category though...since there is no more sacrifice for sins when believers keep on willfully sinning, aware that they are sinning but continuing in their sins anyhow.....it puts them in danger of their souls if they just 'carry on without a care' and without sincerely repenting.
But ultimately God is the judge to weigh everything in all cases...He's alive and He knows all the ins and outs of a person's life and all the details of how the devil has come against them, whether they are seeking righteousness and want to do better or not, etc. He will go after a lost sheep to try and restore them.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2022 8:18:43 GMT -5
8 Ways Satan Convinces You To Question Your Salvation Though Satan can never steal the Christian’s crown, though he can never snatch him away from the hand of the Father, he is so envious and malicious that he will leave no stone unturned in robbing the Christian of comfort and peace, in making their life miserable, in giving them reason to live in constant sorrow and mourning, doubt and questioning. Thomas Brooks once identified eight ways in which Satan keeps Christians—Christians like you!—in this sad, doubting, questioning, condition. 1He causes you to think more about your sin than your Savior. He wants to so fill your mind with thoughts of the sin you’ve committed in the past, or temptations to sin you face today, that all thoughts of Jesus Christ and his finished work are displaced and erased. His desire is that you would think so much of your sickness that you would neglect the remedy that is close at hand. 2He works in you to wrongly understand God’s graces. Just as falsely defining sin will lead a person astray, so too will wrongly defining God’s graces. In particular, Satan labors so a Christian will define saving faith only in such a way that it includes full assurance of salvation; he can then use that too-expansive definition to cause the Christian to make his doubt proof of his lack of justification. 3He leads you to make false inferences from harsh providences. He whispers to you that providence appears to contradict your prayers, desires, tears, hopes and endeavors. Once he has shown you this he says, “Surely, if God actually loved you and delighted in you, he wouldn’t deal with you in these ways…” 4He suggests to you that the evidences of grace in your life are counterfeit rather than genuine. He wants you to believe that what you call faith is actually just a fleeting fancy, that what you see as zeal is just natural and unsanctified enthusiasm, that you are not actually evidencing any true evidences of grace, but just natural ability. 5He convinces you that the kind of battle you have with sin is a battle that marks only unbelieving hypocrites. As you battle against sin, and while the same old sins continue to rise up against you, Satan tries to make you believe that these very battles are evidences of hypocrisy rather than a universal Christian condition. 6He suggests to your soul that the fact that you have less joy in Christ now than you once did proves that you have not been saved. He may bring to your mind a time when your heart was overflowing with joy in him, when you felt the tangible comfort of the Holy Spirit. And then he will have you contrast that to your present condition and use it to convince you that you must not be a Christian. 7He works within you to make you believe that relapses into sin—even sins you have labored to overcome—are evidence that you are not a believer. He may whisper to you that you are a fool and a hypocrite to believe that God could ever love someone who battles sin, overcomes it, and then later succumbs to that same old sin. 8He convinces you that only an unbeliever could face the manner and the weight of temptation you face right now. First he will weary you with constant temptations perfectly suited to your weaknesses and desires. Then he will try to convince you that the very fact that you face these temptations must mean that you are not a Christian at all. Let me share just three short, choice quotes from Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. First, here are words of comfort for those who have fallen into sin, despite laboring hard against it: Though their repentance is ever so sincere and sound, yet their graces are but weak, and their mortification of sin is imperfect in this life. Though by grace they are freed from the dominion of sin, and from the damnatory power of every sin, and from the love of all sin, yet grace does not free them from the