do protestants understand salvation to the fullest

[infinitelord1]

yet again there is so much that just flashes through my genious mind in such a short period of time to really remember everything that i would like to put into words here .

So hopefully what i say will spark some debate.

I may not fully understand the protestant ideal of salvation. But from what i have gathered.......believing in jesus christ is enough to get into heaven. When i ask a protestant what salvation means to them this is what they say. i started going to a baptist church when i was around 15 years old. I talked to a youth counselor about being saved. We sat in a room for about 2 hours. He answered a few questions and at the end of our meeting he asked me if i was ready to be saved. I kind of sat there thinking and i really didnt know what to say. I just kind of went with the flow and i said, "yeah i guess". So, the next step was this......we said a prayer (lead by the minister) and basically it sounded like he was asking god to save me ( he asked me if i accepted jesus christ into my heart of course). at the end of the all of this he told me i was saved. I certainly didnt feel any different. I guess i felt good inside, but as time permitted it didnt seem like it was enough for me. I had a lot of questions.......and i still do. It really seemed like accepting jesus as my saviour was more of a forced thing. It was like i accepted this thing that i really knew nothing about.

Over time i think i may have come up with my own idea of salvation. First it was to learn about the nature of god. Coming to phatmass has helped a lot with this and also a couple of friends of mine helped a lot too. A friend of mine who goes to Texas A&M seems to have an interest in philosophy. So me and him would sit around and debate and over time everything he said just started to make sense. Then we would talk about god and how he works. Not so much from a loving perspective but from more of a philosophical perspective. it all seemed to fit together like some kind of puzzle. A firm believer might say it all fits perfectly. And then, being the thinker that i am, i kind of took off from there. It was like with the knowledge that was given to me i started to think more objectively and answer things for myself. I dont know if i did it myself or if god chose to reveal it to me. I certainly dont rule out god revealing it to me. All in all, i have come to realize that we are not perfect. We will never know the complete truth to anything. And i believe that salvation is not achieved at any one point in my or anyone else's lifespan. I think that as we grow inside we come that much closer to god. And in the end god will judge us and at his mercy will accept those who are willing into his kingdom. What do you think?

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

protestants are my homiesssss

[JimFurst]

There are many Protestant denominations each with differing requirements for salvation. A conservative Anglican will have a very different idea about salavation than a Southern Baptist.

Some Protestants believe once "saved" always saved. (Done deal) Others have a more Catholic view that we work out our salvation in fear and trembling.

You really have to be very specific about the Protestant group.

Jim

[rkwright]

umm...I'm kinda left in the vauge about what exactly you're meaning by all this.

Knowing God is important, through many means (philosophy, the Bible, other people's lives), and its good to know Him in every way.

But salvation through knowing him alone? I mean the Devil and fallen angels know God, maybe even in a better sense than most humans would.

Ask yourself this, if belief in God the Father was all God wanted, or is required, why would God send the Son for the Jews of the time, who certainly knew God the Father?

The Bible lays out a pretty clear case for salvation, and it is through Jesus. Only through Him can we know the Father, drinking His blood and eating His flesh is what gains eternal life, you get the point. There are too many times in the Bible where Jesus (and as you rightly assert in your other thread, God) tells us that salvation is only available through Him.

[rkwright]

btw whose the friend at A&M? I go there !

[infinitelord1]

im wondering what you think salvation is or what does your church think? (if you are protestant). We can debate once you have revealed this to us.

The catholic interpretation of salvation is faith, hope, and charity. Not one of these but all of them to be specific. Not anywhere does it say anything about fear and trembling......just another mislead idea of the catholic church.

[infinitelord1]

[quote name='rkwright' date='Dec 31 2005, 02:49 PM']umm...I'm kinda left in the vauge about what exactly you're meaning by all this. 

Knowing God is important, through many means (philosophy, the Bible, other people's lives), and its good to know Him in every way. 

But salvation through knowing him alone?  I mean the Devil and fallen angels know God, maybe even in a better sense than most humans would. 

Ask yourself this, if belief in God the Father was all God wanted, or is required, why would God send the Son for the Jews of the time, who certainly knew God the Father?

The Bible lays out a pretty clear case for salvation, and it is through Jesus.  Only through Him can we know the Father, drinking His blood and eating His flesh is what gains eternal life, you get the point.  There are too many times in the Bible where Jesus (and as you rightly assert in your other thread, God) tells us that salvation is only available through Him.
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now i guess we have to define what "salvation only through jesus christ" truelly means.

[jesussaves]

If you would read the last parts of the salvation repent thread by me, you would understand. Catholics think sins can take the grace of salvation from someone. We believe that no sin can do that. Not sinning is only the result of salvation through faith alone. It's not faith and not sinning as taught by the Cchurch.

