Ahh ayon... well i just want to say this... ang lagi mong sinasabi - "it is unbiblical"... if you believe salvation is a prize then "it is unbiblical". if you believe salvation is something we need to earned and hard work is needed to obtain it then "it is unbiblical".
Ok lang yon sir. I won't be offended if you say my views are unbiblical, hindi na kailangang magpasintabi.
But note that I gave 6 bible citations explaining the prize and the crown. You failed to cite even one verse supporting your understanding of what the prize and the crown mean.
Salvation is not a prize that we need to earned by doing good works in order to obtain it. It is freely given to us as a gift. 'A gift" is very different to "a prize".
A gift such as salvation is given freely, offered freely, all we need to do is accept it and put all our faith and confidence to the One who gave it that whatever gift He offered He will fullfill it. A prize is something we earned, something we work for. Salvation is by grace, if it is by grace then it is no more works. If we add works to grace then it is no more grace.
When the bible says you are saved, it means you are sure of eternal life now, if you die now. It does not mean you are guaranteed eternal life no matter what you do.
The gift of salvation is conditional.
If a billionaire says he will give a thousand pesos to everyone who knocks on his door within the next 24 hours, the thousand pesos is a free gift, but with a condition.
You will be given a thousand pesos not because you worked for him as an employee, but because the giver just wanted to give it to the guy who complies with his condition. If he doesn't want to offer the thousand pesos for just knocking, there's nothing you can do to make him freely give that offer.
The same is true with salvation. It is a gift with a condition - that you abide in Him. And you abide in Him by keeping His commandments:
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. ... (1 John 3:23-24)If the billionaire doesn't want to willingly give the offer, that's his right. Nothing anyone can do can ever change that. That's why it's not by your works that the offer was made; it was by the grace of the billionaire that you were given the offer.
So, if the billionaire decides to give a thousand pesos just for knocking on his door, that's a gift that is undeserved. It's not an employee's wage for work.
However, it's a gift with a condition - knock on his door within 24 hours.
How will the knocker be judged? By his compliance or non-compliance with the condition:
6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Rom. 2:6-7)The basis of judgment? According to what they have done. Not just doing good works, but
persistently doing good works.
Akala ko ba wala nang kailangang gawin?
That is why "faith alone" is not sufficient. There are many things that must be added to faith:
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Pet. 1:5-7)Every Christian must run a race not to obtain eternal salvation because they are already have it, but because God rewards faithful servants/Christians.
No, that's not right.
Christians don't have eternal life while they are still physically alive. They only have the promise of eternal life while they are still flesh and blood. How can they have eternal life now, when they are not yet resurrected?
When the bible says you are saved, it means you have the promise of salvation now.
But there are conditions:
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)God has given us the promise of eternal life. We don't have eternal life now, because we're still flesh and blood. But we do have the promise of eternal life now.
To receive eternal life after the resurrection, the condition is that we should have the Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life 13 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. (1 John 5:12-13)We say you believe in the name of the Son if you have the Son in you. The Son is in you if you keep His commands, and this is how you know you are in Him.
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6)How do we get eternal life? We keep His commands. That's faith + work, not "faith alone."
God gave eternal salvation to those who have genuine faith on Him (period) and rewards/prize only to those who have faith on Him according to their works. And if those who have genuine faith did nothing here on earth there will be no rewards awaiting for Him but still going to heaven (only no rewards).
You say
faith without works can be considered
genuine faith.
You've said a lot of unbiblical things before, but this has to be one of the worst.
If we say that we need to do good work to earn our salvation, then it is just like to say that Jesus sacrifice and death on the cross is in vain. Jesus Christ completed the salvation and offered it to us freely, we dont need to work for that. What we need is to put all our trust and confidence on that saving grace of Jesus Christ. We need to recognize in ourselves that we dont have the ability to meet God's standards by doing good works. We need to recognize that what Jesus did on the cross is enough, sufficient and complete as a payment for our sins. Salvation is of God's work, it is not our work.
I've explained this over and over again, but all you do is repeat what you said before.
If you want to contradict my explanation, point out where I'm wrong. Don't just repeat what you said previously.
Jesus' death on the cross is complete. Without it, the plan of salvation cannot take effect, no matter what we do.
Now that Jesus died and was resurrected, the plan of salvation is effective.
We comply with the conditions of salvation and we will be saved. Our past sins are forgiven, we are washed. Now we follow the commands of Christ and we will receive eternal life.
Yes, the sacrifice of Jesus is complete. "Complete," meaning we don't have to do anything? Yes, we don't have to do anything so that the plan of salvation can take effect. Salvation is now open to all, whether Jews or Gentiles.
"Complete," meaning we don't have to do anything to gain eternal life? No. It means "complete" for the purpose of giving effectivity to the plan. Now that the plan is in effect, you follow the rules of the effective plan so that you can gain eternal life. You comply with the conditions of the plan of salvation, now that the plan has taken effect.
Are good works required? Yes. You will be judged according to your deeds:
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. (Rev. 22:12) 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Cor. 5:10)13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (Rev. 2:13)
For Faith only ... Romans 4:4-6 (Amplified Bible)
"4 Now to a laborer, his wages are not credited as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation [something owed to him]. 5 But to the one who does not work [that is, the one who does not try to earn his salvation by doing good], but believes and completely trusts in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is [a]credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God). 6 And in this same way David speaks of the blessing on the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:"
And what about the "WORK" James is referring to? I believe it is referring to good works as a natural result of our genuine faith ... RIGHT BELIEVING WILL PRODUCE RIGHT LIVING.
Yes, James is referring to good works apart from the law of Moses. The works that must come with correct faith.
But Paul (in Romans 4) is referring to works of the law of Moses.
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works (Rom. 4:4-6)A laborer's wages are given because the master owes the laborer his wages. It is the master's obligation to pay the wage, so the wage is not a gift, it was something earned by the employee, and an obligation of the employer.
The one who does not work refers to the one who does not work for wages. It does not mean he is not working; it means he still works, but he does not work as an employee.
