And yet, MM, you wrote that as long as our 'motives' are correct, we are counted 'perfect' whether we really are or not.

Unless we have accepted Christ's gift of righteousness there is no way our 'motives' to do right, even though we are not perfect would count as perfect or even come close to meriting anything.

You wrote: Please know your heavenly Father smiles upon you when you're motives are right. It doesn't matter to Him if your fruit is immature so long as you are growing and your motives are right. You and your words and works are perfect in His sight when you're motives are right.

Such can be true ONLY if we have accepted Christ's righteousness in place of our own and are now walking in humble obedience with Christ (which, though the motives are right is not perfect in and of itself)

MM.
You wrote:
“What Jesus does for us is our "title" to heaven AND what He does through us is our "fitness" for heaven. Both are inevitable in AND through Christ. Both are required to enter the gates of heaven.”

A justified man is some one that has the title for heaven and fitness for heaven at the same moment.

How can a man be considered JUST if he has only the title for heaven? A title that could not justify him to enter heaven.

When God justify a man for his faith, he is righteous at that moment, and he is FIT for heaven, otherwise he is not just at all.

In His love

I'm sorry I gave you this impression. I believe something very different. Perfection is the result of right motives.


Amen! In Christ, and like Christ, the righteous results of "humanity and divinity combined" are "righteousness and true holiness". Unlike Jesus, though, our fruits of faith merit nothing.


"Immature" fruit is not a sin. It is just as perfect as mature fruit. The difference has to do with depth and degree of righteousness not with depth and degree of sin. The fruits of the Spirit is not corrupt or stained with sin. The source of such fruit is the Vine, Jesus Christ. Is it right to label such fruit "corrupt and sin stained"?

John
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Amen! You'll be happy to learn we are in total agreement on this point. And, oh happy day, we are in harmony with the SOP:

"God requires the entire surrender of the heart, before justification can take place; and in order for man to retain justification, there must be continual obedience, through active, living faith that works by love and purifies the soul. (FW 100)

"Every sin must be renounced as the hateful thing that crucified the Lord of life and glory, and the believer must have a progressive experience by continually doing the works of Christ. It is by continual surrender of the will, by continual obedience, that the blessing of justification is retained. (1SM 397)

Nicely said!

My question; is our salvation same like a yo-yo?

Now we have justification, one hour later when we sinned, it is gone. When we pray asked God forgiveness, he forgives us, and again we are just, then again we sinned, and again we are under condemnation.

A continual obedience only can retain our justification..????

In His love

James, our salvation is based on what Jesus does for us AND through us. He cannot save us if we sin AND refuse to repent. Justification means many things, one of them is Jesus must justify saving sinners instead of executing them. He can only save sinners who repent and abide in Him. "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not." (1 John 3:6) Salvation is not for unrepentant sinners or sinners who cling to their pet, darling sins.

If they are not abiding in Jesus it means they are abiding in sin, self, and Satan. There is no neutral ground where they are neither sinning nor being righteous. We are either all of His and free of sin or none of His and full of sin. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Rom 8:9) "God will not occupy a divided heart or reign from a divided throne. Every rival that holds the affections and diverts them from the God of love must be dethroned. The Lord demands all that there is of us, and there must be no reserve.” (TMK 63)

When believers take their eyes off Jesus they thereby resurrect their old man and resume sinning. Most genuine Christians are shocked and horrified to find themselves in sin and immediately seek repentance and reconciliation through Jesus. Repentance gives God the legal right to pardon their sin and to restore the relationship their sin severed. They resume abiding in Jesus partaking of the divine nature, which is what empowers them to use their faculties of mind and body to grow daily in grace and to mature moment by moment in the fruits of the Spirit. This is what it means to be saved!

This is a good question!

So, what is your answer? Please share

In His love

James, just in case I didn't answer your question, here it is - Salvation is more like a light switch. We turn it on and off when we consciously choose to abide in Jesus and when we consciously refuse to abide in Jesus. Salvation is active while we are consciously abiding in Jesus. Otherwise, while we are consciously refusing to abide in Jesus, salvation is on standby.