Romanism, Arminianism and Calvinism.

[blessedhope]

In Calvin's commentary on 1st John 3:9, he uses the word "perseverance", clearly stating:


"the hearts of the godly are so effectually governed by the Spirit of God, that through an inflexible disposition they follow his guidance." (John Calvin)

"the power of the Spirit is so effectual, that it necessarily retains us in continual obedience to righteousness." (John Calvin)

This is NOT eternal security. Rather Perseverance of the Saints is a perseverance in a behavior consistent with that expected of a child of God. However, Calvin failed to accept the FACT that believers DO sin, sometimes horribly so. Sometimes believers go into a life of sin and never get right with God. Their fellowship with God is broken, but their relationship is not. David committed adultery and then killed the woman's husband. David was unrepentant for one year. If David would have died in that unrepentant state, he would have gone straight to Heaven, NOT Hell as Calvin taught. Fortunately for David, he did repent.

However, Solomon lived a wicked life of rebellion against God until the end. Calvin's teachings are nonsense. Calvin's teachings are indeed a form of Lordship Salvation. There is much confusion on the last point of Calvinism. Some people believe that Calvin taught unconditional eternal security. Others believe that Calvin taught eternal security conditioned upon the perseverance of the believer. Clearly, from Calvin's own statements, he believed in Lordship Salvation, that a believer cannot simply trust Christ to be saved, but that a life of commitment and perseverance was also necessary as proof of conversion.

These are damnable heresies. Although the Bible does teach that a man becomes a new creature in Christ when he is regenerated at Salvation, we cannot always judge that salvation from the outward appearance. Lot by all appearances was an unsaved heathen, but God called Him a righteous man (2nd peter 2:7). There are many believers who willfully live in sin, but that DOESN'T mean that they aren't saved. The critics who deny this truth are adding works to salvation.
"As shocking as it may seem for many Bible-believing Christians, when all is said and done, there is no practical difference between Romanism, Arminianism, and Calvinism in requiring faithful perseverance to make it to heaven!"
Arminius did NOT believe in eternal security at all. Many believers foolishly call themselves "Arminians." Even if I agreed with most of the points of Arminius (which I do), I would never call myself an "Arminian" because the Bible teaches us not to, as I'll show you from the Bible in the next section. I would never identify myself with any other sinful human being (and all have sinned, Romans 3:23). Although I greatly admire and respect some godly men, the Lord Jesus and His Word are my Final Authority (as it should be everyone's).

EVERY cult is based upon the teachings of some man or woman. The Jehovah Witnesses follow Charles Taze Russell, the Mormons follow Joseph Smith, the Seventh-Day Adventists follow Ellen G. White, the Christian Scientists follow Mary Eddy Baker, the Scientologists follow Herbert Armstrong, the Lutherans follow Martin Luther, the Roman Catholics follow the Pope, and on and on! I follow Jesus Christ (the Living Word) and the Word of God (the Written Word). Let us not make the same mistake as the heathen by basing our doctrines upon the opinions of mere men. Let the Word of God and God's Holy Spirit be our Final Guide.

All 5 points of Calvinism are totally contrary to the plain teachings of the Bible, as is Arminius' heresy on the believer's security in Christ. Let us be diligent to "study" the Word of God as to rightly divide the Word of Truth and NOT be ashamed ("Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," 2nd Timothy 2:15).


The Heart of the Matter

It is woefully tragic that so many professed believers are making the same mistake which the Apostle Paul rebuked the believers at Corinth of making, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name" -1st Corinthians 1:10-15. I am NOT an Arminian or a Calvinist, I am a born again Christian! Let this be our stand!

 

[blessedhope]

this is a very intro read about so called Christians and their thinking.

 

[blessedhope]

What is Arminianism?

