When I speak of growth in grace, I do not for a moment mean that a believer's interest in Christ can grow. I do not mean that he can grow in safety, acceptance with God, or security. I do not mean that he can ever be more justified, more pardoned, more forgiven, more at peace with God than he is the first moment that he believes. I hold firmly that the justification of a believer is a finished, perfect, and complete work and that the weakest saint (though he may not know and feel it) is as completely justified as the strongest. I hold firmly that our election, calling, and standing in Christ admit of no degrees, increase, or diminution. If any one dreams that by growth in grace I mean growth in justification, he is utterly mistaken about the whole point I am considering. I would go to the stake (God helping me) for the glorious truth that, in the matter of justification before God, every believer is complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10). Nothing can be added to his justification from the moment he believes and nothing taken away.
When I speak of growth in grace, I only mean increase in the degree, size, strength, vigour, and power of the graces which the Holy Spirit plants in a believer's heart. I hold that every one of those graces admits of growth, progress and increase. I hold that repentance, faith, hope, love, humility, zeal, courage, and the like may be little or great, strong or weak, vigorous or feeble and may vary greatly in the same man at different periods of his life. When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this: that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness in his own heart; he manifests more of it in his life; he is going on from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to grace. I leave it to others to describe such a man's condition by any words they please. For myself, I think the truest and best account of him is this: he is growing in grace.
One thing we all must keep in mind is that sanctification is not soemthing that WE DO, it is the total and complet work of the Holy Spirit of God.
The only thing that we can do is to separates ouselves from the world and consecrate ourselves to God. When we become born again God HImself declares us set apart and that we no longer belong to the world or satan, but we are His children and belong to Him
Then when the Holy Spirit seals us, there is a progrssive conformation of Him corming us into the image of Christ, that is, if we are totally surrendered and allow Him to do His work in and thorugh us, to make us morally and spiritually holy and righteous before God. This is also why Paul teaches us not to quench, or resist or reject the Holy Spirit because His work is to come live inside of us and make us be like Christ in His image. John chpater 14, Jesus speaks of this..."Even the Holy Spiirt of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows HIm, but you know Him for He lives with you, and He will be in you.... and again Jesus says, If anyone loves Me, this person will keep My Word, and My Father will love him/her, and WE will come to him/her and MAKE OUT HOME WITH HIM/HER...
Again, we cannot sanctify oursleves because it is the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit who comes to live on the inside of us, and this begans when we receive Christ into our lives and we call ourselves born again, and is the process of regneration, which is not completed until we see Jesus Christ. As Paul says, He who began a good work in us will not complete it until Jesus comes.
John 14:23: Jesus says, �If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching, My Father will love him, and We will make Our home with him.�
So let us read God's Word daily {Acts 17:11} and then *DO WHAT IT SAYS*! {James 1:22,25}
Acts 17:11: �The Bereans were of noble character, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures *EVERY DAY*!�
James 1:22,25: �Do not merely listen to the Word. *DO WHAT IT SAYS*!... and he who continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but *DOING IT*�will be blessed in what he does.
2 Peter 1:3-11: �His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, LOVE. For if you possess these qualities in INCREASING MEASURE, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!�
Matthew 16:27; Jesus says, �The Son of Man is going to come in **HIS FATHER'S GLORY WITH HIS ANGELS** {See Matt 24:30,31 & 2 Thess 1:6-10}, and *THEN* He will reward each person according to what he has done.�
Revelation 22:12: Jesus says, �Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!� {When Jesus comes in His Father's glory with His angels}
2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, {When Jesus comes in His Father's glory with His angels} whether good or bad.�
Ephesians 2:8-10: It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is NOT from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So Salvation is the ***FREE GIFT*** of God's grace and good works can only be performed by the saved.
