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Who then can be saved?

I don't think this post complies with CF's rules of engagement. But of more concern than that is the judgementalism that is packed into your comments. Some introspection on your part is needed to address this issue.
If quoting scripture is judgementalism, then we're all guilty of it
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Trump suggests he’ll release Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’ if elected: ‘I’d have no problem with it’

The denials on the birthday letter

It would be difficult to prove with absolute certainty that Trump wrote the birthday letter. But what we do know is his denials haven’t added up.

The letter features a strange imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein typed inside the outline of a female body.

Immediately after the story published, Trump said, “I never wrote a picture in my life” and “I don’t draw pictures.” Except he clearly did draw pictures around the period in question. He said later that month that “somebody could have written a letter and used my name.”

But then his lawsuit against the Journal’s parent company claimed the letter didn’t even exist, calling it the “nonexistent letter.” We now know the letter not only existed, but it was in Epstein’s estate. That would sure suggest this wasn’t just a fake created recently to make Trump look bad; it was something that had been in Epstein’s possession.

And finally, shortly after the image of the letter was released Monday, the White House claimed the signature was so different from Trump’s that it was obviously not his. Except it closely matched his signatures on personal letters from the same time period.

Trump doesn’t face any accusations of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. But he’s repeatedly made false claims about the convicted sex offender and his relationship with him that make it increasingly hard to take his strained denials about the letter seriously.
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MS-13 Gang Member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be Deported to African Country of Eswatini

This is a very strange conversation. So are you ok, with them coming back earlier than they would have been released from prison?
No
Are people waiting to be deported really competing with those criminally convicted for space in prisons?
Yes
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MS-13 Gang Member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be Deported to African Country of Eswatini

Do the voters want deportees sent to countries half way around the world from their country of origin?
Garcia could have returned to his home country; but he fought tooth and nail to get shipped off to Swaziland, an impoverished, disease infested, absolute Monarchy, with the lowest life expectancy in the world.

I haven's seen a poll on how the voters feel about accommodating his wishes; but I don't mind that we paid a little extra air fare for this guy.
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Who then can be saved?

Jesus said lots of things, and we don’t throw out the parts we don’t like.

If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” Matt 19:17

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matt 6-14-15

Any of this can only be authentically accomplished via love, via grace, via the power of the Spirit by one who’s been justified. With Him, we can reciprocate with the love we’ve been shown, and given. And of course John tells us in his letters that, if we don’t love, we’re not one of His.
OK, so now it's evident to me that you have been heavily indoctrinate with Arminian doctrines, which teach that "saved by works" version of the gospel. So it's very difficult to reason with people who can't look at scripture without the distorted lens of Arminianism.

I see they taught you that the "if" in Matt 19:17 means "I command you to keep the commandments". Likewise you have twisted the word "if" in Matt 6 14-15 and changed to mean "I command you". Can you see how twisting words changes the whole meaning of the verse????

So please try to understand "if" doesn't mean "I command you", if means if, like in "if pigs could fly", doesn't mean He is commanding pigs to fly.
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MS-13 Gang Member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be Deported to African Country of Eswatini

It leaves more prison space to hold more criminal aliens, while the Feds wait for returning jets to fly them out of here.

The Feds can't build prisons fast enough to hold them all. Whatever happened to all of those FEMA concentration camps?
This is a very strange conversation. So are you ok, with them coming back earlier than they would have been released from prison? Are people waiting to be deported really competing with those criminally convicted for space in prisons?
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Evolution conflict and division

I assume by "trait" you mean not behavioral but anatomical.
Traits can be behavioral. And they are open to selection, just as anatomical traits.

And, in most instances, this new anatomical trait occurs gradually in the fossil record. So, this anatomical difference is in degree and not in kind.
Sort of the way we see that the Atlantic Ocean grew from a crack in the crust to the huge ocean it is today. By your argument, it's a small change in the Earth. Huge changes that happen slowly are still huge changes.

When some unspecified frequency n of these micro-evolutionary anatomical change events appear in the population then evolutionists claim a macro-evolution event and name a new "species", a new kind of creature. But the "new" creature is not different in kind.
Speciation is merely reproductive isolation. The amount of change that causes this to happen doesn't matter. You're still having trouble with the idea of speciation.

? You did not address the logical fallacy I presented, ie., affirming the consequent.
Bottom line, speciation is a fact. Science depends on confirming predictions of theories. Hence, if evolution is true, we will see allele frequencies changing in living populations. And we do see this, confirming evolution. Because evolution is defined as a change in allele frequencies in living populations. Macroevolution is evolution that produces new kinds of populations. Since speciation is a fact, and is due to evolution (remember what evolution is), macroevolution is confirmed.
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Israel strikes Qatar with missile strike

How is this any different than the strike on Iran?

Or the valid point raised in an interview about the US sending forces into Pakistan to eliminate Bin Laden?
Missile attack on a city feels different than a quiet extraction/assassination at some remote country house.
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Who then can be saved?

If a person does good works, produces good fruit, due to their encounter and relationship with Christ, their connection to the Vine, and continues to do so throughout their lives, then they should have a high level of assurance that they’re one of His, that they’ve persevered. And if the thief on the cross had been allowed down from his cross, given more time, gifts, opportunity, then more would’ve been expected of him. Luke 12:48 as well as the Parable of the Talents shed light on this.
This idea that people continue to produce good fruits, throughout their lives due to their encounter with Christ, sounds very much like the "saved by works" version of the gospel.

You seem to be suggesting that, people have an encounter with Christ and form a relationship with Him, which empowers them to produce good fruit. So if I understand you correctly, you're suggesting that people gain the ability to produce good fruit, due to their connection to the Vine.

