Does Soul Seep conflict with Salvation by Grace ?
[Soul sleeping does not make any sense to me. We are already raised with God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Positionally we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places already. Eph 2:6 and Col 3:1-2.]
The doctrine of Salvation is that we DO have eternal life now 1 John 5:11-13 but that life is in His Son. The idea that we are "already raised with God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ" is certainly true. That's a confidence that the living can have. It says nothing about our condition when we die. You know that people die when they reach the age of 70 to 90 or 100. Where are they then? This text deals with the relationship that the living have with God. It says nothing about the relationship that dead people have with God.
[Soul sleeping implies that we are not fit to enter into heaven soon after we die. This is not true. If we do not understand and believe that we go to be with Jesus Christ the moment after we die, then we do not have the biblical salvation provided by the Father through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.]
The issue of our fitness to enter heaven has nothing whatsoever to do with when we enter heaven. If a person is fit to enter into God's presence when he dies, then whether that happens immediately or at the resurrection makes no difference whatsoever.
[The very essence of the Good News of Jesus Christ is that all our sins (past, present future) are paid for and the debt cancelled, in addition to that, the absolute perfection of Jesus Christ is imputed, or transferred to us. As believers we are as perfect as Jesus Christ is now in the eyes of God the Father. We did not earn this by our efforts but we were given this position freely by grace.]
This argument is about our relationship with God while we are alive on this earth. It has nothing to do with what happens to a person when he dies.
[SDAs also say that the salvation is only through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ apart from any human efforts or works. Do they really understand and believe this? What I say is this "Jesus Christ had not completed the work of salvation, if a believer is not fit to admit to heaven right after death.]
Adventists believe that every genuine Christian is fit to enter heaven immediately after death. This doesn't mean that they WILL enter heaven immediately after death, but they certainly are fit to. You are confusing fitness to enter heaven with when we enter heaven. Those are two entirely different issues.
[We are the saints, the bride of Christ, kings and priests of God, holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). Why do we have to go through a soul sleeping process?]
It is simple. Scriptures say so! You are ignoring a whole Bible full of evidence that God's people rest in the grave from death till the resurrection.
[The major doctrine here is that the salvation is by grace. All other doctrines must follow under that. We cannot have two doctrines at the same level when they are in conflict.]
There is no conflict between salvation by grace alone through faith and the idea of sleeping until Jesus comes. If we are saved by grace alone through faith, then we will spend eternity with Jesus, and whether we enter upon that eternal life immediately after we die or whether we sleep in the grace till Jesus comes is irrelevant to our ultimate eternal life in God's kingdom.
The doctrine of Salvation is that we DO have eternal life now 1 John 5:11-13 but that life is in His Son. The idea that we are "already raised with God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ" is certainly true. That's a confidence that the living can have. It says nothing about our condition when we die. You know that people die when they reach the age of 70 to 90 or 100. Where are they then? This text deals with the relationship that the living have with God. It says nothing about the relationship that dead people have with God.
[Soul sleeping implies that we are not fit to enter into heaven soon after we die. This is not true. If we do not understand and believe that we go to be with Jesus Christ the moment after we die, then we do not have the biblical salvation provided by the Father through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.]
The issue of our fitness to enter heaven has nothing whatsoever to do with when we enter heaven. If a person is fit to enter into God's presence when he dies, then whether that happens immediately or at the resurrection makes no difference whatsoever.
[The very essence of the Good News of Jesus Christ is that all our sins (past, present future) are paid for and the debt cancelled, in addition to that, the absolute perfection of Jesus Christ is imputed, or transferred to us. As believers we are as perfect as Jesus Christ is now in the eyes of God the Father. We did not earn this by our efforts but we were given this position freely by grace.]
This argument is about our relationship with God while we are alive on this earth. It has nothing to do with what happens to a person when he dies.
[SDAs also say that the salvation is only through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ apart from any human efforts or works. Do they really understand and believe this? What I say is this "Jesus Christ had not completed the work of salvation, if a believer is not fit to admit to heaven right after death.]
Adventists believe that every genuine Christian is fit to enter heaven immediately after death. This doesn't mean that they WILL enter heaven immediately after death, but they certainly are fit to. You are confusing fitness to enter heaven with when we enter heaven. Those are two entirely different issues.
[We are the saints, the bride of Christ, kings and priests of God, holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). Why do we have to go through a soul sleeping process?]
It is simple. Scriptures say so! You are ignoring a whole Bible full of evidence that God's people rest in the grave from death till the resurrection.
[The major doctrine here is that the salvation is by grace. All other doctrines must follow under that. We cannot have two doctrines at the same level when they are in conflict.]
There is no conflict between salvation by grace alone through faith and the idea of sleeping until Jesus comes. If we are saved by grace alone through faith, then we will spend eternity with Jesus, and whether we enter upon that eternal life immediately after we die or whether we sleep in the grace till Jesus comes is irrelevant to our ultimate eternal life in God's kingdom.