Receiving Jesus. - What does it mean?

[JohnDB]

Receiving Jesus. - What does it mean?​

This concept of "receiving Jesus" is the product of evangelicalism.
The aim of tent meeting revivals. A response to an invitation to a relationship with... Jesus? (or church) ???
An offer to be "born again". To "go forward" at a meeting and pray the "sinner's prayer".

And while some good can come of this, the view is not universal within the church.
Especially between Protestantism and Catholicism.

And I did this as a product of my evangelical upbringing.
Called out of a "life of sin" at the ripe old age of 8 years old.

But what if I had been raised Catholic, or Episcopalian? (Lutheran, Methodist, or whatever) ???
This would have laid out a different path to a relationship with Jesus.

Jesus is the way, but how many ways are there to Jesus?

We've all heard the biblical claim that Jesus is the way. (the truth and the life...) But how many ways are there to Jesus? - Does your church provide the only way to Jesus? - Do other churches provide a way to Jesus? - Do other religions provide a way to Jesus? - Can Jesus find someone...

www.christianityboard.com

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JUSTIFICATION is something Jesus accomplished.....we, ourselves had nothing to do with it.
Believing Jesus and becoming His disciple is something accomplished by a person's desires and works.

Just. Because I talk about sitting in chairs doesn't mean I actually do sit in chairs. And that's a key difference explained in an analogy.


Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Meaning if you too believe in God and act upon that belief....you too can be credited with righteousness.

 

[Behold]

Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Meaning if you too believe in God and act upon that belief....you too can be credited with righteousness.

God accepted Abraham's Faith..

Its "Justification by Faith" = "without works or deeds of the Law".

"but behold, didnt Abram do something"?

Yes.....He produced the offer to sacrifice his Son.........AFTER God had already accepted His FAITH to Justify Abraham by faith.

The False Teaching is..... Abraham was justified by Faith and also by his works.

But we see that if works are added to Faith, then faith is made void, (Paul teaches) because now its no longer Faith alone., and Salvation is :

"Justification by Faith".

"All who BELIEVE, shall be saved".

 

[JohnDB]

God accepted Abraham's Faith..

Its "Justification by Faith" = "without works or deeds of the Law".

"but behold, didnt Abram do something"?

Yes.....He produced the offer to sacrifice his Son.........AFTER God had already accepted His FAITH to Justify Abraham by faith.

The False Teaching is..... Abraham was justified by Faith and also by his works.

But we see that if works are added to Faith, then faith is made void, (Paul teaches) because now its no longer Faith alone., and Salvation is :

"Justification by Faith".

"All who BELIEVE, shall be saved".

No....
You are twisting what the truth is.

BECAUSE ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD HE ACTED UPON THAT FAITH.

James speaks specifically about those who claim they believe but have no works have a dead faith.
And by works we mean things that are aligned with sanctification....meaning not getting drunk or stoned on drugs, staying away from loose women, stop being mean to people who "need to learn a lesson" and etc.

These are works of the flesh that have no effect upon your salvation but are aligned with not grieving the down payment deposit of the Holy Spirit within you.

Because you believe, the very thought of salvation by grace is normal but thinking you now have license to commit atrocities and still have your ticket to heaven is horrifying.

Sanctification (works) is a lifelong process of cleaning up your life because you believe....

 

[Behold]

No....
You are twisting what the truth is.

Jesus is The Truth.

John 14:6.

BECAUSE ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD HE ACTED UPON THAT FAITH.

Its because Abrham believed,.....as this is FAITH.......that His "FAITH, was counted as Righteousness"

You are adding works to faith, because you dont understan that works are not Faith.........works are deeds of self effort you perform.
Faith in found in the Heart, where God sees it, and accepts it as "Faith is counted by God as (Christ's imputed ) Righteousness"...on behalf of the BELIEVER.

James speaks specifically about those who claim they believe but have no works have a dead faith.

Dead faith is not dead Salvation, as the religious heretics all teach.
Dead faith is what is termed "backslidden".......and only a Christian can become backslidden.
Backslidden Christians, are still Christians, as they were saved, not based on works, but based on Faith.

Salvation is : "Justification by Faith". = "without works, or deeds of the Law".

And by works we mean things that are aligned with sanctification....meaning not getting drunk or stoned on drugs, staying away from loose women, stop being mean to people who "need to learn a lesson" and etc.

You can stop using drugs, stop fornicating, stop watching Netflix, stop stealing, stop lying, stop cheating, stop using profanity, stop downloading porn, stop drinking, smoking.....
You can repent of all your sins, and then you'll still die and go to Hell.
Why?
Because God is not looking for your Works.....to save you........He's only looking for Faith in Christ.

