Sir, what about this
passage
(the inquirer quoted
from NIV)
Romans 10 KJT
9 That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation.
========
My apologies. I'm
catching up.
This passage is an
excellent example of the distinction between eternal salvation and temporal salvation. When the students of God's word fail to acknowledge the
biblical distinction, they are messed up; they confound grace and works,
ALWAYS!
Let's ask a few questions. I teach learners
by asking questions so that they will become self-learning.
1. Who is able to
confess "Jesus is Lord"? Who is able to believe in his heart that God
has raised Jesus from the dead?
- one still dead in
their trespasses and sins, OR
- one whom God has
already saved, i.e. effectually called out of his native state of condemnation,
death, and alienation to grace and salvation in Christ Jesus?
2. If the latter,
what will his believing the truths of his salvation in Jesus Christ save him
FROM then?
3. What did God, in
Jesus Christ, save him from?
4. Is the salvation
freely bestowed to him by the grace of God in Jesus Christ the same as the
salvation that will be obtained by his work of believing the truth of his
salvation?
- Why?
5. "...that you
believe and are justified..." (from NIV)
- How does your act
of believing justify you?
- How did God
justify you?
The right answers to these questions will put you a few light-years ahead of not a few reformed and deformed theologians.