[rkwright]

[quote name='infinitelord1' date='Dec 31 2005, 01:56 PM']im wondering what you think salvation is or what does your church think? (if you are protestant). We can debate once you have revealed this to us.

The catholic interpretation of salvation is faith, hope, and charity. Not one of these but all of them to be specific. Not anywhere does it say anything about fear and trembling......just another mislead idea of the catholic church.
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If this is directed towards me...

I'm Catholic so I believe in the Church's teaching for salvation. But I don't remember saying anything about fear and trembling?

I guess you could say our interpretation of salvation is faith, hope, and charity. But it would be important to know exactly what you have faith in, and thats where I was saying faith in salvation through Christ.

From the Catechism
[quote]619 "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures" (I Cor 15:3).

620 Our salvation flows from God's initiative of love for us, because "he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (I Jn 4:10). "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Cor 5:19).

621 Jesus freely offered himself for our salvation. Beforehand, during the Last Supper, he both symbolized this offering and made it really present: "This is my body which is given for you" (Lk 22:19).

622 The redemption won by Christ consists in this, that he came "to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28), that is, he "loved [his own] to the end" (Jn 13:1), so that they might be "ransomed from the futile ways inherited from [their] fathers" (I Pt 1:18).

623 By his loving obedience to the Father, "unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8), Jesus fulfills the atoning mission (cf. Is 53:10) of the suffering Servant, who will "make many righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities" (Is 53:11; cf. Rom 5:19).
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[infinitelord1]

[quote name='jesussaves' date='Dec 31 2005, 03:13 PM']If you would read the last parts of the salvation repent thread by me, you would understand. Catholics think sins can take the grace of salvation from someone. We believe that no sin can do that. Not sinning is only the result of salvation through faith alone. It's not faith and not sinning as taught by the Cchurch.
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i agree with this catholic philosophy. I believe that through sin we seperate ourselves from communion with god. The more we sin the further away from god we fall. The less we sin the closer we come to communion with god. Lets take a liberal for example.....a liberal is more likely to accept a more sinful nature.....therefore he is most likely further away from god than someone who lives a good life. Just talk to someone who is liberal......they really dont know much about anything. They could be right or they could be wrong about an issue. They base their beliefs on the way they feel about things. I would say that this person is further from the truth than someone who lives their life as jesus did. I dont think that gods grace could ever be fully removed from any human being.......I also think that most orthodox catholics dont think that either as well as the vatican.

Edited December 31, 2005 by infinitelord1

[infinitelord1]

[quote name='rkwright' date='Dec 31 2005, 03:21 PM']If this is directed towards me...

I'm Catholic so I believe in the Church's teaching for salvation.  But I don't remember saying anything about fear and trembling? 

I guess you could say our interpretation of salvation is faith, hope, and charity.  But it would be important to know exactly what you have faith in, and thats where I was saying faith in salvation through Christ. 

From the Catechism
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no that was for jim

[jesussaves]

Yes you exactly correct about how those who sin more are further away from God. BUT, the grace of salvation cannot be lost to a single sin, as taught by the Catholic Church.

Pray to the Holy Spirit, and He will guide your mind.

[infinitelord1]

[quote name='jesussaves' date='Dec 31 2005, 03:29 PM']Yes you exactly correct about how those who sin more are further away from God. BUT, the grace of salvation cannot be lost to a single sin, as taught by the Catholic Church.

Pray to the Holy Spirit, and He will guide your mind.
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i dont believe the catholic church teaches that.

[rkwright]

Anyways, I'm sorry I somewhat hijacked your thread, but your first post somewhat bothered me. What exactly do you believe, or as you say, what exactly is your own idea of salvation? Maybe I'm reading it wrong but from what your first post, second paragraph, it made it sound like that we work in this life to know God, and at he end he will judge us...

Is this an accurate representation of what your own idea of salvation is? Please forgive me if its not!


EDIT! My fault! looks like you were talking to Jim and Jesussaves

Edited December 31, 2005 by rkwright

[infinitelord1]

[quote name='rkwright' date='Dec 31 2005, 03:31 PM']Anyways, I'm sorry I somewhat hijacked your thread, but your first post somewhat bothered me.  What exactly do you believe, or as you say, what exactly is your own idea of salvation?  Maybe I'm reading it wrong but from what your first post, second paragraph, it made it sound like that we work in this life to know God, and at he end he will judge us...

Is this an accurate representation of what your own idea of salvation is?  Please forgive me if its not!
EDIT! My fault! looks like you were talking to Jim and Jesussaves
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I think that through learning about god and his nature your faith will increase and you will grow........so long as you stay along the right path. I cant say that this is the only way.......i dont know enough of the truth to make such an assessment.