"Justification by faith"......"without works or deeds of the Law".

"Grace through Faith".

These are works of the flesh that have no effect upon your salvation but are aligned with not grieving the down payment deposit of the Holy Spirit within you.

Behavior has no effect on Salvation.......as Salvation is Jesus on The Cross.......>He is God's "Gift of Salvation" and you dont work for a Gift, and you can't keep a Gift from God, by works, or behavior.

Sanctification (works) is a lifelong process of cleaning up your life because you believe....

Disciplship is a lifelong consent to follow Christ., its to "present your body as a living sacrifice to God", all the time.
So, in that sense ......in the sense of "being in the world but not of it", you are daily being sanctified as "set apart".

However, eternal sanctification, happens instantly = (Born again).... because Jesus is our entire Sanctification, and the born again are "IN CHRIST".
The born again could not be "In Christ" if they had sin, or were not sanctified by Christ's Eternal Atonement.

1 Corin 1:30....(KJV) .

 

[JohnDB]

Jesus is The Truth.

John 14:6.




Its because Abrham believed,.....as this is FAITH.......that His "FAITH, was counted as Righteousness"

You are adding works to faith, because you dont understan that works are not Faith.........works are deeds of self effort you perform.
Faith in found in the Heart, where God sees it, and accepts it as "Faith is counted by God as (Christ's imputed ) Righteousness"...on behalf of the BELIEVER.



Dead faith is not dead Salvation, as the religious heretics all teach.
Dead faith is what is termed "backslidden".......and only a Christian can become backslidden.
Backslidden Christians, are still Christians, as they were saved, not based on works, but based on Faith.

Salvation is : "Justification by Faith". = "without works, or deeds of the Law".




You can stop using drugs, stop fornicating, stop watching Netflix, stop stealing, stop lying, stop cheating, stop using profanity, stop downloading porn, stop drinking, smoking.....
You can repent of all your sins, and then you'll still die and go to Hell.
Why?
Because God is not looking for your Works.....to save you........He's only looking for Faith in Christ.

"Justification by faith"......"without works or deeds of the Law".

"Grace through Faith".



Behavior has no effect on Salvation.......as Salvation is Jesus on The Cross.......>He is God's "Gift of Salvation" and you dont work for a Gift, and you can't keep a Gift from God, by works, or behavior.




Disciplship is a lifelong consent to follow Christ., its to "present your body as a living sacrifice to God", all the time.
So, in that sense ......in the sense of "being in the world but not of it", you are daily being sanctified as "set apart".

However, eternal sanctification, happens instantly = (Born again).... because Jesus is our entire Sanctification, and the born again are "IN CHRIST".
The born again could not be "In Christ" if they had sin, or were not sanctified by Christ's Eternal Atonement.

1 Corin 1:30....(KJV) .

So..
.you backsliding every other day with armed robbery, prostitution, fentanyl habit and drunkeness....but still saved?

Uhhhhh. NO.

The TWO greatest Commandments are what?

Love God with all your heart, soul, might
Love your neighbor as yourself.

All your actions are put through this filter ONLY IF YOU BELIEVE. If you dont....then you do not believe in Jesus only of Jesus. Huge distinction....little word difference.

Satan believes of Jesus and still shakes in fear at his name. But he doesn't believe in Jesus.

Anything else is NOT CHRISTIAN.

YOU EITHER LOVE JESUS or you are an unbeliever. Jesus and the Holy Spirit is your MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION or you are not a Christian. It's really that simple. That's faith....not verbal assent which is what you just described.
And since you are promoting the belief you described you are promoting GNOSTICISM. A heresy denounced by the Apostle John in his gospel account. Meaning that Gnostics are not saved and not Christian.

I suggest you either repent and beg beg beg for forgiveness on a daily basis or stop calling yourself a Christian. Hell is easier on unbelievers than unrepentant "believers".

There are several passages talking about unrepentant believers getting double for their sins.

Narrow is the path that leads to life and few find it.

 

[Behold]

So..
.you backsliding every other day with armed robbery, prostitution, fentanyl habit and drunkeness....but still saved?

Uhhhhh. NO.

You can't stop being born again.
So, if a person is born again, then they are already "In Christ", already eternally forgiven., and will go to Heaven, as they are already "seated in heavenly places In Christ".

