The implication in your posts continuously revolve around YOU are doing all the right things and are surely on the narrow road that leads to life based on the merits of your performance/holy living/works, yet those in the OSAS camp and most of Protestantism in general are not doing all the right things, promote a license to sin and are on the broad way that leads to destruction.
First, I did not write the Bible. God did. If God tells us to follow after holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, among other verses like it, then that is a truth I have to accept (Whether you, your neighbor, or I like that truth or not).
Second, you make a false assumption in your claim. You think it is all about me. But it is the opposite. The Bible teaches that this Sanctification of living a holy life by the LORD’s power involves helping others in need (with a pure heart of love in our hearts), and with preaching the gospel, and the Word, and helping our brothers in Christ in need. Our life is in sacrifice to Jesus Christ and His commands as God’s Word teaches. We are to pick up our cross and deny ourselves and follow Jesus. This is all about a lack of self (or “YOU” as you call it). So it’s a life of being selfless and not selfish. It's a life devoted to God and not self.
I also believe God deserves all the praise and glory for not only in Him saving the believer by His grace when they first came to Him, but by also in those rare times a believer may mess up and they need to go boldly before the throne of His grace and confess of their sins to the Lord Jesus (1 John 2:1, 1 John 1:9). This would be done on the believer’s road of cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). I also believe the LORD also gets all the praise and glory when He does the good work through the believer’s life, as well. I cannot take any credit for what is my duty to do. By my power and ability alone, I am nothing and I am unprofitable servant (Luke 17). Granted, believers must cooperate with the LORD of their own free will and surrender to the LORD. For the Lord did say “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:23).
I believe your way is about “YOU” because it makes room for sinning on occasion or how we must sin again always at some point in this life before we die or we are deceiving ourselves (As if to falsely suggest God promotes how we must sin again when God is holly and just and He cannot agree with our sin). You also preach a contradictory message.
#1. On the one hand: At times you say that we are only saved by a belief alone in Jesus + nothing else.
#2. On the other hand: At times you say works and holy living must be there to show a true saving faith (even though that works and holy living in and of themselves do not save).
This can confuse the person and make them think they must do works and live holy to be saved or they can just revert back to your #1 position and think that all they have to do is just believe in Jesus their whole lives for salvation and not worry about works and living holy. There are many Hyper Grace Christians out there and if they take your #1 position more seriously, you would have helped to pave the road for them to go down that path (Because you really don’t believe works or holy living plays part in our salvation).
Typically whenever someone says, "no offense" they are about to offend you.
Yes, but this saying is said because it lets the person know we care for them and we have empathy towards them.
It’s about making the truth a little more palatable In love.
You certainly demonstrate a "holier than thou" attitude, especially towards those in the OSAS camp and towards most of Protestantism in general. I have read articles on spiritual narcissists as well and they are also described as those who twist scripture, profess love but don't show it, talk but don't listen, tear others down etc.. Your endless long winded posts are intended to drown others out and you,
First, a Christian needs discernment by abiding in Christ and His words when reading such articles. Many of these articles on spiritual narcissism are into psychology. If you were to research psychology, it is a school of thought that is not compatible with Christianity (See this article
here for starters). So while these articles may hold to some biblical true things in some cases, they are not always correct. They are incorrect to imply that we cannot judge others (When Jesus Himself said we can make righteous judgement - John 7:24) and or claim that others are wrong (even if the whole world went corrupt). Think. Noah is said to be a preacher of righteousness in Scripture. It also written that the world around him was exceedingly wicked. Was Noah a spiritual narcissist just because he and his family alone were correct while everybody else around him was wrong? Was Noah wrong for having a “holier than thou” attitude to those wicked people around him? Surely not. Granted, I don’t believe we have reached that point yet. But we are getting closer to that point each day with even Christians justifying sin in the church (with some of them justifying lots of sin and others justifying occasional sin).
Second, when reading in these articles on spiritual narcissism, I do agree with some of their points on what would make a person a spiritual narcissist (Which is only a reflection of a real narcissist). Here are a few points I agree with.
A spiritual narcissist…
#1. Lacks empathy.
#2. Does not know personal boundaries and sneaks in on conversations to condemn you.
#3. They will use manipulative methods (like helping people out financially) to gain somebody to their side.
#4. They never admit that they are wrong.
I actually find these things deplorable and it grieves my soul for anyone to do such things (Which would disqualify me in being a narcissist).
In fact, I have actually met a Christian in whom I believe is a narcissist. When I talked with him by email, and when I disagreed with his odd view that being born again was a later event in the Christian life after one is saved initially, he started to become hostile towards me and started to say there was a spiritual wall between us (with him showing a picture of two people with a wall between them). When I pointed out to him how his use of Finnis Jennings Dake’s list of New Testament commands was problematic because Finnis rejected the Trinity and he listed commands by verbs and not how they naturally appear in the Bible, this man I talked with by email also did not seem to care and he just accepted Dake’s list regardless (Because he was not willing to be corrected and he just wanted to be right despite being wrong). Note: I have taken correction on things from other people before. My list in this thread link below was in part from the help of others showing me what Scripture says (Whereby I have taken correction by others by God’s Word).
What theological things were you mistaken about in your growing knowledge of God's Word? Here is my list. #1. I used to believe we had to follow the Old Testament laws in addition to the New Testament laws. Until one day I discovered verses that the New Covenant began with Christ's death and...
www.christianforums.com
I say this not to boast in myself, but I say this to boast in the Lord Jesus for any good He does in my life (for revealing any truth to me in it’s proper time He deems fit).
Again, when you speak of spiritual narcissism, it really is no different than narcissism.
Where I disagree with the spiritual narcissist articles is that they say that you cannot disagree with others and think that you or only few of you cannot disagree with the majority. Was the Psalmist a spiritual narcissist when he said this?
Psalms 119:99
“I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies
are my meditation.”
Yet, articles from psychologists say that it is wrong to basically think this way.
I will stick with the Word of God and not psychology.
