Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - QUESTION: If *Hopelessly* Stranded on an Inhabited Island

Jo S · 04-30-2020, 10:14 AM

The context of calling in the New Testament is for the purpose of initial salvation. However, the LC's teach that you need to make an endless practice of calling in order to become more holy. So calling becomes a means, not to initial salvation, but a means to sanctification. This is unequivocally works based salvation. It is in fact a different gospel as others have already alluded to.

Repetition doesn't only point to a practice where phrases are repeated 5x in unison as in ” Oh, Lord Jesus”; it can also mean to unnecessarily repeat a practice daily, weekly, or even monthly. It does not matter whether it is done in a group or alone or what it looks like outwardly. If you feel you have to call more than once in sincere humility and faith in order to be saved, then you are practicing in vain.

If David continually called on the LORD it was because he did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit as believers do today. Scripture says that those born of God already have the promise of salvation by being born again through the spirit of God. And so through this indwelling, God is with us indefinitely. He will not leave us nor forsake us to the point where we ever need to call on Him as we did when we were still sinners.

The word “call” suggests distance between the caller and the one being called. You don’t need to call on someone that is next to you. As unsaved people, we had to call on the Lord but if you claim to be a Christian, you no longer need to call, you can now pray and communicate in normal conversation with the LORD as Jesus did.

I believe the issue here may be that some are equating prayer to calling. Even so, prayer can be done in vain as well.

04-30-2020, 10:14 AM	#88
Jo S Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Ohio Posts: 488	*Re: QUESTION: If Hopelessly* Stranded on an Inhabited Island . . .** The context of calling in the New Testament is for the purpose of initial salvation. However, the LC's teach that you need to make an endless practice of calling in order to become more holy. So calling becomes a means, not to initial salvation, but a means to sanctification. This is unequivocally works based salvation. It is in fact a different gospel as others have already alluded to. Repetition doesn't only point to a practice where phrases are repeated 5x in unison as in ” Oh, Lord Jesus”; it can also mean to unnecessarily repeat a practice daily, weekly, or even monthly. It does not matter whether it is done in a group or alone or what it looks like outwardly. If you feel you have to call more than once in sincere humility and faith in order to be saved, then you are practicing in vain. If David continually called on the LORD it was because he did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit as believers do today. Scripture says that those born of God already have the promise of salvation by being born again through the spirit of God. And so through this indwelling, God is with us indefinitely. He will not leave us nor forsake us to the point where we ever need to call on Him as we did when we were still sinners. The word “call” suggests distance between the caller and the one being called. You don’t need to call on someone that is next to you. As unsaved people, we had to call on the Lord but if you claim to be a Christian, you no longer need to call, you can now pray and communicate in normal conversation with the LORD as Jesus did. I believe the issue here may be that some are equating prayer to calling. Even so, prayer can be done in vain as well.