Now, if this person, who is born again.....decides to live in carnality.....that you are describing....then God will convict them of their behavior.
If they persist, then God will deal them : Hebrews 12:6
If they persist beyond this correction.., then Paul says they ""will die""......yet, they will die born again "in Christ"....as that is not changed by behavior, exactly as behavior never put anyone "in Christ"., including you.

See, God saves us "while we were YET Sinners".......and so, now being saved, we are to behave accordingly or God starts dealing withi the "Son-Daughter of God" with discipline....and that can lead to an early death.

The TWO greatest Commandments are what?

Matt 22:37,39

However, Love fulfills all the commadments.

Satan believes of Jesus and still shakes in fear at his name. But he doesn't believe in Jesus.

Salvation is only offered "through Faith", to humans,

Satan is not a human, so, he like all angels are disqualied from Salvation through Christ.

YOU EITHER LOVE JESUS or you are an unbeliever.

God defines an unbeliever as someone who does not Trust in Christ, and is never born again.

I suggest you either repent and beg beg beg for forgiveness on a daily basis or stop calling yourself a Christian.

I suggest you learn to Trust in Christ vs trying to keep yourself saved.
Start today.

Narrow is the path that leads to life and few find it.

Jesus is the "Narrow" path.........because Jesus is the "Only way to the Father". = The Cross of Christ.

There is no other "Path"..

 

[JohnDB]

You can't stop being born again.
So, if a person is born again, then they are already "In Christ", already eternally forgiven., and will go to Heaven, as they are already "seated in heavenly places In Christ".

Now, if this person, who is born again.....decides to live in carnality.....that you are describing....then God will convict them of their behavior.
If they persist, then God will deal them : Hebrews 12:6
If they persist beyond this correction.., then Paul says they ""will die""......yet, they will die born again "in Christ"....as that is not changed by behavior, exactly as behavior never put anyone "in Christ"., including you.

See, God saves us "while we were YET Sinners".......and so, now being saved, we are to behave accordingly or God starts dealing withi the "Son-Daughter of God" with discipline....and that can lead to an early death.



Matt 22:37,39

However, Love fulfills all the commadments.



Salvation is only offered "through Faith", to humans,

Satan is not a human, so, he like all angels are disqualied from Salvation through Christ.



God defines an unbeliever as someone who does not Trust in Christ, and is never born again.





I suggest you learn to Trust in Christ vs trying to keep yourself saved.
Start today.



Jesus is the "Narrow" path.........because Jesus is the "Only way to the Father". = The Cross of Christ.

There is no other "Path"..

You can try to sugar coat and twist your Gnosticism any which way you want....
But it's still Gnosticism and absolute UNBELIEF. Just verbal assent which receives double punishment for abusing God's name.

 

[Behold]

You can try to sugar coat and twist your Gnosticism any which way you want....

What i do, is what real Christians do.
We give Jesus all the credit due Him alone, for saving us and keeping us saved.
We dont pretend that our works and our behavior can compare with His Sacrifice.
You'd do well to begin to try to understand this reality..

But it's still Gnosticism and absolute UNBELIEF.

Genuine Faith in Christ is not "gnosticism".

Now....How do you know that you have Genuine faith in Christ?
= You will believe that "Jesus who saved you, always keeps you saved..........and you'll stop trying to do that for yourself.
You're not there yet @JohnDB .

Just verbal assent which receives double punishment for abusing God's name.

Your vain jangling is offensive to the truth.
Your are just a carnal minded legalist, who can't understand why "God who began salvation (in the born again) will Himself be faithful to complete it".

You dont understand this, and perhaps you are unable.
However, if you ever do understand God's Grace, you'll stop trying to do it, and you'll instead give God credit for it.
You're not there yet @JohnDB

 

[JohnDB]

What i do, is what real Christians do.
We give Jesus all the credit due Him alone, for saving us and keeping us saved.
We dont pretend that our works and our behavior can compare with His Sacrifice.
You'd do well to begin to try to understand this reality..



Genuine Faith in Christ is not "gnosticism".

Now....How do you know that you have Genuine faith in Christ?
= You will believe that "Jesus who saved you, always keeps you saved..........and you'll stop trying to do that for yourself.
You're not there yet @JohnDB .



Your vain jangling is offensive to the truth.
Your are just a carnal minded legalist, who can't understand why "God who began salvation (in the born again) will Himself be faithful to complete it".

You dont understand this, and perhaps you are unable.
However, if you ever do understand God's Grace, you'll stop trying to do it, and you'll instead give God credit for it.
You're not there yet @JohnDB

Faith is not faith if it causes zero actions.

