Eternal Life / Salvation.
What it takes to be "saved",
and more importantly,
remaining "saved".
I believe all the "work" for my salvation has been done by the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that I have been "saved" ( past tense ) by His Grace ( undeserved mercy )
through Faith ( my trusting in Him and His work in the Cross on my behalf ).
Ephesians 2:8,9 is where I first saw and understood the gift of God's salvation had nothing to do with my efforts.
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
And Verse 10 does mention "works", but only that we "should" walk in them ( not that we had to or automatically would ).
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
And as a born again believer, I then have the choice to serve or not serve my Lord.
Everything in scripture encourages us to Serve the Lord, and to become a Disciple,
but it's a separate decision ( and truly needs to be renewed each day ).
Some will believe and not service.
Referencing John 12:42
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;
and the result of living for yourself and not the Lord results in your "works" being burned up, but you are still "saved".
I Cor. 3:10-15
If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
And unfortunately, most Christians remain "babes" in Christ.
Never growing into the close relationship the Father wants to have with each of His children.
Paul spent a lot of time with the Corinthian church, and we have two long letters he wrote to them.
He longed for them to understand the fullness of their new life in Christ.
Many of them struggled to follow the teachings and example Paul offered to them.
But he never questioned their eternal salvation.
There are many verses that assure us of our "permanent" new relationship with God,
once we are "saved" ( by trusting Christ as our Saviour ).
Such as that fact we are born again - now children of God,
John 1:12,13
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
* We will not come into judgement,
John 5:24,
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.
He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
And I have always referenced 1st John 5:13, because John writes that we can know ( as a fact ), that we possess eternal life ( NOW ).
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
And even if we "deny" Him, He can not deny Himself ( we become part of the Body of Christ when we believe ).
Serving and "suffering" results in rewards, but a lack of service will not keep Jesus from "saving" His beloved child.
2 Timothy 2: 10 - 13
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect,
that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
I know there are several passages that might be taught by others to say we have "our part" to do,
but I don't believe those passages ( like Phil. 2:10 and James chapter 2 ) are referring to our eternal "salvation".
I recently found this Video on "working out" your salvation
( what it means and does not mean ),
see:
And this one on the topic of "Denying" Christ,
More information about Eternal Life and Salvation can be found here:
Grace Evangelical Society
Saved by Grace,
Andrew Cross
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-25
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