There is no union with Christ before believing in him. Post scripture!
Before any man or woman can believe in or on Christ regarding Justification or Salvation, they must first be in Union with Him Spiritually, that is already abiding in Him, we know this by Christ's words here Jn 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.
Jesus alludes to the same truth here Jn 6:56
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
The eating and drinking here signifies believing or appropriating Christ by Faith, and Jesus said, the ones doing that, are dwelling or abiding in Him, and He is in them ! That denotes Pre Union !
In other words, their believing is the fruit of being in Him and Him being in them by Spiritual New Birth. We must first be a branch in the Vine before we can bear fruit, and Faith is one of the Fruits of the Spirit Gal 5:22 !
The Ground must first be made good before the Gospel message can take root and bring forth fruit Matt 13:23
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Notice the words here bringeth forth, meaning fruit and observe the same in Jn 15:5
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.
Without Christ, separate from we can do nothing, spiritually as to believe or rest in Him for all of Salvation !
So before believing, one must be already united to Christ, we must be, before we can believe in Him !
There is no union with Christ before believing in him. Post scripture!
The Gospel is foolish to them that are perishing! Did you read the post?
They are His, and He obviously died for them too, but they have not received the adoption that sons receive; so no, they are not joined to Christ yet. The WHOLE garden is His, to do with as He pleases, in His time. Covenants require action on the part of BOTH parties, not just one. Otherwise it's faith without works. Peace
Post 35 did you read and understand it?
Yes, I did read and understand it. And I agree with you, they are His, but they are asleep without Christ. Read Matt. 13 parable of the wheat and the tares again.
Can you hear this? There were two trees in the midst of the garden. One of them was the golden candlestick, one of them was the table of showbread. If the MIDST of the garden was for the priests only (holy place) but the outer court was for all, even the "God-fearers" strangers from Israel, THEN THE WHOLE GARDEN IS HIS.
Costing you something, isn't it? Blessings and Peace
Are those Christ died for in Union with Him before they believe ? The answer to this very important question is absolutely YES, for there did and must have been a Union between Himself and them He died for, or their could not have been any just and legal grounds for Him to have died for their sins, no grounds for their sins to have been charged to His account, and such scriptures as these would be invalid and without legal warrant 1 Cor 15:3
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
This is without warrant if no previous Union existed !
1 Pet 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
This is without warrant if no previous Union existed !
Isa 53:5
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
This is without warrant if no previous Union existed !
Now understand, this Union between them and Him had to be and was just as real and legally binding as it was for them in Adam, since if they were not really legally in Adam when he sinned, then they could not have sinned with him as it is surely indicated in Rom 5:12
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
All men sinned in and by Adams One sin, death passed upon all men because of Adams sinned,
or better yet they could not have been made sinners by Adams one act of disobedience as indicated here Rom 5:19
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
This could not have justly occurred apart from a legal union recognized by the Jude of all the earth, God !
Paul writes that all die IN ADAM 1 Cor 15:22
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
The word in here is a prep that means:
en (a preposition) – properly, in (inside, within); (figuratively) "in the realm (sphere) of," as in the condition (state) in which something operates from the inside (within).
This denotes a Union in Adam, in that Union all died with Adam !
But in antithesis all in Christ shall be made alive, So all in Christ legally shall be made alive; Now we have already showed that in order for Christ to have died for our sins 1 Cor 15:3, He had to be in a Legal binding Union with Us, as it was likewise with us in Adam, and such Union constituted us as being In Christ, as no less as being in Adam, and because of being in Christ legally for Him to die for us, there can never be from God legally any condemnation charged to us, Rom 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Those of Us Christ died for, sin cannot and will not be charged or imputed to us Rom 4:8
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Not to impute sin is not to impute condemnation as well !
So, if there was no Union with Christ before Faith, Christ's death could not have been for us, and faith in Christ would be in vain or to no avail with God !
Amen, you have understood correctly, that is the Lords doing, for it's Him that gives us Understanding!Amen, there must be an Eternal Union in Christ before Faith!
All that were chosen in Union with Christ, the Federal Head of His Church,
before the foundation of the world Eph. 1:4, are the same all
who were originally in Adam their natural federal head;
that died in Adam when he sinned.
1 Cor 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
So only the Church, who were originally chosen in union with Christ,
were in union with Adam their Federal Head.
It was only after Adam sinned that all the rest of humanity,
those that the devil sowed into the world Mat. 13:38-39,
the condemned world 1 Cor. 11:32, the reprobates, were added to his posterity.
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Amen, you have understood correctly, that is the Lords doing, for it's Him that gives us Understanding!
God only saves those people whom He wants to save. The rest are lost.
God only saves those people whom He wants to save. The rest are lost.
God only saves those people whom He wants to save. The rest are lost.
That is right.
Denying God's grace to others only denies it to yourselves. Repent.
When have I ever said otherwise? I've always believed in repentance because that's what Paul preached (Acts 17:30-31; 26:20).
Our disagreement is on what repent means, how one does it, and why.