#Gift of Salvation

[steviebee77]

If You Knew the Gift of God

JESUS COMES TO a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well is there. Wearied as he was from His journey, Jesus is sitting beside the well when a woman from Samaria comes to draw water. Jesus says to her, “Give me a drink” (John 4:5-7). Why would Jesus ask a complete stranger to serve him? Have we not been taught that the Son of Man came not…

[alandemoss]

5 Shocking Reasons Your Preacher Isn’t Preaching the True Gospel (And What You Can Do About It)

1. Preaching Works Instead of Grace – If your pastor emphasizes working harder, giving more, or doing more to “earn” God’s favor, they’re missing the point. The true Gospel is about salvation by grace through faith, not a performance checklist. 2. Using Fear as a Control Tactic– The Gospel is good news—so why does your church rely on fear of hell to keep you in line? Jesus preached love and…

[thecatholiccrusade]

Once Saved, Always Saved? It's Not That Simple

The doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved” is a popular belief suggesting that once a person accepts Jesus Christ as their savior, their salvation is guaranteed, regardless of their subsequent actions or lifestyle. However, this belief is not supported by Scripture. The Bible consistently emphasizes the importance of ongoing repentance, perseverance, and faithfulness for salvation. One of the…

[books-by-gauss]

The Gift

James F. Gauss December 25, 2023 By nature, and by culture, we as Americans, like to give and receive gifts.  We like to, if we can afford to, give gifts, not only at Christmas, our favorite time, but also on a person’s birthday, graduation, wedding and many other special occasions.  We also like to receive gifts at those times too.  We may even give or receive gifts for no particular reason at…

[granonine]

Everything is His!

Psalm 50:10-12. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof. Gods makes His claim to all that He has created in these verses. He not only owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He owns the…

[graciousheaven]

Christ the Redeemer

Anyone who does not obey God cannot enter His rest. But can flesh and blood obey God? No! What then is the hope of man? Jesus Christ - the Lord our Redeemer is His name from everlasting. 

No one can enter God's rest apart from the perfect and finished work of Christ. For "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." John. 3:6a. The natural man cannot see farther than the glittering cover that makes sin attractive and entices his heart to feed on ashes. But "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." v.6b. The Spirit of the Lord gives us  beauty for ashes, He anoints us with the oil of gladness, and clothes us with the garment of praise, “that [we] may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3. The Spirit of the Lord sets us free from our slavery to sin, and brings us captive to Christ.

[ave-immaculata]

fellas we're once again wrestling with imperfect vs. perfect contrition and why imperfect contrition with a firm resolution to not sin again and promptly receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation doesn't save

[kaurwreck]

I wonder if Fyodor has kept his distance from Atsushi until now because Byakko's claws can cut through skills. I wonder if this is the moment Atsushi could use his claws. Would they slice right through Fyodor's borrowed body to tear him into the same ribbons as Shibusawa?

Is Fyodor afraid of the absolution Atsushi could give him? Or is he starving for it? Is this what he wanted all along? To find Atsushi at the end, to break him until Byakko tears through Atsushi's flesh and into his?

Nothing is hollow; Fyodor is just so hungry for scraps he can't bear to eat that he calls the viscera contracting around his aching gut nothingness, and garnishes his desires with incorrigible sin because then death might taste like salvation. He craves blood but hates when it touches him, because blood and viscera are too warm, too human; and he isn't that, even though he loves humanity so desperately that he's resolved to leave only when he can take the entire world with him.

