Amazed By Grace?

Oh, folks say this all the time right here on BB, I suggest you pay close attention and you will see for yourself.

Let me ask you, do you think it is wrong doctrine to come to Jesus and ask him to save you? Would that be works salvation?

 

You are correct, I do not know your heart, if I have hurt your feelings, I apologize.

But do you believe it wrong for a person to pray and ask Jesus to save them? I am looking for a yes or no answer, could you answer that please?

 

P4T, your faith has saved you, go in peace.

 

:jesus:

 

That's good to hear. But did you know MANY people call the sinner's prayer heresy? I am on a cell phone and cannot copy and paste, but if you Google "sinner's prayer" you will find literally dozens of sites that say the sinner's prayer is a heresy and that they never encourage anyone to pray to be saved, even though we have the example of the publican praying for forgiveness in scripture.

You don't agree with these folks that call the sinner's prayer a heresy do you?

Do you think it correct to discourage a person from praying for salvation?

 

Brother P4T, let me give you my take on how *I* see grace and faith. Yes, it is God's grace that saved me. Yes, faith is a gift of God. Yes, it is by His grace, through faith that was given to me by Him that saved me. In this, I give God all the glory for my salvation.

Look at it like this. You really need to get to point "B", but the only way from point "A" is a ginormous mountain 100 miles high, and 300 miles wide. The only way to point "B" is through a tunnel in the mountain. We are point "A", and grace is point "B". Faith is the tunnel that has been dug out through the mountain. The only way for us(point "A") to get to grace(point "B"), is through faith(the tunnel). IOW, without faith(given by Him, btw), you can not get to His grace. This does not negate the fact that grace is what saves us, but faith is the gas by which this "motor" runs. Does this clear things up? I think that this is the way others see this as well....but I can not, and will not speak for them.

 

The one "prayer" I detest is the "repeat after me" prayer. And then they say over the tee vee, if you have prayed this prayer, call and tell us the good news, and we will send you a pamphlet that will tell you how to live as a christian. The need a bible to tell them that, and not their pamphlet. Stuff like this is borderline, if not full blown heresy.

I agree that sinner's need to pray for forgiveness. Prayer is what saved my soul(God applying His Grace when I prayed from the heart, that is).

 

And yet, many thousands of Christians will tell you that is how they got saved. If a person is sincere when they pray and ask Jesus to save them, they are saved.

And I've never seen one of these pamphlets, but I would imagine some tell the person to start reading the Bible and to seek out a good Bible believeing church in their area.

I am not supporting these TV evangelists, I believe most are nothing but crooks, although there are a few good shows that tell the gospel, and there are many persons who have truly trusted Christ watching these shows.

 

Brother P4T,

Here is a "snippet" from John Frame, and how he sees faith in the role of salvation:

So, what is the role of faith? Theologians struggle for words here, but the word that Reformed theology has settled on is instrument. By this we mean to say that faith, even though imperfect and unworthy, is the means (“instrument” = “means”) by which we reach out and receive God’s grace. Some have compared it to an empty hand reaching out to be filled. As the hymn “Rock of Ages” puts it, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.”

So, eventhough faith does not save, it is the instrument/means that God uses when He applies His grace to those He saves.

Link:http://erictyoung.com/2011/06/03/the-role-of-faith-in-salvation-—-john-m-frame/

 

You get an AMEN from me on all you posted here, Brother.

 

P4T, your faith has saved you, go in peace.

 

Think , not you, but others posting on this discussion have to still really answer....

What was it that "enabled/caused" you to even be interested in coming to jesus and get saved?

 

The divinely inspired message of reconciliation (otherwise know as the Gospel) is what enables men, who otherwise would remain enemies of God, to be reconciled.

That Gospel in John 6 was being hidden from the audience, thus they were not yet "enabled" or "given to Christ," as were the twelve.

 

I have no difficulty giving God the full glory for salvation and to suggest that those who don't affirm Calvinistic dogma don't give full glory to God is inaccurate, misrepresentative and offensive.

I couldn't agree more. In fact, that point is at the heart of true Arminian doctrine regarding our rebuttal of Calvinistic teachings.