QUOTE(unknown warrior @ Oct 21 2014, 04:55 PM)
Yes you're right that does not negate God's gift because it's gift, something you didn't earn. In the book of James Faith without works is dead is referring to working or helping each other. Not just empty words.
You need to understand something. That is not radical Grace. I never said no repentance is involved.
You need to divide what is repentance for the believer and what is repentance for the unbeliever. BTW repentance is change of mind, metanoia.
For the unbeliever, yes you need to admit you're a sinner. But if you are already a believer, your repentance is to know Jesus save you and God is for you.
You need to be repented in the mind for this everyday. Because we are transformed by the renewal of our mind, and we are changed by beholding God's glory.
Our repentance is to look towards God in this sense.
In addition, if you say believers still need to keep on confessing sins, then you are in essence also saying
Jesus did not remove our sins completely. He did't finish his work on the cross. His work is just temporal because there are still sins in our life.
Can you negate this truth?
Do you know why James said that?
That faith without works is dead faith? Because for the Jewish thinking, faith and works go hand in hand. Faith without works is abit oxymoronic to a Jew.
You did mention before that one does not need to keep on confessing because of God's grace or to that effect.
Strangely that post and my reply to that is gone/deleted.
No...confessing continually does not mean Jesus did not remove our sins completely.
It is in response to a HOLY God and acknowledgement that we are sinful before Him. OTOH it makes us more appreciative of what Jesus has done on the cross
for us. We are indeed still sinful creatures irrespective of what Jesus has done. It does not negate His eternal work.
OTOH not confessing our sins brings dishonor to His work on the cross, thus radical grace.This is consistent with what John wrote
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.