[walkingthroughthisworld]

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

“because he never accepts that it's never been about righteousness--it's about repentance.” except javert killing himself IS repentance.

well, it’s like 12 different things, because bro had gone days without sleeping and very little food and water and he already had low self-worth and kept asking the amis to kill him and just assumed he was going to die AND THEN valjean upended his understanding of the world and morality. he was really going through it & there are a lot of overlapping reasons for why he jumps into the seine.

but javert is like Number One Most Responsible guy in the whole story. taking responsibility is his Thing (forever bitter the musical doesn’t include the punish me monsieur le maire scene). how else, in his derailment, could he atone for his conceived misdeeds other than by handing in his resignation to god? in the brick he had already left a note urging his superiors to treat convicts at toulon better, which is another step in his repentance (and another crime the musical commits by not including it). jumping into the seine was another step.

honestly a lot of ppl who like the book think the musical was dead wrong to exclude him from the big heaven group sing, because it COMPLETELY undermines the themes of forgiveness and compassion threaded throughout les mis. like the musical was simply wrong lol.

This is helpful context! I am still finishing the brick, although I have fully read the abridged version, and that detail about the letter wasn't included, so I didn't know that occurred! (And thank you for the message--this is a long response but I'd love to hear more of your thoughts!)

I agree that Javert is certainly deeply distraught and remorseful; like you mentioned, his worldview is literally falling apart, and his actions reflect his mental state. But his death isn't really repentance--in the sense that it's not what God would have wanted. To me it reads like a Judas situation: a desperate realization of a huge mistake, and doing the only thing you think can make it right, namely, ending it all. That's the just punishment for someone so wrong, isn't it?

But true repentance, meaning the repentance that the Lord desires, is about changing your ways, not "paying a price." Had Javert really understood the beauty of Valjean's mercy (an image of Christ's, just as the bishop's undeserved mercy was to Valjean himself), rather than killing himself, he would have lived to also become "an honest man"--in heart. One who could forgive and understand forgiveness, for himself as well as others. One who could recognize that he is not The Law, that he can fall, but that he can also be "brought to the light." One who could accept that men like Valjean, and men like himself, CAN change, and be changed.

It's tragic to me because so much of "Stars," and his character in the book as well as the musical, is about wanting to be righteous, to rise above his birth and the sinfulness he associates it with. It's about wanting to please the Lord by his actions. But in his end, he shows he never understood what God really wanted from him, and that's where my original phrase comes in: not righteousness, but repentance. To live, and face the man you were, knowing it's no longer the man you are. That it's never been about what you've done or can do, but about what's been done for you. That's the Gospel that he could never fully accept.

To use another example you mentioned, that misunderstanding drives why he asks the Mayor (Valjean) to punish him--in his worldview, mercy is unjust, or at the very least, unfair. Evil must be punished; "those who fall like Lucifer fell" receive "the sword." But "as it is written," God "desires mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13). God would have wanted Javert to live, and Javert couldn't see that, and that's why it's devastating to me. In his misunderstanding of the heart of God, he misses what would have set him free from the chains of sin he's always been trying to escape.

That's why he's contrasted with Valjean, who (though he carries guilt about his past till the end of his life) is eventually able to face it and confess what he had done to those he loves. He knew there was mercy to be found, if only it was asked for. Javert was too blinded by pride and shame to realize it, and so, while broken, he never was able to truly repent.

For that, you must go on.

[instaquarius]

For my friend @tekedafox23 of her Salvation AU Roxy holding a plushie of her wife (Teke's OC Ava) #screenshotredraw of the #roxannewolf cosplay from PAX cuz it was cute and i absolutely HAD to okay! #FNAF #FNAFSB #ROXY #FNAFAU

[alandemoss]

Are Modern Christians Misunderstanding Jesus?

