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I have a different way of thinking about that.
I think that is common.
And one more thing . . . yes, me too! I have to stop and refocus myself, and look to God, what He wants said. Yes, I am an imperfect vessel, a "cracked pot".
You would suppose that my view on the rapture is based on some supposed escapism?
No, I didn't say that. You have to examine context and intent to see the difference between faith and believing. Like how James says even demons believe!
That's right. Faith is from God. Whether or not you're going to retain that faith and choose to trust him is from you.
Justification means to be declared righteous. One way we are declared righteous is when we are made righteous by having our unrighteousness legally removed from our account through God's forgiveness and having it replaced with God's righteousness. That's the part of justification Paul talks about in his letters. The other way we are declared righteous is when we show through our behavior that we have the righteousness of God. That's the part of justification James talks about.
Justification in regard to sin means 1) to be made righteous by having your sin guilt legally removed 'just as if you'd never done it', and 2) having God's righteousness put in it's place by the Holy Spirit showing yourself to be righteous as He is righteous.
The nature of your being changes when you receive God's justification. Because justification is not just a change of legal status from unrighteous to righteous. Justification also means having the power of the flesh crucified so that you are declared to be righteous as demonstrated by your behavior, not just declared to be righteous in a legal sense.
You are defining words in the narrow and limited way of a particular doctrinal view. Your view is being limited by a particular teaching. It happens to all of us. We all need to shed the blinders of our denominational teachings that force us to only be able to see the one narrow view it lets us see.
Word studies are not pesky as long as they take into consideration intent and context. I've seen too many Christians flip to the word usage and definition part of a Strong's concordance and take the usage and definition of a word they like and apply it where it does not belong.
As I showed you, Jesus and the life that is in him is what is eternal. All believing people have eternal life (Jesus) in them. Your possession of that which is eternal and everlasting (Jesus) is forever if you continue in your believing all the way to the end of your life. Whether or not you get to forever keep Him who is eternal (Jesus) depends on if you keep on believing in him. Some say the true believer can't help but to continue to believe in him. Others say the true believer can stop believing in him. But the one thing that is true in both cases, you must continue to believe to the very end of your life to forever have Jesus "the true God and eternal life" 1 John 5:20.
Yes, all BELIEVERS continuing in their believing have this promise of never perishing and having eternal life. People who do not continue to believe do not have that promise.
Trusting in God for the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ is not a work of self righteous merit or boast. Paul said so.
So you're saying John turned right around and contradicted what he just said 3 verses before. You need to seek the understanding that does not cause John to contradict himself.
That's right. God does not charge sin to a believing born again person. It is charged to the person who does not believe. That's why John exhorts us to let what we heard in the beginning remain in us.
