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How do you 'reach out and take possession of it' ?
As I said, you can't do anything (anything meritorious. Anything by which you can boast. Anything by which you can take credit. Anything by which you can earn or deserve your salvation.) I already said that the way you reach out and take possession is by simply placing your faith in Christ. By placing your faith in Christ you are recognizing that there is nothing you can do to earn your salvation but that Jesus did everything necessary for your salvation. You therefore simply trust Jesus for eternal life.
There's no monetary cost; but we still have to die.
Eternal life is yours the moment you place your faith in Christ. So no, you do not have to die physically before eternal life is yours. You will of course die physically sooner or later, but as a believer you die already in possession of eternal life which means you already have an eternal relationship with God.
As I said, you can't do anything (anything meritorious. Anything by which you can boast. Anything by which you can take credit. Anything by which you can earn or deserve your salvation.) I already said that the way you reach out and take possession is by simply placing your faith in Christ. By placing your faith in Christ you are recognizing that there is nothing you can do to earn your salvation but that Jesus did everything necessary for your salvation. You therefore simply trust Jesus for eternal life.
For you, does 'placing your faith in Christ' include being obedient to His commands?
A sinner saved by grace, I'm on a journey, not perfect like Jesus. Try, one day at a time, sometimes one moment, to be obedient. Pray for soften hearts to receive His gift.
For you, does 'placing your faith in Christ' include being obedient to His commands?
Placing your faith in Jesus Christ works great.... for Christians. Surely not all Buddhists or Shinto or Islamic people will be sent to eternal hell because they are not Christians.
Jesus has done it all, has accomplished all that is necessary for my salvation? I suspect that what's behind that statement is his death on the cross. He took my place. Paid for my sins, himself. Jesus died once, for all.
Ya, that's one way of seeing it. It's called "substitutionary atonement." Remember that the bible writers were themselves interpreting events. As for me, my very Christian God would never require a blood sacrifice, particularly a blood sacrifice of the one we call God's own son. The death of Jesus by torture and crucifixion was the heinous murder of an innocent man.The resurrection of Jesus---- however you define that--- is God's vindication of Jesus. We believers can rejoice that death has been beaten, vanquished. And as Paul wrote it, Jesus is the (merely) "first fruits" of that resurrection.
Also: the American evangelical disease is to make salvation a purely personal, individual thing. The church, by definition is a community. We need each other. Both within and beyond the church. "Ekklesia" = gathering.
And yes, of course: CCCyou: we don't "get saved" by "letting Jesus into our hearts" and then sit back. I didn't know he could fit in there, anyhow. ORK?! The good things we do are expressions of gratitude to God, for the sake of others. "Not even a cup of water will go without its reward." Although, that's not why you do it.
A sinner saved by grace, I'm on a journey, not perfect like Jesus. Try, one day at a time, sometimes one moment, to be obedient. Pray for soften hearts to receive His gift.
Obedience, to me, isn't something that's just done because someone in 'authority' says so. To me, there's always something 'greater' behind the obedience.
So many tend to see our 'obedience' as some deterrent to our "fun". And yet, it's meant to protect us.
I don't see obedience as a means of "control", for the sake of control, as some others do.
For you, does 'placing your faith in Christ' include being obedient to His commands?
No. Obedience is a part of experiential sanctification . . .of growing up spiritually after having been saved. It's part of being a disciple of Jesus. Oh, there is obeying the command to believe the gospel but that's not what you are asking about. Obedience is not an inherent part of faith which simply means to trust or to have confidence in a person or thing.
'Disciple' and 'believer' are not synonymous terms. A disciple is a student. One can be a disciple of Jesus without being a believer in him. Judas Iscariot was a disciple but not a believer. And one can be a believer without being a disciple. Many Christians are believers but are not disciples. That is, after having been eternally saved they just go about their merry way with no desire to put in the effort to grow up in their spiritual life.
So while of course as a believer you should want to obey the commands of Jesus, just because you are a believer, just because you have been eternally saved does not automatically mean that you will be obedient.
No. Obedience is a part of experiential sanctification . . .of growing up spiritually after having been saved. It's part of being a disciple of Jesus. Oh, there is obeying the command to believe the gospel but that's not what you are asking about. Obedience is not an inherent part of faith which simply means to trust or to have confidence in a person or thing.
'Disciple' and 'believer' are not synonymous terms. A disciple is a student. One can be a disciple of Jesus without being a believer in him. Judas Iscariot was a disciple but not a believer. And one can be a believer without being a disciple. Many Christians are believers but are not disciples. That is, after having been eternally saved they just go about their merry way with no desire to put in the effort to grow up in their spiritual life.
So while of course as a believer you should want to obey the commands of Jesus, just because you are a believer, just because you have been eternally saved does not automatically mean that you will be obedient.
Let me ask you a question, Michael.
Would you 'robitically' agree to follow Jesus? Or do you want to follow him because what he says/does is true?
"Everyone must love me, or I'll torture you for all eternity..."
No, thanks.
Which 'bible' are YOU looking at that says that?
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