ARMINIANISM is a teaching regarding salvation associated with the Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). The fundamental principle in Arminianism is the rejection of predestination, and a corresponding affirmation of the freedom of the human will. Shortly after his death, the followers of Arminius (later called Arminians) presented a statement to the governing authorities of Holland in which they set forth five articles of doctrine. These were: (1) that the divine decree of predestination is conditional, not absolute; (2) that the Atonement is in intention universal; (3) that man cannot of himself exercise a saving faith, but requires God's help to attain this faith; (4) that though the grace of God is a necessary condition of human effort it does not act irresistibly in man; (5) that believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace. In essence, the Arminians maintained that God gives indispensible help in salvation, but that ultimately it is the free will of man which decides the issue. After a period of sharp theological controversy the Dutch government convened a National Synod of leading churchmen, which met in Dordrecht in the years 1618-19. At this "Synod of Dort" the members adopted five articles in direct opposition to the five articles of the Arminians. The articles of Dort have come to be known as the "five points of Calvinism."

The following paragraphs (taken from Romans: An Interpretive Outline, by David N. Steele and Curtis Thomas) give a particularly clear and concise summary of the differences between Arminianism and Calvinism.


Arminianism
•Free-will or human ability. Although human nature was seriously affected by the fall, man has not been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. God graciously enables every sinner to repent and believe but does not interfere with man’s freedom. Each sinner possesses a free will, and his eternal destiny depends on how he uses it. Man’s freedom consists in his ability to choose good over evil in spiritual matters; his will is not enslaved to his sinful nature. The sinner has the power to either cooperate with God’s Spirit and be regenerated or resist God’s grace and perish. The lost sinner needs the Spirit’s assistance but he does not have to be regenerated by the Spirit before he can believe, for faith is man’s act and precedes the new birth. Faith is the sinner’s gift to God; it is man’s contribution to salvation.
•Conditional election. God’s choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world was based upon His foreseeing that they would respond to His call. He selected only those whom He knew would of themselves freely believe the Gospel. Election therefore was determined by or conditioned upon what man would do. The faith which God foresaw, and upon which He based His choice, was not given to the sinner by God (it was not created by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit) but resulted solely from man’s will. It was left entirely up to man as to who would believe and therefore as to who would be elected unto salvation. God chose those whom He knew would, of their own free will, choose Christ. Thus the sinner’s choice of Christ—not God’s choice of the sinner—is the ultimate cause of salvation.
•Universal redemption or general atonement. Christ’s redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone. Although Christ died for all men and for every man, only those who believe on Him are saved. His death enabled God to pardon sinners on the condition that they believe, but it did not actually put away anyone’s sins. Christ’s redemption becomes effective only if man chooses to accept it.
•The Holy Spirit can be effectually resisted. The Spirit calls inwardly all those who are called outwardly by the gospel invitation. He does all that He can to bring every sinner to salvation. But inasmuch as man is free, he can successfully resist the Spirit’s call. The Spirit cannot regenerate the sinner until he believes; faith (which is man’s contribution) precedes and makes possible the new birth. Thus, man’s free will limits the Spirit in the application of Christ’s saving work. The Holy Spirit can only draw to Christ those who allow Him to have His way with them. Until the sinner responds, the Spirit cannot give life. God’s grace, therefore, is not invincible; it can be— and often is—resisted and thwarted by man.
•Falling from grace. Those who believe and are truly saved can lose their salvation by failing to keep up their faith, etc. All Arminians have not been agreed on this point; some have held that believers are eternally secure in Christ, that once a sinner is regenerated, he can never be lost.

According to Arminianism, salvation is accomplished through the combined efforts of God (who takes the initiative) and man (who must respond); man’s response being the determining factor. God has provided salvation for everyone, but His provision becomes effective only for those who, of their own free will, choose to cooperate with Him and accept His offer of grace. At the crucial point, man’s will plays a decisive role; thus man, not God, determines who will be recipients of the gift of salvation.

 

[blessedhope]

Its very intro that most so called Christ like believe that the blood of the lamb is not what it should be ! That makes God Jesus a Farce on the cross!

