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As a working definition of temptation: anything that closes you to Grace: the snares of Satan, Sin, and failure to follow His word. That which will cause you to fall away unless you repent of it.

So is it your conclusion, that we who believe that eternal life is a free gift of God, and the works and overcoming and endurance’s we face in life are rewarded after we're given eternal life, that we are not working to change our lives and endure as much as you, who are solely depending on your works to get you there?

If you feel they are different, can you explain why?

Let me try. I smoked for over 35 years. I had stopped many times, and once for over 11 years, but I always came back, and it was harder every time to stop.

I used every head game I could come up with, from keeping my smokes locked in the trunk of the car and having to go out every time I needed a fix, to smoking cigars that I hated the taste, thinking I would stop, but I simply developed a taste for them.

One day as I prayed, I found my self-asking God to give me the strength to quit, but not for myself, but for my wife.

She had lost her first husband to smoking, and here I was starting to put her through the same thing again, plus the danger to her health from 2nd hand smoke.

I left my pipes, tobacco and lighters on the outside table, and never smoked again.

I didn't struggle with my will power, or summon my inner strength, or beat my chest, God healed me and I walked away from smoking with no more then a few dreams that I was smoking again.

Now, will I be given a reward for quitting the habit because I did it unselfishly for my wife, or will God say, no rewards for you, you made me do all the work for you?

I will gladly give God all the credit, but I doubt He wants it, and possibly my faith will warrant some consideration also.

Does God only consider us overcomers if we struggle and sweat by our own powers to do it on our own? If so, why did Jesus die for us if we could have become perfect on our own?

Please read John 1:12 and 13 several times.

V-12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:,/b>
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Does this not tell us that it's not by our own human birth or our will power of the flesh that we become the sons of God?

Tell me how you read Verse 13.

JH :-)

you, who are solely depending on your works to get you there?

Does God only consider us overcomers if we struggle and sweat by our own powers to do it on our own? If so, why did Jesus die for us if we could have become perfect on our own?

Jim, if you are still asking these same, misguided questions now, after everything, then you simply are not listening to anythign being said.

Nobody here is saying that we can do things "on our own" to attain salvation. Nobody is solely depending on his own works. Nobody thinks we can become perfect on our own.

You are still fighting against a caricature.