The Shocking Truth About What Jesus Actually Taught and Why We’ve Been Getting It Wrong When was the last time you took a deep breath and truly felt at peace with your faith? Not burdened by endless rules or the fear of not being “good enough,” but true peace—the kind that Jesus promised. If you’ve ever wondered if modern Christianity has strayed from Jesus’ teachings, you are not alone. Here’s…

[electromignion]

Bridgewater fanart dump 2!! (Different characters)

Here are drawings I did during the month of June til this month! (So I finally catch up 🙏)

[iniziare]

I'm stealing this from Min before I tackle a thread (cause I don't do enough silly little things [update: it wasn't... really short]), but here's random sleep thoughts for the ladies that come to mind with something to say about it:

— Yelan: Sleeps naked, because it's healthy, come on, and there's two phases in terms of positions that she sleeps in. Phase one is where she sleeps incredibly relaxed on her side, and the covers usually end up predominantly wrapped around her (like this, or the idea of this) so perfectly, it's as if it was intentional, but it's not, she just... ends up this way. Feet and legs are rarely covered as she gets warm as she sleeps, and she often stretches like a cat during moments of waking. It doesn't matter if someone's in the bed with her, this is just how it goes— the only way to stop it is if you lay on said covers. She's also a quiet sleeper physically, despite the covers thing. She doesn't move much, which is why her hair usually still looks 'peachy keen, jelly bean', in the morning. Phase two only happens when she can catch up on sleep and she lazes in bed in a half-slumber state until, as she states, well into and past noon. At this point, it's evident that she's been warm, and so she rolls onto her stomach, and pulls the covers down a bit, exposing a fair bit of her back. Ideally her pillow is still there, but if not, no issue, the mattress works just fine.

— Kafka: No, she's not about the 'luxury' for the sake of it, please get fanon out of here, there are no silk pillows or sheets needed whatsoever. But she appreciates comfort in the sense of good quality pillows (though not too thick as she regularly sleeps on her stomach, or in some magical 'in-between' position of stomach/side), but she'd like two of them. And then the duvet usually... serves as an extra pillow mid-slumber for her body. She likes to lay on something that has a shape to it, I don't like the word 'snuggle' nor does she do it out of 'security', but it's about something that is molded against and into the shape of her. See it as... the duvet almost works like a body pillow to a certain extent, except she'll remain covered, she's a woman of modesty, of course. And in shipping scenarios, the partner would likely come to replace the 'body pillow' concept— imagine her to cozy up at your side, head on your shoulder, leg over yours, or snaked through yours. But she'd not a 'facing each other' kind of cuddler in sleep. Man's gotta be on his back. She's difficult, I know. Oh and please don't think that Kafka wakes up looking flawless, she does not. Trust me when I say that her hair is disheveled, have you seen the length of it? But she's endearing, she's drowsy, has a bit of a drawl to her voice— almost kind of cute (but a mess).

Honorable mentions:

— Guizhong: A bed, you say? Hardly, you'll rarely find her in one due to, well, the fact she's not human (there's a higher chance in modern). She'll be passed out at a table, or desk in her workshop, usually with parchment stuck to her cheek, covered by her own sleeves. Of course, this has her slightly grumpy in the morning. Morax sure chose a nice one. Oh, on the note of him— if he's around in the same bed, there's a chance she's asleep atop him. — Seele: Absolute mess. Don't even go into that bedroom, you'll wonder where the sheets or pillows are, there may even be one on the other side of the room, because it wasn't comfortable and so she argued with it physically, throwing it across the room in her sleep. She's likely still mostly dressed because she was too lazy or exhausted to get changed. Seele is the kind who, like her mun, will say 'I'm just laying down for 5 mins' and wakes up 5 hours later. Horrendous.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Salvation by Faith in God

8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. 10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are. — Ephesians 2:8-10 | Contemporary English Version (CEV) Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society. Cross References: Psalm 51:10; Isaiah 19:25; Isaiah 29:23; Isaiah 43:7; John 4:10; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; Romans 3:28; Romans 9:16; 1 Corinthians 1:29; Galatians 6:15; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5

[merthwyn]

That feeling when you don't even know if you're still a believer and you fight with your mind wondering if the false image of God is truly false or not, and you are angry with Him for keeping the abuse and trauma going, but God still uses you and the gifts He gave you before you were even born, to literally save people.

I'm speechless, to say the least.