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To: boatbums
Ephesians 1:17 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

We have it NOW. The guarantee of it is the Holy Spirit in our lives. Anyone who has the Holy Spirit in them can KNOW they are saved because God doesn't lie. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of our inheritance which we HAVE now.

262 posted on 04/21/2012 6:08:43 PM PDT by metmom ( For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: metmom
I love all the present, perfect tense verbs in the verses you referenced - we have. Some try to quibble with assurance passages by saying it says "might"; "may", "shall", and, by that, implying that this is something that God wants to keep us in the dark about (kinda like "Keep 'em guessing so they stick to it.") Yet in so many places He states unequivocally that we can right now have eternal life. The "if" part is by faith, of course, through faith is what grace uses to grant it. God says that without faith it is impossible to please Him, so that is the part we demonstrate and it is NOT a work but an ascent, an acceptance of what His grace gives. I am constantly amazed at how difficult some people try to make it. I think it goes back to my previous comment, that some just cannot humble themselves before God to admit they bring NOTHING by which to merit Heaven. And we know that without this, we cannot be saved. We surrender ALL to Him, ALL to Him we freely give.
285 posted on 04/21/2012 7:25:20 PM PDT by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
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