Wai Ming: For the "saved" person, there are no eternal consequences to sin.
Salvation is not a license to sin. It is merely a pardon from the sin. There is a huge difference. In order to get a pardon you must recognize that you have done wrong and plead for mercy. If you have a license to sin, then you need not ever ask for mercy. You need not ever ask for forgiveness. But the requirement for the Believer is that we must ask forgiveness. We must be contrite. We can't sin without conscience. If we do, then there is a signifcant question as to whether or not you are really a believer in Jesus. After all if you believe in Jesus, you will do what he asks.
You are wrong that there are no eternal consequences to the Christian's sin. There are eternal consequences to every sin. Lest you forget, Jesus died for that sin. Jesus suffered on the cross for that sin. Thus if you take pleasure in sin, then you take pleasure in Jesus suffering. If you take pleasure in Jesus suffering, then I don't think you can claim to be saved. Each time you deliberately commit a sin you crucify Jesus afresh as that is one more sin that Jesus had to suffer and die for. Does that make you feel good? Do you feel comfortable sinning knowing that Jesus had to suffer specifically for that sin?
If that doesn't bother you, if you feel free to sin without conscience, and without guilt, then it certainly won't bother Jesus to say to you at the Judgement, "Depart from me... I never knew you."
Just as you can take legalism too far, you certainly can also take "easy believism" too far. Something to think about.
Something to think about indeed.
From the Article:
Amazingly, when a person is saved, he is saved forever and cannot be lost...If one person were ever lost that was ever saved, then Jesus Christ would be a liar (John 6:39).
Therefore, it is true that no matter what a person does after he is saved that person is still saved
Once saved, always saved!
From Post 50:
You do good works because you love Jesus and the Holy Spirit leads you in that direction. You don't do them because you have to in order to be saved.
Good works are irrelevant to our salvation.
From Post 112:
You are wrong that there are no eternal consequences to the Christian's sin. There are eternal consequences to every sin.
And what might those "eternal consequences" be? If the above is correct, I cannot lose my salvation. Neither "sin" nor "good works" will have any lasting effect on one who is "saved." Logically, a saved person can sin with impugnity. (I'm not saying that I recommend it.) Christ has taken care of all our sins. We only have to believe in Him.
The real question is "what does 'believe in Him' mean?
From Post 1:
Ok, so you guys who don't like Easy Believism, what must a man do to be saved if not simply believe?
You seem to be implying here that "simply believing" is enough for salvation.
How many conditions other than belief are there?
How many? Let's see:
From Post 112:
But the requirement for the Believer is that we must ask forgiveness. We must be contrite.
From Post 50:
...repentance is an essential element,...it is a necessary element to our belief. Christ called us to repent. So if we are to be saved we must repent as we cannot believe unless we repent.
Hmmmm. Asking forgiveness, being contrite, repenting.... Seems a lot more than "simple" belief.
From Post 1:
My challenge to you is that if you don't believe in what many call "Easy Believism" then perhaps YOU don't believe the Gospel at all!
And from Post 112:
Just as you can take legalism too far, you certainly can also take "easy believism" too far.
So which is it? Is there more to salvation than "Easy Believism" or not?
Will the real P-Marlowe please stand up?