Is knowing Jesus as the Son of God a requirement to have eternal life or not?

We are born with the ability to sin, just as Adam and Eve were created with the ability to sin. Yet, they were "very good" until they actually sinned.

You don't get it, you are not a bank robber until you rob a bank. You are not a sinner until you actually sin. We all have the ability to rob a bank, but we do not become bank robbers until we actually commit this act.

Even Satan was "perfect" until he actually sinned.

Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

God didn't create Satan evil, Satan was part of the six day creation that God declared very good. But, like us, Satan was given free will and chose to freely sin.

 

This is what YOUR commentary- not mine- I would not use someone so Arminian- YOUR commentary says as Ann has pointed out to you.

 

Where did he say that? You know that is not true per Romans 1.

 

We've also been down this road, my Roman Catholic friend

 

No, your roman Catholic anecdote was silly and weak. Look up Pelagianism and what Winman said is the VERY DEFINITION of it.

 

Like I said, sharing any one aspect of a theology or system does not equate you with that system. You have been schooled on this...please learn. According to your own logic I can refer to you as an Arminian since you agreed that Arminianism shares a common belief with Calvinism.

 

Plain as the nose on your face.

 

1 Corintians 2:14 does not even mention faith, so you cannot use this verse to prove that regeneration precedes faith.

Look, I posted half a dozen verses that all say you must believe to have "life".

Isn't this what we are asking about, "life"?

Luke and others say a person has life before they believe. The scriptures repeatedly show you cannot have life until you believe.

The scriptures speak of a man being "enlightened", they speak of of being "illuminated", but they do not speak of being made alive in order to believe.

The scriptures say that Jesus lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

The scriptures say men were in darkness. This is why men are blind, they are in darkness. But Jesus was a light that showed truth to man.

Matt 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Ever wake up in the middle of the night when all the lights are out? You are blind, you can't see anything. But turn on the light and you can see. It is not that we weren't able to see, we were in darkness. Light is necessary for sight.

Jesus said those who are taught and learn of the Father come to him.

John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

This is how unregenerate man gets saved, he gets illuminated, he gets enlightened, he gets taught by the Father. Without this revelation from God, no man would be saved. The natural man would never conceive the gospel on his own.

But once the gospel is revealed to a man he can chose to believe it or not. And if he believes, then and only then is he made alive.

For the tenth time, you cannot have "life" until your sins are removed.

 

Not true. Adam sinned but he was not born a sinner. He was created pure and without the stain of sin.

Adam is proof that a person without a sin nature or or any tainting of sin can sin.


BTW..We die physically because of Adam's sin but we die spiritually because of our own sin, not the sins of another.

 

Luke unsuccessfully tried to argue that regeneration is some sort of incubation. Why? Because he knows quite well that the scriptures clearly say many times you cannot have life until you believe. Of course, this destroys Total Depravity as Calvinism defines it.

But... he's trying to save Total Depravity. That is the one and only reason for this theory. He tries to argue being born again is different from salvation which is ridiculous. Jesus said those that believe are "passed" from death to life. We are saved the moment we believe, it is not a process.

Luke 19:9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

 

Excellent point Amy. Satan was also created perfect until he chose to sin. I also agree with your second statement.

Now, this is just speculation on my part, but I think God had to curse man to die, else he would be happy to live forever in a sinful state. When God cursed the ground, he said something very interesting, he said "for thy sake".

Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Now, I could be wrong on this, but it almost seems God cursed the ground for man's own good. If God had not cursed the ground, man would have been happy to keep on living in sin. But it is the destruction that sin causes that is one of the greatest incentives for man to seek God. If we did not die (physically), would we seek God?

Like I said, just speculation, but I think this is reinforced by what God said about the tree of life.

Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

So, I believe God cursed the ground for our own good, so that we would seek him.