Posted on 11/08/2014 6:51:24 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Billy Graham is ringing in his 96th year with friends and family on Friday, and fellow faith leaders are sending an outpouring of well wishes to the famed evangelical preacher today.
In a far cry from last year's birthday celebration involving over 800 guests, Graham is marking his birthday this year with a quiet celebration at his Montreat, NC home, according to a press release issued on Nov. 7. Will Graham, the grandson of Billy Graham, was unavailable for comment to The Christian Post, but his father Franklin assured fans that the 96-year-old is doing well.
"Although his physical condition keeps him homebound, he remains interested in current events and the ongoing work of the ministry that he began more than 60 years ago," said Billy Graham's eldest son.
The president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association also announced the debut of "Heaven," the latest "My Hope with Billy Graham" film, which features a never-before-seen message from Billy.
"Opportunities like 'My Hope' and the 'Heaven' film are ways that we can help my father to continue the work that God called us to do," Franklin added. "Please pray for my father, and for those who will watch this film, that they too may know the peace found in Jesus Christ."
Recorded last year, the message conveys a still-passionate Billy Graham who discussed his imminent death.
"I know I'm going to heaven. I'm looking forward to it with great anticipation," Graham says in the film before explaining how people can share that same faith.
Despite his struggle with deteriorating eyesight and hearing, Graham still enjoys daily devotions, Bible reading and prayer with his staff, as well as visits with family and close friends. On his 96th birthday, many of Graham's friends, including Saddleback Church's Rick Warren, posted special messages on social media.
"Happy #96th to my oldest mentor #BillyGraham. Thanks for guiding, defending and loving me for 35 yrs," the pastor wrote on Twitter.
As am I.
One of the saddest parts of Roman Catholicism is the lack of assurance. I’m surprised they don’t go stark raving mad.
What makes you think that these people can understand the scriptures any more than we can???
Some of them apparently have...
Psalm 23: 6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
Psalm 34:1-4 "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
Psalm 31:5 "Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." David said he was already redeemed, past tense. Not a matter of maybe being redeemed it was a done deal.
David knew where he was going, do you?
Romans 8:33-39 " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
That's a long way of saying nothing, not my sin or my stupidity, nothing can separate me from God's love.
And before he died Paul said something even more outrageous than Billy Graham
II Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." Paul knew where he was headed. Do you?
The young man in Matthew 19 found his works were not enough, he had to follow the Lord and he turned away.
Titus 3:5-7 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Ephesians 1: 5-7 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"
Epeshians 1:11-13 "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory"
If God loses me he'd have to lose his spirit, because that was the non refundable earnest payment on my soul. Like David, we can say "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me". Or "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." Psalm 139:8. The carpenter went home to prepare my mansion a long time ago. I'm just waiting on my ride to take me home.
Actually I know of a Priest in my hometown who was gay and died of Aids about 20 years ago. He started out RC and later went to Greek Orthodox {still submitting to Rome}. Oddly enough a Priest who would have been in town when that guy was growing up as a teen was convicted of Pedophilia IOW a pervert wearing a collar. No telling how many kids he had seduced and recruited for the priesthood.
Hebrews, whoever it's human author, has something to say on the matter, as does Paul in Romans and 1 Corinthians. I would expect one to be consistent. In Corinthians Paul compares all Israel who passed through the sea of reeds (yam suf) to his audience and explains the death penalty for sin which applies to both audiences. Now if you reject the concept of Purgatory you either relegate those destroyed by God to damnation or a quick entrance into glory. I don't see the bravado and overconfidence of many peoples' comments as being in harmony with the scriptures. Paul was writing to his own spiritual sons and daughters. He would not have warned them every night and day for 3 years if there was no risk to their souls except a quicker entrance to heaven. We need to take heed to his warnings, and the many warnings of the LORD Jesus.
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
What has anyone of this got to do with Billy Graham saying his place is heaven is assured?
