WHAT IS THE REQUIREMENT FOR SALVATION?

Part six

SO HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE TRULY BEEN BORN AGAIN?

How Faithfully Must Christians Persevere?
"How much obedience is enough? Twenty percent? More? Less? How do we quantify our obedience?"

1 John 5:10 ¶ He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son.

Ver. "10. He that believeth on the Son of God, as a divine person who came in the flesh, and obeyed the law, and brought in everlasting righteousness, and obtained life and salvation for men: he that with the heart believes in him for righteousness, and eternal life, He being the Son of God, truly and properly God, and so is able to save all that believe in Him."

John Gill’s thoughts , but I put this in its final form.
With this next statement you need to stop and think through each statement:

"hath the witness in himself;" of the cause, need he stands in of Christ, and of the acceptable appropriate, fulness, and excellency of Him..
The Spirit of God edifying:

• him into the foulness of his nature,
• his feebleness to do anything spiritually good,
• his inability to atone for sin.
• The insufficiency of his righteousness to justify him before God;
  and influencing him that nothing but the blood of the Son of God can cleanse him from sin.

Only Christ’s sacrifice can atone it, and Christ’s righteousness justify him from it, and that without Jesus Christ he can do nothing.

Witnessing also to:

• the mastery of Christ blood,
• the completeness of His sacrifice and satisfaction.
• The excellency of His righteousness,
• The energy of God ‘s grace and strength.

So man comes to have such a witness in himself, that if ten thousand arguments were ever so artfully formed:

• in favour of the accuracy of human nature,
• the power of man's free will, and
• the sufficiency of his own righteousness,
  

and that witness in himself against

• the sacrifice and righteousness of Christ,
• the dignity of His person, as the Son of God,
• which gives virtue to Christ’s blood, sacrifice, and righteousness,
• they would all manifest nothing to him, Christ would be proof against them.

And therefore he would immediately receives into him the testimony God gives of His Son, of the glory and excellency of His person, and employs it in himself..

I know I am a child of a KING., the LORD of LORDS.

Salvation is not something we do. Salvation is a person - Jesus Christ. If we are IN Him, it is a settled matter.

• Ephesians 1:13-14 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, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
• 2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
• Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
• John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
• John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
• 1 John 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.

The issue before us in this discuss is:

The sinner’s role in salvation. How much does God redeem the elect?
What happens at regeneration? Is the believing sinner really born again?
Is our old nature really dead. "crucified...that we are no longer slaves to sin?
Are believers really "partakers of the divine nature?"
Are those who are "in Christ, really a new creature?"
Can we say that as new believers that we are free to live righteous?"
Is there a call for the unbeliever to repentance?
Does repentance add something to the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone?
Is obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ part been born again?

"How Faithfully Must Christians Persevere? "This statement was what Charles Ryrie wrote:

These last six threads have been as a result of reading the posts over at Pyromaniacs. Phil Johnson started the thoughts, then Nathan Busenitz (personal assistance to John MacArthur) These articles appeared also on the Pulpit Magazine, an online magazine of the Shepherds’ Fellowship. The issue was LORDSHIP SALVATION.

In 1988 John MacArthur wrote the book "What Does Jesus Mean When He Says, "Follow Me"?
"The Gospel According To Jesus" I brought the book in July 1989. And I have read this book several times. The principles set forth by John MacArthur became the position that I took while the pastor/teacher at First Baptist Church, in Altoona, Kansas.

John MacArthur points out in his book: "This is the purpose of salvation: to transform an individual completely. Genuine saving faith changes a person’s behavior. , it transforms his thinking, and it puts within him a new heart." (p. 96)

So these last six articles I have posted have been a result of over twenty posts and some 1000 comments that have been made. And I have down loaded them. (Some 400 pages).

Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant