yeah, those of us who believe eternal life is eternal.
Jesus Christ alone has immortality (1 Timothy 6:16). So in order to have immortality or eternal life, you have to abide in Jesus Christ. The way you know Christ is abiding in you is if you find you are keeping His commandments (1 John 2:3). For the person who says they know the Lord and they do not keep His commandments, they are a liar and the truth is not in them (1 John 2:4). For he that has the Son has life, and he that does not have the Son does not have life (1 John 5:12).
You said:
That he who began a good work WILL complete it.
I believe this promise applies only to the faithful believer who does not justify sin and he has crucified the affections and lusts. For one cannot do a good work if they justify sin on some level by saying they must sin again because they are a slave to their sin nature. This also is not God forcing you to do good works, either. Titus 3:8 says be careful to maintain good works. That would not be possible if it was just all automatic and God just forces you to do them against your free will. For do you wake up one morning and helped the poor and preached the gospel like crazy one day and then at the end of the day you wondered how that was even possible (as if somebody took over your body outside of your control)? Doing good, and or living holy is synergistic. It's not all our effort, and neither is it all God's effort making us to surrender to the Lord so as to allow Him to do the good work through us.
That when God said we will never die God means it.
Well, when you read verses like John 11:26 that says that to believe in Jesus is to never die, you also have to read and believe verses like John 8:51, too. For John 8:51 says: “Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.” So it's not only believing in Jesus to not see death, but it is also in keeping His Word, as well.
You said:
When God said we have the spirit of the seal as a guarantee or pledge. he meant it
What is the condition of having the seal of God?
Scripture says, God the Father has set his seal upon those who labor for the meat that endures unto everlasting life.
“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” (John 6:27).
Jesus' meat was to do the will of the Father, and to finish his work (John 4:34).
The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him (Acts of the Apostles 5:32).
In fact, what is a guarantee?
Guarantee receipts normally have conditions which you can normally read in the ”fine print”. If you get a guarantee receipt for a certain product and you would like to make a claim, the store might request that you bring both the product and the receipt with you before they are willing to look at your claim. They might also request that you do this within a certain time frame and that you state what’s wrong with the product. Another example could be if someone buys you a bus ticket which guarantees you to get to a certain city PROVIDED that 1) you don’t throw away your ticket, 2) that you embark the right bus on the right time, and 3) that you STAY ON the bus until it arrives at the city. The BUS will arrive at the city as promised, but the question is if YOU will choose to be among the bus passengers.
1 Samuel 16:14
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
Psalms 51:11
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me
Again, circumcision was a ”seal” for those under the old covenant.
Romans 4:11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a SEAL of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.
This seal WAS broken and guaranteed nothing when those who were circumcised broke the covenant and were cut off from the people of God.
Romans 2:25-27
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, IF thou keep the law: but IF thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
As you can see, this seal was conditioned on continued faith and obedience. The Holy Spirit marks us as God’s children of the new covenant but if we abandon the faith, and/or live in disobedience then the Spirit of God no longer remains in us and we are no longer sealed. Circumcised (sealed) jews were broken off through unbelief.
Acts 5:32
And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
John 14:15-16
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever
Romans 8:9-10
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, IF so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And IF Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
God speaks of the Israelites who ”grieved” His Holy Spirit in their rebellion. These Jews were cut off from the promise of entering God’s rest and they became God’s enemies.
Isaiah 63:10
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: THEREFORE he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. —
Isaiah 63:14
As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.
In the NT the ”rest” is the eternal rest that all believers will attain. The book of Hebrews continually speak of the promise of eternal rest, in combination with WARNINGS to believers not to miss out on this promised rest through hardening their hearts in unbelief, just as the Israelites did who rebelled against God during the Exodus (Read Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 10).
Source:
Sealed UNTO the day of redemption, but a seal can be broken Eph. 4:30
You said:
To all legalists. we are merciless
Ephesians 4:32 CEV
“Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.”
