Believe unto Righteousness.

[Ernest T. Bass]

Salvation, is not you doing something so that God will let you go to heaven.

Listen, if you could earn the right to go to heaven, Christ didn't have to DIE FOR YOU>

Do you understand this?
Will you ever?


Also, there is no example of God ever saving anyone who went to hell later.

Try to understand WHY, and you have begun to understand this......>"Jesus said from the Cross..... "IT IS Finished".

What is """""finished""""", Earnest?
What did Christ FINISH, by shedding His Blood, and Dying, and being raised from the dead. ??????
Listen, what He "finished", you have to have, or you will not go to heaven.
You can not ride a wave of water baptism into heaven.
That wont do it.

You must be "BORN AGAIN"< and Water wont get you there.

You dont understand what is "finished" yet....that Christ has completed..., and until you do, you will continue to try to work your way into heaven, and that is not possible.

One is either 1) obeying God's will or 2) disobeying God's will....there is no middle ground or third option. There is not an example in the Bible of God ever saving those who continued in disobedience and rebellion in doing His will. So the Calvinists argument dies right here. God has mercy upon those who repent/obey and no mercy for those who will not (Jeremiah 18:8-10) and not a single place in the Bible is obedience to God's will described as a work of merit done to earn God's free gift. The Calvinist argument dies another death here.

Romans 6:16, again there is just two options for man, 1) salvation or 2) condemnation) meaning man is serving one of two masters, each person is either serving 1) sin unto death (condemnation) or 2) serving obedience unto righteousness. There is no middle ground or third option. Faith only denies 'obedience unto righteousness' so it has one serving 'sin unto death'. And Paul said obedience UNTO righteousness, he did NOT say one obeys BECAUSE one ALREADY is righteousness for there is no such idea found in the Bible of one being righteous BEFORE he did any righteousness of God.

Salvation is a free gift so it cannot be earned. Yet God has made the gift of salvation CONDITIONAL and meeting the preconditions does not in anyway earn the free gift. This is a common every day truth and fact faith onlyist dent and cannot accept. Therefore they will never have an accurate understanding of Biblical salvation. God did not owe Naaman anything but God would mercifully heal his disease IF he met the condition of dipping in the Jordan 7 times. Not until Naaman OBEYED and dipped as God said did God cleanse his disease. His dipping was an obedient work but earned him NOTHING, yet the dipping was necessary to meet the condition GOD placed upon the free gift of healing.

===============

When Christ said "it is finished" He was referring to HIS WORK in coming to earth doing His Father's will in dying on the cross for mankind, finished His earthly personal ministry work, (John 17:14). He finished His work in taking away the law of Moses and replacing it with His NT gospel. Christ finished HIS WORK that was necessary for man to have full redemption of of sins, to have all his sins completely, entirely remitted and washed away. Yet Christ did not say man's work is finished for man must work in obeying God to take advantage of what Christ's work provided, that being, full forgiveness of sins. It therefore it is incumbent upon man, man's responsibility and accountability, to obey Christ in believing, repenting of sins, confessing with the mouth and be baptized to receive the benefits of Christ's work...forgiveness of sins. Then for those who obey thereby becoming Christians they are then to "take up the cross daily", to take up what Jesus finished by doing the work of taking Christ's gospel message to the lost world (Mark 16:15-16), in doing good works (Ephesians 2:10) to work out your own salvation, (Phil 2:12) to strive to enter the narrow, strait gate that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14); to keep Christ's works (Revelation 2:26); to be faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10).

==============

John 3:5 ...........born of water and Spirit (born again) >>>>>>>>> enter the kingdom of heaven
Matthew 7:21....doeth the will of the Father >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> enter the kingdom of heaven

Since there is but one way to be saved/enter the kingdom, then there is a definite connection between being born again and doing the will of the Father. God has commanded men to be water baptized and those who do so are doing the will of the Father, are born again and can enter the kingdom. So being born again is not an arbitrary decision God makes for men causing God to be a respecter of persons but a decision man makes for himself whereby those (as Nicodemus) who have not been born their OWN culpability and not God's culpability. If God alone determines which men will or will not be born again then those who have not been born again have no personal culpability in that matter and it would be unjust, unrighteous for God to condemn them. Yet since the new birth occurs when one is baptized and men choose for themselves to be baptized or not then culpability lies 100% with man for not being born again and they can rightly, justly be condemned.

John 3:5-------Spirit +++++++born of water >>>>>>> enter the kingdom
1 Cor 12:13---Spirit +++++++ baptized >>>>>>>>> enter the body
Titus 3:5-----Holy Ghost ++++ washing of reg. >>>>> saved

The Bible being its own best commentary sheds clear light on the subject that born of water is referring to water baptism.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

You said it yourself, you condition salvation on what a person does, thats works, and it flat out denies salvation by grace friend.

All works are not the same. Romans 10:3 contains 2 different kinds of works in it:
1) establish their OWN righteousness
2) obeying GOD'S righteousness

Those Jews were lost for they were doing the WRONG KIND of work in establishing their OWN righteousness. Had they worked to obey God in doing GOD'S righteousness they would have been saved. Again, no verse says obedience to God's will is a work of merit done to earn God's free gift. Obeying is simply meeting the required conditions in order to receive the free gift.

If grace were UNconditional then all men universally would be saved Titus 2:11. Yet many will be lost entering the broad, wide gate to destruction because receiving grace is CONDITIONAL upon obeying God's will and most will not. Any idea that salvation is completely unconditional and man has no role in his own salvation by obeying God's will makes God culpable for those lost and makes Him a respecter of persons when He is neither.


"worketh not" therefore does not mean "obeyeth not" for Paul clearly puts obedience BEFORE justification (Romans 6:17-18);
1) were servants of unrighteousness
2) obeyed from the heart
3) then freed from sin (justified) servant of righteousness

No one can be justified while continuing to refuse to obey God's will.....he who continues to not do righteousness continues to not be of God (1 John 3:10). Calvinism tries to do the impossible in justifying the man who is in rebellion, disobedience to God's will in an attempt to promote Luther's faith onlyism.

 

[brightfame52]

All works are not the same. Romans 10:3 contains 2 different kinds of works in it:
1) establish their OWN righteousness
2) obeying GOD'S righteousness

Those Jews were lost for they were doing the WRONG KIND of work in establishing their OWN righteousness. Had they worked to obey God in doing GOD'S righteousness they would have been saved. Again, no verse says obedience to God's will is a work of merit done to earn God's free gift. Obeying is simply meeting the required conditions in order to receive the free gift.

If grace were UNconditional then all men universally would be saved Titus 2:11. Yet many will be lost entering the broad, wide gate to destruction because receiving grace is CONDITIONAL upon obeying God's will and most will not. Any idea that salvation is completely unconditional and man has no role in his own salvation by obeying God's will makes God culpable for those lost and makes Him a respecter of persons when He is neither.


"worketh not" therefore does not mean "obeyeth not" for Paul clearly puts obedience BEFORE justification (Romans 6:17-18);
1) were servants of unrighteousness
2) obeyed from the heart
3) then freed from sin (justified) servant of righteousness

No one can be justified while continuing to refuse to obey God's will.....he who continues to not do righteousness continues to not be of God (1 John 3:10). Calvinism tries to do the impossible in justifying the man who is in rebellion, disobedience to God's will in an attempt to promote Luther's faith onlyism.

You condition salvation on what a man does, thats works, which denies grace.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

You condition salvation on what a man does, thats works, which denies grace.

God, not me, has made salvation conditional....men must conditionally have an obedient faith in order to receive God's gift of salvation. If salvation were completely UNconditional then all men without exception would unconditionally be saved (Titus 2:11)

Romans 6 Paul refutes the idea that 'grace only' saves. Romans 6:1-2 though Christian are saved by grace that does not mean Christians has the right to live in sin for Christians are dead to sin. Yet to keep from living in sin requires the Christian to obey God's will..the Christian must have "obedience unto righteousness" else if he disobeys he finds himself serving "sin unto death".

