Thanks for the post! Here are thoughts on some of these:
Thesis 2: I think this is a good point based on experience and observation. I think many children have faith before they are even making conscious decisions, so an exact moment of conversion is obviously going to be difficult to pinpoint.
Thesis 4: I disagree that it is impossible to reject the new life for someone who believed at one point. My understanding of Romans 11:29 is that it concerns the calling of Israel to salvation. God has called them since the patriarchs and is still calling their descendants today with an irrevocable calling, but still some resist the gifts and calling and so it does not benefit them. On the other hand, from Matthew 13:1-23, it seems like some do have faith for a time but loses it due to tribulation or the cares of the world. We are also warned against falling away from a salvation that we have received in Hebrews 2:1-4 and Hebrews 6:4-6, which again indicates that it is a real possibility.
Thesis 5: I agree that unrepentant sin shows a lack of faith and therefore salvation. However, I think we should find not find assurance of salvation our good works, but in God's Word and promises when we are repenting. God promises that we will be saved if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:21), so the existence of faith in us should comfort us. He promises that we will be raised from the dead because we have been buried with Jesus by baptism into His death (Romans 6:1-6) and that baptism now saves us (1 Peter 3:18-22), so if we remember our baptism and trust God's promises about it, that should comfort us. He promises that whoever eats Jesus' body and drinks Jesus' blood will live forever (John 6:52-59). In summary, I think that the sacraments should give us assurance of salvation, not because of our faithfulness in performing them or something magical in the rituals themselves, but because of God's promises attached to them.
Thesis 12: I completely agree that repentance should be a daily and ongoing part of the Christian life.
Thesis 13: I like what you're saying here. While we are only truly righteous by the imputation of Jesus' righteousness to us, it does seem like the word "righteous" is used in different senses in different places. In one sense, no one is righteous before God (Psalm 14:3) apart from Christ. In another sense though, we can grow in outward righteousness toward our friends, neighbors, and enemies, which is how the Bible seems to be using the word at times.
Thesis 14: I completely agree that we should repent of sin and not willfully sin by presuming on God's grace.
As for point 4 with reference to Rom 11 quote, I am operating under the assumption that the statement is a universal one that Paul is merely applying to Israel in that passage. I could be wrong about that.
More broadly, I would think that faith that does not produce fruit is dead faith, and cannot save a man (Jas 2:14). Mere "belief" that does not issue in works is not really living, saving faith.
As for point 5, I agree with everything you are saying. The clarifying point I was trying to make is that merely performing such actions or saying "sure I believe in God" should not assure you if you're out there as a person willfully given over to a life of sin. Repentance is a turning away from sin, even though it is imperfect it is no less real for that. It does appear that James encourages us to distinguish living vs dead faith through whether or not it issues in works. (Jas 2:26)
Thanks for the post! Here are thoughts on some of these:
Thesis 2: I think this is a good point based on experience and observation. I think many children have faith before they are even making conscious decisions, so an exact moment of conversion is obviously going to be difficult to pinpoint.
Thesis 4: I disagree that it is impossible to reject the new life for someone who believed at one point. My understanding of Romans 11:29 is that it concerns the calling of Israel to salvation. God has called them since the patriarchs and is still calling their descendants today with an irrevocable calling, but still some resist the gifts and calling and so it does not benefit them. On the other hand, from Matthew 13:1-23, it seems like some do have faith for a time but loses it due to tribulation or the cares of the world. We are also warned against falling away from a salvation that we have received in Hebrews 2:1-4 and Hebrews 6:4-6, which again indicates that it is a real possibility.
Thesis 5: I agree that unrepentant sin shows a lack of faith and therefore salvation. However, I think we should find not find assurance of salvation our good works, but in God's Word and promises when we are repenting. God promises that we will be saved if we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:21), so the existence of faith in us should comfort us. He promises that we will be raised from the dead because we have been buried with Jesus by baptism into His death (Romans 6:1-6) and that baptism now saves us (1 Peter 3:18-22), so if we remember our baptism and trust God's promises about it, that should comfort us. He promises that whoever eats Jesus' body and drinks Jesus' blood will live forever (John 6:52-59). In summary, I think that the sacraments should give us assurance of salvation, not because of our faithfulness in performing them or something magical in the rituals themselves, but because of God's promises attached to them.
Thesis 12: I completely agree that repentance should be a daily and ongoing part of the Christian life.
Thesis 13: I like what you're saying here. While we are only truly righteous by the imputation of Jesus' righteousness to us, it does seem like the word "righteous" is used in different senses in different places. In one sense, no one is righteous before God (Psalm 14:3) apart from Christ. In another sense though, we can grow in outward righteousness toward our friends, neighbors, and enemies, which is how the Bible seems to be using the word at times.
Thesis 14: I completely agree that we should repent of sin and not willfully sin by presuming on God's grace.
Thanks for the comment!
As for point 4 with reference to Rom 11 quote, I am operating under the assumption that the statement is a universal one that Paul is merely applying to Israel in that passage. I could be wrong about that.
More broadly, I would think that faith that does not produce fruit is dead faith, and cannot save a man (Jas 2:14). Mere "belief" that does not issue in works is not really living, saving faith.
As for point 5, I agree with everything you are saying. The clarifying point I was trying to make is that merely performing such actions or saying "sure I believe in God" should not assure you if you're out there as a person willfully given over to a life of sin. Repentance is a turning away from sin, even though it is imperfect it is no less real for that. It does appear that James encourages us to distinguish living vs dead faith through whether or not it issues in works. (Jas 2:26)