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10-28-2012
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[quote:Rising Son:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTc3MTg0Xzg3ODFCQzdC] [quote:Veresanctus:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTc3MTIwXzdBMDM5MEU4] [quote:Rising Son:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTc3MDg2XzY4NERCNzYw] [quote:Veresanctus:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTc3MDYxXzY4QUEwRjRE] [quote:Rising Son:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTc2NzI4X0M4RTkwMzBE] [quote:Veresanctus:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTc2NjA0X0YyQUI0Nzkz] [quote:Rising Son:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTU2NjA2XzY2NjU3NURG] [quote:Veresanctus:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTU2NDE0XzkyRjRGMURD] [quote:Rising Son:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTU1ODYwX0MxNzdGNTg4] [quote:Veresanctus:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTU1Nzc0X0Q0NUQ0N0VE] [quote:Rising Son:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTUyMzIzX0FEOTBCNjZF] [quote:Rising Son:MV8yMDMwODM0XzM0MTQ3NjYwXzVDODAzOUI5] Regardless if you believe you are saved by faith alone or by repentance of your sins, why would you not want to please your heavenly Father by trying your best to avoid sin and ask His forgiveness when you do? I love my Father and I do not want to displease Him. As far as I am concerned, I consider Jesus Christ my brother, just as I refer to you all as my siblings, since we were both created by God. [/quote] OP, I am curious to hear what you think of what I wrote above. Do you agree or disagree? Does it depend on something else? Please tell me what you think - this is a question that I have tried to answer for a very long time and I would like to hear your take on it. [/quote] I never said I don't want to avoid sin. Trying to avoid sin and do things according to God's will is a good thing. The difference would be that to put your faith in your works and ability to not sin would never save you, as apposed to putting your faith in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God who died for your sins and rose again. [/quote] I think we are essentially saying the same thing here. I understand we are imperfect beings striving to be better, but I believe salvation comes from a combination of faith in both God and Jesus Christ, as well as our struggle to avoid sin and do good works. I look at what Jesus did as an example for all of us to follow. I think it becomes dangerous to tell people that as long as they believe in Jesus Christ, they will be saved. You must define that belief, as in to believe in Jesus Christ is to emulate Him. [/quote] There is no way for an imperfect man to save himself by trying to be perfect. Only Jesus was perfect and sinless in all his ways. We all fail and make mistakes, so because of that we are in need of a savior to save us from our own fallen nature. If you trust in yourself for your own salvation then when the day of judgement comes and you tell God "I followed your laws" He will say that even though you followed some you broke some and in so being are a law breaker and if you've broken one you've broken them all. The bible says "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that [u]not[/u] of [u]yourselves[/u]: it is the [b][u]gift[/u][/b] of God:" (Eph 2:8 KJV) Do you not think trying to earn a gift is to offend the giver? [/quote] I see your point, but by your logic, you are implying that the very act of trying to avoid sin is attempting to earn that same gift of salvation. If it is a gift that is given on faith alone, why bother to avoid sin? Wouldn't that technically be offending the giver as well? I don't see it as attempting to earn the gift, I see it as showing gratitude for the gift in advance of receiving it. I would imagine our heavenly Father may not be so inclined to offer this same gift to a child who feels entitled simply by believing. I would rather do everything I can to please Him, to include striving to be like Jesus. Regarding Jesus - how do you know He was sinless? Who of the authors of the bible would dare call the Son of God a sinner? Most did not know Him prior to His ministry, so are we to assume He was sinless His entire life? Isn't it denying Jesus' humanity to do so? I would imagine that to experience the human condition and suffer as we do, He would have to experience sin as well as the feeling of remorse in it's wake. What are your thoughts? [/quote] Avoiding sin is what every [u]born again[/u] Christian should be doing, it's all a matter of what you put your [u]trust in for salvation[/u], Jesus Christ or yourself. [/quote] Wouldn't you agree that following the teachings of Jesus Christ and repenting for your sins is in fact trusting in Jesus Christ for your salvation? You would not follow His teachings nor would you feel the need to repent if you did not trust in Him and in God to save you from your sins. Isn't that what the act of repentance is - asking God and Jesus Christ to forgive you for your sins and to take them away from you? Jesus commanded us to repent in His teachings, why would He command us to do so if His act of sacrificing Himself for us would take away our sins just by believing in Him? I believe He knew His death on the cross was necessary in order to show us His resurrection, but I don't believe that His death on the cross excuses us from the requirement to repent for our sins. What do you think? [/quote] The term "repent of your sins" is not in the bible. Please read the links on this page regarding repentance: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/false_doctrines.htm#w [/quote] Matthew 3:2 - Jesus said "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." Would you not agree that Jesus is implying that repentance is necessary to enter the Kingdom of God? [/quote] Of course but you have the wrong idea what repentance means with regards to salvation... read those articles about it, it will help. [/quote] Repentance is turning from sin and asking God for forgiveness of the sins you have committed. I don't believe repentance alone implies belief in Jesus Christ, but I also don't believe that belief in Jesus Christ implies repentance. Based on the link you provided, I am gathering that you believe repentance through salvation is "a change of mind", in that you simply need to turn from sin through faith in Jesus Christ, and you are saved. If this were the case, a "change of mind" would only need to happen once. However, we continue to sin because we are sinners, and we are imperfect. So in that sense, a change of mind in the sense of turning from sin is impossible, because you know you will sin again. It is inevitable. Further, why are we compelled by instinct to confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness? Why is that a natural response if it was not meant to be? What about this verse from the New Testament: John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." [/quote]
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