 

[brakelite]

Christ said," If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto Me." This can have two applications. The first, is Christ lifted up and crucified. His death was for every man, woman, child on the planet. No exception. Arminius was right. The salvation Christ made available was universal, but only those who exercise faith in His shed blood and repent shall in the end, be saved.
The second application of being lifted up is in our exalting Him in witness. Paul preached Christ and Him crucified. Paul was lifting up Christ at every opportunity, and this drew many to Christ. But many also exercised their free will to refuse the salvation offered through the cross. They were drawn, but refused the final step of repentance unto life, and refused to use what faith they had and exercise that faith in acceptance of the salvation offered. Felix was an example of this.

I do not believe we have the extent of free will that Arminius taught however. Our sinful natures are powerful enemies, and will on its own is not strong enough to overcome sin.

As far as predestination is concerned, I do not have a clue where it begins or ends. I am divided betwixt the two extremes. I reject the extreme Calvinism that teaches that we have no choice in our destiny whatsoever, that God has chosen who is saved and who is lost. That I reject utterly. Yet God does have a purpose for those who accept Him. Their lives may be predetermined, and certainly their ultimate destiny if eternity, if they are willing to surrender to His will.

 

[blessedhope]

Lite > your thread is very intro> But you would not talk about the blood of the Lamb!> most so called Christians talk about this and that AND HOW THEY FEE! but they will not talk about the blood of the Lamb !

 

[blessedhope]

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Its in your bible>read IT.

 

[Barrd]

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Its in your bible>read IT.

Quite frankly, I think we've heard the term "Blood of the Lamb" so many times in the past 2000 years, that the horror of the crucifixion is lost on us. I've actually seen chocolate crosses with Jesus on them, complete with cherry candy for the blood in kids' Easter Baskets...and, of course, the kids happily devour these disgusting things.
You are right, of course...we ought to understand that it is by His precious blood that we have salvation...but again...I seriously think we need to revisit the grim, ghastly truth of the reality of what Roman crucifixion was really all about.

 

[ladodgers6]

I think that you are trying to split hairs here. Let me ask you this. Why do we persevere?? Is it because of what we have done or what Christ accomplished for us???

 

[blessedhope]

Bingo> some one got it!!!!! I think that you are trying to split hairs here> the real core is all the same> Kingdom on earth theology! Enjoy

 

[epostle1]

Quite frankly, I think we've heard the term "Blood of the Lamb" so many times in the past 2000 years, that the horror of the crucifixion is lost on us. I've actually seen chocolate crosses with Jesus on them, complete with cherry candy for the blood in kids' Easter Baskets...and, of course, the kids happily devour these disgusting things.
You are right, of course...we ought to understand that it is by His precious blood that we have salvation...but again...I seriously think we need to revisit the grim, ghastly truth of the reality of what Roman crucifixion was really all about.

Yes, that is what a crucifix is for: a reminder. There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday.

Romanism is a word that was used as a derogatory term for Roman Catholicism in the past when anti-Catholicism was more common in the United States and the United Kingdom. The term was frequently used in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Republican invectives against the Democrats, as part of the slogan "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion" (referencing the Democratic party's constituency of Southerners and anti-Temperance, frequently Catholic, working-class immigrants). The term and slogan gained particular prominence in the 1884 presidential campaign and again in 1928, in which the Democratic candidate was the outspokenly anti-Prohibition Catholic Governor of New York Al Smith.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanism

 

[Retrobyter]

Shalom, blessedhope.

In Calvin's commentary on 1st John 3:9, he uses the word "perseverance", clearly stating:


"the hearts of the godly are so effectually governed by the Spirit of God, that through an inflexible disposition they follow his guidance." (John Calvin)

"the power of the Spirit is so effectual, that it necessarily retains us in continual obedience to righteousness." (John Calvin)

This is NOT eternal security. Rather Perseverance of the Saints is a perseverance in a behavior consistent with that expected of a child of God. However, Calvin failed to accept the FACT that believers DO sin, sometimes horribly so. Sometimes believers go into a life of sin and never get right with God. Their fellowship with God is broken, but their relationship is not. David committed adultery and then killed the woman's husband. David was unrepentant for one year. If David would have died in that unrepentant state, he would have gone straight to Heaven, NOT Hell as Calvin taught. Fortunately for David, he did repent.