Daniel 12:3: �Those who impart wisdom will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever!�
Matthew 5:14,16: Jesus says, �You are the LIGHT of the world...Let your LIGHT shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
I Corinthians 3:6-9: Paul says, �The Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God made it grow... The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers!�
So let our lights *SHINE* with the many gifts God has given us and we can have a REVIVAL with the hope of countless eternal rewards for faithful and loving service.
I Corinthians 1:7: For �You do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be *REVEALED*!�
I Peter 1:13: �Therefore, prepare your minds for *ACTION*, and set your hope *FULLY* on the grace to be given *YOU* when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED*.:applause::angel:
Yes, James you're right, but what I was referring to was that The Holy Spirit does not over power us with immediate chnage in us, in the process of conforming us into the image of Christ, as some may think. But the spiritual conversion is a slow process and as Paul says for us not to quench which means hold back or stop the Holy Spriti from aking those changes in us, as well as you said it depends on us whether we are totally surrendered to His will, and if we continue in studying God's word seeking His face and growing spritiually into the things of God, we have work to do as well. That's waht I was talking about.
John 14:23: Jesus says, �If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching, My Father will love him, and We will make Our home with him.�
So let us read God's Word daily {Acts 17:11} and then *DO WHAT IT SAYS*! {James 1:22,25}
Merciful:
Hey profit:
I believe that christians do themselves an injustice by not checking the Word of GOD from the original languages which they have been written in.
Namely Hebrew and Greek.
Jesus says, �If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching,
English:'KEEP'
Greek:'tereo'
Definition:G5083
τηρέω
tēreō
tay-reh'-o
From τηρός teros (a watch; perhaps akin to G2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from G5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from G2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): - hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.
The English language does no justice with the Greek texts.
This Greek word: 'tereo' is also used in Revelation 3:8,pertaining to the 'church' of Philadelphia.
It is very enlightning to see how far off base the interpreters have been.
Yet those that know the truth of this say nothing to the unsuspecting Sheeple,as they are being led to the slaughter.
I just want the people to KNOW THE TRUTH,and be set free from the DENOMINATIONAL teachings.
I butcher the English,and Hebrew and Greek,well they are all Hebrew and Greek to me.
I do use Hebrew and Greek interlinears.
Hebrew and Greek concordances
Hebrew and Greek Lexicons.
The most important is MY TEACHER.
MY TEACHER,is Omnipotent,omnipresent and Omniscient.
My teacher EMPOWERED Holy men of old to write the Scriptures which I read and study.
2Pe 1:19 and we have the more established prophetic Word, in which you do well to take heed, as to a lamp shining in a murky place, until day dawns and the Light-bearing One rises in your hearts;
2Pe 1:20 knowing this first, that every prophecy of Scripture did not come into being of its own interpretation;
2Pe 1:21 for prophecy was not at any time borne by the will of man, but being borne along by the Holy Spirit, holy men of God spoke.
My teachee has given to me SIGHT to see that which the s0-called NORMAL christian might not see and hear.
Somehow,i believe that you think that i shouild not be questioning the writings or interpretations that we have today.
I believe that is foolish,for the Holy SPirit this day is stil revealing WHo Yeshau is,and WHat He is like.
John 16:7 `But I tell you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him unto you;
John 16:8 and having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment;
John 16:9 concerning sin indeed, because they do not believe in me;
John 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because unto my Father I go away, and no more do ye behold me;
John 16:11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world hath been judged.
John 16:12 `I have yet many things to say to you, but ye are not able to bear them now;
John 16:13 and when He may come--the Spirit of truth--He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you;
John 16:14 He will glorify me, because of mine He will take, and will tell to you.
John 16:15 `All things, as many as the Father hath, are mine; because of this I said, That of mine He will take, and will tell to you;
James,I am not a Calvinist.
I will never become a calvinist.
I have been and will continue being a Believer in Yeshua,not calvin.
Calvin did not go to Calvary to save my soul,Yeshua did this,
To him i am eternally grateful.
Shalom:
PS:
I do run these through men which i trust to hold me to the standards ot the word of GOD.
