If I were your rich uncle (The Father) and gave you a Cadillac (Christ) by parking it in front of your house (His death for mankind, the atonement) and left the keys in it for you to use and enjoy (believe and be saved, believe not and perish), that's it as far as I'm concerned (God absolved of man's responsibility in rejecting it). If you never get in the Caddy and derive the benefits from it (reject His gift), it's your loss. (Hell)
Was Faith a Gift?
Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by preacher4truth, Jan 14, 2011.
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I strongly disagree that we have nothing to do with salvation. We have to repent and come to faith according to scripture. -
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John 11:52 comes to mind here.
We were lost. Lost implies belonging to Someone does it not? We did not become His sheep, we already were His sheep scattered abroad, and He and He alone reached out and saved us, it was not us reaching out to Him. He did it all. All of it. -
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I do agree there is no "doing anything" as even if there is this nebulous gift of saving faith given, WE are still the ones who need to apply it. The debate boils down to the origin, not whether we are the ones exercising it...as we are.
"Grace is not opposed to effort, grace is opposed to earning" -
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I suppose you are attempting to say here I am afraid of works. Not at all. But if you must insist to say it when I have clearly rejected it, that's up to you. To argue that I make them (works) outlawed to the believer is unfortunate. I believe works help to prove one as saved, not that they assist. We never assisted God in even saving us. This is the great mystery of His saving. He rescued us. He did it all, and enabled us to believe, giving to us that as a gift, (faith) and also bringing us to a place of repentance where all we could do is admit He took, lead, brought, goaded us there and we consequently realize He changed our minds about sin, not us.
It is not God saying "OK, you repent, and I will save you." And then Him waiting for us. No. He is active in leading us to this place by His grace and repentance is also a gift of His goodness. His grace leads us here. Then we realize it was all of Him. -
Check the itty bitty thumbnail pic on my profile, my wife and I are holding some nice flatheads we caught on trot/limbline a couple years ago (I turned the big one loose, it was full of eggs). -
The biggest I have caught is not that big. But I have friends who go a lot more regular than me who have caught 60 pounders. -
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Your rebutal is to a post I did not write. You need to re-read my post. -
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[SIZE=+0]He enlightens and we choose. If we fall away after being enlightened we cannot return because it would crucify the Lord anew.[/SIZE]
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Nope, this is the correct one.
Go take a look, this is in direct response to you. -
They could not have been His. -
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I always find it interesting that people are so afraid of works salvation that they tend to make them outlawed in the believer. First we are saved unto good works. Second while we are saved by grace through faith we will be judged by our works. Third while works do not save they are required in the process for salvation if one counts exercising faith and repentance as works. We do not get saved by doing nothing.
I did not say that works save. I said that ifyou say faith and repentance are works then works are required in the salvation process yet they are not what saves.We are saved through them, not by them.
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