However, Solomon lived a wicked life of rebellion against God until the end. Calvin's teachings are nonsense. Calvin's teachings are indeed a form of Lordship Salvation. There is much confusion on the last point of Calvinism. Some people believe that Calvin taught unconditional eternal security. Others believe that Calvin taught eternal security conditioned upon the perseverance of the believer. Clearly, from Calvin's own statements, he believed in Lordship Salvation, that a believer cannot simply trust Christ to be saved, but that a life of commitment and perseverance was also necessary as proof of conversion.

These are damnable heresies. Although the Bible does teach that a man becomes a new creature in Christ when he is regenerated at Salvation, we cannot always judge that salvation from the outward appearance. Lot by all appearances was an unsaved heathen, but God called Him a righteous man (2nd peter 2:7). There are many believers who willfully live in sin, but that DOESN'T mean that they aren't saved. The critics who deny this truth are adding works to salvation.
"As shocking as it may seem for many Bible-believing Christians, when all is said and done, there is no practical difference between Romanism, Arminianism, and Calvinism in requiring faithful perseverance to make it to heaven!"
Arminius did NOT believe in eternal security at all. Many believers foolishly call themselves "Arminians." Even if I agreed with most of the points of Arminius (which I do), I would never call myself an "Arminian" because the Bible teaches us not to, as I'll show you from the Bible in the next section. I would never identify myself with any other sinful human being (and all have sinned, Romans 3:23). Although I greatly admire and respect some godly men, the Lord Jesus and His Word are my Final Authority (as it should be everyone's).

EVERY cult is based upon the teachings of some man or woman. The Jehovah Witnesses follow Charles Taze Russell, the Mormons follow Joseph Smith, the Seventh-Day Adventists follow Ellen G. White, the Christian Scientists follow Mary Eddy Baker, the Scientologists follow Herbert Armstrong, the Lutherans follow Martin Luther, the Roman Catholics follow the Pope, and on and on! I follow Jesus Christ (the Living Word) and the Word of God (the Written Word). Let us not make the same mistake as the heathen by basing our doctrines upon the opinions of mere men. Let the Word of God and God's Holy Spirit be our Final Guide.

All 5 points of Calvinism are totally contrary to the plain teachings of the Bible, as is Arminius' heresy on the believer's security in Christ. Let us be diligent to "study" the Word of God as to rightly divide the Word of Truth and NOT be ashamed ("Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," 2nd Timothy 2:15).


The Heart of the Matter

It is woefully tragic that so many professed believers are making the same mistake which the Apostle Paul rebuked the believers at Corinth of making, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name" -1st Corinthians 1:10-15. I am NOT an Arminian or a Calvinist, I am a born again Christian! Let this be our stand!

Sorry, but you are mistaken about the “perseverance of the saints.” It’s not OUR perseverance in doing what is right; it’s GOD’S perseverance in keeping us despite our LACK of doing what is right.

A “saint” (despite what the RCC says) is a “holy one.” And, a “holy one” is “one who is set apart,” not “one who is always righteous.” Most often, the “saints” that the Bible talks about are those in the OT who were SINGLED OUT for God’s special use. In the NT, the word “saint” or “holy one” is rendered from the Greek word “hagios.” They were ritually purified for God’s purposes.

NT:40 hagios (hag'-ee-os); from hagos (an awful thing) [compare NT:53, NT:2282]; sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):
KJV - (most) holy (one, thing), saint.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

And, that’s “awful” in the old Modern English way of thinking; that is, an “awe-striking thing,” an “awesome thing."

In the OT, the Hebrew word is “qaadowsh."

