Featured Fundamental View of Faith

I think that makes sense.

 

Therefore the conclusion of the matter is, whosoever will, may by exercising their free will can elect to save themselves by having faith in Jesus for their salvation.

Much as it was in the giving of the law. God said, "I have put before you this day life and death. Choose life."

Of course every one of those hardheaded suckers chose death. Killed the prophets. So God sent his Son. They killed him. God raised him from the dead and told them again, "Choose life in my Son."

Somehow there is a cycle here that I do not believe belongs here.

Here is what I understand the word of God teaches.

The Son and the Father did something which could them bring about the following.

Hebrews 8:8-12 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Through obedience of faith (or faithfulness if you like) Jesus the Son of God, died. God the Father gave Jesus life again, raised Jesus from the dead. That was grace. It was grace because Jesus had been made sin for us and that sin separated Jesus from his Father. The Father raised Jesus from the dead by the Spirit is Life. Eternal Life that was given by promise via the Spirit.

`This Jesus did God raise up, of which we are all witnesses; at the right hand then of God having been exalted -- also the promise of the Holy Spirit having received from the Father -- he was shedding forth this, which now ye see and hear; (Remember Spirit is life)

As Jesus told his disciples, "for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;"

He had to die and be given live again by the Holy Spirit before the Holy Spirit could be sent to them.

Is this true or not according to the scriptures.

It is this same Spirit that will give you life from the dead.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 

The elect, those given the Holy Spirit, by the Holy Spirit are sealed until the redemption of the purchased possession. Are in a covenant relationship to God through Jesus Christ.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive [and] remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. (dead) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Are these people dead or not?

Did they die in a covenant relationship to God with a guarantee (the earnest of the Spirit) of eternal life?

They are dead and are in the bosom of the Christ, a covenant relationship.

Do you know what this verse has guaranteed?
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing [is] God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 2C5:5
To be clothed in eternal life. Eternal life is the house made without hands.

 

Long story short, while the calvinists try to tell us that only they believe God has to give the ability to believe, it ain't true.

Even my totally arminian friends, the methodists, teach prevenient grace--that God goes before and gives each person a measure of grace, enough to believe.

 

Nodak is not wrong, without God graciously revealing Jesus Christ to us, we would all be in darkness and unable to be saved.

Isa 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

The reason man is blind is not because he does not have the ability to see, it is because we sit in darkness. It is no different from being in a dark room, we cannot see because there is no light, not because we lack the actual ability to see. Once a light is turned on, we are "enabled" to see.

It is the same with the gospel. No man is born knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Once God has revealed this to us by the preaching of the word of God, we are "enabled" to believe. We always had the ability to believe, and we all exercise faith in hundreds of ways every day. But no man can believe what he has not heard or does not know. This is exactly what Paul says in Romans 10:14.

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

The scriptures teach we are blind not because we lack ability, but revelation. The Calvinist falsely teaches we lack ability.

We do need God's grace to believe, we need the revelation of the word of God.

 

Van,

You are the one who says that salvation comes by we having faith in.

I am the one who says that salvation was brought to light by the faith of Jesus plus the grace of God the Father in raising Jesus from the dead making him both Lord and Christ.

I am the one who believes salvation is totally of God. We do not choose to believe; We are called by God through his Son Jesus, set apart by the Holy Spirit of God, unto belief resulting in salvation.

Let me show you something.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood,

That is the root of justification. The blood (therefore death) of Jesus, the Son of God. Without that shed blood (death) one could not be justified.
Yet Paul twice uses the phrase, "justified by faith," Romans 3:28 and 5:1.
The shed blood (death) is the faith.

John Gill on Romans 5:9
Much more then being now justified by his blood…
The apostle here argues from justification by Christ to salvation by him, there being a certain and inseparable connection between these two; whoever is justified shall be saved; and speaks of justification "as being now by his blood". Justification in God's mind from eternity proceeded upon the suretyship engagements of Christ to be performed in time; the Old Testament saints were justified of God with a view to the blood of the Lamb which was to be shed; this blood was "now" shed, and an application of justification by it was "now" made to the persons spoken of; which is the reason of this way of speaking. The blood of Christ intends his death, as appears from the context, and shows it to be a violent death; death by the effusion of blood. There is an emphasis upon it, "his blood"; not the blood of bulls and goats, nor of a mere innocent creature, but of Christ the Son of God; which is therefore efficacious to all the purposes for which it was shed, and particularly justification. This being ascribed to it, shows the concern Christ had in it, his blood is here put for the whole matter of justification; the shedding of that being the finishing part of it; and that our justification before God proceeds upon the foot of a satisfaction made to the law and justice of God: hence such as are interested in it,

You can see from that that Gill understood that justification was by shed blood.------Will come back to this.

The very same thing is seen about justification in the following verse.
Romans 3:30 Seeing one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through the faith.

Up to the death (shed blood) and resurrection of Jesus justification was in, the blood of the Lamb which was to be shed; by faith
After the death and resurrection of Jesus justification was through the blood which had been shed; through the faith.

Will come back to this from above. Of course John Gill did not really believe that it was the shed blood, the faith of Jesus Christ that justified man, for he added at the very end; "hence such as are interested in it." That takes salvation out of the hand of God and puts salvation in the hand of the man.

It is either the shed blood that is the faith that justifies, OR it is what the one who is interested believes that justifies.

Either Jesus the Son of God and God the Father save you OR you save yourself by what you believe.

Which is it?

 

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood,

Is that in bold the very root of one being justified?

Is verse 9 of Romans the very truth of how one is justified or must one
believe verse 9 before verse 9 is applied to the one who believes.

Who can have belief in God?

(For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth)

Does one have to be called by God before he can be a believer?

 

You really misunderstand just how badly the effects of the fall of adam warped we sinners, and you err in not realising that NONE can even get saved by God unless the Lord wills it to get done!

 

IF election was based upon our faith in Christ, we could boast that I decided to accept him, but since based upon the Will of God...

Those whom HE foreknew, He predestined... Individual election, based upon His active working to bring His elect unto alvation in christ!

 

Now the word "foreknowledge" as it is used in the New Testament is less ambiguous than in its simple form "to know." If every passage in which it occurs is carefully studied, it will be discovered that it is a moot point whether it ever has reference to the mere perception of events which are yet to take place. The fact is that "foreknowledge" is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said to "foreknow," not the actions of those persons.

The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink

God foreknows NOT just what they will do, beilieve in jesus, but causes that to occur,as He has determined to establish a personal individual relationship with them!