Salvation is a Covenant by God, not a contract with man. Jesus says that the new Testament is in His blood, it is a covenant vow made by the blood of God (Acts 20:28). (Testament literally means “Covenant” in the original Greek - The Old and New Covenant/Testament) Luke 22:20) Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 1Corinthians 11:25) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Hebrews 12:24) And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. John 1:12-13) "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - not by our blood, but the blood of God. Not by our will or power, but only of God. As Jesus said "no man can pluck you out of my hand" that means you cannot pluck yourself out either - not by your will. You cannot walk away/give up the faith (become unsaved again). 2 Timothy 2:13) If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. Psalm 9:4) “For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.” Salvation is not about what we do or keep or abstain from, it is solely based on what you have believed. 1John 5:13) "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." As it says "THAT YE MAY KNOW" absolute assurance of your salvation, and this is because you have believed. John 1:13) "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." It has nothing to do with our abilities of anything, salvation is only by the power of God which comes upon us when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10) 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Acts 10:43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Ephesians 1:13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise John 3:16-17) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 1 John 5:20) And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. John 1:13) “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Eph 1:7 / Acts 10:43 / Eph 1:13 & 4:30 / Salvation is a free gift, no maintenance, no earning of favor, and once given it cannot be taken away. Ephesians 4:30) "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."- if we do grieve Him we just confess and we are cleansed. The Father doesn't disown the wayward child, but like the prodigal son the goodness of God leads us to repentance and cleansing - When did the prodigal son cease to be a son of the Father? Salvation is NOT by works, NOT by righteous works, NOT by deeds of the law, and NOT by sight. But by Faith alone, through Grace alone, by Jesus Christ who is God alone - Titus 3:5 / Ephesians 2:8-9 / Galatians 2:16 / 2 Corinthians 5:7 / Romans 1:17 / Romans 6:14 / Hebrews 10:38. Romans 10:9-10) “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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” After believing and repenting you are sealed/saved, then because of your love for Christ you want to follow Him. Ephesians 1:13 and Ephesians 4:30 - It's not because you have to but because you want to. Any idea of self merit affecting salvation in earning to gain, maintaining to keep, or self atonement for sins is heresy and the person is not saved. The same goes for believing that Baptism saves, forgives, or seals with the Spirit - it's still a belief in a form of righteous works that affects salvation - this is heresy too. It's all through Christ's merit on the Cross and His Resurrection, or else through attempting in your own merit you earn Hell. And this Salvation can never be lost or taken away - Romans 8:1 no condemnation unto those in Christ. Any sin after that brings chastisement, not disowning or a casting away. John 15:1-6 is paired with 1Cor 5:1-5 / Psalm 66:18 / Prov 28:9 / James 1:6-7 nowhere does it relate to losing salvation or having it being taken away. James 2 is not talking about works to keep your salvation, but rather it's talking to Christians already saved, and it's talking about charity and Christian behavior for promotion of the faith, not maintenance of salvation. If James is talking about maintaining salvation then Apostle Paul is a liar. Matthew 24 is speaking about the end of days and the trials and tribulations that will occur. "endure to the end" is in reference to the Great Tribulation, as it is a limited time and will soon be over and those under persecution will be saved from the oppression. It is not a salvationary passage, Christ is not talking about salvation but rather persecution. It's the same context as the other passage that says how a woman will be saved in child bearing - talking about the pains and troubles. Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26 is speaking about the unsaved falling away (rejecting) enlightenment, the knowledge of , the taste of salvation - they had not yet taken hold. This does not relate to the saved giving up or losing salvation as many think. Losing Salvation, or it being taken away, given up - denotes a working to keep it. But it's not by works or righteous works, deeds of the law, or by sight. It's by Grace alone through Faith alone. Matthew 7:21-23) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Nowhere do they say "have we not believed on thy name?". They were trusting in their works, righteous works, and law keeping. They were depending on religiosity and Christian behavior to earn their salvation like all the cults do. Salvation is purely by grace through faith by belief alone - Eph 2:8-9 / Titus 3:5 / Gal 2:16 / Romans 10:9-10 / Acts 16:30-31 / Eph 1:7&13 / 1 John 5:13 / John 3:16 / John 3:3 / Mark 1:15 Furthermore, what is “the will of my Father”? As we see in John 6 - John 6:28-29) "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." John 6:39-40) “And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Doing the will of the Father is not doing works, keeping commandments, or law keeping, but is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation. We are not called to the will of works, but are called to believing faith. Now true believing faith will produce fruit of works but it’s not the works that inherit salvation. The reason that Christ says “I never knew you” is because the people were focusing on the religion and not the faith. They thought the religion was the faith, but true believing faith will produce “pure religion undefiled”. Misconstruing religiosity with faith by grace leads to damnation, and this is the ultimate work of Satan to cause a misfocus within the Churches - preaching from the pulpit to create multitudes of religious damned who think themselves to be the very children of God.
Justification before God is by Faith in Christ and not by works Isaiah 53:11) “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Acts 15:9-11) “And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” Romans 4:25) “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” Galatians 3:10-13) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” John 1:17) “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” Romans 10:3-4) “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 5:1-2) “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Titus 3:5-7) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 1Corinthians 1:29-31) “That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 6:11) “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Rom 3:23-28) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 8:30) “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Philippians 3:9) “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” Gal 2:16-21) “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 3:21-29) “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
they do talk about church fathers, i read a book called "50 years in the church of Rome" (still reading honestly) and the author talks about his 25 years as a roman priest, and they have 6 church fathers that they say all agree on subjects in the church that in reality dont agree 100% on everything. its Origen, Liguori, Bellarmine, Thomas Aquinas, Jerome, and Augustine, and the author even emphasizes that Jerome and Augustine only agreed on one point, but the church fathers argument comes from the priests and the priests school which is where he learned all these things. Theres also a comic for the book, which I've also read called "The Big Betrayal" by chick publications