OT:6918 qaadowsh (kaw-doshe'); or qaadosh (kaw-doshe'); from OT:6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary:
KJV - holy (One), saint.

OT:6942 qaadash (kaw-dash'); a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally):
KJV - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied oneself,), wholly.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Also, don’t misspeak about David. Peter said,

Acts 2:22-36
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
KJV

And, this was said 50 days AFTER Pesach (the Passover) when Yeshua` was killed and therefore AFTER the Resurrection of Yeshua` (Jesus)! So, this could not possibly be said before His Resurrection, when supposedly (according to the teaching of some) Yeshua` "led captivity captive" to “Heaven."

Furthermore, “salvation” is the WRONG WORD!!! In the Scriptures, particularly the prophecies, the word “salvation” refers to God’s “RESCUE” of the children of Israel! The word has NO DIRECT CONNECTION with being right with God. Being right with God is known in the Scriptures as “justification,” specifically “GOD’S justification of an individual.” It’s found in two significant locations of Scripture:

Luke 18:9-14
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
KJV

And, ...

2 Corinthians 5:8-21
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (the Messiah); that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.
13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
14 For the love of Christ (the Messiah’s love) constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ (the Messiah) after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ (the Messiah), he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ (of God who has exchanged places with us through Yeshua` the Messiah), and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation (the service of exchanging places);
19 To wit, that God was in Christ (in the Messiah), reconciling the world unto himself (God was exchanging places with the world in the Messiah), not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (the message about exchanging places).
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ (the Messiah), as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead (on the Messiah’s behalf), be ye reconciled to God (exchange places with God).
21 For he (God) hath made him (the Messiah) to be sin for us, who (the Messiah) knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (the Messiah).
KJV

THIS is how the law of sin and death (Romans 6:23) could be satisfied by the Messiah’s death. When God saw His Son on the cross, He no longer saw His Son but the sins of the whole world - OUR sins (ALL in the future, btw) - which His Son represented as the Sacrifice - the Lamb of God. Now, when He looks at us, He no longer sees our sins but sees His own righteousness in the Messiah instead! We become trophies to His Son’s death and resurrection when we claim the Lamb of God as our Sacrifice for sin:

Isaiah 53:1-12
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
KJV

So, our relationship with God does NOT depend on what we do or don’t do; it’s ALL about what GOD did through His Son’s Sacrifice. How could we claim we have “eternal life” if we might lose it the very next day?! How is that “eternal?"

As I said before, “salvation” is the WRONG WORD. Therefore, I do NOT believe in “once saved always saved” in the sense it is usually understood; I believe in “once justified by God ALWAYS justified by God!” It’s not up to us; it’s always up to HIM! We are His children, and He NEVER disowns His own! If we sin, we will be chastised, but never condemned and destroyed. If HE declares us “righteous,” in spite of our sin, then we are “righteous" indeed! And, no amount of new sin will change His declaration because when the Messiah died, ALL of our sins were in the future!

Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba (Hebrew for “Da-da”), Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ (the Messiah).
KJV

Ephesians 4:29-32
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption (our resurrection).
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s (the Messiah’s) sake hath forgiven you.
KJV

1 John 3:1-3
3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
KJV

 

[RR144]

EVERY cult is based upon the teachings of some man or woman. The Jehovah Witnesses follow Charles Taze Russell, the Mormons follow Joseph Smith, the Seventh-Day Adventists follow Ellen G. White, the Christian Scientists follow Mary Eddy Baker, the Scientologists follow Herbert Armstrong, the Lutherans follow Martin Luther, the Roman Catholics follow the Pope, and on and on! I follow Jesus Christ (the Living Word) and the Word of God (the Written Word). Let us not make the same mistake as the heathen by basing our doctrines upon the opinions of mere men. Let the Word of God and God's Holy Spirit be our Final Guide.

