In Reformed Theology, this must be a bummer of a question if asked of them by an unbeliever. After all, the doctrine of Total Depravity would render this question as impossible to answer because man is so totally depraved he can't see past his sin, doesn't have the ability to even consider God, is without hope, and there is absolutely nothing he can do to be saved, much less ask how to be saved.
So why did the unbelieving keeper of the prison ask Paul and Silas, "what must I do to be saved?" And why did they answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"?
Where in the question is Total Depravity? Where in the answer is Irresistible Grace? What, Dear Reformed Theologist, must I do to be saved?
Your name will be written in the Book of Life if you:
1. REPENT of your sins TURNING from them/ABANDONING them
2. confess your sins to God
3. through FAITH in God Jesus
These 2 points are result of the FAITH in God Jesus!
If you dint abandon your sins and did not abandon your lovers, then you are not forgiven of this sin. If you did not ask God to forgive your wrongdoings,then you are living in wrongdoings and you are not forgiven.
If you do not believe in God Jesus, then you live in your sins and you will never get to the Kingdom of Heaven,
If you think that you are a christian and you live in your sins, it means you do not believe in God Jesus and you will not get to the Kingdom of Heaven.
In a lot of your posts your understanding of Salvation does not need Christ and Christ alone,but you want to be ADDING,something the you or others need to be doing in order to be saved.
Yeshua saves,Period.
It is not works amd faith,But rather Faith ALONE in Yeshua.
Hab 2:4 Behold, the soul of him is puffed up and is not upright; but the just shall live by his faith.
Rom 1:17 for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; even as it has been written, "But the just shall live by faith." Hab. 2:4
Gal 3:11 And that no one is justified by Law before God is clear because, "The just shall live by faith." Hab. 2:4
Heb 10:38 "But the just shall live by faith;" "and if he draws back," "My soul is not pleased in him." Hab. 2:4; Zeph. 1:6; Mal. 1:10
And Works are to be the results of faith,NOT THE CAUSE OF FAITH.
James wrote - "Two possibilities..... 1. the Holy Spirit had made this man come alive Spiritually, and the man was just doing what is normal for his new heart. 2. He was just a lost man, inquiring about a belief that he had heard about."
1. According to your view, man is born-again and has the Holy Spirit before he can believe or repent. If the jailor was born-again at the time of his question, as per your view, Paul would have answered him differently by saying something along the lines of, 'you are now saved, just believe and repent'. But Paul's answer is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved". Believe first, salvation follows.
2. Based upon your theology, this isn't even an option. I'm surprised you considered it as one.
James wrote - "As far as their answer, there is no other answer, so why would you ask that?"
Because of your theology. Again, you have man born-again and filled with the Holy Spirit before he can believe. To use Paul's answer would be opposite of what you actually believe. Paul said believe and be saved. You say be saved and believe.
I'm not saying there is something one can do to save themselves. What I am saying is that it takes belief in the work of the Cross through Christ which leads to salvation. When the jailor asked Paul what he must do to be saved, Paul's answer was to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the responsibility of the jailor to believe [or not to believe]. The difference between Jame's view and mine is that I believe man has been given the option to make a decision for Christ or to walk away from Him, whereas Jame's believes we are incapable of making such a decision.
James wrote - "Two possibilities..... 1. the Holy Spirit had made this man come alive Spiritually, and the man was just doing what is normal for his new heart. 2. He was just a lost man, inquiring about a belief that he had heard about."
71 said:
1. According to your view, man is born-again and has the Holy Spirit before he can believe or repent. If the jailor was born-again at the time of his question, as per your view, Paul would have answered him differently by saying something along the lines of, 'you are now saved, just believe and repent'. But Paul's answer is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved". Believe first, salvation follows.
James replies:
The Apostle Paul, and every other Christian, can NOT look at someone and determine if they are born again or not!
Paul preached the Gospel, like we are told to do. Paul also wrote in Ephesians 2:8,9 that Faith itself was a gift from God.
So, if anyone accepts the Gospel God has ALREADY worked in their heart.
71 said:
2. Based upon your theology, this isn't even an option. I'm surprised you considered it as one.
James replies:
James wrote - " 2. He was just a lost man, inquiring about a belief that he had heard about."
My theology doesn't allow for pretenders???? You don't think that lost people might give Christianity a try, and then next week give yoga a try? I used to attend a Baptist church, where it was good for business to be a member, and several businessmen who were spiritually dead were there regularly.
Yes, lost people might make some noises and SAY that they are Christians. check out the book of James on this subject.
71 said:
1. According to your view, man is born-again and has the Holy Spirit before he can believe or repent.
James replies:
And how many verses of Scripture have I showed that support that idea? 5? 29? 36?
Jesus told Nicodemus that a man cannot even "see" or "enter" the kingdom of God unless they are FIRST born again.
We can't make ourselves born again 71, just like we can't make ourselves UN-born again.
71 said:
Paul said believe and be saved. You say be saved and believe.
James replies: NO.
I say repent and believe and you will be saved. HOWEVER, I know from scripture that THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO WILL BELIEVE HAVE BEEN MADE ALIVE BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Fallen mankind will NEVER repent and accept Jesus.
The human race is a race of spiritual zombies. They move about, they make noises, but they are DEAD.
BUT GOD.....in His mercy, has decided to save SOME.
Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
2) The how can a totally depraved man ask to be saved vein
#1) The text is clear ; 'believe on Jesus'. The problem occurs when some want to classify ' belief ' as a ' work '--- which it is not.
#2) This is the real question of the post. A Reformer HAS to take the position the jailer was already "born again" when he asked. Yet it is clear by his question that he was not. The result is Reformed theology once again falls short of the truth of Scripture.
Two, I don't think anyone here is classifying belief as a work. It's a response to the answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The jailor asked, Paul answered. The response of the jailor was that he believed, and then he was saved. And you're right about the real question of this post... the reason "the Reformer HAS to take the position the jailer was already "born again" when he asked" how to be saved, is because how many times has James told us that man is so totally depraved he can't even inquire of God without first being born-again and the Holy Spirit indwelling in that person, after which, then he believes?
Saved ..read between the lines, Calvinism classifies believing as a work so that they can say anyone who is not of reformed thinking is saving themselves by a good work ie: believing
