Wednesday 11-13-24 4th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Chesvan 10 5785 53rd. Fall Day
Do You Know We Are Saved By God’s Grace Through Faith?
That is a fundamental belief in Christian theology. The idea that we are saved by God’s grace through faith is rooted in biblical teachings, particularly from the New Testament. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) states, “For 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.”
Grace, in this context, is understood as a free and unearned favor from God, which is available to all through faith in Jesus Christ. This concept emphasizes that salvation is not something that can be earned by human effort or good deeds but is a gift from God.
It’s a profound and comforting belief for many people. Do you have any specific questions or thoughts on this topic?
Yet, For It Is known That Abraham’s Faith Was Counted To Him For Righteousness, How Do You View This?
Great topic. I love it and claim Ephesians and God’s Grace.
In regards to Abraham, the OT, salvation as we know it was not available, only the remission of sins by blood sacrifice. So people had to have a consciousness of sin, their own and sacrifice according to the Hebrewic Law.
In our sinful state, we are not seeking God but God is drawing us by His grace. Oh boy, lots of theology in that sentence.
So yes our works are as dirty rags, but works can define to whom we belong once saved by grace.
The phrase that occurs to me for the God of this sort of Christianity is “too small.” I am incapable of conceiving of the Creator of the Universe in these terms.
I once admired an atheist’s Amazon review of a very serious work of Christian systematic theology that I also owned. He wrote, “I read and understood this, just as I have read and understood lots of Christian theology and apologetics. And yet, I remain an atheist. What am I supposed to do? I can’t make myself believe things I am constitutionally incapable of believing.” “Bingo!” says @Bingo.
Think of the millions or billions of lives cut short after “the age of accountability” by crime, war, disease, natural tragedies and other causes beyond their control. Think of the millions or billions who, due to geographic and cultural circumstances, have no realistic chance of hearing the Gospel or accepting it if they do.
Then overlay your simplistic theology on these folks and see how that works out. Are they all doomed to eternal torment while Ted Bundy enjoys eternity in heaven if he “turned to Jesus” in the electric chair (I’d almost bet he did!)? Well, no, of course not - God will “make some sort of provision” for those described in the preceding paragraph. But if that’s true, then your simplistic theology completely falls apart.
It’s a house of cards, or so I believe. Universal salvation? Yes, that’s certainly consistent with a plausible Creator of the Universe. Reincarnation? Ditto.
I don’t claim to have any answers, merely convictions based on many years of study, reflection, prayer and communion. And one of those convictions is that the God of @WalterAndDebbie is - yep - too small.
Famed atheist philosopher/mathematician Bertrand Russell (author of “Why I am not a Christian”) said that if he found himself face-to-face with an angry God who demanded to know why he hadn’t believed, he’d respond “Not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence.”
If I find myself confonted by a chest-thumping Muhammad Ali sort of God who insists “I am The Greatest! Why didn’t you believe in The Greatest?” I’ll just have to respond “Too small, God, too small.”
One of the supposed “proofs” of God’s existence is the Ontological argument, which says that the greatest being of whom we can conceive must necessarily exist. Little old me can conceive of a far greater being than the one described here. Hmmmm …