Not just cults my friend. Go to any Christian bookstore, you'll find hundreds of thousands of books and commentaries on the Bible and Christianity from every conceivable denomination out there. And not all agree with each other. Turn on any Christian TV or radio station and you'll find all those televangelist hawking their books to help you understand the Bible through their eyes. You say you "follow Jesus Christ (the Living Word) and the Word of God (the Written Word)." I'm going to assume then that your study has only ONE book on its shelf and that's just the Bible and nothing else, right? And which translation of the "Written Word" is it that YOU use? They're all bias to a certain degree, filled with manmade foot notes and references. Get my point?

 

[michaelvpardo]

Shalom, blessedhope.


Sorry, but you are mistaken about the “perseverance of the saints.” It’s not OUR perseverance in doing what is right; it’s GOD’S perseverance in keeping us despite our LACK of doing what is right.

A “saint” (despite what the RCC says) is a “holy one.” And, a “holy one” is “one who is set apart,” not “one who is always righteous.” Most often, the “saints” that the Bible talks about are those in the OT who were SINGLED OUT for God’s special use. In the NT, the word “saint” or “holy one” is rendered from the Greek word “hagios.” They were ritually purified for God’s purposes.

NT:40 hagios (hag'-ee-os); from hagos (an awful thing) [compare NT:53, NT:2282]; sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):
KJV - (most) holy (one, thing), saint.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

And, that’s “awful” in the old Modern English way of thinking; that is, an “awe-striking thing,” an “awesome thing."

In the OT, the Hebrew word is “qaadowsh."

OT:6918 qaadowsh (kaw-doshe'); or qaadosh (kaw-doshe'); from OT:6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary:
KJV - holy (One), saint.

OT:6942 qaadash (kaw-dash'); a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally):
KJV - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied oneself,), wholly.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Also, don’t misspeak about David. Peter said,

Acts 2:22-36
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
KJV

And, this was said 50 days AFTER Pesach (the Passover) when Yeshua` was killed and therefore AFTER the Resurrection of Yeshua` (Jesus)! So, this could not possibly be said before His Resurrection, when supposedly (according to the teaching of some) Yeshua` "led captivity captive" to “Heaven."

Furthermore, “salvation” is the WRONG WORD!!! In the Scriptures, particularly the prophecies, the word “salvation” refers to God’s “RESCUE” of the children of Israel! The word has NO DIRECT CONNECTION with being right with God. Being right with God is known in the Scriptures as “justification,” specifically “GOD’S justification of an individual.” It’s found in two significant locations of Scripture:

Luke 18:9-14
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
KJV

And, ...

2 Corinthians 5:8-21
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (the Messiah); that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.
13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
14 For the love of Christ (the Messiah’s love) constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ (the Messiah) after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ (the Messiah), he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ (of God who has exchanged places with us through Yeshua` the Messiah), and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation (the service of exchanging places);
19 To wit, that God was in Christ (in the Messiah), reconciling the world unto himself (God was exchanging places with the world in the Messiah), not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (the message about exchanging places).
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ (the Messiah), as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead (on the Messiah’s behalf), be ye reconciled to God (exchange places with God).
21 For he (God) hath made him (the Messiah) to be sin for us, who (the Messiah) knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (the Messiah).
KJV

So, our relationship with God does NOT depend on what we do or don’t do; it’s ALL about what GOD did through His Son’s Sacrifice. How could we claim we have “eternal life” if we might lose it the very next day?! How is that “eternal?"

As I said before, “salvation” is the WRONG WORD. Therefore, I do NOT believe in “once saved always saved” in the sense it is usually understood; I believe in “once justified by God ALWAYS justified by God!” It’s not up to us; it’s always up to HIM! We are His children, and He NEVER disowns His own! If we sin, we will be chastised, but never condemned and destroyed. If HE declares us “righteous,” in spite of our sin, then we are “righteous" indeed! And, no amount of new sin will change His declaration because when the Messiah died, ALL of our sins were in the future!

Good to see you round and about again brother, but be advised, your answering a cultists who doesn't believe the volume of the book.