Posted on 06/04/2017 12:29:15 PM PDT by ealgeone
I’m sorry I misunderstood. Thank God we are saved with no work or merit of our own. It is the only way us miserable sinners can have the assurance of our salvation. It depends only on His perfection, steadfastness and love not on our flawed efforts.
Original sin.
We're all guilty when we're born.
What happens to all infants and little children who you claim break all of the Ten Commandments when they die as an unborn child, an infant or little child ?
That's a good question.
The concept of the “age of accountability” is that children are not held accountable by God for their sins until they reach a certain age, and that if a child dies before reaching the “age of accountability,” that child will, by the grace and mercy of God, be granted entrance into heaven. Is the concept of an age of accountability biblical? Is there such a thing as an “age of innocence”?
Frequently lost in the discussion regarding the age of accountability is the fact that children, no matter how young, are not “innocent” in the sense of being sinless. The Bible tells us that, even if an infant or child has not committed personal sin, all people, including infants and children, are guilty before God because of inherited and imputed sin. Inherited sin is that which is passed on from our parents. In Psalm 51:5, David wrote, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” David recognized that even at conception he was a sinner. The very sad fact that infants sometimes die demonstrates that even infants are impacted by Adam’s sin, since physical and spiritual death were the results of Adam’s original sin.
Each person, infant or adult, stands guilty before God; each person has offended the holiness of God. The only way God can be just and at the same time declare a person righteous is for that person to have received forgiveness by faith in Christ. Christ is the only way. John 14:6 records what Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through Me.” Also, Peter states in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Salvation is an individual choice.
What about babies and young children who never attain the ability to make this individual choice? The age of accountability is the concept that those who die before reaching the age of accountability are automatically saved by God’s grace and mercy. The age of accountability is the belief that God saves all those who die never having possessed the ability to make a decision for or against Christ. One verse that may speak to this issue is Romans 1:20, “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” According to this, mankind’s guilt before God is based, in part, on the fact that people reject what they can “clearly see” of God’s existence, eternality, and power. This leads to the question of children who have no faculty for “clearly seeing” or reasoning about God—wouldn’t their natural incapacity to observe and reason provide them with an excuse?
Thirteen is the most common age suggested for the age of accountability, based on the Jewish custom that a child becomes an adult at the age of 13. However, the Bible gives no direct support to the age of 13 always being the age of accountability. It likely varies from child to child. A child has passed the age of accountability once he or she is capable of making a faith decision for or against Christ. Charles Spurgeon’s opinion was that “a child of five can as truly be saved and regenerated as an adult.”
With the above in mind, also consider this: Christ’s death is presented as sufficient for all of mankind. First John 2:2 says Jesus is “the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” This verse is clear that Jesus’ death was sufficient for all sins, not just the sins of those who specifically have come to Him in faith. The fact that Christ’s death was sufficient for all sin would allow the possibility of God’s applying that payment to those who were never capable of believing.
Some see a link between the age of accountability and the covenant relationship between the nation of Israel and the LORD where no requirement was imposed on a male child to be included in the covenant other than circumcision, which was performed on the eighth day after his birth (Exodus 12:48–50; Leviticus 12:3).
The question arises, “Does the inclusive nature of the Old Covenant apply to the church?” On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:38–39, NAS). The word children here (teknon in Greek) means “child, daughter, son.” Acts 2:39 indicates that forgiveness of sins is available to one and all (cf. Acts 1:8), including future generations. It does not teach family or household salvation. The children of those who repented were also required to repent.
The one passage that seems to identify with this topic more than any other is 2 Samuel 12:21–23. The context of these verses is that King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, with a resulting pregnancy. The prophet Nathan was sent by the Lord to inform David that, because of his sin, the Lord would take the child in death. David responded to this by grieving and praying for the child. But once the child was taken, David’s mourning ended. David’s servants were surprised to hear this. They said to King David, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” David’s response was, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” David’s response indicates that those who cannot believe are safe in the Lord. David said that he could go to the child but could not bring the child back to him. Also, and just as important, David seemed to be comforted by this knowledge. In other words, David seemed to be saying that he would see his baby son (in heaven), though he could not bring him back.
Although it is possible that God applies Christ’s payment for sin to those who cannot believe, the Bible does not specifically say that He does this. Therefore, this is a subject about which we should not be adamant or dogmatic. God’s applying Christ’s death to those who cannot believe would seem consistent with His love and mercy.
It is our position that God applies Christ’s payment for sin to babies and those who are mentally handicapped, since they are not mentally capable of understanding their sinful state and their need for the Savior, but again we cannot be dogmatic. Of this we are certain: God is loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious. Whatever God does is always right and good, and He loves children even more than we do.
https://www.gotquestions.org/age-of-accountability.html
I'll ask again...if in 108 days we're all still here and what you say is going to happen doesn't....will you publicly admit you have been a false prophet?
"For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." - John 6:40.
