The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Whether You Know it or Not

Auggy,

Ok. Romans 10:9-10 the bible says confess with your mouth and believe from your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead and you will be saved. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Saving Faith is manufactured from your heart by hearing the word of God.

Do you believe God softened your heart and humbled your arrogance or would you deny it?

Whether you know it or not. That, essentially, is the Lutheran theology concept of Objective Justification - that one can come to the believe the Truth - not create it.

For example, Christ took away the sins of the world at the Cross. Whether that is known or not, or believed or not, does not change that accomplishment as a True Fact - a Truth to be believed or, simply, known when ‘seen’.

Faith is subjective by nature and does not represent Truth fully - nor can it be expected to on this side of the veil. Faith in one’s faith, then, is a common error as it replaces faith in God’s grace - the object of faith.

"I believe it - therefore, I make it true.’ Is flawed thinking at it’s worst. It’s like saying, God’s grace doesn’t exist unless I believe it or ‘manufacture’ it - the problem with that thinking should be apparent.

BA thinks that it is his faith that saves him. But it’s always been, and forever will be, God’s grace that saves us.

Ranran.

Grace through faith, ranran. ( Eph 2:8-9)

Quote the WHOLE verse, BA.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

You have made your ‘faith’ a work - that’s what you think saves you. And you have worked hard at it - and think you cannot change it without bursting into flames since THAT is what saves you - it’s your preciousssssssss. And if God is shown to extend His Grace beyond your preciousssss, you complain.

His Gift is not your precioussssss, but salvation itself.

Ranran.

I was set free from the bondage of the false theology of Calvinism. You have a Calvinistic UR voice. Your faith is not considered to be a work. “not of yourselves” means that you cannot do anything to earn salvation…( by the Law, good deeds, etc…)

You were saved BEFORE you believed. Exactly. Now tell us about your faith not being a work.

Ranran.

Accepting a gift is not a work. :wink:

Why do these guys like BA, hate the idea of realizing their complete futility before a Sovereign God? (Rom 8;20)
Because they selfishly want to be God by their own method. They want to do it their way. It’s the oldest sin in the book.
It is the spirit of Adam in every man that desires to reach rather than rest in Paradise.

There is Theosis but it is only found as we rest in Christ. He alone can lift us into the Father and last I looked Jesus had not placed a “HELP WANTED” sign at Heaven’s gate.

Rest you weary traveler, REST,

John

PS. Please BA take no offence as I once once worked as hard as anyone. Then Jesus revealed Himself as Lord of All and I found rest. Truth is He laid me so low I gave up and He then took up the cross I thought I could carry. Most of us found it is His cross to bear and we found it in crisis.

That’s right. Everyone accepts the gift (salvation) in the end. They didn’t WORK to make that happen, anymore than you or I did.

Exactly! We would call a man who didn’t believe he was in Adam as - "crazy’ or ‘ignorant’ - and then have to explain to him that it means (in it’s broadest) that he is a human being - by INclusion.

The change from being in Adam to being in Christ is universal because it is by the same INclusion. To be human means to be in Christ.

All means all, whether you know it or not.

Let us assume that Paul, did not believe Jesus was the savior of all mankind even for those who believe (1 Timothy 4:10), and that those who do not believe suffer everlasting torment for their rejection. Can the message of the Cross save them?

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Nope. Once again, BA fails to read the Scriptures.