With Full Assurance
Published on June 26, 2009 By KFC Kickin For Christ In Religion

"Freedom comes from knowing the truth.  Bondage results from missing it."

I read those words recently from a well known Pastor.  I thought, "Ain't that the truth?" 

Someone here on JU asked me recently how I can "know" that I'm going to heaven since he believes we really can't know for sure.  I refuted that, because I do absolutely know for sure I'm going to heaven.  I have been set free from that doubt of not knowing. 

There are some religious groups out there that teach you can't be sure.  One teaches the best time to die is when you're walking out of a confession booth.  That would be the only time you can be sure of your salvation.  How sad.

I say nonsense.  All a bunch of nonsense. It's a man-made teaching. They are teaching fear and guilt to keep you in line.  That's all that is. Some call it brainwashing.  I agree.   If I must do or not do something to keep from losing my salvation, then salvation would have to be by faith and works.  Keeps me coming!! 

It's the works part, these religious organizations are most after.  If they can convince you of this, you will continue to work and work and work for the church to ensure that your ticket to the hereafter is secure. 

Nonesense.   I believe this type of teaching is exactly why so many are dissatisfied with organized religion.  I don't blame them one bit.  Someday, the leaders in these churches will have alot to answer for.  With much responsibility comes much accountability. 

So what is at stake?  Many things.  Peace, assurance, joy, love for instance.  They all are related.  If you don't have assurance of God's acceptance you can't have peace and without peace you can have no joy.  A person with no peace is really motivated by fear.  Fear and love don't match up well. 

John said this:

"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."  1 John 5:13

Think about it.   If Christ came to seek and save the lost wouldn't it have been wise on God's part to snatch us to heaven right then, the moment we are saved in order to insure we make it?  Otherwise God is taking a great risk  forcing us to stay here and walk thru a very sinful world.  Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that "bad company corrupts good character."  We all know there's plenty of bad characters around us every day. 

Another thing to think about.  If we don't have this assurance, peace, and joy because it's replaced by fear in losing our salvation doesn't that spill over to worry?  Didn't Jesus tell us worrying is a sin?  Didn't Paul tell us to be anxious over nothing?  How can we reconcile these things if God is holding our ticket to heaven over our heads in the hopes we are good little boys and girls.  If we mess up.....oh well.  Ticket rescinded.

No, the only way we can have the peace and joy and assurance is to believe Christ when he said those that come to him can have eternal life.  When we come to him, he says, we can have life more abundantly.  This is not the same type of life the world offers.  But if we tell others that we can't be sure of our eternal security then it's no diff than what the world offers.  Who wants that?   The world offers, fear, worry, anxiety and hate.  Who needs that? 

Salvation has to be by faith alone.  Once good works are introduced into the salvation process then it gets all chaotic and complicated.  It is no longer by faith alone but by faith and works and to say that is to take the daily burden of our salvation upon ourselves.  Then you have to ask, why did Jesus come to die?  Didn't he take this burden from off our shoulders?  Didn't he carry it instead?   If we believe our salvation is determined by our works, it pretty much contradicts just about every doctrine in scripture spoken by Christ and written down by the Apostles. 

Think about this.  If our salvation is not secure how could Jesus say "they will never perish?"  (John 10:28) If we receive eternal life but then forfeited it thru sin, either by not doing what we should do or doing what we shouldn't do, will we not perish?   By doing so, don't we make Jesus words to be a lie, null and void?   Didn't he die for our sins, past, present and future?  I believe he did. 

I guess it really comes down to trust and commitment.  Jesus is calling us to do more than just believe in his existence.  He's calling us to put our trust in him, in his words and in his death in exchange for our sins.  That's it.  Even a child can understand this. 

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Romans 5:1

"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is recokoned as righteousness."  Romans 4:5.

 

 

 


Comments (Page 24)
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on Jul 28, 2009

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Regarding the highlighted....This was originally offered by Luther and Calvin based upon their faulty views on Original Sin and grace. You are repeating their teachings. If human nature is so very corrupt that there is no way to avoid sin, then why bother?

Everytime I corner you with the truth you come out swinging Luther and Calvin...every...single..time.  Quit it.  Stay on topic. 

