Unless the person with the prideful heart doesn't know any better, and who does?
Do you feel like you are a million times as humble as thou art?
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
The point is knowledge of which is my point of repentant which would mean has knowledge of as you cannot repent of what you do not know. Your second point has nothing to do with the first.
There must be a lot of fig trees cut down. I think that parable is concerning the covenant that God had currently with Israel one which is about to get cut off because they rejected him as messiah. I have also heard it taught that this parable is about those who the spirit of the Lord deal with but they will not yield to him to be saved.
However I think it's talking about the future of Israel and all the times that God in the past has dealt with her.
How would Jesus expect the unsaved to bear fruit? Cant happen.
On the other hand if this is PERSONAL it agrees with what Jesus taught the Apostles.
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.
I thought that Austin's words were very good, on this question.
As to my understanding, if you are indeed saved by grace, then sin will not "abound." The grace of God is THAT powerful! He will always make a way for us to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Jesus is looking for fruit. He gives people time but if they dont bring it forth he takes the initiative to cut them off. That seems pretty clear.
I thought we were talking about Christians sinning away their salvation?
Your post above is talking about and expressing those who are not in Christ to begin with.
Two things;
One is;
Jesus himself is saying [ You can do nothing within yourself without me.] That should be clear to the christian in regard having any ability to bear fruit, that it is Jesus doing it and not self. So if one fails then it would be the fault of Christ that they failed according to what he just said.
Second;
I have never seen any christian that does not have the fruit the spirit in their life," NEVER " The problem with holier than thou people is they don't look for fruit or they judge others by how much they think they have?
To say that Jesus will cut off those who have come to him by faith is to call Jesus a liar. John 6:35=39.
And Jesus said unto them;
I am the bread of life' he that cometh to me shall NEVER hunger; and he that believeth on me shall NEVER thirst.
But I say unto you, That you also have seen me, and believe not.
ALL, that the Father giveth me SHALL COME to me; and him that cometh to me I will IN NO WISE "cast out" [ that means cut off and burn ]
For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of ALL which HE HATH GIVN me, I should LOSE NOTHING, but should raise it up again at the last day.
To conclude my thought. The bible clearly states that no man can even come to the Lord Jesus unless he first draw him, Jn. 6:44:
Now, are we serving a vain God who with his infinite mind of all future things makes mistakes and draws people just to later throw them in a fire and say, well I gave you a chance and you failed.
Not the living Lord Jesus who sits upon the Throne of Heaven, the one whom I know, that has never forsaken his sheep but with his divine ability has saved them from the up most of evil and destruction.
I don't know about anyone else on here or anywhere, but I was reconciled to the Lord Jesus by his death while I was yet a sinner. It's unfortunate that I had to walk around in this great so called christian nation with all of it's spiritual holy than thou saints with all their supernatural power and not have any of them ever even witness to me in a period of over 23 years.
That's what amazes me about super Christianity! and it's ideologies! How quick it is to condemning someone.
In all those years I could have died and went to hell and all the so-called power saints that passed me every day on the streets and in the stores who never took the time to be in contact with the spirit of Jesus to witness and tell me how much! Jesus really loved me/
It's a good thing I'm not God, because a lot of people would get their wish come true..
If a saint can loose their salvation, surely it isn't because they didn't do this or that. The issue with sin is that it draws the heart away from God, killing saving faith. Eventually continual sin will harden one against God and His will. Like foreign wives, sin will lead a man away from his faith in God. At this point a man might convince himself that he isn't really cut out to be a Christian and his faith in God and the Bible will die, ending in a state of being apostate. In addition, a man might convince himself that God accepts his sinful ways and remain a religious animal... but void of saving faith. When saving faith has died, when the man no longer desires God... he has severed Himself from the source of all life.
Christianity has only two laws... love God... love your neighbor. For guidance on how to love God and your neighbor... see the Ten Commandments.
I'm not officially chiming in on this subject but reading the thread title this morning I did think it interesting that the definition of grace to most of us is...
I'll forgive your past... and I'll forgive your present for a while... but you better get your act together.
