Joel Osteen

By the way, I have found many posts in which you used foul language, insults, and sexual innuendoes..so your opinion doesn't carry much weight here.

 

Salvation is hardly free. It cost Christ His dignity, unbearable pain, and ultimately His life.

Personally, I'm at a place in my spiritual growth where I'm really starting to understand and appreciate what it means to be a Christian -- a disciple of Jesus. And I'm growing increasingly disenchanted with the idea of cheap and easy salvation -- people being led through a prayer in the midst of an emotional high, but then living out their lives like salvation is nothing more than fire insurance or a "get out of hell free" card.

I was agreeing with kshead's comment that free and easy salvation sells. I haven't seen or heard enough of Osteen's preaching to call him out for that.

 

Who are you to determine how much or how little weight another poster's opinion carries? Or are you just referring to how much influence his opinions have on you personally?

 

To be honest, this sends up a red flag for me.

 

AND

"Salvation is hardly free. It cost Christ His dignity, unbearable pain, "



I disagree because according to God's word, Salvation is a free gift..meaning we don't have to work to receive it..we come just as we are in sin, but repentant, and willing to accept the work that Christ did on the cross on our behalf. .. then we begin the good works which add value to our redemption when we arrive in heaven, and if we don't show the gifts of the spirit and good works, we are lukewarm and God says he will spew us from his mouth.


But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
Ro 5:16 - [In Context|Read Chapter|Original Greek] The gift is not like {that which came} through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment {arose} from one {transgression} resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift {arose} from many transgressions resulting in justification.
Ro 6:23 - [In Context|Read Chapter|Original Greek] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

The original Greek word and translation (shown below) shows us that the phrase "free gift" refers to merit, not devotion or works. That is not to say I believe in salvation by works -- that would be grossly unbiblical. But the word "free" in our culture has a very different connotation, I think, than what Paul originally intended when he wrote Romans 6:23.

 

You're splitting hairs here..grace is unmerited favor..both KJV and NAS refer to it as free..in other words we do nothing to earn it.

Do you buy your own gifts ..no.. your friends give them to you you ..they pay for them, hopefully you don't buy your own bday and christmas presents.

Let's don't argue this..it is pointless. We both know the scriptures..I don't like to see you put down any ministry that God is using to bring people to Christ. What is with you anyway??


But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Eph 4:7

 

Wow.

So much for snipe free.

 

A person's written words are a testament to where they are spiritually.

 

These three verses speak of those who would be Jesus' followers giving up everything, leaving their old lives behind to pursue a new life as Christians.