You miss the whole point of the Gospel. It is because of Jesus and his sending upon us the Holy Spirit that we are able to keep the Commandments
"Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law." - Gal 2:16
This is a list of the results of faith. But what is missing from this list is what faith is. Faith is a GIFT from God given to us by God.
Each believer is given a certain amount of faith that is assigned - Rom_12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
As we depend on the Lord our faith may increase, but never lost - 2Co_10:15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged,
Though faith may be evidence outwardly, only we can examine ourselves to know if we have faith - 2Co_13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Either that or they believed that "acting like" or "mimicking" Jesus was a means to personal power. Their problem was they they never believed and received - that Jesus was their Messiah/Redeemer/Lord/Only begotten Son of God...
Baptism is important but not essential for salvation. An example would be one of the thieves on the cross who simply said, "Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom" - to whom Jesus replied, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." There was no baptism - just a dying man putting his faith in Jesus.
You can't exclude Original Sin from the discussion as it is inherent in each of us.
That's the point...we're born guilty.
I do not accept that an unborn child, infant or little child has broken each of the Ten Commandments ? I think that is either a misreading of scripture or taking a French (no offence to the French) lawyer's theories too far.
It really doesn't matter what you or I accept...it's how God defines it. Besides, I didn't know Paul was a French lawyer.
The concept of the “age of accountability”
Where did you find that phrase in the scriptures, how does it factor into sola fide, and what is the age ?
If you read the article you will find it.
It is both/and, not either/or. There are enough quotes from Jesus to make this clear.
As for Galatians, the law of which Paul speaks is the Mosaic Law. As is Romans, Galatians is a response to the Judaizers who held that Christian were bound by the Law of Moses. To broaden its meaning to include a dispensation from the moral law is a false use of Scripture.
The thief did all he could do, being on a cross. He rebuked the other thief, then made his request, and Jesus made his promise.
The Law was still in effect. Jesus was not dead yet. Without the death of the testator, the new testament was not in effect. The temple curtain was not yet torn.
Sometime earlier, Jesus forgave the sins of the cripple man that he healed. Also earlier, he healed the leper, telling him to go show himself to the priest, and offer the things Moses commanded. Jesus didn’t cure the thief’s condition (miraculously remove him from the cross). He was still going to die on that cross, so there would be no visit to a synagogue for him.
Since the resurrection, Jesus, through his commissions to his apostles, commanded repentance and baptism for remission of sins. If you don’t believe that Acts 2:38 is ordained by him, what other scriptures do you not believe?
Thus man owes to God all things, and while he is guilty and rightly damned for resisting God contrary to the level of grace given him, (Prov. 1:20-31; Lk. 10:13; 12:48; Rv. 20:11-15) man can not claim he actually deserves anything, and God does not owe him anything but damnation, except that under grace which denotes unmerited favor God has chosen to reward faith, (Heb. 10:35) in recognition of its effects.
Which means that God justifies man without the merit of any works, which is what Romans 4:1-7ff teaches, with works of the law including all systems of justification by merit of works, for, if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (Galatians 3:21)
Thus the penitent publican and the contrite criminal, both of whom abased themselves as damned and destitute sinner and cast all their faith upon the mercy of God (which ultimately is Christ), were justified, and as such could go directly to be with the Lord at death, even before they did any manifest works of faith.
But works justify one as being a believer, and fit to be rewarded under grace for such, (Mt. 25:30-40; Rv. 3:4) though only because God has decided to reward man for what God Himself is actually to be credited for.
But which works, resulting from faith, do not appropriate justification, but as saving faith is that which effects obedience, this fruit justifies one as being a believer, with "things that accompany salvation." (Hebrews 6:9)
Hear here! Here is Wisdom.
Clementine Vulgate:
inimicitias ponam inter te et mulierem et semen tuum et semen illius ipsa conteret caput tuum et tu insidiaberis calcaneo eiusNova Vulgata:I will put enmity between you and the woman, and [between] your seed and her seed: she will pound your head, and you will lie in wait for his/her/its heel.
Inimicitias ponam inter te et mulierem et semen tuum et semen illius; ipsum conteret caput tuum, et tu conteres calcaneum eius.Conteres (pound) has a variety of meanings: to grind, bruise, pound, to crumble, separate into small pieces; to diminish by rubbing, to waste, destroy, to rub off, wear out.I will put enmity between you and the woman, and [between] your seed and hers; it [her seed] will pound at your head, and you will pound at his/her/its heel.
Eius in Latin is gender unspecific and thus can be translated as "his," "hers," or "its."
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Shouldn’t the Hebrew be the basis for the translation and not the Latin?
You have to read the entire exchange to get the proper understanding of what Jesus is saying to him.
Faith is indeed a gift from God.
The five scriptural references you gave come from epistles written to believers (faithful. already born again), as the intros, and ensuing context confirm.
To see the actual DETAILED conversions of souls in the scriptures, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you have to go to Acts.
“Oh, good grief....if that satisfies you
Oh definitely! Eternal life always satisfies.
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