Exactly the same thing it tells you. "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.."
But, have you bothered to read anything else in your Bible? Even
verse 5 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"
How could you be dead in sins? What is sin????? What about all these
texts:????
1 John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we
keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and
keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily
is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him."
Romans 6:16 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves
servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

Wow... Harold.. if you would just step back and look at your interpretations of these passages..

How does someone who is 'dead IN sin' make themselves alive?  By being obedient to the law which is impossible for them to complete, nor even having an inclanation to try and complete it? NO!.. God quickens us together with Christ.  Quicken means to make alive - something that we could not do for ourselves, which is why salvation is not by works but all of grace.  Read this clearly - Man is incapable of completing the law... even when you were infused with the Holy Spirit, you still struggle with flesh... you may not openly break the law in action, but you still may do so in thoughts and intentions (even sometimes sinning in ignorance).  So what happens when you are made alive in Christ -

1.) First you see the grossness of sin

2.) You see the holiness of God (thereby making you extremely humble)

3.) You see the gospel of Jesus Christ as personal and finally understand what His death and resuurection mean

4.) You have faith in that gospel (which is a gift also from God) and this completes your justification in His heavenly courts.

5.) You live your life by Him, for Him, and with Him.  All in love...  (Here is where works come in)

6.) You grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ ...

John specifically says, that if we do what Christ says, 'thereby we know we are in Him', not 'thereby he saves us'...

>>Please fill in the blanks!

Jesus said: "Think not that I come to________the law and the prophets. I am not come to___________,but to___________   Mathew 5:17<<

Sincerely,
Spencer

<<I know! I know from your vantage point I am the evil, legalistic, judizing, sunday stomping catholic hating, try to work my way into heaven,poor excuse of a christian, sda!>>

This is a false statement.  I do not know you apart from your posts and I have never ever on this forum many this kind of statement towards you.  Never!

>>I know that you see me as the enemy and so your fighting gloves are on!>>

Please give up the persecution complex.  I most certainly do not regard you as an enemy whom I am fighting with "fighting gloves" (whatever that means).  I see you as promoting false doctrine, based on the Bible, and I am trying to have a Bible discussion with you.

>>But if you just took your blinders off you would see what I see!  Revelation says,"...and all the world wondered after the beast!" rev. 13:3<<

So do you regard me as a follower of the beast of Rev. 13:3?

>>There is only one religion that holds that kind of power and has consistantly held it for the past +1000 years. compare your doctrines with those of the whole bible and see how they stack up! Popular christianity is not the religion of christ!<<

I'm a Bible-believing, evangelical Christian who accepts the Bible as the inerrant Word of God.  I only debate with you based on my understanding of the Bible that is without error in the original manuscripts.

Would you please quit making false allegations about my faith and me?

Sincerely,
Spencer

Harold,

>>What 'false' doctrine' do we promote, based on the Bible? I didn't
know that there could be any such thing. All of our doctrines are
based on the Bible. I am sorry to say that this is more than you
can say about all of your doctrines. I'll name two.
The immortality of the soul
The sacredness of Sunday.
Try as you might, you can not find any support for either of those
in any Bible.<<

You and your denomination, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, promote false doctrine based on your interpretation of the Bible (hence my description of your false doctrine "based on the Bible").  That's a fact that these ex-Seventh Day Adventists discovered and have provided teaching on the www that refutes your false doctrines.  

1. The Sabbath: Common Misunderstandings. For those who want more refutation of your false doctrine of the Sabbath, read "Sabbatarianism Re-Examined."
   

2.     The State of the Dead.  In this article from The Watchman Expositor, there is a refutation of your false doctrine of soul sleep, in which it is rightly declared: "Adventists, like Jehovah Witnesses, believe in soul sleep and do not believe in hell. Note how they have changed the word of God to fit their theology."

1. "Are the Gospels and the 1844 Theology Compatible?"  See also Desmond Ford's refutation of your Investigative Judgment false doctrine at: "The Gospel, 1844, and Judgment."
   

1. For a testimony of a former SDA, here's "Reflections of a Former Seventh-Day Adventist."
   

1. "Disproving Seventh-Day Adventism"
   

1. "Christ and not the Law"

 Etc., etc.

Sincerely,
Spencer

You and your denomination, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, promote false doctrine based on your interpretation of the Bible (hence my description of your false doctrine "based on the Bible").  That's a fact that these ex-Seventh Day Adventists discovered and have provided teaching on the www that refutes your false doctrines. <<<<

Hi Spencer, Here is a excerpt from an article written by  Dale Ratzlaff, a former SDA who refutes the Investigative Judgment.  This certainly supports your comment on the false doctrines of the SDA and others as you will see in the following:

"Since leaving Adventism I have made two profound conclusions. Some readers may find these very offensive, but I believe they are nevertheless patently true and are of utmost importance, and that is why I share them here:
One cannot understand the Bible correctly when continuing to read the writings of Ellen White. While an Adventist I would have reacted passionately to this statement as some readers may now be doing! The concept is more easily acceptable, however, if applied to other religious groups. No Mormon will be able to understand the Bible correctly while continuing to read Joseph Smith’s The Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants. No member of the Christian Science Church will be able to understand the Bible correctly while continuing to read Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. No Jehovah’s Witness will understand the Bible correctly while continuing to read the Watchtower. All these groups would argue vehemently they were indeed interpreting the Bible correctly. In fact, they would say that their interpretation was the only correct interpretation and other churches were wrong. Why would this be? Because all these groups would be looking at the Scripture though the veil of their modern prophet, or the teachings of their organization. It is my settled conclusion that the same thing holds true in Adventism." (my emphasis)
Dale Ratzlaff
http://www.ellenwhite.org/mystory2.htm

I must assume that Harold is not permitted to read anything other than SDA literature, books, etc. He had the audacity to say the writings of J. C. Ryle was fiction.

Mary
 

>>Because all these groups would be looking at the Scripture though the veil of their modern prophet, or the teachings of their organization. It is my settled conclusion that the same thing holds true in Adventism." (my emphasis)
Dale Ratzlaff
http://www.ellenwhite.org/mystory2.htm

I must assume that Harold is not permitted to read anything other than SDA literature, books, etc. He had the audacity to say the writings of J. C. Ryle was fiction.<<

J.C. Ryle is one of the most godly writers I have on my bookshelves.  God used him to promote orthodox Christianity a century ago.  It does not surprise me that Harold would consider J. C. Ryle's writings to be fiction when he considers Ellen White's Investigative Judgment to be Christian.

However, interacting with Harold on most occasions is like talking to a brick wall.  The cult thinking has overcome him.

I praise the Lord for the many ex-SDAs who now have a presence on the www and are exposing SDA false teaching.

In Christ,
Spencer

<<You really disappoint me. All those texts, and you didn't evenread them. Now I know why you think any other church is wrong.>>

>>You are still carrying on Satan's preaching about the immortalityof the soul. . ."The soul that sinneth shall die". I didn't say that. The Bibledid. How do you interpret that any differently than that the soul that sins will die?<<