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Yet the NT mentions Christ's death as paying for our sins, sometimes as a ransom paid. Who is the "payee," and why couldn't he just have pardoned us without the "death penalty" payment? The OP is about what is or isn't impossible for God, and I'm trying to figure out whether pardoning us...

Fair enough. Let's just consider Christ's death, by whatever means, as required or not required for forgiveness of our sins. Was it impossible for God to forgive those sins without Christ's death? In thinking about this, it is interesting to me that Rom. 6:23 speaks of death as the “wages of...

But if two Jameses were included in the twelve to whom He appeared per v. 5, and then v.7 mentions a separate appearance to "James," isn't it a better assumption that the James referenced in v. 7 wasn't one of the Twelve?

Right, it's v. 5 and 7, not v. 7 and 9, that I should have focused on.

It's possible, but that is a very strained reading of Paul's meaning here. There's no reason to single out one of the Jameses for a second visit from the resurrected Christ. And if it happened, there's no reason for Paul to mention it. It's far more likely he was referring to James the bishop...

I'm curious because if God could have forgiven sin without the crucifixion of His Son, but He chose not to, it changes the way I look at atonement. What disabled God from forgiving the offender’s sin without having His Son nailed to the cross? Christ, we are told, paid the price for our...

Maybe I should have asked, WAS it impossible for God to forgive sin without the shedding of JESUS' blood?

I don't know the answer.

Is it impossible for God to forgive sin without the shedding of blood?

Totally agree that 2 Tim. 1:16-18 proves nothing (one way or the other) on the topic. It's too equivocal. But I can't agree that the Church Fathers' views on the topic are irrelevant. I think Luther was correct that Scripture does not settle the issue either way -- which makes the traditions...

Not sure what the quote from Hebrews adds to the discussion -- unless, of course, the dead face judgment immediately after death.

Many Protestants believe that prayer for the dead is pointless; that God’s judgment, be it salvation or damnation, is solely and unalterably based on what the deceased did or believed (I don’t want to get into the faith vs. works controversy here because it is irrelevant to the present question)...

“Faith in Christ sets us on that path, but we must also journey along that path in righteousness. And here, the Law retains some merit. Leaving ritual cleanliness, sacrifices and feast observances aside, the Law and the Prophets contain many precepts which are guideposts to the moral life, and...

I've always thought that James the first bishop of Jerusalem, often called the brother of the Lord, was neither of the two Jameses listed among the twelve original apostles (respectively, the son of Zebedee and the son of Alphaeus). Paul suggests as much, 1 Cor. 15. In v. 7 he mentions...

How unequivocal does it have to be? Matt. 24:13 quotes Jesus as saying that “he who endures to the end will be saved.” Luke 8:13 speaks of those who believe for a while, but eventually fall away. Rom. 11:22 mentions continuing in God's goodness or else being cut off. 1 Tim. 4:1 admonishes...

My problem with this is that Christians can (and do) continue to sin. Are none of those sins able to forfeit a true believer's salvation? The answer I usually get to this question is that the sinner’s original acceptance of Christ wasn’t really genuine, as demonstrated by his subsequent...

Thanks for this. But it seems to me that a gift can be received, and later cast aside. How do you know that a gift I receive today wont be tossed away by me next year? The fact that I received it this year is an unalterable fact, I agree -- but there is no guarantee that I'll keep it for the...

Thanks for this. So if you are speaking for all OSAS folks, then the answer to my question is Yes, "saved" means "guaranteed salvation"?

Then you are at the mercy of the translator of your particular version of the NT. Would you rather be told by the translator what Paul meant; or be told what Paul said? Are you willing to allow the translator’s personal choice of words to slant Paul's meaning? Paul's word σῳζομένοις in 1...

When OSAS folks say "saved," they mean "guaranteed salvation," don't they?