@Titus
Good, also instead of accusing me of being blind you can address my points and the question that neither you nor David Tree answered.
I'll post it again for your memory.
Titus,
one of us are truly blinded, either myself, or you for we each teach a
different system of salvation from sin and condemnation, both can not be free from error,
someone is truly blinded to the truth, there's no problem for someone telling me it is me, for I am called to defend my teachings from God's word, so there, do not get offended so easily, not a very good sign of having the truth.
Matthew 15:12
“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees
were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father
hath not planted, shall be rooted up.”
Whosoever has the truth, should be more than able to root the other person up, maybe not in their eyes, yet in the eyes of those whom the Father has planted by
His power and grace alone, a truth you work mongers reject.
Many teach that Paul was saved on the road to Damascus.
But Jesus told him he must do the will of the Lord.
3 days later Ananias preaches the gospel to him.
Paul becomes an apostle and begins his missionary work as the Lord instructed him to do.
If Paul only believed on the road to Damascus but never did the work Jesus gave him to do.
Could he be saved by his faith alone?
Paul was not saved on the road to Damascus.
Paul was saved when his faith led him to obey God.
If not why not?
You said: ~
"Many teach that Paul was saved on the road to Damascus." Actually
no man knows when Paul was regenerated by the Spirit of the Living God, that
act of power and mercy is hidden from us, (per John 3:8) we can only see the fruits of such a birth, and that within itself may take
TIME, everyone is different,
no two are the same. much like our natural birth into this world, very similar. Children do things on different level, talking, walking, etc., this is also very much true spiritually speaking. The new birth is a birth by God's power
"alone", He is the
only active person working, and this birth can occur at
any time in the elect child of God's life from conception to the death of our bodies; John the Baptist and the thief on the cross are two perfect examples of this new birth. One could be sound asleep, since one is already DEAD in sins and trespasses, you could be doing just about anything imageable, even making love to your wife, since all things are open and naked before the God who created us ~the new birth is NOT of the flesh, (our power) or the will of man (some other person contributing such as a preacher, etc.,) but is solely of God,
100% of God. He comes and resurrects our dead spirit, and creates in us
NEW MAN after the image of Jesus Christ, who DOES have the power to see, hear and obey, but
"not" until then! To believe otherwise is to add to works into our salvation from sin and condemnation.
You said: "But Jesus told him he must do the will of the Lord. 3 days later Ananias preaches the gospel to him." ~ Titus, works
follows the new birth,
we teach this as much as
no work before regeneration by God's Spirit alone. Bottom line, it comes down to this question: can a man in the flesh do spiritual acts acceptable unto God BEFORE he is quickened to life by God's Spirit? We say unequivocally
, "impossible". No use beating around the bush.
You added: "Paul was not saved on the road to Damascus. Paul was saved when his faith led him to obey God." ~ You have no clue, sir, absoultely no clue. Salvation is presented to us in different phases in teh scriptures, and folks like you are apply it in one sense, such as being saved from our sin and from a burning hellfire, etc. There is an e
ternal, legal, vital, practical, and
final sense spoken of in the scriptures.
Paul said he was saved before the world began (2nd Timothy 1:9 ), when Jesus came into the world (1st Timothy 1:15), when the Spirit regenerated him (Titus 3:5), when he took heed to himself and the doctrine (1st Timothy 4:16 ), and would be saved sometime in the future (Romans 13:11).
Titus, Paul clearly mentions five different stages or phases of salvation. And this is the key to understanding God's salvation that he provided for his children in and through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Since God saves sinners in stages, or phases, we must not limit salvation to just o
ne idea or one event at one time. Paul saw his own salvation occurring in five phases.
It used to be called the Ordo Salutis of salvation, which means the order of salvation; but it is not studied or preached much any more. We live in the perilous times of the last days, when men no longer want sound doctrine preached to them (2nd Timothy 3:1-4:4). They prefer fables over truth, so the true doctrine of salvation has been almost lost from the earth.
Everyone talks about “getting saved,” but no one can explain it from the Bible. There are “invitations” and “decisions” and “methods” for salvation, but none of these words or ideas are from the Bible. Time will not allow me to go in depth here, but will add more later
You asked: "Could he be saved by his faith alone?" Actually
no man is saved from sin and condemnation
by his faith, since no man has the power to have faith, and even after one are born of the Spirit their faith is far from being perfect, which God's law can only justify perfection, not imperfection, offend in one point you are guilty of all points! Only the faith and obedience of Jesus Christ on the behalf of those for whom he died for is the
"ONLY" grounds for our free justification by grace alone
without our works, including our faith which is truly the fruit of the new man, not the old.
Ephesians 2:8 is often quoted to prove that we are
saved by grace through faith, yet very few truly understand even that glorious verse.
In Ephesians 2:8 we have a classic example of an
metonymy. The
only faith that saves us
legally is the faith of Christ, for no man can have faith in God, the faith that meets the requirement of a Royal law, a faith that
is produce by perfect obedience to its laws! Jesus Christ
alone had the faith that honoured God's law in all points, from conception, to death, in thoughts, words, and deeds ~ and
this faith alone is the means of man's free justification.
This faith is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God
secured for God's elect by
our surety, Jesus Christ. This faith is given to us in regeneration when the Spirit of God creates a new man within us after the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
When a man hears and believes, it is not the old man (
for that is impossible) but his new man that is a creative work in God's elect by the almighty power of God~this birth happens to a child of God sometimes
after conception and
before death, and is evidenced by faith and obedience to the word of God. Two prime examples of this is John the the Baptist and the thief on the cross.
I could spend more time proving the metonymy in Ephesians 2:8 by the context in just before verse 8, in verses: 4-6..."
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"
We were IN CHRIST from all eternity, even while he lived in this world and in his death and resurrection, which secured our redemption for us.
What he did, it was as though we did it, what happen to Christ happened to us
legally speaking two thousand years ago.
Must stop...