indwelling of any one sin; and therefore it is possible for a soul to fall again and again into the same sin. If the fire is not wholly put out, who would think it impossible that it should catch and burn again and again? And then a word on the sufficiency of Christ: We have all things in Christ. Christ is all things to a Christian. If we are sick, Jesus is a physician. If we thirst, Jesus is a fountain. If our sins trouble us, Jesus is our righteousness. If we stand in need of help, Jesus is mighty to save. If we fear death, Jesus is life. If we are in darkness, Jesus is light. If we are weak, Jesus is strength. If we are in poverty, Jesus is plenty. If we desire heaven, Jesus is the way. The soul cannot say, ‘this I would have, and that I would have.’ But having Jesus, he has all he needs–eminently, perfectly, eternally. And finally, an examination of the ways in which Satan tempts us: Satan loves to sail with the wind. If your knowledge is weak–he will tempt you to error. If your conscience is tender–he will tempt you to scrupulosity and too much preciseness, as to do nothing but hear, pray, and read. If your consciences be wide and large–he will tempt you to carnal security. If you are bold-spirited–he will tempt you to presumption; if timorous, to desperation; if flexible, to inconstancy; if proud and stiff, to gross folly. Therefore still fit for fresh assaults, make one victory a step to another. When you have overcome a temptation, take heed of unbending your bow, and look well to it, that your bow is always bent, and that it remains in strength. When you have overcome one temptation, you must be ready to enter the battle with another. There are certain verses that under the context do cause me to examine myself, regardless of Satanic opposition. For example. Why do I bring up this verse? Because although it is true, that we out to 'make our calling and election sure' it is also warned by Jesus and even Paul mentioned to "examine yourself" I know first hand about his because I used to and often times doubt my salvation. I would often fall into porn and masturbation which is a violation of Matthew 5:27-30 and Jesus said lust is adultery and leads to hell. Now, why would Jesus say this? Because it's true and Jesus warned about hell. Would Satan also use that same verse in order to make fearful Christians, like me? Yes, I have been beat up much but some of the beating up is not completely Satan, because the Holy Spirit does convict us of our sins. When I fall into pornography and masturbation (or some other kinds of sexual immorality like affairs), it shows there is a serious problem with my theology and a serious problem with my walk with Jesus. There is no way a Christian, some who calls Jesus Lord, will keep falling into sins, keep doing the same old life, over and over again, can have assurance of salvation because of what Jesus says. "many will say to me on that day" and I will declare, I never knew you. These people did do mighty things, but Jesus never knew them. This is a key to understand. Our daily relationship with Jesus. If you would have asked me, "how was your relationship with the Lord?" I would have told you, "I'm struggling, I'm sinning" and I would have no assurance of salvation. There are lots of Christians who are not Christians according to Jesus. Jesus also warned us in Revelations chapters 2 to repent of our sexual immoralities and Jesus was very strong in his words. The Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire. ... Jesus knows our - works
- love
- service
- faith
- patience
but a few things against you. - a prophetess was teaching false doctrines which was teaching and seducing Jesus' servants to commit adultery. (could be any kind of lust like porn, or sexual immorality like porn)
- and to eat foods sacrificed to idols
Jesus did give her time to repent, but she doesn't so Jesus said he would throw her on a sickbed and also those who commit adultery with her. Unless they repent. Jesus also promises to put her children to death (sounds very similar to the Old Testament to me)
The issue of salvation here is not brought up, but regardless of what you believe (i'm saved or not) Jesus said He would put us in a sickbed and kill our children. Now that doesn't like the soft words of Jesus we know because we don't hear it, but that is also true just as "Come unto me and I will give you rest".
Paul labored to preach the kindness and severity of God. Why? Because it's so easy to use God's grace as a license to sin which is proof of a false teacher.