This is what Bible Christians do. They throw disparate snippets of scriptures rather than engage in sound theological argument. The lesson in Calvary is a Christ who died for all sinners. This requires repentance like the good thief. This requires keeping the unmistakable words of the Christ Himself:
“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.”
Except for Catholics who believe in the Eucharist and the Supreme Sacrifice of the Mass, we cannot find any other brand of Christianity from David Koresh, Jim Jones, the Mormons, or Jehovah’s Witnesses to Joel Osteens and Billy Grahams who believe this and of course if they do their little lucrative “pastoral empires” will collapse.
However, eminent Protestant theologians who have studied scripture all their lives, written and preached about it, you’d think would know better when they switched to Catholicism both here in the US and abroad.
If they're not born again and don't have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them to give them spiritual understanding, yeah, you can be buried in a mountain of writings of church fathers and all their opinion pieces on Scripture are meaningless.
Scripture makes NO reference at all to *Petrine authority*.
It's a power grab by Catholicism, plain and simple. All they're telling everyone is that they can't understand the Bible or things about God without them and that is complete and unadulterated nonsense.
The HOLY SPIRIT is the one who enlightens people to understand the things of God. It's NOT the church which does it.
And the usual fallback position of claiming *thousands* of interpretations, none of which any Catholic has ever addressed, even when asked.
I have asked numerous times for any Catholic to pick one verse, any verse of their choice, and show us the multitude of interpretations that they claim are out there. And not one has ever taken me up on it.
They can't even show more than 2 or at the very most 3 different interpretations of a verse, much less the thousands claimed with not so much as the least shred of evidence to support the claim.
As far as the writings of the church fathers. So what? Opinion pieces of people long dead.
They don't hold a candle to the word of God itself.
SPIRITUAL TRUTHS ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 2:1-16 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Saint Iscool.
Has a ring to it.
“David did, so did Paul.” [Know they were going to heaven].
Even the thief on the cross knew.
“If they’re not born again and don’t have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them to give them spiritual understanding, yeah, you can be buried in a mountain of writings of church fathers and all their opinion pieces on Scripture are meaningless.”
No need for born again!
“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.”
If you don’t believe in the Holy Eucharist and celebrate the Supreme Sacrifice of the Mass, all else is useless.
Go learn the lives of saints and martyrs and spend some time in serious study on why eminent Protestant theologians who spent their life times studying scripture, writing books, teaching, and preaching, converted to Catholicism.
Apparently, all these folks including the saints Augustine, Aquinas, Newman were all blind the light of the candle! But somehow David Koresh, Jim Jones, Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Rev. Wright, Rev. Rick Warren have all seen the light of this candle. They are all united by the denial of this central truth of the Eucharist. What now do they same about birds of the same feather…”?
So I'm genuinely curious. Given the text above, who determines what communion is the saving one. The tradition of course traces back to the Jewish Passover Seder meal. I'm sure Billy Graham has taken communion many times, what is lacking in the communion in protestant churches from meeting the standard you have proposed? Do we have to believe in transubstantiation to enter heaven?
What of John 4:23 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
As for the theological argument I will shamelessly put in a plug for the thread I posted earlier. “http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3225643/posts";
The point is this: You, I, Billy Graham, and the Pope can know where they are going to spend eternity.
Romans 5-2 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
There need be no uncertainty. We can have peace, and stand in grace. I can go to God through Jesus I don't have to go through any Church (I Tim 2:5). If Billy Graham says he knows that he has a place in heaven because of his work then he would be wrong; but he has every right to say he has a place in heaven because of the cross.
No, that’s not a snippet because Christ doubled down on this. (More on this explained below)
This passage has stood the test of 2000 years by the early Church fathers (who exercised their supreme Petrine authority of putting together the order and form of the books we call the Bible: These books did not fall from the skies) and by theological scholars of everts stripe, and have been examined by the microscopes of university scholarship at the highest level. The writings of Augustine, Aquinas, Newman, and Benedict is part of the profound theological collection of books in just about every theological department in any university of prestige. This is not the product of shallow Bible Christian novices drawing on swatches of non-contextual scripture. They have been accepted by prominent atheists and agnostics who have converted to Catholicism including Judaism’s former Chief Rabbi.
