Originally posted by Ironside:
Paul knew that he was saved:
Tit 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward
man appeared,
Tit 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy [b]He saved us, through the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
He knew that he was saved and wrote about it.
Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as
in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
This is the second aspect of salvation, namely sanctification.
Notice that the verse does NOT say: "Work FOR your
salvation......."
It says: "Work Out your own salvation........." The words "work
out" is one word in Greek. And it has the idea of manifesting or
making evident.
In other words Paul was exhorting them to make manifest their
salvation in thier lives through holy living [just continue reading
and you will see this]. A baby does not work out to get muscles for
at birth he already has that. Inorder to develop that muscle that
is already there since birth, he must work out. Doing that, the
muscle that was already there since birth would be made evident and
manifest when it begins to have definition and contour.
These Philippians were already saved, in fact God is IN them
already working in them to wil and to do of His good
pleasure:
Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as
in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling;
Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to
will and to do for His good pleasure
Parallel verses of this one are:
1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace
toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they
all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was
with me.
Col 1:29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His
working which works in me mightily.
Paul in Philippinans 2:12 was talking about santification, not
justification. In the work of sanctification Christians are to
cooperate with the Indwelling Holy Spirit adding
to their saving faith Christlike virtues.
Notice in the verse below Peter mentions faith first for that's
what they had first: saving faith. Through faith in Christ the Holy
Spirit indwelt them. And so they must add to their saving faith
Christlike virtues. Doing these things walking in the Spirit or in
cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
2Pe 1:5 But also for this very reason, giving all
diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue
knowledge,
2Pe 1:6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to
perseverance godliness,
2Pe 1:7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness
love.
Of course you must do the above verse in the power of the Holy
Spirit.
The Christian has been justified, is now being sanctified and will
be glorified.
Justification is God's DECLARATION that the sinner
who trust in Christ alone is perfectly righteous on account of the
work of God the Son.
Sanctification is God MAKING the already justified
sinner righteous through God the Holy Spirit because of the work of
God the Son. Here in this aspect, our cooperation is needed.
Glorification is sanctification completed. It is when the
DECLARATION [justifi cation] has reached its realization through
TRANSFORMATION [sanctification].
God DECLARED him perfectly righteous, He will
MAKE him perfectly righteous....you just wait and
see.
He has freed him from Egypt, He will bring him to the promise land.
In between Egypt and the promise land, there were battles that need
to be won. They must fight or should i say work out...to get to the
promise land.
Victory is possible because God had already DECLARED victory in
advance. And who can resist the all powerful Word of God?
[/b]
James 2:21-24 (NIV): "Was not our ancestor Abraham considered
righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the
altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working
together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the
scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it
was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's
friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not
by faith alone."
The problem with your position is that a few bible verses could be
thrown and ur very extreme stance will fall apart. I personally do
not hold to the doctrine of salvation by the intellectual belief of
Christ. And that we do not know whether we are saved till the Last
Judgement. Men do not play God and JUDGE. I feel the root of our
difference here is mainly due to SEMANTICS.
I believe this issue has been resolved by a Joint Declaration by
the Catholic Church and the Lutherans.
The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification [1] is a
document created by and agreed to by clerical representatives of
the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation as a
result of extensive ecumenical dialogue, apparently resolving the
conflict over the nature of justification which was at the root of
the Protestant Reformation
Out of curiosity to Mr Extreme, is Judas saved?
