Posted on 12/11/2011 5:59:43 PM PST by rzman21
Buy a clue. He was hanging on a cross.
It ought to tell you something......
Don't forget, he was initially mocking Christ as well.
Please see these posts with their related Scripture.
It’s a lot to repost here but contains several Scripture that address the security of the believer.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2819100/posts?page=134#134
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2819100/posts?page=25#25
Well, when you get married, you want to develop a deeper relationship with your husband or wife, right?
Cause basically, once you're married it's (supposed to be) a done deal. You have all the benefits of being married available to you and you're not going to take them?
Entering a relationship with God is not like winning the lottery, only for the end prize. God is all about relationship.
Growing in that is the best part of the Christian life.
Baptism — by John the Baptist — He said, “I am baptizing with water, but one is coming after me who will baptize with the spirit.”
That means grace from Christ.
Marriage — At the Wedding of Cana, the first miracle worked by Christ — he sanctified the sacrament by turning the water into wine. And did you know that the sacrament of matriomony is between the man and the woman WITH God?
Yes, in both Sacraments, grace is extended through Christ.
Yes, I agree. It goes back to the Garden. God and Adam had relationship up until the point where he ate the forbidden fruit.
My contention is that faith takes action. I do not believe that by simply reciting the sinner's prayer at one time in one's life, that there will be an eternal reward. One has to actively practice that faith throughout one's life by developing that relationship. Without it, how will Christ be able to intercede for us as we sit in the Judgment Seat since we never took the time to know Him?
Thanks for the links. I will check them out later when I have more uninterrupted time.
“Buy a clue.”
What proof do you have that he had know previous knowlege of Christ or his coming kingdom...
What proof do you have that this thieif couldn’t have been taught by John the Baptist or one of his followers?
What proof do you have that this man couldn’t have been a follower and then fell away?
You want me to buy a clue......hmmmmm....!
“It ought to tell you something......”
It tells me that the thief recognized Christ as the savior of the world and he repented and wanted saving.
Scripture is silent on the issue so one cannot presume that the thief who was being executed for crimes had done enough good works to merit heaven.
Then there's this account....
Luke 18 9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Neither can u prove that he was saved by his faith only. You know nothing about the thief and neither do I. He may of been baptized by John the Baptitst, we just don’t know. He may have been baptized by one of John’s followers, we just don’t know.
I can’t make assumptions about the thief and neither can u. We only know what the Bible teaches.
James 2:24
You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
But he evidently had the faith that would in the ordinary (i.e., noncrucified) course of events have borne fruit in good works. It's not that works save - it's that the disposition to do good works is part of a true saving faith.
Thanks for those encouraging verses, CB. We should never be weary of doing what is right. Sometimes, though, it helps to be reminded of why we do it. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” - AMEN!
I think this is more than obvious when we consider those Apocryphal books that were added to the Bible. Those who did this, for whatever reason they did, are being rebuked by God AND they are caught as being liars. God's word is PURE and infallible, and to add other writings to his Holy Scriptures that can provably be shown to contain errors will be judged by him. God will not be mocked.
This is so true. If one can come to an understanding of man's nature (bent towards evil) and understand the nature of God (perfect in all things), then the scriptures are a very easy read. Where it gets complicated is when we try to make God out to be less than what He is or us more perfect that what we are.
That means grace from Christ.
No it doesn't...It means you will be baptized with the spirit instead of water...
You mean like Mary has been considered 2nd Person to Christ among catholics, or equal to?
No, Christians don't replace any within the Trinity with an idol of mans making which he's formed out of plaster, rubber, wood, concrete and whatever substance determined to 'create' . Not one....we make no idols to worship nor bow down to them, nor prau to them.
Galatians 2:15-16 15We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 2:20-21 20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Galatians 3:10-14 10For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." 11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." 12But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them." 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"— 14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:19 19Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.
Galatians 3:24-26 24So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
The view of keeping the Ten Commandments as a means of salvation displays a profound ignorance of the purpose of the Law. The Law is to point to Christ, to show us our need for Him and His redemption.
It was never intended to be used to earn salvation, but to show us our need for Jesus by showing us that we can't meet God's standards.
It was put in charge to lead us to Christ.
Anyone who depends on the Law for righteousness is under a curse. Keeping the Ten Commandments does not affect our salvation because our salvation is not dependent on keeping them and the fact that Christ kept them and when we are in Christ, the righteous requirements of the Law have been met for us. When we are clothed with Christ, God sees the righteous requirements fulfilled in us as if WE had done it.
We are not set free to sin as much as we want with no consequence and trample the blood of Christ underfoot. What we are set free from is the penalty of death that is upon everyone who breaks the Law, which ALL men have done.
It's either works OR grace. If it's grace, it's not of works. If works count towards it, it's what's owed us and not grace.
It CANNOT be both.
MAy have????....Here again making statements on "what's NOT there" rather than accepting what is there and believing it for what it says....what you do know.
Again missing the mark of truth of what Jeus did say to the thief......"today" you shall be with me"......He didn't say "once you get baptized I'll accept you."
The thief did let us know he "deserved" the punishment given which of course evidenced whatever he did, in his eyes, he was guilty of...and clearly theft was mentioned.
We are not saved through the works that spring from receiving Jesus as Lord .......we are saved through the trust that ‘receives Jesus as Lord’...... Trust precedes actions,... and it is this trust that is at the heart of saving faith. .....You rely on Him as your savior AND Lord. ...in order to have Jesus as Savior you must have Jesus as boss.
The gospel can not be heard or understood.. even in it simplicity, without God opening ears and eyes to see it and hear it..
The natural man refuse the gospel because it "does not make sense" .. how can one be saved if he does not do it himself??
The natural man wants to be the captain of his own ship..he wants the credit for being saved.. only seeing our sin as God does makes us understand we could NEVER save ourselves or even contribute to our salvation
Pride.. caused the fall and keeps unregenerate man in it
It’s kind of like drowning at sea and a lifeguard comes to rescue you. Of the coast guard in their high seas rescue.
You can believe that he can save your life, and you can try to help him which only makes matters worse. You have to just let him do the work of saving your life. Your only contribution is to let him do it. You believe that he can and let him do the work.
All three of my kids were lifeguards and were taught to rescue people by putting them in positions where they COULDN’T try to help the lifeguard because their flailing around only makes matters worse.
Intellectual assent, knowing that the lifeguard can save you does no good unless you LET him do it and that means letting go of your own efforts to help the situation.
The only thing that can pay for sin is death, the shedding of blood. We can shed our blood and die but that is only paying the penalty for our sin, it does not save us.
Since Jesus was perfect and had no sin, when He died, He was able to conquer death and over come it. That is credited to our account if we simply ask for it. Just let the work He did be credited to our account and let HIM save you. You can’t do it yourself any more than a person drowning at sea can save themselves.
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