Posted on 01/20/2016 1:53:12 PM PST by metmom
No, it's you or I, who refuse the payment.
"And you never answered the questions. What about the promises that Jesus made? They don’t count for anything?"
The promises Jesus made don't exist in the sense that Protestants seem to believe them to. God has done His part, and He continues to extend His offer every second of our lives. You have to accept the grace offered, and continue to accept it. If you believe that there is no cooperation or responsibility at our end to respond to Christ's promise, then what else is there to say?
You keep pointing to passages that say nothing about your salvation being guaranteed.
As I said in another comment, if you truly believe that no cooperation is required, or even possible, at our end in response to the grace God offers us, there is nothing more to say. Nowhere does the Bible suggest such an absurd situation.
Wallace notes that in the passive voice the subject is acted upon or receives the action expressed by the verb. The subject may or may not be aware of this action.(Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, Wallace, Daniel B., p431)
The verb has the following meaning: /sphragÃzÅ ("to seal") signifies ownership and the full security carried by the backing (full authority) of the owner. "Sealing" in the ancient world served as a "legal signature" which guaranteed the promise (contents) of what was sealed. HELPS Word studies
It is also used in 2 Corinthians 1:22 and Ephesians 4:30 in the same context.
In 2 Cor 1:22 this is in the middle voice. This is defined by Wallace as emphasizing the action of the subject. The subject performs or experiences the action expressed by the verb in such a way that emphasizes the subject's participation (Wallace p414-415). In this passage that subject is Christ. He is the one sealing us in this passage.
In Ephesians 1:13, the believer, is being sealed by the Holy Spirit. The believer plays no part in this action of the Holy Spirit.
The reader will also note the progression of salvation in this passage.
First there is hearing the Word of truth...the gospel.
Next comes the faith....the believing.
Then comes the sealing by the Holy Spirit.
The first two the believer does...the last, the Holy Spirit does to the believer.
Notice also in Eph 1:14 the Holy Spirit has been given as a pledge of our future inheritance. The Greek gives the meaning of earnest money. It is a deposit which guarantees the balance will be paid.
In both 2 Cor 1:22 and Eph 1:13 we see that the sealing is either done by Christ or the Holy Spirit. The believer is not responsible for the sealing. It is initiated from Heaven.
I cannot find any passage in the New Testament that ever says the believer is unsealed by the Holy Spirit or that the believer can unseal what has been sealed by the Spirit.
For the believer in Christ your salvation is secure as noted in these verses.
I give thanks to God for His lavish generosity towards us.
To not believe that the believer is secure means that one doesn’t have faith in Christ. Therefore no matter how many good works or obedience is performed, their own doctrine without faith in Christ condemns them and by their doctrine removes them from salvation.
Thse who did have saving faith, by God’s grace, remain saved, but fail to continue in further sanctification until they return to Him and confess those sins to Him, again through faith in what Christ provided at the Cross.
Sin is no longer the issue after the Cross, rather it’s now about forgiveness.
Yep, it's an impossible task. Not one person on earth, who tries it, will be successful. Not one, yet I see people, all the time, thinking they can. That's on them. It can't be done. Not now, NOT EVER. Anyone who tries to pay for their own sins, will pay for their own sins, but they will pay eternally, and even after trillions of eons pass, they will not have paid the debt for their sins. Ouch, that hurts. But, you know what I always say, that's on them. It doesn't have to be that way.
But once we have accepted Jesus, we have accepted the payment.
Once you accept payment, it's a done deal.
If you believe that there is no cooperation or responsibility at our end to respond to Christ's promise, then what else is there to say?
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
When you accept Christ, place your faith in Him to trust Him to save you, you are born from above, made a new creature in Christ. The old is gone.
That new nature is the nature of Christ and has the desires of Christ, one for relationship with God and obedience to the commands of God.
That new nature WANTS to be saved and stay saved.
Our salvation does not depend on keeping the law or doing good works. The Law never saved and was never meant to save.
Our best works cannot come close to what is required to save us. And once we've sinned, it's too late. First sin is all it takes to condemn us. A lifetime of perfect living with only ONE sin to our account, is still enough to damn us because God's requirements are perfection, not only in deed, but in thought and intent of the heart as well.
NOBODY can do that. EVER.
That's why it all depends on God and HE says it's by faith. He knows we can't do it and doesn't expect us to.
Believing that He is trustworthy does great honor to Him.
WHEN yopu are born from above, in this life, you are given to Jesus by The Father's Promise to The Son. God does not break His Promises. And if you doubt that those born from above are given to The Son, read the words of Jesus Himself, that no one -and that includes you- can snatch you from God's Hand and Jesus's hand. Think of it as God, from the moment you are born from above, has you cupped tightly in God's hands.
I assure you that if you could get out of God's hands then satan is smart enough to manipulate you to do it. Believing satan can ruin your new birth is a lie satan has floated far too many into oblivion with because they will hesitate to turn their will to believe in Jesus fearing they are not yet able to keep themselves 'good enough' for the Grace.
The Bible clearly makes this reception of the Promise a thing you must do in this lifetime, for today is the day and now is the hour'. If you believe satan's lie that God will take back the Life He promises to your spirit, you will not reach for the life preserver. Reach and take the Grace of God in Christ ... use the force, the force of infinite love aimed squarely at you.
They absolutely do say that but I can’t force you to believe that or understand them.
If you’d rather try to work your way to heaven, thinking that there’s actually some good work to do that would please God and pay your sin debt, have at it.
But it’s not going to work out so well for you.
But then it’s not a gift, it’s wages due. And if it’s wages due, then it’s not grace, it’s what God owes you.
And besides, God doesn’t need our good works. He doesn’t need anything. All the good works we do for each other, God could miraculously do Himself.
I’m glad that GOD’s word GIVES me assurance, and not some ‘maybe’ that some churches teach.
"The least of all Catholic teachings is NON-assurance." ~ Any One who Reads the Bible
We cannot even come to God without Him drawing us.
In the natural we don’t have the desire to come to Him.
The only reason we do is because the Holy spirit puts it there in our lives.
Beginning to end, God initiates salvation.
Much as is soothes the human ego and pride to think that we can do something to contribute to the work of salvation, we can’t. The price is too high. Without the shedding of blood there is NO forgiveness of sin.
Forgiveness is freely granted and given by the offended person. It CANNOT be earned by the offender, otherwise it is not forgiveness, it’s wages due.
God FORGIVES us our sin. Freely and abundantly.
When we are forgiven, there’s no more sin to pay for with out works, which cannot save because it’s the wrong thing to pay for sin with.
What's the interest rate on the REST of your payments?
Is there a big balloon payment at the end?
Oh thankyou metmom... this is great!
Do you really want some?
I’m keeping that for future reference.
That was AWESOME.
True; but what does HE require???
AMEN!!!! And I am so thankful for God's Saving and KEEPING power....
as the verse of the hymn goes " Prone to wander Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart now take and seal it, seal it in thy courts above." He knows our frame....
All gory to God!
Your welcome.
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