Actions do not save a person.....never have and never will.
But if you claim to believe but have zero actions reflecting that belief....you are a liar.

 

[Jack]

Maybe you went forward. And you prayed the prayer. You received Jesus. Now what?

Or perhaps you took a different route to connect with Jesus? Now what?

Let's focus on the idea of receiving Jesus. What does it mean?

Below is a key verse to work from.

John 1:11-12 NIV
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God—

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- So you received Jesus: what does it mean?
- What needs to change?
- What will spiritual growth look like?

]

It's not so difficult!

Romans 10:9-10
9 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

[quietthinker]

Receiving Jesus. - What does it mean?​

Opening the heart/ entering a reality heretofore unknown.

 

[St. SteVen]

Receiving Jesus. - What does it mean?​

Opening the heart/ entering a reality heretofore unknown.

Agree.
I wonder about the comparative in Catholicism.
Does receiving Jesus mean the Eucharist to them?
Or do they point to the Chrismation accompanied with infant baptism?

[

 

[quietthinker]

Agree.
I wonder about the comparative in Catholicism.
Does receiving Jesus mean the Eucharist to them?
Or do they point to the Chrismation accompanied with infant baptism?

[

We bumble through accompanied by limited view, some unconsciously, some deliberately.

 

[St. SteVen]

We bumble through accompanied by limited view, some unconsciously, some deliberately.

Fortunately, a conversion experience comes with personal evidence of a change.
Sometimes more obvious to others than ourselves.

[

 

[JohnDB]

Let's ask a question.....

First off understand that hate is not the opposite of love.
Apathy is the opposite of love.

So.....if someone claims to love God but is apathetic in their actions towards God.....uhhhh.....they are liars.

Nothing fancy required here.

 

[Behold]

Faith is not faith if it causes zero actions.

Faith enlists God's Salvation.

See, God is not looking for your works to save you....>He is only looking for Faith, to then justify you as "justification by faith".

And now being Justified.......forgiven, and born again.........you go and do those works.

But if you claim to believe but have zero actions reflecting that belief....you are a liar.

James does not call them "liars".....He says they have dead faith, and they need to get busy.

 

[JohnDB]

Faith enlists God's Salvation.

See, God is not looking for your works to save you....>He is only looking for Faith, to then justify you as "justification by faith".

And now being Justified.......forgiven, and born again.........you go and do those works.




James does not call them "liars".....He says they have dead faith, and they need to get busy.

It's also referred to as being double minded....and the TRUTH IS NOT IN THEM.

 

[Behold]

It's also referred to as being double minded....and the TRUTH IS NOT IN THEM.

No one can lose their Salvaiton, as Jesus has finished it for them, and God gives it to them based on Faith.
So, what is received is completed.......

Now the person is then responsible for this.....>"Present your body as a living sacrifice to God, which is your reasonable Service".

See that "Service"?...

That is our Discipleship.........but that is not our Salvation.........its only our Service.

Most new Chirisitans, are confused about this, and try to provide God their service, thinking that is how they Stay saved.
And in fact, they are SAVED already..........which is why they offer God their Service.

Salvation is Jesus on The Cross.......provided as a Gift by God... to the Believer.
And now having God's "Gift of Salvation" and being now born again, the Christian begins to Serve........but never to try to stay saved.

 

[JohnDB]

No one can lose their Salvaiton, as Jesus has finished it for them, and God gives it to them based on Faith.
So, what is received is completed.......

Now the person is then responsible for this.....>"Present your body as a living sacrifice to God, which is your reasonable Service".

See that "Service"?...

That is our Discipleship.........but that is not our Salvation.........its only our Service.

Most new Chirisitans, are confused about this, and try to provide God their service, thinking that is how they Stay saved.
And in fact, they are SAVED already..........which is why they offer God their Service.

Salvation is Jesus on The Cross.......provided as a Gift by God... to the Believer.
And now having God's "Gift of Salvation" and being now born again, the Christian begins to Serve........but never to try to stay saved.

Your psychosis is showing by your 180° turnaround and playing semantic games.

 

[Behold]

Your psychosis is showing by your 180° turnaround and playing semantic games.

A person who is born again, has been accepted by God based ONLY on their Faith in Christ that they Gave God.
Now, even someone like you can understand that they have not yet performed any "WORKS".. yet they are become a Christian, already.
If you can't understand this, then until you do, you'll continue to be confused about God's Salvation that is...

"Grace through faith".>>"without works or deeds of the law"... @JohnDB