I'm not officially chiming in on this subject but reading the thread title this morning I did think it interesting that the definition of grace to most of us is...
I'll forgive your past... and I'll forgive your present for a while... but you better get your act together.
Like that fellow that said "Go, and sin no more."?
__________________
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Like that fellow that said "Go, and sin no more."?
'cause if you do... I'm gonna ZAP ya.
Several points with your bout of genius here.
1. Pre grace... Still under the law... Jesus was still alive. (Pretty good point huh?)
2. Should we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. We should all strive to find, learn and walk in the ways of our God. What else are we saved from than our ownselves and the sin that following our own will has led us through?
We have grace. We have forgiveness. But should we just keep sinning because we can? Absolutely not. We should strive to walk a way higher than our own. But when we do fail we have an advocate with the Father.
So there is a difference between a worn out place on the Book of Life where God keeps erasing & rewriting our name and someone wanting "salvation" from the consequences of their sin and yet intend on continuing to embrace and practice that sin with no regard for God's way.
The ways of God are foolishness to them that perish.
I thought that Austin's words were very good, on this question.
As to my understanding, if you are indeed saved by grace, then sin will not "abound." The grace of God is THAT powerful! He will always make a way for us to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).
And I thank you very much.
I think any bible scholar can identify with what Paul is trying so hard to tell the new Jewish converts. That the keeping of the law will not perfect you it will only make you religious. Paul is putting forth his best efforts to try and make people see, if you are truly born again by the power of Jesus Christ then you have died and been resurrected by that same power unto newness of life. That simply means you are a new creature even though when you look into your bathroom mirror you look like your old self.
Many years ago my beloved mentor said to me, time and time again in an effort to get me to see the truth outside of the brainwashing that a pentecostal church put there, this one truth.
He said to me often, quit putting that old self in the closet and stop getting up everyday and strapping him onto your back and walking around with him. Take him outside and bury him, because he is dead and no longer exists.
I use to say to him; But if I go down and get drunk and run off with some whore and spend the night I can't possible be still saved. His reply was; if that's what you 'REALLY' want to do then there is a good chance that you might not be saved to begin with.
I struggled with this for a long time until one day by spiritual revelation from Jesus, he showed me the truth. That cost me a lot throughout the years even today. But I know without any doubt where my spirit rests. But most of all, I know what my true nature really is, and should I forget in a time of dispare, then the Holy Ghost is there with me to remind me of who I am in Christ Jesus. It is my prayer to the Lord that everybody could get what I got so they would be at peace with themselves as well as with Jesus and those in their church.
1. Pre grace... Still under the law... Jesus was still alive. (Pretty good point huh?)
2. Should we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. We should all strive to find, learn and walk in the ways of our God. What else are we saved from than our ownselves and the sin that following our own will has led us through?
We have grace. We have forgiveness. But should we just keep sinning because we can? Absolutely not. We should strive to walk a way higher than our own. But when we do fail we have an advocate with the Father.
So there is a difference between a worn out place on the Book of Life where God keeps erasing & rewriting our name and someone wanting "salvation" from the consequences of their sin and yet intend on continuing to embrace and practice that sin with no regard for God's way.
The ways of God are foolishness to them that perish.
I can certainly see how God may get tired of granting grace, over and over again. We have to forgive 70 times 7 times, but He never promised to be that forgiving!
And that fellow also gave some examples of His criteria for judging people, and I'm pretty sure He was looking to the future, in the age of "grace". He mentioned believing, a few times (John 3:16, e.g.), but also had some actions (works) in mind, too. E.g., the sheep and the goats will be separated based on whether they did good works, of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting prisoners, and housing the homeless. If you do, you will be rewarded. If you do not, you will be thrown into the everlasting fire. Matthew 25.
And some works count, and some don't. Prophesying, casting out devils, and certain (unspecified) "wonderful works" don't count. Doing the will of God counts. If you don't do the will of God, and bring forth good fruit, into the fire you go. Matthew 7.
__________________
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Linear Mode