I am not saying anything you are saying is false, I'm only adding to it, in order to get a more fuller picture, in order not to leave out anything. Yes, we should not believe Satans lies, and yes, we should not be fooled by his vices, but on the other hand, if we are in sin, or think a little too light of our sins, we ought to fear God and not just that, love God, and if we rightly know God's grace, it will lead us away from our sins. and let me be more honest about my personal struggles with sin. I am not watching porn, or masturbating, or secretly talking to women or lusting ...but...if a women on TV starts to make me look at her face (not even talking about her body) and just by looking at her face, I am feeling like "I want to see her more and I want to know her more" I think this is a lust of the heart because "I want to know her more" is working in my heart and mind. Right now, I am not looking at the TV and I can see that these women (just their face) are too much for me. So I want to be pure and not look at them. This is how I am battling my lust. I am doing whatever I can to not fall back into it. I want to be able to say like Job. I will always struggle to live a pure life. The line is not crossed when I actually 'act out' in porn or masturbation but the line is crossed in the mind and heart first, so this is where I am at now. I'm not the standard by any means just saying how I am trying to deal with my own struggles and my own assurance of salvation. Do I think God will save me for doing this? No, I don't. I think God will save me because I confessed my sins to God and admit I am a sinner, who believes that Jesus Christ has died for me and was buried and raised again. That is who I think and why I think I am on my way to heaven. Not because I do any kind of work. The work I do, is just showing what I believe in, what I believe in is that God is able to keep me from falling, so I ask God for help and God helps me, not to fall, but God is not going to force my neck muscles or eye muscles, this is my responsibility, so I do. This "not looking" is not what is going to save me either. My faith in God will because God promised too. Or else God is lying, which is not possible, so God will do what He promised, so I trust that and I will be saved and I believe even now I am standing on God's grace, not on my own efforts. How do I deal with besetting sins? The only simple answer I know that works is this. Wake up, read the Bible, pray, get a serious mind and heart from God not to fall or comprise my walk. Live out that day. Next day repeat. I am on forums to fellowship and pray and too. I call brothers too. On my down time, I am sometimes watching YouTube videos about spiritual things. Last big study I did was on Poltergeists. Before that was serial killers, to get a picture of what goes on their minds, I don't' like seeing or knowing what they did, I am interested in how to reach someone like that or find clues on how someone might be like that. I'm about evangelism and I defend the gospel if I need to. I like what you wrong by the way. I just wanted to make that clear.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2022 10:15:44 GMT -5
These are 2 verses, some pastors use to say "you can lose your salvation". They are Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26.
Hebrews 6:4-6
The Book of Hebrews was written to the Jews, who had been living under the Old Covenant, the law and the sacrificial system. There were some Jews who became born again, but there were many who were either on the fence with faith in Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews was warning those who had not accepted Christ, to not to drift away and ignore such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:1-3).
It's probably a good idea to first read the first 5 chapters of the Book of Hebrews. In chapter 5, you will see that here were those who were slow to learn about the salvation. Those people were not acquainted with the teaching about imputed righteousness and were still living on milk, not solid food. They had never changed their mind about faith in Jesus Christ, imputed righteousness and the complete forgiveness of sins.
In Hebrews 6:4, notice words tasted, shared, enlightened. Tasting is not swallowing or drinking. If you like something you taste, you then swallow it. You might be enlightened by something, but not accept it. That is why it is impossible for them to return to repentance because they never repented and were born again. Have you ever noticed that you can't go back to where you have never been? If you have never been to Boston, can you go back to Boston? These unbelieving Hebrews were crucifying the grace of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. The author of Hebrews then says "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation" (Hebrews 6:9).
Hebrews 10:26
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of truth, no sacrifice for sin is left". The sinning here refers to unbelief, after receiving the knowledge of truth. They rejected the truth about Jesus. Again, they heard, they shared, they were enlightened and they tasted. But they did not swallow or drink the knowledge of truth. These unbelieving Hebrews had insulted the Spirit of Grace. There was no sacrifice for them left and they were in danger of the fire of hell.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2022 10:39:58 GMT -5
the response I heard most was "Jesus died for my sins". While this is an absolute truth, it is only half of the gospel. 'Now, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you have received, and in which you stand. Through it you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: how Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ' 1 Corinthians 15:1-4That is the full gospel. I don't preach we can't or can lose our salvation. The terms used that way are not in the Bible. Jesus said this. 'If a man does not remain in Me, he is thrown out as a branch and withers. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ' John 15:6 my.bible.com/bible/1171/JHN.15.6If we interpret "burned" as hell then it seems we can lo se our salvation, despite what you or others say. If we interpret "burned" as life trials yet still gained access to heaven, it doesn't matter to me. We have enough truth and scriptures already and don't need others to teach and interpret if they want to disagree with the clear teachings of Jesus. I personally believe God can do whatever He wants. I also personally believe that I am saved now. but I also believe this, if I turn God's grace as a license to sin, I became a false teacher (Jude 3) and if I make a practice of sins, then I am not truly saved. 1st John the whole book. we can get into specific verses but nothing is going to change my mind about it. I don't think are you arguing and I am not either. We need to preach what Jesus did. (regardless of our terms "once saved always saved" or "we can lose our salvation") Those terms do not fit in what Jesus taught 'If a man does not remain in Me, he is thrown out as a branch and withers. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ' John 15:6 my.bible.com/bible/1171/JHN.15.6regardless, if we have lost our love to God as first and our love to brothers, we are already doing wrong. Some would rather listen to preaching that has true love, but didn't quite doctrine correct, rather that listen to a person who can quote scriptures and has a cold heart. Do you know what I 'm saying?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2022 21:59:06 GMT -5
We should pray for our enemies, our government, and our brothers and sisters who believe a little differently. If we don't have love, we are nothing but a sounding brass. 1st Corinthians.
