GaryK wrote:Who is claiming that failings here and there remove us from God's family?
Sudsy wrote:Sorry if I mis-understood your comment here in a previous post -
One can't be a part of this Kingdom without obeying Jesus' command to be born again but neither can one remain in the Kingdom if there is an unwillingness to submit to the rules of the Kingdom. Both require obedience in order to be saved.
I took this to mean that if in some area of our lives we are unwilling to submit to a 'rule' of the Kingdom, then we cannot remain in the Kingdom. When talking about the OT law James says 'For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.' If this is carried over into the New Covenant, then none of us will be saved.
Jesus said "If you love me, keep my commandments". That seems to be a pretty important Kingdom rule. You can't claim to love Jesus and be unwilling to submit at the same time. If submission is what gets us in then it would follow that submission also keeps us in. I say this recognizing that no one is ever fully mature immediately upon being born again. But it's a dangerous thing to be made aware of Kingdom rules that we are not following and then not to submit to them.
Sudsy wrote:Perhaps we view these 'rules of the Kingdom' in a different way. I believe my degree of obedience in all areas of those two encompassing commandments will be used to judge my works and rewards as a believer. My salvation, although related, is not based on how perfect this obedience is followed. The only area I believe will remove my membership from the Kingdom is if I turn my back on (quit believing) in the primary points of the Gospel that Paul states as the Gospel that saves us. I am saved by grace through faith and not according to my works, lest I should boast. I can't do enough works to become saved nor can I do enough works to stay saved.
I suppose the people Jesus is referencing here would say that "works" are pretty important to staying saved.
Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV 31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."