"If I were the only...."

Christ Jesus shall save His people. Therefore, Christ gives His life for the sheep. There is a multitude no man can number, so the "only one" example is faulty, IMO.

Matthew 1:21 (KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

John 10:11 (KJV) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 10:15 (KJV) As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

By grace,
Bob Krajcik
Mansfield, Ohio

 

It is part of an unbiblical focus on the individual that has sprung up in this modern age of altar calls and the "sinners prayer". It is meant to make us feel special and worthy of God's love, so we will walk that isle and pray the prayer.

The plan of God, according to many passages of scripture, has always been to have a people (plural) for Himself to worship in Spirit and truth. Christ died for the church. To say or imply that Jesus would have died for just one person (me, me, me!!! Look how special I am!!!) is simply not founded on biblical truth.

 

JDCanady,

Myself, I tend to agree with what you have said. To go beyond and explain further, IMO, I find it unfortunate that it is sometimes claimed those that Christ shed His blood for shall nevertheless perish. What sort of undying love is it that would leave the one that is being loved to perish eternally, and what value is a propitiation, redemption and atonement, that would leave a person lost and perishing.

By grace,
Bob Krajcik
Mansfield, Ohio

 

I agree with the eternal security of the believer. However, I do think there are many professing Christians that believe they will get into heaven without any good works and they are deterimined to prove it!!

 

Yes, I agree. Many claim salvation without ever being changed.

 

There is a path of working out ones salvation, with works a result of and not the cause of salvation. Salvation is all of grace. Works follow salvation and do not contribute to keeping one saved, IMO. There is a change in the person saved.

Romans 11:6 (KJV) And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Galatians 3:2 (KJV) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

James 2:26 (KJV) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Revelation 14:13 (KJV) And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

 

Although I have heard this before, this statement does not make any sense to me. there was a time in our history when there was only "one sinner in the word who needed saving". that was Eve -- for a very short time. Jesus did not come at that time.

When there were 2 sinners (Adam and Eve), God provided skins of slaughtered animals as coverings. These animals were types of Christ.

 

Faulty or not the point is irrelevant...would the Father have sent the Son for one sinner? Maybe, don't know, doesn't matter...the simple fact of the matter is there are multiple sinners on Earth and Christ's sacrifice was to atone for those sins give us the gift of salvation.

 

It matters because it is being taught as true by people who should know better. It puts an unbiblical focus on the individual, instead of on the assembly of believers. It makes the coming together of the brethren to worship in the Spirit, and to edify one another, and loving one another, and of being of one mind for the cause of Christ, an afterthought; not even an important afterthought (doesn't matter?); to an individual relationship with Christ. No one is saved to have a personal relationship with Christ without a corporate relationship with the Body of Christ. We haven't even begun to understand what it means to have unity of the Spirit.