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Post by watchful on Jan 23, 2022 8:41:49 GMT -5
the response I heard most was "Jesus died for my sins". While this is an absolute truth, it is only half of the gospel. 'Now, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you have received, and in which you stand. Through it you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: how Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ' 1 Corinthians 15:1-4That is the full gospel. I don't preach we can't or can lose our salvation. The terms used that way are not in the Bible. Jesus said this. 'If a man does not remain in Me, he is thrown out as a branch and withers. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ' John 15:6 my.bible.com/bible/1171/JHN.15.6If we interpret "burned" as hell then it seems we can lo se our salvation, despite what you or others say. If we interpret "burned" as life trials yet still gained access to heaven, it doesn't matter to me. We have enough truth and scriptures already and don't need others to teach and interpret if they want to disagree with the clear teachings of Jesus. I personally believe God can do whatever He wants. I also personally believe that I am saved now. but I also believe this, if I turn God's grace as a license to sin, I became a false teacher (Jude 3) and if I make a practice of sins, then I am not truly saved. 1st John the whole book. we can get into specific verses but nothing is going to change my mind about it. I don't think are you arguing and I am not either. We need to preach what Jesus did. (regardless of our terms "once saved always saved" or "we can lose our salvation") Those terms do not fit in what Jesus taught 'If a man does not remain in Me, he is thrown out as a branch and withers. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ' John 15:6 my.bible.com/bible/1171/JHN.15.6regardless, if we have lost our love to God as first and our love to brothers, we are already doing wrong. Some would rather listen to preaching that has true love, but didn't quite doctrine correct, rather that listen to a person who can quote scriptures and has a cold heart. Do you know what I 'm saying? AMEN and praise the Lord for this....what wonderful truth. God's truths, His word, needs to be preached as fruit from the Tree of Life, not the Tree of Knowledge (carnal mind). That's why the scripture says if we think we know we do not yet know as we ought. Preaching it from the Tree of Knowledge can cause people to fall from faith and grace into flesh and law which is the strength of sin. We can only overcome flesh and law through faith and grace, battling and labouring through to the sabbath rest of Christ where His yoke is easy and light. May the Lord truly help His church with these things, amen! Yes, I think of it as there being two sides to this coin and the whole of it needs to be preached, it's not at matter of choosing one side over the other. And God will apply to the heart whichever word a soul needs at any given time. On the wings of the Spirit, His word is ALIVE and active and mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2022 16:43:42 GMT -5
What's the meaning of the phrase 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink'? People, like horses, will only do and think what they have a mind to do. Just like salvation ! Enjoy
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2022 16:54:05 GMT -5
It seem people want to live in fear!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2022 1:19:20 GMT -5
Job was afraid of God in this sense. ' Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not the dread of You make me afraid. Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and You answer me. How many are my iniquities and sins? Make known to me my transgression and my sin.' Job 13:21-23 Also, David says and Jesus taught and it's not wrong to fear the Lord, I have to make that clear or else what can we think about those verses I just shared above? Fearing God means this. To me, this means, "how much or how bad, so you (me, talking me myself) want to know God, and follow God? more than....sin? more than....idolatry? more than....loving sex? more than....my wife? more than ...my children? Do you (me,myself) want to love God above all others? Well, you (me,myself) will prove it by living a life of seeking God by talking to God in prayers, true heart felt, conviction real conversation prayers) of communicating to the Heavenly Father? I'm not talking down to you. I"m talking and explaing how I try to live out my faith and how I understand the ways of fearing God. If I know God is all God says He is, my belief and life will show it, because it's truly what I believe in. If I think sins are so heinous that God hates it, I hate it, my wife hates it, well, my actions