The Power of the Gospel

The Gospel in and of itself being preached in the letter only isnt the Power of God, but it is the Power of God when accompanied with the Spirit of God making it effectual unto a conversion experience, causing belief.

1 Thess 1:5,6

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in Power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

See that ? It came unto them NOT IN WORD ONLY, but also IN POWER, and IN the HOLY GHOST

And when it comes in such a manner it causes conversion, notice Vs 6

6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.
Now the word became is the greek word ginomai:
  1. to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
  2. to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen
    1. of events
  3. to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage
    1. of men appearing in public
  4. to be made, finished
    1. of miracles, to be performed, wrought
  5. to become, be made
And its aorist passive, so they were made or caused to become followers of the Lord. That shows they were already regenerated by the

Spirit see [2 Thess 2:13] and now they were effectually converted to the Lord by the word

So its the same in Rom 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

When its the Power of God, believing and following the Lord is inevitable
 
Studyman said:
I was speaking to the Gospel of the Christ "of the Bible" that was given to Israel that the Wisemen, Zacharias, Simeon and Anna, along with Abraham and Noah and Abel, and Caleb and David etc., all heard and believed.

A Gospel in which men, both Jew and Gentile, are instructed to repent, turn to God and "DO" works worthy of repentance.
Click to expand...

I've been reluctant to reply to this response..... I'll start slow. Bit by bit.

What work is worthy of repentance?

Please establish the "worth" of such works relative to repentance. Esau didn't "find" a place of repentance though he sought it with many tears.
 
praise_yeshua said:
I've been reluctant to reply to this response..... I'll start slow. Bit by bit.

What work is worthy of repentance?

Please establish the "worth" of such works relative to repentance. Esau didn't "find" a place of repentance though he sought it with many tears.
Click to expand...

It's important, in my view, not to fall for the whole "my verse destroys your verse" game that "many" who come in Christ's Name play. Does Heb. 12:17 make void God's call to "Repent", Turn to Him, and bring forth Works worthy of repentance? Lets hear what the Author was actually saying.

Heb. 12: 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which "no man" shall see the Lord:

15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat "sold his birthright".

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have "inherited the blessing", he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

At some point, our time of repentance is over. For those "Christians" in Matt. 7:22, is this not the "Day" when they would have inherited the blessings? And did they not make their case? And will men not be weeping and gnashing their teeth when they see their judgment? WHY PY? Isn't it because it was too late, and there was found no more place for repentance, even though these men wept and begged for the blessing?

And so what is written that the Hebrews author also said?

Heb. 3: 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. (Like Esau)

13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we are made partakers of Christ, "if" we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

15 While it is said, To day "if ye will hear his voice", harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

So then your verse doesn't destroy Paul's words that I quoted.

Acts 26: 19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

If a man doesn't know what works a repentant thief would bring that is worthy of repentance, should this man be preaching about God to others?
 
Studyman said:
It's important, in my view, not to fall for the whole "my verse destroys your verse" game that "many" who come in Christ's Name play. Does Heb. 12:17 make void God's call to "Repent", Turn to Him, and bring forth Works worthy of repentance? Lets hear what the Author was actually saying.

Heb. 12: 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which "no man" shall see the Lord:

15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat "sold his birthright".

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have "inherited the blessing", he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

At some point, our time of repentance is over. For those "Christians" in Matt. 7:22, is this not the "Day" when they would have inherited the blessings? And did they not make their case? And will men not be weeping and gnashing their teeth when they see their judgment? WHY PY? Isn't it because it was too late, and there was found no more place for repentance, even though these men wept and begged for the blessing?

And so what is written that the Hebrews author also said?

Heb. 3: 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. (Like Esau)

13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we are made partakers of Christ, "if" we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

15 While it is said, To day "if ye will hear his voice", harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

So then your verse doesn't destroy Paul's words that I quoted.

Acts 26: 19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

If a man doesn't know what works a repentant thief would bring that is worthy of repentance, should this man be preaching about God to others?
Click to expand...
You are much like the judgmental pharisees who were also self righteous in their own eyes.

1-Love covers a multitude of sins
2- Peter asks how many times shall I forgive my brother ? 7 times, no Jesus said 70 times 7.
3-Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

hope this helps !!!
 
civic said:
You are much like the judgmental pharisees who were also self righteous in their own eyes.

1-Love covers a multitude of sins
2- Peter asks how many times shall I forgive my brother ? 7 times, no Jesus said 70 times 7.
3-Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

hope this helps !!!
Click to expand...
I couldn’t make sense of what he posted-maybe you picked up on something I missed?

J.
 
Johann said:
I couldn’t make sense of what he posted-maybe you picked up on something I missed?

J.
Click to expand...
He is a legalistic and finds approval by self righteous with of the law and doesn’t understand the difference between repentance and unrepentance below.

An unrepentant person knows that he or she has sinned and refuses to ask God for forgiveness or turn away from the sin. The unrepentant show no remorse for their wrongdoing and don’t feel the need to change. Unrepentance is the sin of willfully remaining sinful.

Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Repentance leads to life (Acts 11:18), and it is a necessary part of salvation. God commands everyone to repent and have faith in Christ (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21). Unrepentance is therefore a serious sin with dire consequences. The unrepentant live in a state of disobedience to God, unheeding of His gracious call. The unrepentant remain unsaved until they turn from their sin and embrace Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). To be stiff-necked is to have a stubborn, obstinate spirit that makes one unresponsive to God’s guidance or correction. The stiff-necked are, by definition, unrepentant.

The apostle Paul warned of the consequences of unrepentance: “Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil” (Romans 2:5–9; cf. Psalm 62:12). There is a judgment coming. The results of righteousness will be beautiful, but the consequences of unrepentance will be harsh.

The book of Revelation shows how inured to sin the sinner can be. During the tribulation, after three different judgments of God, the wicked will remain unrepentant, despite their great suffering (Revelation 9:20–21; 16:8–11). The tragedy is that, even as some people are experiencing the horrendous consequences of their sin, they will continue in their state of unrepentance.

Is there such a thing as an unrepentant Christian? Biblically, to become a Christian, one must repent and believe; a believer in Christ is one who has repented of sin. What, then, of professed believers who live in unrepentant sin? Most likely, they are not saved; they are mere professors, with no work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. The apostle John states it bluntly: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6). The other possibility is that people claiming to be saved yet living in unrepentant sin are saved but acting in disobedience—in which case their unrepentance is a temporary hardness of heart, and God will discipline them (Hebrews 12:4–13). There is a sin unto death for the believer (1 John 5:16; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:29–31), but, barring that extreme circumstance, God will eventually restore His disobedient child to fellowship (see 1 Corinthians 5:1–5).

The unrepentant sinner needs to hear the good news of God’s salvation. God’s goodness leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4), and He is a God of forbearance and longsuffering. Christians should confess their own sins, pray for the unrepentant, and evangelize the unsaved: “Opponents [of the truth] must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25–26).got?

Hope this helps !!!
 
civic said:
He is a legalistic and finds approval by self righteous with of the law and doesn’t understand the difference between repentance and unrepentance below.

An unrepentant person knows that he or she has sinned and refuses to ask God for forgiveness or turn away from the sin. The unrepentant show no remorse for their wrongdoing and don’t feel the need to change. Unrepentance is the sin of willfully remaining sinful.

Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Repentance leads to life (Acts 11:18), and it is a necessary part of salvation. God commands everyone to repent and have faith in Christ (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21). Unrepentance is therefore a serious sin with dire consequences. The unrepentant live in a state of disobedience to God, unheeding of His gracious call. The unrepentant remain unsaved until they turn from their sin and embrace Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). To be stiff-necked is to have a stubborn, obstinate spirit that makes one unresponsive to God’s guidance or correction. The stiff-necked are, by definition, unrepentant.

The apostle Paul warned of the consequences of unrepentance: “Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil” (Romans 2:5–9; cf. Psalm 62:12). There is a judgment coming. The results of righteousness will be beautiful, but the consequences of unrepentance will be harsh.

The book of Revelation shows how inured to sin the sinner can be. During the tribulation, after three different judgments of God, the wicked will remain unrepentant, despite their great suffering (Revelation 9:20–21; 16:8–11). The tragedy is that, even as some people are experiencing the horrendous consequences of their sin, they will continue in their state of unrepentance.

Is there such a thing as an unrepentant Christian? Biblically, to become a Christian, one must repent and believe; a believer in Christ is one who has repented of sin. What, then, of professed believers who live in unrepentant sin? Most likely, they are not saved; they are mere professors, with no work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. The apostle John states it bluntly: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6). The other possibility is that people claiming to be saved yet living in unrepentant sin are saved but acting in disobedience—in which case their unrepentance is a temporary hardness of heart, and God will discipline them (Hebrews 12:4–13). There is a sin unto death for the believer (1 John 5:16; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:29–31), but, barring that extreme circumstance, God will eventually restore His disobedient child to fellowship (see 1 Corinthians 5:1–5).

The unrepentant sinner needs to hear the good news of God’s salvation. God’s goodness leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4), and He is a God of forbearance and longsuffering. Christians should confess their own sins, pray for the unrepentant, and evangelize the unsaved: “Opponents [of the truth] must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25–26).got?

Hope this helps !!!
Click to expand...
OK, thanks @civic.

I suppose we all need to be vigilant against pride, as it can appear in many different forms and ways. It’s a constant reminder for me as well.

J.
 
@civic

The unrepentant sinner needs to hear the good news of God’s salvation. God’s goodness leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4), and He is a God of forbearance and longsuffering. Christians should confess their own sins, pray for the unrepentant, and evangelize the unsaved: “Opponents [of the truth] must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25–26).got?
Click to expand...

The Gospel as a word of Salvation is for the regenerate, them that have Faith already. Paul wanted to preach the Gospel to them he had heard of their Faith Rom 1:8,15-16

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Paul wanted to be delivered from unregenerate unbelievers not preach to them 2 Thess 3:1-2

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.
 

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