My Bible Sharing with the member of Christian Community Church who live in TEXAS,USA (7)

Saturday, April 4, 2009 6:40:39 AM
Re: I add a few points for further study.
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From:
Ron
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To: marktumandan@yahoo.com.ph

You still did not answer my question; you have not identified which church you represent.


“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

www.christiancommunitychurch.com

----- Original Message -----
From: marktumandan@yahoo.com.ph
To: az.dude@cox.net
Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 2:10 AM
Subject: I add a few points for further study.

Dear Ron,

I add a few points for further study.

1. God alone PROVIDES salvation (this is the point of all passages referring to God’s grace and mercy, and the death of Christ, etc.), but man is created in God’s image with free will to RECEIVE or to REJECT God’s offer of salvation. God’s grace saved the people in Galatia when they RECEIVED His salvation by obedient faith in submitting to baptism (Gal. 3:26-27). God’s grace saved the people in Ephesus when they RECEIVED His salvation by obedient faith in submitting to baptism (Acts 19:1-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Eph. 4:5; Eph. 5:26). This is the same teaching of the Great Commission for all men to receive salvation if they are willing (Mark 16:15-16). Those who teach salvation before and without water baptism are departing from the grace of Christ as revealed in the Great Commission.

2. To be saved by faith, it must be obedient faith in submitting to God’s conditions for man to receive salvation. Not so-called “faith only.” When Paul wrote of faith, his meaning is always obedient faith (Rom. 1:5; 6:3-4, 17; 10:16; 16:26). This is the same teaching of James: James 2:24.

3. When the New Testament says we cannot be saved by our own works, the context for this issue is the effort of Jews to return to the system of religion in the law of Moses. The law of Moses was designed to teach the Jews they sinned and needed a Savior. If the Jews return to that law, they abandon the perfect sacrifice of Christ already provided for the sins of the world. In that case, the only hope of salvation is to live a perfect life of perfect works and never sin. Since all men sin, that is why they cannot be saved by their own works (Rom. 4:1-8; Eph. 2:8-9). The issue in all of those verses is the false teaching that we should follow the law of Moses today. Notice the clear reference to the law of Moses including the 10 Commandments in Romans 7:7 and in Ephesians 2:14-15 (the law of Moses made a wall of separation between Jew & Gentile). The context of these passages is concerning the efforts of the Jews to seek salvation today through the law of Moses, not the issue of baptism. If they will be saved by the law of Moses today, they return to a system of religion having only animal sacrifices before the perfect sacrifice of Jesus was given on the cross. In that case, their only hope is to live a life of perfect works! We are not baptized to show God we lived a perfect life and never sinned, but we submit to be baptized to RECEIVE the free gift of salvation because our sins will be washed away (Acts 22:16). When we are baptized we accept that we did sin many times and that is why we must submit now to be baptized and RECEIVE the free gift of salvation (1 Pet. 3:21).

In Christian LOVE,

mike