will show it. This is "faith with works" or "real faith" not saved by works, but showing my faith by my works. It's a difference. There nothing I can add to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ because Jesus said "It is finished". So let me say, I can not add "my" anything to what Christ did so as to think "God must owe me salvation". But I do think "If I believe in God, God knows, God will help me, fill me with His Spirit to change my mind, attitudes, and enable me to follow Him, as I seek Him daily by reading His Word, meditating on Him and trusting in Him". Now, I'm ready for what the day will bring. I am trying to "abide" but I do have to admit, God has to be understood in light of the Prodigal Son and also the other fearful verses Jesus gives us. Namely, Matthew 10:28. Because if I just tell you about a loving Father who wants to forgive his sons, while eliminating truth like Luke 16 where Jesus a real story of a rich man who went to hell, well, that is only part of God's character and promises. This is not really living in fear as in "God will smite me with lighting for my sins" or "God will take away His Salvation from me" so that is where I think we are differing in our theology. We have terms like "once saved always saved" and we are making some statement like that or "falling from grace" and we are making some statement like that, but we only have to believe in Jesus, and if we really believe in Jesus, these other two terms which seems to be at odds, really do not matter. I say they don't matter not being of the truth they are trying to represent but because these "terms" or "how we phrase these words" are not scripture. What is scripture is ' My son, if you will receive my words, and hide my commandments within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord , and find the knowledge of God.' Proverbs 2:1-5 my.bible.com/bible/1171/PRO.2.1-5and We (believers) sometimes lean on one side without considering the full sides. It happens a lot. Like election. Yes, God chooses and yes we choose too. Why make a deal about who chooses or which starts it? It's unfruitful and not even an issue in the early church. Same for baptism? Is it water sprinkles or like going to a river? Why does it matter to the extent that we fight over this? We are really silly. God knows our hearts. For example, if a women is hospitalized, and on her death bed, and confesses Christ, would God be pleased if I take her to a river? No. God would bless a water sprinkle type of baptism before what the meaning is - that is - the women expressed belief and wanted to get baptized. Now someone silly can some in to wreck the whole ordeal and say "no, you must take her to the river". Really? I don't think so, this is legalism, like sounding like a Pharisee that tells Jesus "don't heal on the Sabbath". There is hypocrisy in some of our we think. For example, I have asked myself, "what difference does it make if I believe "once saved always saved" or "it's possible to fall from grace" One side believes 'once saved always saved' which really means, you are saved and able to live life like a pagan AND make heaven your home. or 'you can fall from grace' which really means 'you have to live a perfect life, never have assurance, working for heaven and saved by works" let's look at the meanings deeper. once saved says 'mean' you are saved and able to live life like a pagan AND make heaven your home fall from grace means "you have to live a perfect life, never have assurance, working for heaven and saved by works let's really get to the knitty gritty. two sides and their meanings. - ok to live like the devil and go to heaven?
- ok to work for salvation, live in fear?
both are wrong, just abide
I am not thinking "my abiding is saving me" just so you don't misunderstand. I am saying "I believe so I abide" so that's it. I don't have sides or arguments because I just see us all has having some doctrines that seem "both" true and are not really understand right because Jesus is not trying to confuse us. God bless you.
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Post by Giller on Jan 24, 2022 9:41:25 GMT -5
Jas 5:19-20 (19) Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; (20) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
James was talking to any brother in Christ, that if any of you (brethren), any, do err from the truth, that is, they got caught in an error that led them away from the truth, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death.
So if a brother fell into an error, which caused them to turn away from the truth, that they can be brought back to the truth, and be spared from spiritual death.
That is a soul being saved from death, and not the body being spared from death.
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