Faith is "trust" ... not a "work"

[Guest]

et al,

So far none of those dreaded Pelagians have cast a single vote....(they think they "can"...so I wonder why not)? Hmmmmmm.....jk

[Guest]

Mark,

You wrote:

But keep in mind what the Arminian is saying.
He has made a decision by an act of his will to trust in Christ. His neighbour has not done so, therefore the Arminian is doing something that the neighbour is not doing, therefore the Arminian can have a boast before God, for he has made the vital difference by an act of his supposed free will.

You only think this in your imagination.
Our doing what is right, believing God and that he will do what He promised, is absolutely nothing to boast about and is absurd on the face of it! Hear what Jesus says:

Luke 17:7-10 (New International Version)

7"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

And you believe that when a person stops calling God a liar he has something to brag about?

I have long thought that the one song I would like at my funeral would be "Jesus Paid It All". As the song says, when I stand before The Lord that will be my only plea.

[Guest]

Yes, but will you be able to say, that when I die, and even though I was supposed to do what was right and proper, but yet I did not do it, but rather did the opposite!!!!!!!!!
But thanks be to God, what I could not do, He did for me!

What grace!
What mercy!
What love and forgiveness!

At your funeral, will that be true of you?, or will you yet be able to say, that at the very least, I still did that what was expected. I do not boast in it, except that unbelievers did not do what I have done. They are worse than me, and I am not too good either, but at least I did what was expected.

If so, that is not grace.

Grace is being accepted freely, for what you should have done, but have not done, and being thankful that another has done it for you.
See how that makes the difference?, and not what little you may have done?

Mark

[Guest]

Joh 6:65 And He said, Because of this I said to you that no one can come to Me unless it was given to him from My Father.

[Guest]

Php 1:29 For to you it is given on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

[Guest]

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,

[Guest]

Act 11:18 When they heard these things, they were silent and glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted repentance to life to the nations.

[Guest]

Act 13:48 And hearing, the nations rejoiced and glorified the Word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

[Guest]

2Pe 3:16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as also they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction).

[Guest]

Mat 15:24 But He answered and said, I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.