Salvation therefore takes obedience to keep one from serving sin unto death yet grace is needed for the Chrstian's obedience will not be perfectly sinless.

 

[brightfame52]

God, not me, has made salvation conditional....men must conditionally have an obedient faith in order to receive God's gift of salvation. If salvation were completely UNconditional then all men without exception would unconditionally be saved (Titus 2:11)

Romans 6 Paul refutes the idea that 'grace only' saves. Romans 6:1-2 though Christian are saved by grace that does not mean Christians has the right to live in sin for Christians are dead to sin. Yet to keep from living in sin requires the Christian to obey God's will..the Christian must have "obedience unto righteousness" else if he disobeys he finds himself serving "sin unto death".

Salvation therefore takes obedience to keep one from serving sin unto death yet grace is needed for the Chrstian's obedience will not be perfectly sinless.

No you condition salvation on works, God conditions salvation on His Grace !

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

No you condition salvation on works, God conditions salvation on His Grace !

God has made salvation conditional upon on obedience and nowhere ever in the Bible is obedience to God's will said to be a work that merits salvation.

 

[brightfame52]

God has made salvation conditional upon on obedience and nowhere ever in the Bible is obedience to God's will said to be a work that merits salvation.

Your god in your imagination conditions salvation on works, the True God conditions all of Salvation on Himself.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

Your god in your imagination conditions salvation on works, the True God conditions all of Salvation on Himself.

All thru the NT God put obedience BEFORE salvation;

Obedience >>>>>>>>>>>>> UNTO righteousness Romans 6:16
repent & baptized >>>>>>>> for remission of sins Acts 2:38
Believe & baptized >>>>>>> shall be saved Mk 16:15
believe/confess>>>>>>>>>> unto salvation Rom 10:9-10

It's clearly in the imagination of some that God saves those who do not obey Him for the Bible does not put salvation BEFORE obedience. I have found that what the Bible says, Calvinism says the exact opposite.

 

[brightfame52]

All thru the NT God put obedience BEFORE salvation;

Obedience >>>>>>>>>>>>> UNTO righteousness Romans 6:16
repent & baptized >>>>>>>> for remission of sins Acts 2:38
Believe & baptized >>>>>>> shall be saved Mk 16:15
believe/confess>>>>>>>>>> unto salvation Rom 10:9-10

It's clearly in the imagination of some that God saves those who do not obey Him for the Bible does not put salvation BEFORE obedience. I have found that what the Bible says, Calvinism says the exact opposite.

You are promoting salvation conditioned on man. That denies Salvation by Grace.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

You are promoting salvation conditioned on man. That denies Salvation by Grace.

Again as in the other thread, Naaman's and the blind man's free gift of healing was by grace for God certainly did not owe them anything. Yet their obedience in washing did not merit God's free gift......there was no 'works based' healing because those men obeyed God's will to receive the free gift. Exactly as there is no "works based" salvation when one obeys God's will to receive the free gift of salvation. Calvinism has inconsistencies.

Will you argue the healing of those man was merited/it was owed them and therefore not of grace....will you deny the grace that was obviously involved????

If man has no role in his own salvation and God determines salvation for men, then that makes God culpable for the faithless/lost and makes Him a respecter of persons when He is neither.

 

[Behold]

To "Believe unto Righteousness".

This is "faith is counted as Righteousness".

This is, You give God faith in Jesus, and God accepts this faith to then apply to you, His very own Righteousness.

Why does this have to happen, which is proven by you becoming born again?

Its because our Holiness has to equal God's before He can have us as His Spiritual Family.
And we can't provide that for ourselves by our trying to be good, and the law and commandments have no power to give us any righteousness.

So, God does this for us as a GIFT.. He gives to us "the righteousness of GOD....In CHRIST", the instant we give God our faith in Christ.

