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There are no conditions to a free gift! It is a work of God not mankind's.
Obedience is a matter of personal relationship with God and rewarded with blessings.
Disobedience, reaps it's just rewards while in the flesh and the wages of that is death.
So, what it comes down to, is "what you sow, that shall you reap".
Blessings, AJ
No disagreement here. Also the free gift is eternal life (Rom. 6:23), but it's through the grace of Christ. And since Christ gave us something that we don't deserve, we must obey Him to receive this eternal life (Heb. 5:8-9).
Friends there is only ONE church! The bible says there is one body (Eph. 4:4) and the body is the church (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18)....blah....blah....blah
You hit the nail right on the head up until that point....then you lost it and hit your thumb.
The "Church" of Jesus Christ is not a building, what name your church has, denomination, religion, dogma, doctrine...etc. The church is the body of believers (the individual people)....all believers no matter what institutionalized church building they attend.
Do you think that because you attend worship at a church called the Church of Christ that makes you more of a member in Christs church than I am or anyone else who does not attend a church called the Church of Christ?
No disagreement here. Also the free gift is eternal life (Rom. 6:23), but it's through the grace of Christ. And since Christ gave us something that we don't deserve, we must obey Him to receive this eternal life (Heb. 5:8-9).
Again, you want to place a condition on eternal life and that being obedience.
Obedience all you want, that will not buy you eternal life.
What does buy you life is the obedience of Jesus Christ freely given you.
All you have to do is accept it.
By accepting it, you are saying that you are willing live for Christ in the best way you can, because you want to honor Him.
To require obedience for salvation (Eternal life)is a condition placed on yourself for God Himself took care of in your behalf.
Again, you want to place a condition on eternal life and that being obedience.
Obedience all you want, that will not buy you eternal life.
What does buy you life is the obedience of Jesus Christ freely given you.
All you have to do is accept it.
By accepting it, you are saying that you are willing live for Christ in the best way you can, because you want to honor Him.
To require obedience for salvation (Eternal life)is a condition placed on yourself for God Himself took care of in your behalf.
Blessings, AJ
Obedience is something that you do, not something that is given. What God gives us is mercy and grace, which gives us opportunity to obey him, another chance to make things right with him. Living for Christ the best way you can includes being obedient to him. Eternal life has a condition. Forgiveness of sins is conditional. You can only receive it if you repent (Lk. 13:3,5). Do you have to repent to be saved?
You hit the nail right on the head up until that point....then you lost it and hit your thumb.
The "Church" of Jesus Christ is not a building, what name your church has, denomination, religion, dogma, doctrine...etc. The church is the body of believers (the individual people)....all believers no matter what institutionalized church building they attend.
Do you think that because you attend worship at a church called the Church of Christ that makes you more of a member in Christs church than I am or anyone else who does not attend a church called the Church of Christ?
He's right all the way. And you are right as well about the church not being a building, a name, denomination, religion, dogma, or doctrine, but believers. But understand this, the name does go along with the believers. It identifies who they are. God himself gave the name (Isa. 56:5; 62:2). This name is Christian. The doctrine is important as well (2 John 9). These things are not the church, but this is what God gave to the church. And these things distinguish His church from all the others. It does matter where you attend because there are many different doctrines out there (Heb. 13:9). There is also man-made doctrine and Jesus said that their worship is in vain if they obey these commandments (Matt. 15:9). Under the old law, the Jews were commanded to go to Jerusalem to offer acceptable worship to God. If they had gone elsewhere, their worship wouldn't be acceptable to God because that was the only place that God commanded them to go. And it's the same way today. Jesus built one church for the saving of the whole world and this church belongs to Him only. He gave it a name and certain instructions to go by.
He's right all the way. And you are right as well about the church not being a building, a name, denomination, religion, dogma, or doctrine, but believers. But understand this, the name does go along with the believers. It identifies who they are. God himself gave the name (Isa. 56:5; 62:2). This name is Christian. The doctrine is important as well (2 John 9). These things are not the church, but this is what God gave to the church. And these things distinguish His church from all the others. It does matter where you attend because there are many different doctrines out there (Heb. 13:9). There is also man-made doctrine and Jesus said that their worship is in vain if they obey these commandments (Matt. 15:9). Under the old law, the Jews were commanded to go to Jerusalem to offer acceptable worship to God. If they had gone elsewhere, their worship wouldn't be acceptable to God because that was the only place that God commanded them to go. And it's the same way today. Jesus built one church for the saving of the whole world and this church belongs to Him only. He gave it a name and certain instructions to go by.
I believe you are sadly mistaken....if I worshipped God in my bathroom it would be acceptable to Him. God doesn't give a rats bottom where you worship or what name you attach to your church...He cares about your heart. If I worship God with a pure and umblemished heart that is all that matters and you are just deluded if you think there are other requirements. If you pridefully place yourself above other believers because of the place you worship or what name your church has...you are no better than the Pharisees of Jesus day. When you stand before God, do you honestly believe He's going to care what church you attended? There is man made doctrine in ALL churches and if you believe yours is any different then that is just PRIDE talking. It does not matter what name you attach to your church because God doesn't look at that...He looks at your heart and only your heart. If your heart isn't right...you are nothing but a goat.
Mt 15:8 THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9 BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.
Show me in the bible where Jesus is coming back to get the Pentecostal church.
OMG. Tell me you don't mean that only those that attend a building with a sign that says church of Christ will be the only ones Jesus returns for.
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