Now I never said there is no way to avoid sin.  Sin is all around us.   Didn't I say we walk in a dirty sinful world?  Didn't I say that Jesus said we need a good foot washing now and again...this means go to him for cleansing.  He's already bathed us (born again) we only need to get dirty feet cleansed after that. 

Why bother what? 

Remember this?

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.  There is noe that understand, there is none that seeks after God."  Romans 3:10-11 

But then again, most Protestants don't bother with sin becasue they believe they are saved by faith alone and "once saved always saved" and the whole problem just keeps going round and round.

and now for the Protestant attack...what you just said is very untrue.  Being saved doesn't mean we're without sin.  I NEVER said that.  It means only that Jesus paid the price for our sin because we are depending on HIS righeousness NOT our own because the sin debt is too large for us to overcome. 

I can always tell when you're angry...telltale signs...Luther, Calvin and the dreaded P word!!! 

 

 

 

 

on Jul 28, 2009

And "born again" doesn't mean one is saved...(saved is past tense.) Born again the beginning of the justification process and saved is the end of the line after one has been judged and given the green light to pass into Heaven.

back to this again...got me thinking...

What about Eph 2:8-9 (one of my absolute favorites) which says:

"By grace you are saved..."

How about Acts 2:47...

"Praising God and having favour with all the peole and the Lord added to the church daily such AS SHOULD BE SAVED." 

Notice who did the adding...How about Paul saying:

"...by which also YOU ARE SAVED."  1 Cor 15:2

so is Paul wrong? 

how about...

"according to mercy HE SAVED US."

So yes, being saved is a one time event and is past tense.  

You get an A on your paper even tho you don't believe what you wrote....

on Jul 28, 2009

Lula

I have to sign off now and won't be back for a week.  Do me a favor, think on what I said and when we get back we can pick it up again.  Maybe I'll get a chance to stop by and see you in person?   

That is, if you can put down your Luther and Calvin boxing gloves for a few minutes...

 KFC

on Jul 28, 2009

I disagree becasue there is no such thing as "once saved, always saved".

St.Matt. 10:22; 24:13, says, "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved." To persevere is "to persist or undertake in spite of counter influences, opposition or discouragement."

Don't disagree with me and then run to another scripture. Exposite what I just gave you for you to make this statement. I've already shown you that this above scripture (you gave here) has to do with end times.

First... you have given no Scripture that supports "once saved always saved" becasue 1...there is no such thing and 2 becasue it's unScriptural. Our eternal salvation is conditional upon our free will acceptance of God's grace as well as upon our faithfulness and obedience to God throoughout our lifetime.

Second... Agree, but not only the endtimes..this passage also has to do with the end of a person's life. Just as Jesus was teaching His Apostles in the first century, we too must persevere throughout our lives unto the end and ending with the last century at the Second Coming and Judgment at the end of the world.

Third... note it says "shall be saved".

 

Even if it did mean what you're saying...Christ would be saying our perserverence is evidence of our salvation because ONLY those who remain standing are saved to begin with.

No that's not what Christ would be saying. Our perseverance is evidence of our steadfastness in faith and love of Christ and our salvation is contingent upon our obedience to His commands. Christ said, "If you love Me you will keep My commandments."

Not once does Jesus say or teach that one is once saved/always saved by a one time act of faith.

His teachings encompass the entire lifetime of the individual that starts in faith and good works and continues persevering until the end (of his life or endtimes whichever comes first.)

We see the same kind of teaching that one must endure to the end in order to be saved from Ezek. 18:24, "But if a righteous man turns his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Becasue of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and becasue of the sins he has committed, he will die."

That's pretty clear KFC, describing a man who has lived righteously for a long time, but who decides to do evil. All the good he has done in the past will be forgotten. God judges us not on how we lived our life at the beginning but on whether or not we persevered in the faith and doing good works until the end and on this is what God judges us on. 

It's the condition of our soul at the end of life that matters whether we are saved or not. Even if a person is righteous for the greater portion of his life but does not endure until the end, then the unrighteousness he has done at the end of his life will prevent him from entering Heaven.

Now go back to my scripture in #337 and tell me what "all" means then. Jesus seems pretty sure of himself there. He WON'T lose any. ALL that come to him ARE SAFE (saved). There are NO ands, ifs or buts. What does "all" mean?

