iakov said:
IMO, the OSAS teaching is a device of Satan to convince alleged Christians that all they have to do is believe and that they don't ever have to do any of the "good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (EPh 2:10)
No, that's wrong. This is what OSAS believes...
We who believe in the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints in no way profess a dead faith, nor are we antinomians...yet when it comes to soteriology we do believe we are saved through the belief of the death of Jesus Christ for our sins and His resurrection. This is the entirety of the gospel for salvation.
What we believe about works is it is the natural progression and out working of being born again. These works do nothing to secure or maintain our salvation.
These works are accredited to God as working in and through us.
We do not believe that sin will disqualify any born again believer for the free gift of salvation. All sin is deliberate,
yet repentance is the natural working of God in us through the conviction He places on us. We believe as His children we are chastised but not condemned.
iakov said:
So, why do you call Jesus "Lord" and then tell people they don't have to do the "good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."??? Why do you tell people it is unnecessary to OBEY Jesus' commands to be saved?
That's incorrect also. Believers do follow the commandments because of the perseverance of the saints...
John 13:34-35 NIV “
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 15:12 NIV
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 15:17 NIV
This is my command: Love each other.
Gal 5:6 NIV For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Gal 5:14 NIV
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
1 Tim 1:3-7 NIV As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
1 John 3:23 NIV
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
1 John 4:21 NIV
And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
2 John 1:5-6 NIV And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
iakov said:
COL1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight —IF YOU CONTINUE IN YOUR FAITH, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
This passage is about losing blessings in Christ, not salvation. If you notice in Col 1:22 NIV it says we have already been reconciled through the blood of Christ shed on the cross. His blood is permanent. Also notice that the body of Christ is the one time sacrifice for sins in Col 1:22 NIV and Heb 10:10-12 NIV.
iakov said:
HEB 3:14 We have come to share in Christ IF WE HOLD FIRMLY TILL THE END THE CONFIDENCE WE HAD AT FIRST.
And that we shall.
This passage is separating the sheep from the goats.
Believers persevere because they have the root of salvation.
Only nonbelievers who do not have the root remain in unbelief Matt 13:20-23 NIV.
Believing only comes once...
Eph 1:13-14 NIV And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
iakov said:
2PE 1:5-10 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For IF YOU DO THESE THINGS, YOU WILL NEVER FALL,
2 Peter 1:4-11 NIV - This passage is about losing blessings in Christ, not salvation. Notice the word "promises" in 2 Peter 1:4 NIV. Now notice the word "promise" in the following...Acts 2:38-39 NIV, Gal 3:22 NIV, Gal 3:29 NIV, Eph 1:13-14 NIV, Phil 1:6 NIV, Heb 4:1 ESV, 2 Peter 2:4-10 NIV, 1 John 2:24-25 NIV, Jude 1:24 NIV.
Also notice in 2 Peter 1:11 NIV it does not say we will NOT be welcome into the eternal kingdom, rather it says if we do these things we will receive a rich welcome. It's only being applied to
HOW we will be greeted, not
IF we will be greeted.
Lastly, in 2 Pet 1:10 NIV, the word for stumble is translated "ptaió" which means to cause to stumble, to stumble, or to fall, sin, err, transgress. We err every day and fall short of God's glory, because only Jesus is perfect Psa 20:6-9 NIV, Psa 37:23-24 NIV.
Psalm 145:13-14 NIV Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. 14
The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
iakov said:
EZE 18:24 "But IF a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, HE WILL DIE.”
I am assuming you understand that the the word "if" introduces a conditional situation.
Ezek 18:24 NIV / Ezek 33:11-16 NIV - This has nothing to do with salvation. It has to do with the penalty of sin because sin is death. James 1:13-15 NIV.
FHII said:
What is the bible definition of good works?
The good work asked of us is to believe, in which iakov is preaching the opposite...
He won't say anything about what people believe;
Psalm 127:1 NIV
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
John 6:28-29 NIV Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" 29 Jesus answered, "
The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Rom 3:21-22 NIV But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
Rom 4:11 NIV And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then,
he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
Rom 4:22-24 NIV This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23 The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us,
to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Rom 10:3-4 NIV Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4
Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
1 Cor 15:10-11 NIV But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Gal 3:5 NIV Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law,
or because you believe what you heard?
1 Tim 4:10 NIV That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people,
and especially of those who believe.
James 2:23 NIV And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
- ATP