Originally posted by one_man24
the thief will prove himself after being resurrected? that sounds an awful lot like the theology of works righteousness to me. listen, you can't do
anything to "prove" yourself to God.
have you ever asked WHY we fall short of the glory of god?
do you really think that god well keep us in an imperfect state forever?
think about this for a moment. when you get to heaven (or resurrected on earth, whatever your beliefs are) is god going to leave you as an imperfect
human unable (although willing) to keep his commandments?
if fornication is wrong now, and a christian has a hard time not committing it, do you think hes still going to have that problem when he is
¨officially saved¨, or is god just going to change the requirements for us? what if this particular christian disagree with this particular
commandment, is god really going to say to him ¨oh its ok, commit it as much as you like because jesus has you covered¨?
why would adam and eve be held accountable but we get a free pass, doesnt that sound abit unjust to you?
you say - ¨you have seen numerous verses showing that grace and mercy are gifts from God, and verses that clearly state no man cometh to the Father,
but by the son, not to mention verses that we all deserve death, are unholy, sinful, etc etc.¨ but you ignore the other verses that show we are
accountable. verses that show very clearly that there is alot we have to do to get salvation.
yes we are imperfect, yes we fall short of god´s standards, but that is not going to last forever. one day we will be perfect and during that day we
will be held accountable just like adam and eve were.
jesus liken the kingdom to a marriage feast. he talked about people being invited.
john 3:[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
this is an invitation. if you recieve and invitation to a dinner, does that mean you are automatically there? no, you have to get dressed, you have to
travel to the location of the dinner. there is effort involved
note the wording in verse 16 ¨that whosoever believeth in him¨. its a condition. πιστευων (pisteuo) ¨believes¨ also implies to have faith
in, or to entrust. would you entrust your life to a complete stranger? of course not, its impossible (or really a stupid thing to do). to entrust
someone with your life means that you have full confidence in them, confidence that can only come from knowing that person intimately.
the lord´s prayer, ¨hallowed be thy name¨ or ¨let your name be sanctified¨. does the person who wants to be saved use god´s personal name in
their prayers? do they even know god´s name? how can one put faith and entrust their life with someone, if they dont even know their name?
acts 2:[21] And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved
is it really just that simple? say gods name and the problem goes away right? does it work that way when you ¨call¨ on someone else to help you?
bill gates has a ton of money. if you were having problems with a bill, and you called him to ask him for money, how do you think he´s going to
respond? exactly, he´s going to say ¨who are you?¨
matt 7:[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works?
[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
do people earn salvation? no. at this time (emphasis, at this time) its about being as close to god as you can possibly get. and its by his mercy that
you might survive his great day. but the time will come when you will be able to stand worthy before god. during that day you will be judged not by
faith alone but also by your works.
rev 20:[12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works.
[13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works.
yes we fall short of the glory of god, but there will be a point where we will not be able to rely on that anymore. there will be a point where you
will have to make a decision and you will have to back that decision with works
He was saved by his faith. God judged his heart.
true, but he hasnt been ¨saved¨ yet. jesus told him that he would be resurrected, but the unrighteous are to be resurrected too.
people like to believe stuff like ¨your saved when you get baptized¨ or ¨once saved, always saved¨. it means you dont have to be accountable. but
we are accountable. yes, jesus´ sacrifice gives us the opportunity to be redeemed, but what it does is buys us the chance to make a decision that is
free from the inclination of sin.