 

"All that the Father gives me shall come to me and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out. ....And this is the Father's will which has sent me that of all which he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. John 6:37,39

Since Jesus is the one sent by Father, the Bread of Life come down from Heaven to give life to the world, everyone who believes in Christ and follows all of His commands has eternal life for it's God's will that everyone should be saved through Jesus Christ. These words of Christ contain 3 mysteries...that of faith in Jesus Christ means accepting His miracles (signs) and His words, (like 6:51) the mystery of the resurrection of believers on the last day, and lastly, and the mystery of the will of the Father that all men be saved...all 3 are solemn mysteries that fill us with hope.

 

on Jul 28, 2009

Lula

I have to sign off now and won't be back for a week. Do me a favor, think on what I said and when we get back we can pick it up again. Maybe I'll get a chance to stop by and see you in person?

That is, if you can put down your Luther and Calvin boxing gloves for a few minutes...

KFC

OKay...almost the same story here. The moving process is getting very busy and very soon I'll pack my computer and give it and me a rest for a couple of weeks at least.

I always think on what you say becasue it's a way of getting to know you better.

And good friend, when I bring up Luther, Calvin or Protestant, it's becasue you first bring up one of their doctrines.

No anger here, discussing with you is fun, pure enjoyable fun.

 

 

 

 

on Jul 28, 2009

"Most deists saw the religions of their day as corruptions of an original, pure religion that was simple and rational. They felt that this original pure religion had become corrupted by "priests" who had manipulated it for personal gain and for the class interests of the priesthood in general.

According to this world view, over time "priests" had succeeded in encrusting the original simple, rational religion with all kinds of superstitions and "mysteries" – irrational theological doctrines. Laymen were told by the priests that only the priests really knew what was necessary for salvation and that laymen must accept the "mysteries" on faith and on the priests' authority. This kept the laity baffled by the nonsensical "mysteries", confused, and dependent on the priests for information about the requirements for salvation. The priests consequently enjoyed a position of considerable power over the laity, which they strove to maintain and increase. Deists referred to this kind of manipulation of religious doctrine as "priestcraft", a highly derogatory term."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

on Jul 29, 2009

Upon reading this discussion, I'd like to ask a question:

 

Just what are "good works", and just who defines what "good works" are?

 

on Jul 29, 2009

Just what are "good works", and just who defines what "good works" are?

"Works" are the things we do in thought, (prayer) word and action. St.James 2 speaks of "good works"...."By works a man is justified, and not by faith alone." "Good works" are doing God's will for His sake. "Good works" is living a life in accordance with the teachings of Christ and obeying His commands. 

Good works prompted by purely natural motives though are not meaningful in the Christian life. Thus St.Paul says, "If I should give all my goods to feed the poor, but have not charity (love), it profiteth me nothing." 1Cor. 13:3, "Yet good works insp;ired by faith in Christ and love for Christ are necessary." ANd St.Matthew says that Jesus at the judgment "will render to every man according to his works."

Evil or bad works are sin, and the avoidance of sin as well as the performance of good works are necessary components of our salvation.

As far as I'm concerned the Catholic Church defines "works" for she alone was established by Christ and has the fullness of truth unmixed with error and even the Holy Bible itself declared that "the Chruch is the pillar and ground of truth". So, while Scripture and Tradition are inspired sources of Christian doctrine, the Chruch, a historical and visible entity dating back to St.Peter and the Apostles is an uninterrupted succession is the infallible teacher and interpreter of the complete rule of faith...Scripture and Tradition.

 

 

 

on Jul 29, 2009

the Holy Bible itself declared that "the Chruch is the pillar and ground of truth".

Why wouldn't it?

on Jul 29, 2009

How does one know exactly what works are for the sake of god's will and which aren't?

on Jul 30, 2009

How does one know exactly what works are for the sake of god's will and which aren't?

Choose to do good (in thought, word and action) instead of evil.

 

 

on Jul 30, 2009

As an addendum to my last response....

I know what works are for the sake of God's will by the teachings of the Church.

on Jul 30, 2009

Pope Benedict explains St. Paul's teaching on justification to thousands 

Vatican City, November 19 2008.-On Wednesday morning, Pope Benedict XVI continued his weekly teachings on St. Paul while speaking to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.  The Pontiff further explained the apostle's teaching that believers are justified by faith in Christ and by the acts that flow out of love for him.  

