Posted on 10/28/2007 5:11:19 PM PDT by pinochet
I am a Catholic who is trying to understand Protestant history and teachings, in order to better understand the history of Christianity. There is one issue that I do not understand.
According to Protestant teachings, if a person becomes saved, are his future sins forgiven? Can a person lose his salvation? If not, can assurance of salvation become a license to sin?
If Ted Haggard had gone to be with the Lord early last year, while in the process of getting a "massage" from his male "friend", would he have gone straight to heaven?
1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
The issue is the ride, free or toherwise. The issue is Whom is the 'soter', the Deliverer and can Satan overthrow His power to deliver one from destruction, spiritually.
Not if we don't acknowledge the salvation and repent of our sins.
Christ said "Sin No More", not go on prostituting in Christ's name.
‘The issue is not the ride, free or otherwise’ ... tired fingers.
Bookmark
Obviously, the New Testament has a great deal to say about the sort of people we should be and the good works we should do. However, it is also very clear that these should be the consequence of our relationship with God, and are not the means by which we enter into that relationship. After declaring that we are saved “by faith” and “not by works”, Paul goes on in the next verse to say, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works...” (Ephesians 2:8-10). He wants us to submit to him so he can then work on us and produce “Something Beautiful for God” (as Malcom Muggeridge entitled his book on Mother Theresa).
One of the metaphors used in the New Testament to describe both character and behaviour is that of “fruit”. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In other words, the good works that are acceptable to God are those which grow out of a right relationship with him. Martin Luther, whose teaching sparked off the Reformation in the 16th century, put it like this:
No one can be good and do good unless God’s grace first makes him good; and no one becomes good by works, but good works are done by him who is good. Just as the fruits do not make the tree, but the tree bears the fruit...Therefore all works, no matter how good they are and how pretty they look, are in vain if they do not flow from grace.
To sum up, we could say that if our faith does not have some effect on our lives in terms of both love for God and love for others, then something is deficient in our faith. James put it more bluntly, “faith without works is dead” (i.e. not real faith at all - James 2:26).
Information taken from http://www.christianity.co.nz
Excellent.
After twenty years of shaving himself every morning, a man in a small Southern town decided he had enough. He told his wife that he intended to let the local barber shave him each day. He put on his hat and coat and went to the barber shop, which was owned by the pastor of the town’s Baptist Church. The barber’s wife, Grace, was working that day, so she performed the task.
Grace shaved him and sprayed him with lilac water, and said, “That will be $20.”
The man thought the price was a bit high, but he paid the bill and went to work. The next morning the man looked in the mirror, and his face was as smooth as it had been when he left the barber shop the day before. Not bad, he thought. At least I don’t need to get a shave every day.
The next morning, the man’s face was still smooth. Two weeks later, the man was still unable to find any trace of whiskers on his face. It was more than he could take, so he returned to the barber shop.
“I thought $20 was high for a shave”, he told the barber’s wife, “but you must have done a great job. It’s been two weeks and my whiskers still haven’t started growing back.”
The expression on her face didn’t even change, expecting his comment. She responded, “You were shaved by Grace. Once shaved, always shaved.”
In Matthew 7: 21-23 NIV
Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and preform many miracles”? then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.
The verse you provided as well as the above indicates that there are consequences for our actions and that simply claiming to be a follower of Christ is not enough. Your life must produce good fruits.
By definition, being saved means to acknowledge the salvation and repent of our sins (ALL of them, past, present and future).
Since we can only travel in one direction in time, we should ask for forgiveness for sins that we commit *after* being saved. If we are truly saved, then that is not a problem—we live in a world ruled by Satan and there are many temptations facing us on a daily basis.
Likewise, if we aren’t truly saved (Christians in name only), then we might think we have ‘covered our bases’ so anything goes, but that just proves we were never truly saved in the first place.
LOL!
[groan]
;-)
**If You Are Saved, Are Your Future Sins Forgiven?**
No
I was giving theology in quick, informal language. See my elaboration in post 45. It may not be entirely orthodox, but you will get what I am driving at.
Man might reject the love of Christ, but God never rejects the love of Christ.
The sins of the unbeliever are never forgiven because he never has had faith in Christ.
Presalvation sins are forgiven the believer at the momet of salvation.
Post salvation sin is forgiven upon turing back to God and confessing those sins.
There isn’t a second sacrifice for those post salvation sins, so there is a fearful expectation of judgment in the believer after postsalvation sin. This addresses the mind and heart of the believer in post salvation sin, not the actions of God.
Upon repentence and confession, He is sure and just to forgive us those sins, thereby we end up with assurance of salvation at that point.
When we are in sin, our perspective of God is from a viewpoint looking at His perfect Justice. We expect condemnation upon our sin. When we are in fellowship with Him our viewpoint is upon His perfect righteousness.
Ever notice how many people to wrong one another, immediately appeal to the grace of the other. That isn’t true grace, that is an appeal to not be held accountable. God’s love mandates His justice. He performs that justice on sin through the Son, already settled on the Cross.
There are three popular issues amongst green belieers which are blasphemous.
1) “Although I’m a believer, I’ve done something so heinous that God couldn’t possibly accept me.”
2) “I’ve decided that I’m not going to be one of God’s children.”
and
3) “As long as I continue to perform good works through faith he will save me.”
In the last case, the believer glaringly confuses works with faith. A work doesn’t result in grace, it results in debt. The more one works for salvation, the deeper their works count against their faith. Conversely, simple faith alone in Christ alone allows Him to perform all the work and bestow salvation by His grace to the believer.
In the first case, God is omnipresent, omniscient, and already proded everything required in salvation. Once He gives it, even He cannot remove it. He knew from eternity past if it was the right decision to give a believer eternal life, so if somebody thinks they can lose it, that isn’t doubting themselves, that is an incredible insult to God and a blasphemous implication that He doesn’t know what He’s doing when He not only gives His Word, but swears upon His own name as to His promises.
In the middle case, once we are sealed by the holy Spirit, we aren’t going anywhere but where He has already prepared a place for us in heaven. There will be a wedding feast, a bema seat, and a Millenium, but once we are grafted in, we are part of that olive tree. We don’t get to prune ourselves out of it. We might act like spoiled brats and not end up at the right place at the right time to receive the rewards He has predestined for us, but He is in control of all human history, whether we like it or not.
Even if God wanted to remove us (once a believer), He wouldn’t be able to, because He remains true.
No. Purgatory is temporary, to be destroyed right before the Final Judgment, thus nobody is 'stuck' there. ALL of those there, once finally purified from temporal punishments and imperfections, are granted the Beatific Vision. Those who die out of a state of grace go straight to Hell; don't pass Go, don't collect $200.
Blue Highway: Nowhere in the Bible is there anything remotely resembling "purgatory".
1 Cor. 3:10-15 -- "...he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
(Not exhaustive, but I don't feel like looking up others right now.)
All your sins were paid for 2000 years ago. If you believe that God came to earth to be born of flesh and shed his blood to save you from your sins, then all your sins are forgiven. No further redemption is needed, or possible.
Funny how your answer contradicts totally your tag line! :-)
Correct. Forgiven after repentance and confession.
However, all future sins have been paid for in full.
So God would force a soul who does not want to love God to love Him?
God desires that all men be saved, but to force a soul that does not love Him to remain with Him (Who is Love) would be unjust: an impossibility for a completely just God.
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