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Basing on gut feel or God's word 
Getting into the "Secrets of the Vine" (Ivan)
Salvation & works
Thanks LBS, do you want to contribute and form your own conclusion,if any? eom. (Ivan)
My belief
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Hi LBS,
In 2 Tim 2:19, the Bible says, "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." How do you interpret this verse? Is this solid foundation of God negotiable? What does the seal signify? This is a very important matter and is binding. So, is this seal negotiable? No! Can we say that our "belongingness" to God stands on this verse? The answer is emphatically yes. In this verse, can we ignore the connecting word "and". No! The Lord knows those who are His. But can we know whether we belong to Him? Yes!How can we know? Look at the statements following after "and". The answer lies in this: Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Now, the question before us is this: Can anyone who bears the name of Christ still dabble in iniquity and claim to belong to the Lord. How can a Christian sin wilfully(knowingly) and claim to be belong to Christ? Are you not departing from the truth like Hymenaeus and Philetus "who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some." 2 Tim 2:17,18 When we are in Christ, according to Rom 6:22, "we have been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your FRUIT to holiness, and the end, everlasting life (salvation). Here you can see the link between FRUIT and SALVATION as some claim including yourself there is no link. I have already admitted that salvation is by grace and through faith (not our self-righteousness) in the finished work of Christ at the cross which is complete. We need to be imputed with Christ's righteousness for our works to be accepted by God. In short, we are saved not BY human efforts but FOR good works. As contrasted in Rom 6:21, "What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." Before our conversion, what fruit did you have? For the answer, refer to Jn 14:30 which says, "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." Satan has nothing in common with Christ (Amplified Bible). What do you expect of the non-believers? Also nothing in common with Christ. This leads us to Jn 15:1-8, our Lord Jesus says that if anyone is not in Christ he does not bear fruit and is to be taken away, be withered and thrown away and be burned (Jn 15:2,6). If anyone is part of Christ, he will and must bear fruit, the Vinedresser cleanses and repeatedly prunes to make him bear more fruit and much fruit. Are you living dangerously at the edge just like Lot who stayed very close to Sodom and Gomorrah who was saved by the skin of his teeth? Are you still holding on to your views in the light of the Holy Scriptures? Let's return to the truths of God's word. Be assured that God loves us with an everlasting love. In His steps,
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