When Paul met the Risen One on the road to Damascus, the Pope began, "he was a successful man: blameless as to righteousness under the Law." Yet "the conversion of Damascus radically changed his life, and he began to consider all the gains of his honest religious career as 'rubbish' in the face of the sublimity of his knowledge of Jesus Christ."

Turning to St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians, Pope Benedict found that "Paul understood that until then, what seemed to him a gain, in reality, in front of God was a loss. He decided, therefore, to bet all his being on Jesus Christ." In other words, "The Risen Lord became the beginning and end of Paul's existence," the Pope taught.

With this understanding of Christ's resurrection in mind, Pope Benedict turned to the two possible ways of being made new in Christ.

"The Letter to the Philippians," the Pope said, "provides moving testimony of Paul's shift from a justice founded on the Law and achieved by observing certain prescribed actions, to a justice based upon faith in Jesus Christ. ... It is because of this personal experience of the relationship with Jesus Christ that Paul focuses his Gospel on a steadfast contrast between two alternative paths to justice: one based on the works of the Law, the other founded on the grace of faith in Christ."

In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul further explains that even Jews who have believed in Christ Jesus have done so because it is through faith in Christ and not by works of the law that they can be justified.  As St. Paul states, "by works of the law no one will be justified."

Pope Benedict then addressed the interpretation of this passage by Martin Luther, who translated it as "justified by faith alone."

"Before returning to this point it is necessary to clarify which is the 'Law' from which we have been freed and what are the works that do not justify us," Benedict XVI said.

"In the community of Corinth," the Holy Father explained, "there already existed an opinion, that crops up again throughout history, to the effect that it is the moral law, and that hence Christian freedom means freedom from ethics. ... Obviously this is an incorrect interpretation. Christian freedom is not debauchery, ... it is not freedom from doing good."

"For St. Paul, as for his contemporaries, the word Law meant the Torah in its entirety, ... which imposed ... a series of actions ranging from an ethical core to ritual observances ... and substantially defined the identity of the just man, ... such as circumcision, dietary laws, etc. ... All these precepts - expressive of a social, cultural and religious identity - were very important" in the Hellenistic age when polytheism was rife and Israel felt threatened in its identity and feared "the loss of faith in the One God and in His promises."

At the moment of his encounter with the Risen Lord, Paul understood that "with Christ, the God of Israel, the one true God, became the God of all nations. The wall -so he says in the Letter to the Ephesians- between Israel and the pagans was no longer necessary: it is Christ who protects us against polytheism and all its deviations; it is Christ who unites us with and in the one God; it is Christ who guarantees our true identity in the diversity of cultures. The wall is no longer necessary, our common identity in the diversity of cultures is Christ, and it is he who makes us just," the Pope said.

Pope Benedict then offered the interesting insight that "Being just simply means being with Christ, being in Christ, that is all. The other precepts are no longer necessary. Luther's expression 'sola fide' is true, if faith is not against charity, against love. To believe is to see Christ, to trust in Christ, to become attached to Christ, to conform to Christ, to his life."

"Paul knows that in the twofold love of God and neighbor the Law is present and fulfilled. So in communion with Christ, in faith, which creates charity, the Law is realized. We become just by entering into communion with Christ, who is love. We will see the same thing in the Gospel of next Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King. Love is the only criteria of the Gospel of the judge," the Pope explained.

In closing, the Pope invited the faithful to "ask the Lord to help us believe, to truly believe, so belief becomes life, unity with Christ, a transformation of our lives. And so, transformed by his love, by love of God and neighbor, we can be truly just in the eyes of God."

on Jul 30, 2009

Who is to say what is "good" and what is "evil"?   How can one take the word of the HRCC for it when the church is known to have done "evil" in it's time and in the minds of many continues to do so.  What is "good" charity and love and what is "evil" charity and love?  And who defines it?

 

Was he not the one true god of all nations from the beginning?

on Jul 30, 2009

I would like to ask a question since you appear to be quite the expert on catholicism and I couldn't help but notice that you do this thing yourself as indicated in your last post.  Why do most if not all catholics quote St. Paul as having the defintive word on what one needs to do to save their soul and not the master himself, Jesus?  Has he somehow gotten lost in your religion and simply become god and a sacrificial lamb given  to save one's soul and take your sins as his own? 

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