I’m not perfect by any means and am working to overcome a few problems that are not insignificant, but after what I’ve learned here and through Q, if God grades on the curve, I’m on pretty damned good shape to get into heaven or atleast in adjacent community.
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That would be spot on except that it misses the partbof our need to repent of sin.
How much sin do you need to repent? Some? All? What if you forget a little one? Then no go?
I agree that the heart needs to be a repentant in nature, but is the act of repenting is works and if you have to repent enough to cover all of your sin, then your salvation is based on works.
Or is coming to Christ a matter of belief?
Acts 16, the jailer runs in and asks what he must do to be saved…
Acts 16:31 answers Believe in the Lord Jesus
Another example is the there on the cross. He just believed in Christ. No works possible there.
I think that it could be so slight that it’s almost how you word it but the heart is repentant because the belief is that Jesus died for your sins. But the work of trying to ask for or repent for all sin that you can account for, that’s works to some degree and I don’t believe in works based salvation.
It is by grace we are saved. Food for thought. Not interested in a debate but I used to think like you and agree. But once I really studied it, this is what I think now.
I agree. Repenting of sins is important, but it is not part of receiving eternal life. We just believe or put faith in Jesus Christ to receive eternal life from him.
John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”"
John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."
Turning from sin saves us from God's Fatherly discipline on Earth and allows us to be useful for Jesus on Earth, so that we can receive rewards from him in eternity.
1 Cor 11:31-32 "But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world."
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out."
Repenting is no more a work than believing in or asking for Jesus to enter our hearts; by your logic, any act of the mind or thought is a work.
Being repentant of sin is a disposition towards sin and God. Read Romans 7 vs 13+ for more clarification of the disposition Christians have with sin.
ALL known sin, Ephesians 2:8,9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9) Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:14-26 Faith and Works (Galatians 3:1–9) 14What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? 17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action,f is dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19You believe that God is one.g Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?h 21Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did. 23And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”i and he was called a friend of God.j 24As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.
25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spiesk and sent them off on another route? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.