₦airaland Forum

What a senseless death! Foolishness is no excuse, as his death amounts to suicide.

Hello An2elect2, how are you ma'am? Greetings!

Yes, I've seen your honest strives and zeal for the word of God, which is why I want us to reason together as regarding your submissions below:

An2elect2:
Remember, salvation is by grace through faith. And we live the Christian life by faith.
It is by faith that we are saved

For the first half of this statement, I say YES! But for the remaining part of it, I have some reservations to make, as will be seen as we progress.

An2elect2:
It is by faith that we are made righteous

Yes, and it is also true that there is a righteousness that comes through the Law, i.e, works (Romans 7:12).

An2elect2:
It is by faith that we are sanctified

Again, there is sanctification through the Law. An example is the Sabbath law that sanctifies those who keep it (Genesis 2:3).

An2elect2:
It is by faith that we are justified.

And we are also justified by works of the Law (Romans 2:13).

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I know you may be wondering what these is all about. Am I trying to prove that salvation can be earn through works? Not at all! Am I trying to prove that faith and works are inseparable? Yes! Here is it:

Salvation simply means “saved from death”, and this saving power has no man except God since “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23) and as a result, earn the wages of sin which is death (Romans 6:23). In other word, as a sinner, the only way one can possibly pay for his sins is to die eternally, which is just the opposite of what God is offering the world through His Son—eternal life. By implication, it means that our “legal indebtedness”, which is death, has been cancelled and “nailed” to the cross (Colossians 2:14).

Understand. There is absolutely nothing that one can do to earn his/her salvation except to accept or be given salvation as a GIFT, since what we can only earn and have been earning is death! But how did this gift of God through faith come about, and what are you to do with this gift, or what is expected of you? This lead us to the next part—works.

The Bible says “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3). But is that the end of it? Here's what James has to say: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God” (James 2:21-23). The end of the story.

Yes! Abraham didn't just believe God and that ends it, no! Abraham's faith was accompanied with works—obedience to God and His Law (Genesis 26:5). No wonder Paul said that “It is not the hearers of the law that are justified but the DOERS!” It is simple. When Abraham was tested by God, he believed what God said through faith and then proceeded to work which was to offer his son.

In the same vein, when someone is called to be a Christian (John 6:44, 65), there are at least three stages that he/she must pass through: 1. Repentance 2. Baptism 3. Receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Now talking of repentance, this is serious work! Yes, one must first of all make conscious efforts of rejecting his former ways, and then go on to receive baptism, believing that his sins will be washed away and he/she saved at that very moment. In all of these stages, faith and works are inseparable! One just doesn't believe in Jesus and that ends it, actually, where there is faith, there is of necessity, works to accompany it! (James 2:18).

Finally, as a further proof that salvation is not automatic and not entirely free (it is free to us but not to God. It cost Him His Son), Paul admonishes us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). And what does God requires from us, for giving us such a precious gift? Ephesians 2:10 answered: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”. And also “...appointed that you should go out and bear fruits...” (John 15:16). What fruit? One may say the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Of course, correct. But how do you exhibit these fruits, by just preaching it or by practicing it through works? What about love which is vitally important? How do you practice it? Again, the Scripture answers: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3) and “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).

In conclusion, “You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (James 2:18).

PS: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (verse 24 & 17).

Syncan:
There is no indication that the apostles continued in the keeping of the Sabbath.

There is, in fact, many. Jesus having kept the Law, of course, the Sabbath inclusive (Matthew 5:17) and left us an example to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21), can't be said to have suddenly turned a blind eye to obvious lawlessness of His apostles, the very thing He delivered us from (Titus 2:14). Neither can it be say that an authorization was given by Him to the apostles, citing Matthew 18:18, to change laws and ordinance decreed by divine fiat. Matthew 18:18 must be kept solely on the context of “loosening and binding” that which is in complete harmony with the Law, not one that usurps God's prerogative. This is because, abandoning God's commandments in order to keep yours (Mark 7:8 ) simply amounts to “vain” worships (verse 7) and sin (1 John 3:4).

It may also interest you to know that attempting or “changing of set times and laws”, such as the Sabbath law established right at the very creation of man, blessed and sanctified—set apart from every other day (Genesis 2:3), is associated with Satan and his agents (Daniel 7:25).

Now, having said all these, lets see one of the many accounts that shows that the apostles did in fact, kept the Sabbath.

Paul kept the Sabbath

The account, ACTS 18:1-11 , is remarkable. It reveals that Paul worked during the week and kept the Sabbath—“every” Sabbath: “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew named Aquila…with his wife Priscilla…and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue EVERY SABBATH, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks [Gentiles]…and he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (vs. 1-4, 11). Eighteen months is equivalent to 78 weekly Sabbaths on which Paul taught God’s Word!

Verse 6 shows that the Jews became angry and, blaspheming, departed from Paul. This left him teaching Gentiles only—and yet he continued teaching them on the Sabbath! The argument that he met on the Sabbath to satisfy the Jews holds no water.

Paul taught both Jews and Gentiles each Sabbath. And he worked the other six days in accord with “Six days shall you labor, and do all your work.” If Paul was also observing Sunday, he would have been routinely violating the other aspect of the Sabbath command, having but five days to work.

Finally, notice that Acts 17:2 states that Paul, when in Thessalonica, “…as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures.” This was also a Gentile city.

The pattern is clear. Paul kept the Sabbath, meeting with and teaching brethren everywhere he went. Now consider what he instructed the Gentile Corinthians: “Be you followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (I Cor. 11:1).

Syncan:
They were very conscious of separating their religion from Judaizers. The Epistle to the Galatians was focused upon refuting Judaizing, since many Gentile Christians had fallen prey to the heresy.

I do not know of what you mean by “Judaizing”— a phrase that reeks of loathsomeness and distancing of self from the Jews. If you think that you have a faith that is at variance with the Jews (true Jews), then you may as well re-examine your faith.

This re-examination becomes imperative in light of the fact that “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22) and also that a Christian is a Jew (Romans 2:29). So then, claiming that keeping the Sabbath means “Judaizing” and must be rejected, also means and can be correctly say that you have no salvation. Yes, Jesus was/is a Jew! And if you can't identified with Him as a Jew, then you simply have no part in what belongs to the Jews!

PS: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9).

Beosten:
I think will be gud for people with chronic pile, who struggle to pass feces after eating bread. I won't have to buy laxative for her again.

Hehehe...

Radiohead6:
caught ya

Lol. E jo

Mimzyy:
As for me, religion makes no difference as long as he worships God.

So then, yours is an all inclusive embrace- traditionalist, buddhist, muslim, christian, Eckist, etc.

Yes, each of these group believes that they worshiped God.