Just to clarify on the Laodicean church. Jesus did not "also" threaten to spew them out of His mouth. There was a problem with them that He was bringing to light. They assumed that they were experiencing all that was to experience. Jesus told them that there was something missing. He is what was missing. One needs to start at the beginning and follow the progress of the passage. Lukewarmness comes from not being cold...as in they were following Jesus..BUT.. not being hot...as in they did not have a relationship with Him through His indwelling presence.Wormwood said:williemac,
Thanks for the response. I must disagree with you that sin is not a sign of unbelief. I think this is a constant theme in Scripture. However, I would clarify that "faith" implies belief in the truth. Sometimes the problem is not lack of resolve but being moved by deceptive teaching (such as works based righteousness as you mention...which is the point of Galatians). Revelation is full of this concept of the significance of faith as a means of fleeing sin and inheriting eternal life (Rev. 2:10, 13; 3:3, 10; 13:10; 14:12; 17:14). Moreover, Jesus is continually declared to be the one who was "faithful and true" which is fitting since he conquered through faithful obedence even to death..which is kinda the whole point of Revelation.
Yes, you are right that he stands at the door and knocks. But in that same letter to Laodicea he threatens to spit them out of his mouth also. Im not suggesting that people earn their salvation. But I am saying that Christians are not Gnostics. Our faith is not just a rubber stamp on a list of ideas. They are evidenced by a life of ongoing trust and obedience. Jesus tells stories of "faithful" servants who are obedient to their master's commands when he is absent. Their belief in the master's return causes a change in behavior, and if it doesnt, then they either never did believe or quit believing while the master tarried. Jesus is clear that those who said the master was gone a long time and quit expecting his return is what caused them to begin to get drunk and beat the other servants. They quit believing and so their began to disobey.
But FYI..., in Heb.6:1-6, we find that the author gives an incredible insight into what happens when one falls away. He says that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. This is why he said it was unnecessary to re do the foundations. Life is given one time and one time only. It cannot be repeated. Read it for yourself.
So, if you say that a person quits believing, my question is..just what was it that they were believing? If a Christian falls into sin, do we say that they are in unbelief and have fallen away from the faith altogether? If that is the case, then according to Heb.6, this spells the permanent end for that person. You really want to go there?
As well, the significance of faith is not to flee sin and be saved. It is to have sins remitted. Why do we have a requirement to flee that which is being taken away? Which is it? Do we remove it from ourselves, or does God remove it from us?
The significance of faith is that through it, we are set free from the consequences of sin. Please read John 5:24. In it, Jesus states that through faith, one passes from death to life, and will be exempt from judgment. Do you know how we defeat sin? We escape judgment. This is what faith does for us.
Our good works, our love, our good behavior, all are important and significant. But the problem is that there are many unsaved, unbelieving people on this planet who are just as loving, just as moral, and just as benevolent as many and even most Christians. But because they don't accept God's act of reconciliation, many not even believing there is a God, they are dead in their sin.
The only difference between these and us is that we have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for sin.....haven't we? As well, there are many legalists who are doing all these thing without faith, as they feel they are being saved as a result. Have they accepted the sacrifice?
Hey, we all have good works. We all have a better handle on morality than before we were saved. We all have more love, joy, and peace than we would if we didn't know Jesus.
Many of the examples and parables and teachings that came from Jesus were in the context of the old covenant. Jesus used the law to convince them of sin, just as the law was meant to be used. Let's not confuse these passages with new covenant principles.
Before the cross, the road to destruction was broad. But God made a promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea. John had a vision of a multitude standing before the throne, that no one could number. God is not in the business of blocking the way into life. He is in the business of creating life. We are a new creation. This happened in an instant. How well we live out this new creation will affect our rewards...but not our salvation.
But before we go putting faith on the hot seat, I will add that faith is not the qualification for life. It is simply a means by which we receive it. The actual qualification is humility. This is found in such places as Luke 18:10-14. God gives grace to the humble. Thus the leaven of the law was around in Paul's day and he was grieved in knowing that after his departure, it would still persist. This is due to those who want to retain at least some measure of self justification. But God gives grace to the humble, resists the proud. By grace we are saved, through faith. This gift is not of ourselves..not of works lest any man should boast. But I should add that ..not of moral behavior (also a work of law, sin being transgression of law)...lest any man should also boast. O yes.. a believer can sin...and an unbeliever can be moral.