Question concerning your salvation

This is a question concerning your salvation.

What was the deciding factor in regards to your salvation?

What I mean by that is this:
"The reason I am saved and another person is unsaved is because of ______."

Thanks in advance.

So you are saying:

"The reason I am saved and another person is unsaved is because of the [u]Grace of God[/u]."

Job 33:14 For God speaketh once, Yea twice, though man regardeth it not.

Job 33:15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumberings upon the bed;

Job 33:16 Then he openeth the ears of men, And sealeth their instruction,

Job 33:17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, And hide pride from man;

Job 33:18 He keepeth back his soul from the pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.

Job 33:19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, And with continual strife in his bones;

Job 33:20 So that his life abhorreth bread, And his soul dainty food.

Job 33:21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; And his bones that were not seen stick out.

Job 33:22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit, And his life to the destroyers.

Job 33:23 If there be with him an angel, An interpreter, one among a thousand, To show unto man what is right for him;

Job 33:24 Then God is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.

Job 33:25 His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s; He returneth to the days of his youth.

Job 33:26 He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him, So that he seeth his face with joy: And he restoreth unto man his righteousness.

Job 33:27 He singeth before men, and saith, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, And it profited me not:

Job 33:28 He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit, And my life shall behold the light.

Job 33:29 Lo, all these things doth God work, Twice, yea thrice, with a man,

Job 33:30 To bring back his soul from the pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

I have found this section of Scripture to be a good example of how God saves men from the second death.

In Christ
Jeff

Thank you both for your answers. Anyone else?

by the grace of God I acknowledged I was lost and bowed my knee and heart and pleaded with Jesus to save me.

Goldminer wrote:
by the grace of God I acknowledged I was lost and bowed my knee and heart and pleaded with Jesus to save me.

Mahoney wrote:
The reason I am saved is because of the Grace of God. Yes.
He sought me out. He convicted me of my sin, and led me to a place of repentance.

Does God extend more grace to those who are saved than He does to those who are not saved?

What I mean by this is:
(Using Goldminers answer to illustrate)
"by the grace of God I acknowledged I was lost and bowed my knee and heart and pleaded with Jesus to save me."

Concerning the grace that God extended to you, your response was to turn to God. The question becomes, does God extend this same amount of grace to all men?

Dear JaySaved,

Absolutely.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Jhn 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Act 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

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Rom 5:15 But not as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

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Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

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Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

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Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

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

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tts 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Hbr 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

[color=0000FF]I feel no attribute of God is ever diminshed. He is gracious to all men. Men just choose to reject that grace and therefore reap no benefit from it. If I graciously extend my hand to shake your hand you rejecting my hand doesn't take away from the graciousness I extended.[/color]

[color=660099]Act 10:34 Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:[/color]

JaySaved wrote:
Concerning the grace that God extended to you, your response was to turn to God. The question becomes, does God extend this same amount of grace to all men?

Goldminer wrote:
I feel no attribute of God is ever diminshed. He is gracious to all men. Men just choose to reject that grace and therefore reap no benefit from it. If I graciously extend my hand to shake your hand you rejecting my hand doesn't take away from the graciousness I extended.

If God extends the same grace to all men, then that cannot be the deciding factor of salvation. What I mean is that if two men both receive the same grace yet one believes and the other doesn’t then there must be another factor that determined the salvation of the one that was not present in the other.

Therefore you cannot say that "The reason I am saved and another person is unsaved is because of the [u]Grace of God.[/u]"

There must be something else...if I understand you correctly.

I would agree in the sense that we are given a free will to accept the grace extended, that is the factor that determines who is saved and who is not. However the gift must be extended before it can be accepted or rejected.

Don't you think?

I would agree in the sense that we are given a free will to accept the grace extended, that is the factor that determines who is saved and who is not. However the gift must be extended before it can be accepted or rejected.

Don't you think?

You are saying that man's Free Will is the determining factor in salvation. Does this mean that salvation is dependent upon something that man does or does not do?

well I would say he has to say yes or no or there is no free will. God didn't want automations.

Are you saying man has no choice in it?

Are you saying man has no choice in it?

What I am saying is that man's Free Will plays a part is salvation, but it is not the deciding factor. For to make man's Free Will the deciding factor would mean that salvation is based on something man does or does not do.

This would render Titus 3:3-7 void:
"3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Salvation cannot be based on what man does or does not do. It must be based on God's mercy and grace.

I am not saying that man is an automation or a robot. What I am saying is that God in His grace must first save us, not by anything we do or don't do, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal through the Holy Spirit. It is at this point (after regeneration) that man desires to and is able to respond to God.

The Grace of God must be the deciding factor in salvation, not the Free Will of man.

Hallelujah!!! And don't forget that when the Holy Spirit convicts you NOT to do something that's sinful, IN THE VERY MOMENT YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO IT, if you commit that sin you're in danger of hellfire!!!

Please explain. Are you saying that a Christian is in danger of hellfire if they sin?