We have to Be perfect in order to make heaven

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by mfblume

Keep on twisting what we are saying. Disobedience and sin removes us from being in Christ. This nonsense about God not seeing us sin is crazy. As soon as we sin and fail to repent, we are no longer in Christ!

I've enjoyed your posts Bro. Blume, but I have a few questions.

How is the above not works based? Again, I think we're looking at symptoms of a greater problem and demanding that they be treated. If a person continues in sin, the issue isn't the sin...it's their having broken oneness with Christ. They are not taking control, breaking ranks with the indwelling Spirit, and living their own lives, Christ isn't being allowed to live through them. They can leave Christ, abandon the church, and later turn from doing the evil things they are doing. But unless they return to the vine, they are still severed branches. I believe that our "sins" were dealt with at the cross. ALL of them. Past, present, and future. So the "sinful behaviors" aren't the problem...it's their relationship. They need to reconnect with Christ, they need to come back to a place where they are in Christ. Therefore the sin they must repent of is...breaking ranks with Christ Jesus. Once they are back "in Christ" and connected to the Vine, their behavior will change as their mind is renewed by the life that flows through the Vine into them.

No such thing as OSAS. The two cents' guys who think their good deeds pay for heaven will say any dependence upon the blood alone for righteousness is osas, and yet we blow that distortion away and say we can lose our salvation by disobedience.

The heat we see between the doctrines of Free Will and Perseverance of the Saints is essentially a theological antimony. Both are absolutely correct. The issue is point of reference. If we begin with man, there is Free Will. If we begin with God, people are what they will be. This has been ordained to be so by the very will of God without interferrence...thus predestined according to His will. That's why when asked, I typically say that I believe in Free Will...but God's a Calvinist. LOL