ECT A warning to born-again believers who are sinning habitually

Z

ZacharyB

Active member

Greetings!
“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in
your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By His divine power,
God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.”
(2 Peter 1:2-3, New Living Translation)

This warning concerns believers who are sinning habitually without repentance.
To repent: turn away from your sins, doing everything you can to forsake them.

The #1 Reason Why God sent the Messiah
A few old covenant people did manage to please and satisfy God. But, Jesus came so that many more of the human race would be able to satisfy Father God’s high standards, and thus be allowed into heaven! Isn’t this the main reason for Jesus and the new covenant?

Those who believe in Jesus and His message …
❶ are given the Holy Spirit to indwell them to teach them “all things” as well as be their Comforter, Advocate, Helper, Healer, etc.
❷ are made into new creations -- they have new and different ideas, opinions, attitudes, priorities, etc. -- focusing more on spiritual things (this new birth is a spiritual birth,
while the 1st birth is a physical one).
❸ are given God’s Holy Scriptures to teach them and guide them.
❹ are sanctified unto holiness: God sets them apart for undergoing the process of growing in holiness. However, they have free will to reject God’s plan for them … and can fall away from the faith, drift away, fall from grace, draw back to perdition (Hebrews 10:39), etc.

It should be obvious that these born-again believers (above) have incredible advantages over God’s old covenant people. They have been enabled (set free) to overcome sin, the world,
and the devil! They are set free from their blindness, being captives of Satan, etc. They are now
able to be “overcomers” as Jesus overcame (Rev 3:21). They are now able to overcome sin,
be sanctified unto holiness, and thus be acceptable to Father God for a glorious entrance into heaven. They need to sincerely repent of (run from) their new sins (2 Peter 1:9).

● To reconcile the so-called OSAS NT verses with the many verses opposing them, it has been deduced by some Spirit-filled believers that the NT usage of “pisteou” (believe) must include obedience! (Note: The verb tenses in John 3:16 reflect a continuing “belief”.)

● Jesus said, “He who (really) loves Me will obey My commandments.”
Loving God is one of the 2 qualifying conditions for a person to be
foreordained, predestined, called, justified, and glorified (Romans 8:28-30).

… continued in post #2 …
 
Z

ZacharyB

Active member
Many have said that we are the church of Laodicea (see Revelation 3:14-22),
and the reason is: pastors are not warning their sheep of their responsibilities.
Jesus often warned, “Do not let anyone deceive you.” Paul talked about
“this evil world in which we live” (Galatians 1:4), and Jesus even told His
12 disciples that they were evil (Luke 11:13).

Paul warned about the great apostacy (or falling away) in the last days
(1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:1-7). We believers have no excuse for this
this because God has given us everything we need to live holy lives.

So, it is necessary to explain why Paul wrote:
“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12)

In everything below, “believers” refers to born-again believers.

This information is a warning to believers - backed up by many NT verses.
We have a part to play in our salvation other than belief-faith-trust in Jesus as
our Lord and Savior. We were chosen and called to be sanctified unto holiness
through our enduring faith-obedience to the Lord … instead of obedience to
Satan and the flesh.

From Dr. Thomas Hale, medical missionary to Nepal …
“When Paul says ‘continue to work out your salvation’, he means that we must
obey Christ and do God’s will. We must continue to follow Christ’s example.
Our lives must become more and more holy. Jesus said ‘Be perfect as your
heavenly Father is perfect’. This is what it means to work out our salvation …
But remember this: We are free to reject God’s grace. We can refuse to obey
God’s will. We can continue in sin without repenting. That is dependent on us;
that is our choice. But if we choose to accept God’s grace and to obey Him,
then God has promised to help us.” (The Applied New Testament Commentary)

If we want to take the NT seriously, we need to reconcile the so-called OSAS
(once saved always saved) verses vs. those which stand opposed to OSAS!
The dozens of NT verses below stand opposed to OSAS.

Many NT verses prove each of these spiritual truths:
Believers stay righteous by practicing righteousness
Believers stay righteous through their obedience
Believers faith must endure until the end of their lives
Believers keep salvation by repenting of their sins
Believers were chosen and called to live holy lives
Believers must love, forgive, not judge or condemn
Believers must be victorious overcomers

One page of Scripture verses is available for almost every topic.
 
way 2 go

way 2 go

Well-known member
ZacharyB said:
Many NT verses prove each of these spiritual truths:
Believers stay righteous by practicing righteousness
Click to expand...
:rotfl:

since my righteousness did not come from me being righteous
but by faith , I will stick with faith .


Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
 
Z

ZacharyB

Active member
way 2 go said:
since my righteousness did not come from me being righteous
but by faith , I will stick with faith.

Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God,
and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Click to expand...
... and ignore the NT verses in the OP,
or reject the NT verses in the OP.
Which will it be? ... Perhaps, all of the above?

Did you notice that Abram followed up his faith with lots of obedience?
He didn't go around saying he was righteous, and all the time sinning!
If he had done this, his righteousness would have been cancelled.
And God might have started all over with him.
But, God knew Abram's heart ... and chose him to be the father of many nations.
 
Z

ZacharyB

Active member
Right Divider said:
Tit 3:5 KJV Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;​
Click to expand...
Okay, without delving deeply into this verse,
I would say you have it vs. all of those in the OP.
 
way 2 go

way 2 go

Well-known member
ZacharyB said:
... and ignore the NT verses in the OP,
or reject the NT verses in the OP.
Which will it be? ... Perhaps, all of the above?

Did you notice that Abram followed up his faith with lots of obedience?
Click to expand...

yes after the 2nd covenant


1st covenant
promise
Gen 15:5
Gen 15:6
blood shed
Gen 15:9
Gen 15:10
abram was asleep (faith only)
Gen 15:12
God confirmed the covenant
Gen 15:17

2nd covenant

promise
Gen 17:5
Gen 17:6
Gen 17:7
bloodshed and covenant confirmed each time the
work of circumcision is done.
Gen 17:10
But, God knew Abram's heart ... and chose him to be the father of many nations.
Click to expand...
father of many nations by faith not circumcision
 
God's Truth

God's Truth

New member
ZacharyB said:

Greetings!
“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in
your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By His divine power,
God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.”
(2 Peter 1:2-3, New Living Translation)

This warning concerns believers who are sinning habitually without repentance.
To repent: turn away from your sins, doing everything you can to forsake them.

The #1 Reason Why God sent the Messiah
A few old covenant people did manage to please and satisfy God. But, Jesus came so that many more of the human race would be able to satisfy Father God’s high standards, and thus be allowed into heaven! Isn’t this the main reason for Jesus and the new covenant?

Those who believe in Jesus and His message …
❶ are given the Holy Spirit to indwell them to teach them “all things” as well as be their Comforter, Advocate, Helper, Healer, etc.
❷ are made into new creations -- they have new and different ideas, opinions, attitudes, priorities, etc. -- focusing more on spiritual things (this new birth is a spiritual birth,
while the 1st birth is a physical one).
❸ are given God’s Holy Scriptures to teach them and guide them.
❹ are sanctified unto holiness: God sets them apart for undergoing the process of growing in holiness. However, they have free will to reject God’s plan for them … and can fall away from the faith, drift away, fall from grace, draw back to perdition (Hebrews 10:39), etc.

It should be obvious that these born-again believers (above) have incredible advantages over God’s old covenant people. They have been enabled (set free) to overcome sin, the world,
and the devil! They are set free from their blindness, being captives of Satan, etc. They are now
able to be “overcomers” as Jesus overcame (Rev 3:21). They are now able to overcome sin,
be sanctified unto holiness, and thus be acceptable to Father God for a glorious entrance into heaven. They need to sincerely repent of (run from) their new sins (2 Peter 1:9).

● To reconcile the so-called OSAS NT verses with the many verses opposing them, it has been deduced by some Spirit-filled believers that the NT usage of “pisteou” (believe) must include obedience! (Note: The verb tenses in John 3:16 reflect a continuing “belief”.)

● Jesus said, “He who (really) loves Me will obey My commandments.”
Loving God is one of the 2 qualifying conditions for a person to be
foreordained, predestined, called, justified, and glorified (Romans 8:28-30).

… continued in post #2 …
Click to expand...

Right on good points.

I want to say too that there were people in the old testament times that obeyed God and they got to go to the temple to be where His Spirit was. Since Jesus, we do right and receive his Spirit, and have his love to keep wanting to please him.
 
God's Truth

God's Truth

New member
ZacharyB said:
... and ignore the NT verses in the OP,
or reject the NT verses in the OP.
Which will it be? ... Perhaps, all of the above?

Did you notice that Abram followed up his faith with lots of obedience?
He didn't go around saying he was righteous, and all the time sinning!
If he had done this, his righteousness would have been cancelled.
And God might have started all over with him.
But, God knew Abram's heart ... and chose him to be the father of many nations.
Click to expand...

