What regimen of sacraments and toil did the folks in the house of Cornelius go through to have God’s Holy Spirit enter them, giving them immediately Eternal Life?
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What most Protestants believe and teach is that by confessing that Jesus is Lord you are saved, that simply is not true. the Holy Ghost can witness to someone but that does not save them. Someone seeking the truth can be given the truth by the Holy Ghost but they still have to accept or reject it.
While it is true that pride has nothing to do with being saved, being saved does require work, please let me explain. I will agree that no matter how much a person does, no matter how good a person is he can not be saved because of his work. But there are things that must be done to be saved. Confessing Christ is only a start, Christ is the gateway. Christ explained to Nicodemus that he must be born of water and spirit to enter the kingdom. Modern Christians recognize that as meaning that we must be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. Christ while on the Earth himself instituted the sacrament of the Lord’s supper or what is called the Eucharist. Christ told his apostles to do this often in remembrance of Me. Christ ordained his apostles. So we now see that ordinances are a part of Christ’s gospel, saying we believe in Christ is simply not enough. Begging for entrance into heaven simply not enough. Christ taught that we must repent of our sins. Repentance is work. Repentance can cause much pain and agony, many tears. Perhaps repentance does not equal “works”, but it is work.
In the epistle of James, James explains that faith without works is dead, what did he mean? Again in his epistle he says “show me your works and I will show you your faith”. Faith and works are inseparable. We can make fun of works all we want to, we can make fun of people who you say believe in works but God-fearing Christians better believe in works because without works there is no faith without faith there is no repentance without repentance there is no saving, there is no grace to be had.
Mormons have a saying, I can’t quote it exactly but it goes something to the effect of “we are saved by grace after all we can do”. Many people make fun of the statement because they believe there is nothing we can do to save ourselves but if you think about the statement realizing that without works there’s no faith then it makes sense.
Believing in Christ, repentance of sin, baptism for remission of sins and receipt of the Holy Ghost is the gate by which we enter into Christ’s church. It is only the beginning, a life of love and obedience to the laws of the Gospel, enduring to the end is how we qualify for Grace. People who think that Christ will save them without their trying to follow Christ are ignorant of the truth. We cannot wish our way into heaven, Christ will not cast his pearls before swine, he will not offer grace to those who are not willing to work for it.
You assert, “But there are things that must be done to be saved.” What works did the people in the house of Crnelius do such that God sent His Holy Spirit into them —that’e eternal life in them— even before Peter finished the sermon?
The assertion, “... he will not offer grace to those who are not willing to work for it” is a demonic lie upon which the most famous works based religions are founded, like catholociism and Mormonism. Catholics have it well ensconced in their version of The Gospel of Grace. Those work for Grace. That makes it not grace but wages due. Sadly, catholics are unable to see that just as Mormons are unable to see it.
The further assertion, “...enduring to the end is how we qualify for Grace” is yet another phrasing of the works based religion of catholiciism. The Bible passage we expect to now be taken out of context to defend this demonic lie will reveal the subtlety of the lie. A catholic is taught to believe they must QUALIFY for Grace! How demonic and blatant can it get, yet catholics are blind to the Truth of that lie. It is by Grace we are saved, not of works lest any catholic boast of his qualifying worthiness!
I would not want Christians saved By His Grace alone in Christ Alone to miss this short essay revealing why it is so difficult to cut through the blindness at the heart of catholiciism. I asked a specific question regarding the believers receiving the Holy Spirit in the house of Cornelius and this short essay insisting on works is what I got back. It is revealing ...
“What most Protestants believe and teach is that by confessing that Jesus is Lord you are saved,”
Starting with a false statement never leads to a good conclusion...
it is certainly worth your time to know the saving Gospel of Grace that can alone lead you to eternal life.
I guess that thief dying alongside Jesus sure got a surprise!
I just LOVE it when the pot containing Mormonism and Catholicism bubbles over!