The scripture speaks of righteousness or justification all three times. You want to call it sanctification -- which in itself would be fine, as it is the same process as justification -- but you insist justification was a one time event.
The confusion lies within this sentence. The scripture talks of Abraham as being made righteous ONE time.
Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness."
Abraham believed..it was counted to him. It was a one time deal. What you're confusing is that throughout our lives there are MANY times when we are justified. This is part of the ongoing Christian process. We are justified by our works after all.
I will hasten to add that what Catholics and most Protestants do not understand is that God is the initiator of our repentance, our faith, and our works. There are two points of views on this matter:
Reformed view - God came to Abraham. He did not come to his brothers. God brought Abraham to repentance and instilled in him his faith. God lead Abraham out of his country into another land, watched over him, and ensured that he would produce good works. God helped Abraham illustrate the faith and trust he had in God by asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son; not for God's benefit but as an illustration of trust. The Arminian view - God came to Abraham as well as everyone else. Abraham listened to God while everyone else ignored Him. Abraham saw God's grace and made a choice while others saw God's grace and rejected it. God told Abraham that he should leave and Abraham decided to leave. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac not knowing if he really would or not.
Sadly today most believe the second example although this is not what the scriptures tell us.
Every Protestant will passionately agree that the subject of Hebrews 11 is saving faith—the kind that pleases God and wins his approval
Not this Protestant. Faith is given to us by God-it is a gift from God. Repentance is a gift from God. Knowledge and wisdom to make the right decision is a gift from God. Does anyone see a pattern? You CANNOT come to God on your own. You MUST be called by the Father.
Joh 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Everyone starts out as wicked but those who are called, He gave them the power to become children of God.
'Cause the Bible tells me so?
Don't you think that makes a pretty good reference point?
Or they may work with God more than others, -- compare the parable of the Talents. Also see, for example, Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby...
Sure, God constantly calls to people all the time. Everyone shrugs their shoulders and says, "Who cares?" Everyone does what is evil. No one seeks after God. That is the point of God's grace. He must actively make us into believers-just as He did with Paul.
Now, I agree that eternal life -- salvation -- is either obtained or lost, but once it is obtained, there are degrees.
There is a hierarchy in heaven just as there is in hell. But we certainly won't be "sad" that we didn't do more because there will be no sorrow or sadness. What this hierarchy is I cannot understand except to say that it has all been appointed by God.
St. Paul ends that discourse with "I myself, with the mind serve the law of God; but with the flesh, the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)". What we have here is the struggle that is going on as long as one lives. A believer is equipped to win the race, but struggle it is nevertheless.
A believer only struggles because he wishes to struggle. A believer can "put on the newness of Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify it's desire". If we sin, as Christians, it is because we did not take God's promise to find a way of escape. Non-Christians are not so lucky. This does raise a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Christians often criticize non-Christians for supporting sinful activities. How on earth would they realize what a sinful activity is without being enlightened by God? Christian on the other hand should know better. If they are engaged in sinful activities, it isn't because their "flesh is weak". That is nonsense. It is because they willfully wish to do the activity.
Abraham believed..it was counted to him. It was a one time deal It says that he believed and it was counted to him. It does not say it was a one time deal, because the scripture enumerates other times when Abraham was justified through his acts, and in fact you don't dispute that. Your real dispute is with the fact that some people reject God and some don't, what you call Arminian view. But at that point you leave the scripture: you want to speculate how apparent rejection of God deep down, ineffably, means God did not choose them in the first place. I am only interested in the scripture. The scripture says Abraham was justified repeatedly.
The pattern repeats down your post. I agree with you here and there, -- for example, God does draw the believer as all faith is from God, and of course there is nothing but supernatural joy in heaven. But mostly what you do is build a philosophical speculation about free will -- or absence thereof -- and you fit what scripture you come across intot he speculation. I just read what's written: Abraham was justified severla times; Paul struggled with faith like all the rest of us, etc. If that doesn't fit my preconceived philosophy, I abandon the philosophy.
This does raise a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Christians often criticize non-Christians for supporting sinful activities. How on earth would they realize what a sinful activity is without being enlightened by God?They are enlightened by God (Rom.1) that is why they are without excuse.
Paul states that there was a sin among believers that even the heathen found vile (1Cor.5)