Right; and, Abraham obeyed God from the beginning, he obeyed and went when God told him to.

Here is proof from the beginning that Abraham obeyed.

Genesis 12:1
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.


And, Abraham had faith and that faith was tested by his doing something.

His faith was tested by Abraham obeying by sacrificing his son.


James 2:20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did
 
God's Truth

God's Truth

New member
Right Divider said:
Tit 3:5 KJV Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;​
Click to expand...

That scripture is about the righteous works of the law and these were those works:

The Burnt Offering; The Grain Offering; The Fellowship Offering; The Sin Offering; The Guilt Offering; Dietary Laws; Purification After Childbirth; Cleansing From Infectious Skin Diseases; Cleansing From Mildew; Discharges Causing Uncleanness; The Day of Atonement; Rules for Priests; The Sabbath; Firstfruits; The Passover and Unleavened Bread; Feast of Weeks; Feast of Trumpets; Feast of Tabernacles; Oil and Bread Set Before The LORD; the Sabbath Year; The Year of Jubilee; Circumcision.


Paul is explaining that it is not because of those works, because Jesus purifies us now. See the rest of Titus 5 where it tells us we were washed by Jesus instead of the works of the law where the people used to wash themselves: 5 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8


He also warns against people trying to find out if they are blood related to any of the prophets.
He says not to argue about the law.

Titus 3:5 9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
 
God's Truth

God's Truth

New member
way 2 go said:
yes after the 2nd covenant


1st covenant
promise
Gen 15:5
Gen 15:6
blood shed
Gen 15:9
Gen 15:10
abram was asleep (faith only)
Gen 15:12
God confirmed the covenant
Gen 15:17

2nd covenant

promise
Gen 17:5
Gen 17:6
Gen 17:7
bloodshed and covenant confirmed each time the
work of circumcision is done.
Gen 17:10

father of many nations by faith not circumcision
Click to expand...

Right, not by circumcision, circumcision which was the sign and seal, it was first with Abraham and then later the sign and seal of ALL THE ceremonial/purification works.

Anytime we read 'not of by works', it is about the purification works which circumcision was the sign.
Paul wasn't telling anyone we are saved by faith and not obeying.
Paul was saying we are saved by faith and not of the works of the law---the purification works of the law.

That was the way people purified themselves to have a relationship with God, it was how they came in the covenant.

We are now purified by faith in Jesus' blood cleaning us---of the sins we repent of doing.
 
turbosixx

turbosixx

New member
I agree with the post. Christians are warned not to sin. Paul said "Do not be deceived"
However, I do disagree with one of your points and would like to pose a question.

ZacharyB said:
Those who believe in Jesus and His message …
❶ are given the Holy Spirit to indwell them to teach them “all things” as well as be their Comforter, Advocate, Helper, Healer, etc.
❷ are made into new creations -- they have new and different ideas, opinions, attitudes, priorities, etc. -- focusing more on spiritual things (this new birth is a spiritual birth,
while the 1st birth is a physical one).
❸ are given God’s Holy Scriptures to teach them and guide them.
❹ are sanctified unto holiness: God sets them apart for undergoing the process of growing in holiness. However, they have free will to reject God’s plan for them … and can fall away from the faith, drift away, fall from grace, draw back to perdition (Hebrews 10:39), etc.
Click to expand...

If we are given #1 to teach us "all things" then why do we need #3? Wouldn't #1 prevent a lot of the error we see unlike #3?
 
Last edited:
Z

ZacharyB

Active member
turbosixx said:
... I do disagree with one of your points and would like to pose a question.
If we are given #1 to teach us "all things" then why do we need #3?
Wouldn't #1 prevent a lot of the error we see unlike #3?
Click to expand...
The word of God is much easier to learn from than by hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.
 
way 2 go

way 2 go

Well-known member
God's Truth said:
Right, not by circumcision, circumcision which was the sign and seal, it was first with Abraham and then later the sign and seal of ALL THE ceremonial/purification works.

Anytime we read 'not of by works', it is about the purification works which circumcision was the sign.
Click to expand...
Abraham only had circumcision .
Gen 17:13 He that is born in your house, and he that is bought with your silver, must be circumcised. And My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Gen 17:14 And the uncircumcised male child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.

by faith

Rom 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Rom 4:13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

Paul wasn't telling anyone we are saved by faith and not obeying.
Click to expand...
not obeying what ?

Paul was saying we are saved by faith and not of the works of the law---the purification works of the law.
Click to expand...
by faith
Rom 4:4 But to him working, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him not working, but believing on Him justifying the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
 
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