XFRODOBAGGINS said:
You are flat out wrong. It is a one time turning to Christ. You come to Christ the way you are and then He changes you from the inside out, it's not something that you can do on your own, it's not a process, it's a one time event that's why it's called being born again. You are trying to add works to salvation, I have shown you scripturally how you are wrong, yet you will not believe the scriptures. You want to get there your own way, not God's. Back up what you say with scriptures.
When you accept Jesus Christ into your heart, at that very moment God literally raises your dead spirit from the dead. He also seals you with His Holy
Spirit and you become His possession. You will natually desire to do the right things. Not because of what you did, but because of what He did.
We can throw verses at eachother all day if you like...
(Mat 24:10-14 KJV) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. {11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. {12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. {13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. {14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
(Mark 13:12-13 KJV) Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. {13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Oh, and here's a REALLY good one...showing that it IS possible for God to blot out someone's name from the book of life...
(Rev 3:5 KJV) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
See, what you're saying is that once we are "saved" we lose our free will. We couldn't walk away from God if we wanted to. We become slaves.
Can you show me ONE verse that tells us to "Accept Jesus"? I'm more concerned about Jesus accepting ME.
(1 John 1:8-10 KJV) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Here in John, it appears that our sins are forgiven only if we confess. Do you really think God is taking people to heaven who have the stain of unrighteousness on them?
Here's another one you could use...it teaches us that God's word isn't to be taken in part (here a little, there a little) but rather as a whole. You can't pick out a couple verses, out of context, and say "See! Salvation by faith alone".
(Isa 28:9-10 KJV) Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. {10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
You say there are no works required for salvation. Isn't repentance a work? Isn't saying a prayer a work? Isn't "accepting Jesus" a work? Isn't turning to God a "work"?? I guess those are the works you're comfortable, so they're ok.
You ARE correct in that is is not something we can do on our own. Without God's grace, it wouldn't matter what we did...it wouldn't matter. I could live a completely pure Godly life, doing nothing wrong, and still be lost...because I was BORN a sinner. So yes, we can't do it ourselves. God had to make a way. It is up to us to follow that way. It is up to us to endure to the end.