But since you demand a more expansive view than a snippet, here’s something to examine.
John 6:30 begins a colloquy that took place in the synagogue at Capernaum. The Jews asked Jesus what sign he could perform so that they might believe in him. As a challenge, they noted that “our ancestors ate manna in the desert.” Could Jesus top that? He told them the real bread from heaven comes from the Father. “Give us this bread always,” they said. Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” At this point the Jews understood him to be speaking metaphorically.
Again and Again
Jesus first repeated what he said, then summarized: “‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” (John 6:51–52).
His listeners were stupefied because now they understood Jesus literally—and correctly. He again repeated his words, but with even greater emphasis, and introduced the statement about drinking his blood: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:53–56).
No Corrections
Notice that Jesus made no attempt to soften what he said, no attempt to correct “misunderstandings,” for there were none. Our Lord’s listeners understood him perfectly well. They no longer thought he was speaking metaphorically. If they had, if they mistook what he said, why no correction?
On other occasions when there was confusion, Christ explained just what he meant (cf. Matt. 16:5–12). Here, where any misunderstanding would be fatal, there was no effort by Jesus to correct. Instead, he repeated himself for greater emphasis.
In John 6:60 we read: “Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’” These were his disciples, people used to his remarkable ways. He warned them not to think carnally, but spiritually: “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63; cf. 1 Cor. 2:12–14).
But he knew some did not believe. (It is here, in the rejection of the Eucharist, that Judas fell away; look at John 6:64.) “After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him” (John 6:66).
This is the only record we have of any of Christ’s followers forsaking him for purely doctrinal reasons. If it had all been a misunderstanding, if they erred in taking a metaphor in a literal sense, why didn’t he call them back and straighten things out? Both the Jews, who were suspicious of him, and his disciples, who had accepted everything up to this point, would have remained with him had he said he was speaking only symbolically.
But he did not correct these protesters. Twelve times he said he was the bread that came down from heaven; four times he said they would have “to eat my flesh and drink my blood.” John 6 was an extended promise of what would be instituted at the Last Supper—and it was a promise that could not be more explicit. Or so it would seem to a Catholic. But what do Fundamentalists say?
Paul warns that there are those who will arise in the church to corrupt the doctrine and eventually the Gospel; even to the point that people can preach another Jesus.
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
We know that are salvation is not secured by our good works Ephesians 2:6-9 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
As the author of Hebrews builds to chapter you quoted he makes clear the role of Christ as the sacrifice for our sins the Lamb of God. Hebrews 10:12-19 “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,”
Unlike the sin offering which was done every year to point forward to Christ, when Christ came he was sacrificed once for all the debt was paid for the whole world all that was left was to accept the free gift.
In Romans Paul builds the case for grace making clear that it is our relationship that matters, for we are not saved by our righteousness, but by Jesus’s.
Romans 5:6-21 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Nor do we stay saved by our own goodness. Even Paul struggled with sin. Romans 7:16-25 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
As Steve Brown says love in relation to goodness isn't love it's reward. God loved us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Assurance grows not out of resting on our own goodness, but out of resting on his love. It is this love that abolishes our fear.
I John 4:15-19 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”
I don't remember who it was that tells the story. An atheist told them there was no God and he said that was silly he had talked to God this morning. Assurance comes from relationship not from righteous. You can be self righteous and put on a good front, but you can't fake the relationship, no one but God can see that.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
You ignored his post. Yes for us to brag our works constitute salvation as the Muslims and semi-pelagians believe, would be boastful and the sin of pride.
Jesus said if we believe, have faith, trust in Him and His work, and abide in Him we have the Promise of John 14:
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Same apostle:
1 John 5:13
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
What you laid out is a very close definition of semi-pelagian. I thought Augustine put that heresy and full Pelagianism to rest. Guess not we are seeing it here.
Even better when all the crowns are cast at the feet of Christ Jesus!
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