 

[brightfame52]

To "Believe unto Righteousness".

This is "faith is counted as Righteousness".

This is, You give God faith in Jesus, and God accepts this faith to then apply to you, His very own Righteousness.

Why does this have to happen, which is proven by you becoming born again?

Its because our Holiness has to equal God's before He can have us as His Spiritual Family.
And we can't provide that for ourselves by our trying to be good, and the law and commandments have no power to give us any righteousness.

So, God does this for us as a GIFT.. He gives to us "the righteousness of GOD....In CHRIST", the instant we give God our faith in Christ.

The Born again person believes unto Righteousness because its reveled to their God given Faith, the Righteousness of God Rom 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith

You have to be righteous before you believe unto righteousness. Also faith isnt ones righteousness, Christ is, Christ is the object of Faith.

We dont give God faith friend, God the Holy Spirit must give us Faith.

 

[Behold]

You have to be righteous before you believe unto righteousness. .

Actually, you have to be a sinner, who then believes in Jesus and is born again.

Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS........He did not come looking for the righteous.
Why not,?
Because there arn't any.

 

[brightfame52]

Actually, you have to be a sinner, who then believes in Jesus and is born again.

Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS........He did not come looking for the righteous.
Why not,?
Because there arn't any.

Like I stated, one is already righteous by the blood of Christ before they believe unto righteousness. And no sinner can believe in Christ unless they have been born again. Now men arent righteous in themselves, our righteousness comes externally, its the imputed righteousness of Christ. Sinners have been made righteous by the blood of Christ alone.

 

[Behold]

. And no sinner can believe in Christ unless they have been born again.

What you wrote, isn't possible.

God wont give you the New Birth, until you have given Him faith in Christ.

 

[brightfame52]

What you wrote, isn't possible.

God wont give you the New Birth, until you have given Him faith in Christ.

Nothing is impossible with God. A person will never believe in Jesus Christ until they are born again.

 

[Behold]

Nothing is impossible with God. A person will never believe in Jesus Christ until they are born again.

If you are not born again, you have a dead spirit.
A dead spirit can't be born again, unless God causes this to happen, and for that to happen, you have to Give God your Faith in Jesus....first.

 

[brightfame52]

If you are not born again, you have a dead spirit.
A dead spirit can't be born again, unless God causes this to happen, and for that to happen, you have to Give God your Faith in Jesus....first.

A dead person doesnt have faith, faith is the evidence of life. A person cannot put faith in Christ until they are made spiritually alive or born again.

You saying a dead spirit can put faith in Christ. WRONG !

 

[Behold]

A dead person doesnt have faith, faith is the evidence of life. A person cannot put faith in Christ until they are made spiritually alive or born again.

You saying a dead spirit can put faith in Christ. WRONG !

Your mind, which is your intellect and soul realm, where you make decisions and have imaginations and fear, is where you will hear the Gospel of the Grace of God.
The SEED of the word , when preached, goes in there.
Your HEART, which is the ground where the SEED may GROW... may be opened by the Holy Spirit, to have "ears of faith", as "Faith comes by hearing" the Gospel, the word of God.
When that happens.....when you have that faith in Christ arise in you, and you give it to God, believing in Jesus....God will give you the new birth. (Born Again).
Thats His Will for you.

 

[brightfame52]

Your mind, which is your intellect and soul realm, where you make decisions and have imaginations and fear, is where you will hear the Gospel of the Grace of God.
The SEED of the word , when preached, goes in there.
Your HEART, which is the ground where the SEED may GROW... may be opened by the Holy Spirit, to have "ears of faith", as "Faith comes by hearing" the Gospel, the word of God.
When that happens.....when you have that faith in Christ arise in you, and you give it to God, believing in Jesus....God will give you the new birth. (Born Again).
Thats His Will for you.

Before regeneration, man is dead to God friend. His mind is blinded and darkened which contains the intellect. Eph 4:18

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Also see that word ignorance ?