Which is wrong with these two statements?

Problem with the first one:

Belief in Christ is the only thing required for salvation. True belief in Christ does NOT lead to a life as he described. Those whom God justifies will inevitably be glorified because they will, without exception, persevere through the power of the Holy Spirit. This perseverance does not save you. Salvation is by faith, but true faith results in perseverance. Nothing beyond faith is required because if you have true faith, everything falls into place.

Second statement:

The first clause seems to contradict the last clause. We do not receive eternal life as a result of our obedience and love at any point in time. Eternal life is a free gift from God through faith.

 

Not sure what you're looking for, but

I will take a stab at this...if one "truly accepts Christ as his personal Saviour", then "how he lives afterwards" will truly be changed...
What "more" is necessary?


If "We cannot ‘earn’ our salvation", then how can "our obedience and love..." be "rewarded"?

 

Statement One should read: No matter how YOU PERCEIVE his life afterwards, he cannot perish.

Statement Two: unbiblical, you cannot have it both ways.

A = Faith in Christ
B = Something I do
A+B = Some combination

The question is, how do I get to Heaven, NOT how do I get on the road to heaven. When you get to heaven and someone asks you (they probably won't), "Why are you here?" What will you answer them? "A" (with NONE of your works being part of the equation). "B" (no Christian would answer this but I included it as one possibility). "A+B" (as long as Christ is a part of the equation my works will be the determining factor))

 

1 Cor. 3:10-15, "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire , and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

 

To StefanM

(You said)
"Belief in Christ is the only thing required for salvation."

That is not correct. Salvation is far more than mere mental assent to facts concerning the life and work of Jesus. "Repent and believe" the gospel. Repentance is far more than feeling sorry or guilty. Literally, it is "turning" from sin and your old way of life (it is now repulsive) and turning to Jesus with faith in who He is and what He has done. You cannot be saved unless you are born again.

If you are born again, you are truly saved. Your life has been transformed by the power of God. The natural outcome of such transformation is living our lives for Christ. That will be our new motivation, our new worldview. A true Christian has the Holy Spirit abiding in him/her, who guides and convicts of sin, and disciplines those the Father loves.

Your question is mute because a true Christian cannot and will not live a life of continual sin. Although we do not have the ability to pronounce someone unsaved (or saved for that matter), I believe it is a fair statement that if someone has professed Christ and continues to live in sin, that person should not have any assurance of his/her salvation and we should not offer them any.

The biggest lie out there is that if you have said some "sinners prayer" years ago, that proves you are saved. That is never the testimony of scripture. The way a person lives their life is what validates their profession of faith, not the profession itself. The transformed life is the evidence of salvation.

 

Yes, what is missing in the mere statement of belief is the element of repentence. "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish".

If you truly wish to repent and throw yourself on the mercy of God He will make you able to repent.

But it must be at the time God visits the soul with the offer. It cannot be any ol time YOU choose. That's the other thing. No man can come unto the Father except the Father draws him.

 

You are not saved by repentance. You are saved by faith, but one cannot have true faith without true repentance. I do not disagree with your post, jdcanady. The sinners prayer does not mean you are saved, but true faith does.

This is the kind of language I was intending to use:

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I meant that salvation does not require anything beyond faith. I am not intending to say that repentance is not a part of the process, but that works are not.

Even so, note the rest of my quote:
"True belief in Christ does NOT lead to a life as he described. Those whom God justifies will inevitably be glorified because they will, without exception, persevere through the power of the Holy Spirit."
What part of that implies that repentance has not occurred?


I assure you: I do not advocate easy believism.

 

Read the next few verses following Eph. 2:8-9: You will see that works are the natural outflow of salvation.

 

jdcanady...seriously...we are on the same page.

This is not true:

Works --> Salvation

This is true:

Faith --> Salvation --> Works

 

To StefanM

I agree we are on the same page. I would simply add the Holy Spirit's conviction of sin, and the truth of the gospel, as well as repentance being(logically) prior to faith. I suspect it is an almost instantaneous event, though I have heard of people being under conviction of sin for some time. As I said before, the changed life that salvation brings should lead to the works God has prepared for us.

 

I have no problem with your statement here .

 

Thats 3 thumbs up

 

Both original statements are wrong. Genuine faith walks hand in hand with genuine repentance. We all trust in something other than Christ before salvation. Genuine faith & repentance is a turning from what we previously trusted in to trusting in Christ alone. Remember the Thessalonians believers who turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son (1Th. 1:9-10). This is all of His grace, so He gets all the glory!