Patrick Jane Forums | Anthropology & Theology

I want to post some videos on SERVING the Lord and Ministering grace.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mYxf7xxATU

great posts

So in a rare facebook priivate message discussion I was told I was a throw bak to the old monastic scholasticism.  I had to actually go look up the exact definition an background of that.  It appears that was a rather nice complement. 

I admit I prefer the historical and academic side of Theology and still not comfortable with the real time application.

In our youth we build an image of ourselves, then spend a lifetime trying to live up to that image.  Why not deconstruct that image and build one that is based on one you do not have to live up to but can live daily with.

Well said, Well said!

Blade

Have you ever wondered why there is no plain language theology?

Don't think I have ever heard about a Plain Language? Must be something NEW! What people or nation uses this "Plain" Language.

LOL...

Have a great evening, my friend.

Blade

Okay, I am going out on a limb and hope it starts a conversation and not a conflict.   I have heard and read about salvation. There is salvation through Grace alone, there is Salvation through Faith alone and there is Salvation through both Faith and Grace.   All of the reformers appear, to the best research I can do, to base their salvation theory’s on Augustine's writings on Paul or from Paul’s writings alone.

I struggle with this.  You see, I have no idea what God will ultimately do.  I am not one to assume based on 2000 years old inspired writings nor presume they still apply as originally intended since they were not intended for humanity to become what it has.  That is my internal battle.   

As I see it, no one, absolutely no one can speak for or to what God will do with or to us as our spirit/soul passes on.   We have all made assumptions on the importance of Grace and Faith.  We even make assumptions and arguments on what each of those means.  So in deep reflection and prayer, I came to the only answer I can come to and works for me and how I understand all of this.
 
Live your life in such a way that you leave no doubt to God your holiness, grace, and faith is/was according to his word.   That way you remove worry about how others interpret and the argument over salvation because of grace and/or faith.    I have always believed life is to be lived for God’s glory, not for someone else’s determination of what God’s glory and love is.  You know inside if you are doing this.  So do it: Live your life for God.

Okay, I am going out on a limb and hope it starts a conversation and not a conflict.   I have heard and read about salvation. There is salvation through Grace alone, there is Salvation through Faith alone and there is Salvation through both Faith and Grace.   All of the reformers appear, to the best research I can do, to base their salvation theory’s on Augustine's writings on Paul or from Paul’s writings alone.

I struggle with this.  You see, I have no idea what God will ultimately do.  I am not one to assume based on 2000 years old inspired writings nor presume they still apply as originally intended since they were not intended for humanity to become what it has.  That is my internal battle.   

As I see it, no one, absolutely no one can speak for or to what God will do with or to us as our spirit/soul passes on.   We have all made assumptions on the importance of Grace and Faith.  We even make assumptions and arguments on what each of those means.  So in deep reflection and prayer, I came to the only answer I can come to and works for me and how I understand all of this.
 
Live your life in such a way that you leave no doubt to God your holiness, grace, and faith is/was according to his word.   That way you remove worry about how others interpret and the argument over salvation because of grace and/or faith.    I have always believed life is to be lived for God’s glory, not for someone else’s determination of what God’s glory and love is.  You know inside if you are doing this.  So do it: Live your life for God.

It would seem from your post that I am a very unique individual...lol...to put it mildly

As I see it, it is NOT for us to "argue" over grace verses faith or whether or not we need to do X to remain in Him...it is ours to seek God with all we are and Him only and in that put our trust.  End of the story or the beginning of the story depending on your pov.  When we seek God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and Him alone, He will show us everything else we need in our lives and since His authority if final, that is all we need.

That being said, there are ways to know if we have yet arrived at the point in which we are assured of our salvation and that way is the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  There is a huge list of things that the HS does for the believer, the short version is the fruit of the spirit and if that is an ever growing thing then it testifies to the work of the HS.  That being said, there are words there and many do not understand, for example the Love there is agape and it is nothing at all like world Love.  So it is seeking God with our minds to learn what those things mean so that we can identify them in our lives.

There are lots of ways God works in our lives, our desire and empowerment to be without sin is one, of course we grow more like Christ, so that does NOT mean we are suddenly without any sin...but maybe that is another topic.

So maybe this post is not complete without an example of something God can do that we cannot without His power.

A little over 10 years ago, we suddenly lost our son to a freak swimming accident.  He was the glue so to speak of the kids and each of the other kids had something serious that happened along about the same time, causing them to run from God in different ways, and us in the process...in essence we lost all of our kids to one degree or other when our son died...and that is all I will say about that at this time.  But, going back to the first few days of our sons death.  There was a man from the church who accused us of killing our son for believing in the trinity.  Here we were in deep grief, shock, trying to keep the kids together, sending our eldest back to war the day after the funeral, etc. and this guy feels justified to accuse us of bringing God's judgement on ourselves through God killing our son because we had a wrong belief about God...(wrong meaning not matching his belief)  Every fiber of our beings wanted to lash out and destroy or at least hurt that man as badly as he hurt us.

Well, as it so happened we didn't see him for a few weeks, when we did, it was in a local store.  My husband almost came to blows with the man in the middle of the store.  From the worlds pov that would have been just...but God has a different plan, a different form of justice that He wants us to adhere to, one that is NOT in man to do without the power of the HS.  So in those moment, I asked God to show me HOW to LOVE this man, my enemy that did so much harm and destruction to our family.  While still in the depths of grief and pain that he inflicted, the HS in me calmed me and I was able to talk to the man till he confessed he was wrong.  He never tried to reconcile (he is dead now) but he did confess he was wrong and that day I still marvel at how God worked through me to do what was NOT in me to do.  My husband btw will tell you that that day he failed to trust God to Love that man through him.

The working of the HS in our lives is the guarantee of salvation (passages if needed but common so not thinking they are needed) and it is when HE does things through us that are NOT possible in the flesh that we know, that we, have done what it takes to have assurance of salvation whether that is faith alone or grace alone or a combination of all these things that come to us when we SEEK Him with all we are and all we ever hope to be.