All of that sounds good, but it sounds like the person has merely added Jesus to their lifestyle, instead of a radical transformation, where the person dies to self and they are recreated as a new creature. A truly born again Christian, doesn't just add Jesus to his lifestyle, no he must be made a new creature in whom Gods works to produce good fruit.

Jesus said, "without Me, you can do nothing". If you believe what He said, then you believe that nothing actually means nothing. If a professing Christian produces good fruit, it confirms that God is working in his life. Before the "natural man" is regenerated and converted, he was dead in his sin, so all he could do was evil continually. His best works were as filthy rags in Gods sight.

Luke 12:48 (the parable of the talents), is not dealing with the question of salvation, it's actually confirming that there are varying degrees of punishment in hell and rewards in heaven. So those in hell will be punished according to their lever of culpability and that obviously depends on their ability to understand how offensive their sin is.

Likewise, those in heaven will be rewarded according to the amount of good fruit they produced. Whilst all good works (fruit) is produced by God in His people, we still have the responsibility to discipline ourselves and wrestle against our flesh, the world and the Devil.

Some Christians are "minimalists", they do the bare minimum. They don't live sacrificial lives, they stand up for the truth when they should and they allow themselves to be swept along with the cares of this world. Then there are others who strive to live obedient lives which glorify God.
The following verse confirms that Christians will suffer loss, but we will still be saved.

1 Corinthians 3:15 "If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire".
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MS-13 Gang Member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be Deported to African Country of Eswatini

t how does deportation vs prison+deportation lessen the risk for US citizens being victimized?
It leaves more prison space to hold more criminal aliens, while the Feds wait for returning jets to fly them out of here.

The Feds can't build prisons fast enough to hold them all. Whatever happened to all of those FEMA concentration camps?
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Who then can be saved?

I've never come across a single verse in the Bible, where Jesus told anyone to adhere to any truth or truths. It would help if you qualified your statement with scripture, otherwise I'll assume you're merely expressing your own private view.

I don't place any value on private views, as there are literally billions of conflicting private views.
I agree, such as the private views of the Reformers. Private interpretation has run rampant ever since the doctrine of sola scriptura was invented especially.

By truth I mean to say that everything Jesus came to reveal was a testimony to the truth, a revelation of who God is and His will for man. So Jesus told us to believe in him, to be baptized, to love him and each other, to obey the commandments, to obey his commands, to remain in Him. He tells us in Matthew 5, in the beatitudes, where our hearts should be. Etc
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Poland Just Destroyed Russian Drones, Escalating Ukraine War-Better Step up Our Mission Works: Tomorrow is Not Promised; Missionary Thoughts on This?

So far the outbreak of hostilities has been somewhat contained. But on the edges there have been various smaller events that certainly could widen. This is not just the Russian/Ukraine conflict, but Israel and her neighbors, China and its disputed territories. I used to think that only select nations would experience war or rumours of war. However, now it seems that almost no nation is immune. That nearly every country has some looming problem that has reared its head. And those not directly affected are still typically allies of one side or another.

to answer some of your questions, I do think there will be food shortages, with some nations more affected than others. This could not only stem from war but from disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, etc. I think too we might be on the verge of a financial crisis. Such a crisis could see some nations currencies devalue drastically. (No, I do not see the dollar becoming worthless overnight, but other nations with weaker economies certainly could suffer far more.

As to missionary work, having lived abroad at various times, nearly all missionaries know there are risks. Some face far more than others, and I would assume that as God as called that they are faithful. God too can warn and move someone out of harms way. Those are individual decisions that each has to make with God. But in general, I think missionaries are at peace with their circumstances or they could not be effective. Most are thinking more in terms of souls rather than wars or other interruptions.

You are right to point out repentance and change can occur through negative events. So while times can be rough the outcome can be tremendously favorable to those that trust in God.

This verse seems to be the most applicable to uncertain times.
Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV)
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Note that the Greek word for perfect is shalom in the original text, and the Greek word for peace is shalom.
So it could be read, I will keep you in peace, peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.
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No person can come to Christ by their own freewill !

@ A New Dawn
Yes, salvation is according to His mercy but salvation isn’t mercy and mercy isn’t salvation.

I think you trading apples for oranges with this statement, and not able to see the truth setting before your eyes. Titus 3:5

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;


Barnes writes:

But according to his mercy -

(1) It had its origin in mercy;

(2) It is by mere mercy or compassion, and not by justice;

(3) It is an expression of great mercy, and,

(4) It is now in fact conferred only by mercy.

Whatever we have done or can do, when we come to receive salvation from the hand of God, there is no other element which enters into it but mercy. It is not because our deeds deserve it; it is not because we have by repentance and faith wrought ourselves into such a state of mind that we can claim it; but, after all our tears, and sighs, and prayers, and good deeds, it is a mere favor. Even then God might justly withhold it if he chose, and no blame would be attached to him if he should suffer us to sink down to ruin.

He saved us - That is, he began that salvation in us which is to be completed in heaven. A man who is already renewed and pardoned may be spoken of as saved - for:
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MS-13 Gang Member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be Deported to African Country of Eswatini

The voters set a mandate to get these criminals out of our country; and now we need prison space to house the scofflaws that are attacking Federal agents for upholding the law..


Do the voters want deportees sent to countries half way around the world from their country of origin?
Upvote 0

MS-13 Gang Member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be Deported to African Country of Eswatini

The voters set a mandate to get these criminals out of our country; and now we need prison space to house the scofflaws that are attacking Federal agents for upholding the law..
But how does deportation vs prison+deportation lessen the risk for US citizens being victimized? I guess the US even have prisoner exchange agreements with many countries, so they could be in prison in the country they are a citizen in.
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