J Edwards,
Well then clearly you are unsaved and can never be saved if your present theological thoughts continue to rule your belief system. Moreover, you are espousing heresy.
That is because you do not accept the Gospel once given. It is heresy as per your view which you have not shown to be scriptural as yet.
First, you state man "through redemption" was merely put back into the pre-fall state of Adam. However, this is completely false as before the fall Adam was not even familiar with "actual sin," as fallen man is today (prior to salvation).
That is also because you are not following the purpose of redemption. We are not speaking of the state of Adam's nature vs ours, but that the freedom of the will which he had, is the same for all of mankind now that our natures have been redeemed. Christ freed mankind from that bondage. Very simple theology.
In addition, Adam exercised his freedom in an unfallen world not a fallen world. Thus, your definition of redemption is faulty.
Again, you are confusing the respective states with the ability to choose, to exercise our God-given will, created in His Image, the redemption from the bondage of death in which Adam placed all men. Christ knew precisely that man would have a very difficult time in overcoming his own fallen nature, the sinful world and the fact the devil will work mightily in tempting Christians.
Thus He provided us with some marvelous gifts which protect, strengthens us, and helps man walk with Him in Union, which Adam did not enjoy because He, in fact did not have, a sinful nature, yet he chose to leave this communion with God. What are some of those gifts...
The Church, His Body in which the Holy Spirit dwells, and Christ dwells within each believer. He strengthens us through the sacraments.
Second, you are espousing a "works righteousness" in order to inherit eternal life which is a direct contradiction of Eph 2:8-10 and a host of other Scriptures.
Again,. faulty understanding and trying to put both redemption and the salvation of individual man into the same definition.
We completely adhere to Eph 2: 8-10 and a lot of other texts which says the same thing. It is simply speaking of the redemptive work of Christ. Man did not do anything, cannot do anything, is incapable of doing anything to redeem himself. We are justified by faith. When we believe that Christ did in fact save us from death and sin, by faith in Him justifies us to God. Faith does not save us.
It is not about inheriting eternal life. We all will inherit eternal life. However, there is a difference in that I desire to have eternal life with Christ.
Third, you fail to see the forensic aspect of justification and substitute for it "sanctification alone" as the way to God.
There is no forensic aspect to justification. It happens to be a misuse of a latin word to describe a relationship that is not legal. It means to be put into a right relationship. That is what faith does for individual man. It justifies man to God. Sanctification however, is not ever alone. You cannot have either justification, nor sanctification apart from each other. They compliment each other. Sanctification is our walk with God, It is the living of our created purpose through Christ to conforming to His Image, to properly exercise the three fold offices of mankind which Christ redeemed for man.
Fourth, if Christ made salvation a mere "possibility" then He actually accomplished nothing specifically at all for any, which is a direct contradiction of Heb 9:28 and many other texts.
The salvation of man that you are now referencing, that is the individual salvation of man, is no different than that of Adam. He made it possible for Adam to either become mortal or immortal. He did this with a command to obey Him and thus stay in Communion with Him, or reject Him by eating of the Tree of Good and Evil. Adam ate.
Christ now comes to each man with a command. He specifically freed mankind to be able to make this decision, and then if one choses Christ, Christ works with man in fulfilling man's created purpose, which Adam was doing before he fell.
I mentioned earlier, one needs to align salvation with the fall. The communion Adam had was not the problem, had nothing to do with the fall. Adam sinned, thus could not walk with God any longer.
Why do you think that Christ is going to fulfil man's purpose in this world. There is nothing is scripture that says Christ will do what man was created to do. Why would God have created man in the first place and even to redeem Him if Christ was going to do the work of man.
You confuse the fall/redemption with the salvation of individual man/communion with God aspect of the whole Biblical story. If you chose not to walk with God (Christ) then you suffer the consequences of hell, spiritual death for eternity, immortally.
Specifically, Hebrew 9:28 tells you point blank that salvation will be accomplished finally in the last day. It is moving back tro the sacrifical act of the Day of Atonement vs 11-14. The blood sprinkled here brings the life of the covenantal people into God's presence. It reconciles God and man. The final reconciliation, the eternal one, is the presentation of Christ's sacrificial blood vs 24 to God in Heaven. That is why our physical death ends sin and with His second coming it ends sin completely. The last enemy is death.
