Zobel said:
You started by saying salvation was an event that we have absolutely no action in. That's not scriptural, one of the first descriptions of the church is those who are being saved. Salvation is not *only* an event, and we participate in our own salvation.
1 Cor 1:18
2 Cor 2:15
Acts 2:47
The Church is those who are being saved.
Yes. Salvation is an event. Jesus death and resurrection. We took no part in that act. We certainly receive a benefit from it (mainly life), but we do not and cannot earn it.
But I now see there are two things you must be misunderstanding.
Just because salvation is tied to a single event, does not make it a "one time event." Certainly our faith must endure and in some ways we can grow in our relationship to God. However, that growth does not earn us more salvation. Salvation was earned completely through Jesus alone.
You also seem to be having an issue with cause and effect. If Jesus doesn't die, there's no working out of salvation. It's why things like synergism don't work until after salvation is achieved.
And you prove my point wonderfully with 1 Cor 1:18: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
What a great example of the cause/effect.
For those who do not have faith, all that exists is death/hell.
For those who believe in Jesus, there is salvation.
A great example of salvation being tied to the power of God and not to anything we've done.
Next lets look at 2 Cor 2:15 or better yet, the whole group of verses from 14-17.
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14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?
17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.
A couple things we note:
1. Paul once again clearly distinguishes between a group that spreads an aroma of life and another with an aroma of death.
2 What distinguishes the groups? The Christ.
Cause and effect. For those with faith in Jesus, there is one outcome, for those without faith in Jesus another.
We also see that Paul makes it clear that there's no personal profit to their actions. Their salvation was achieved. Their aroma pleasant for those in the faith.
Finally Acts 2:47, well lets again start with context vs a single verse.
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42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Again we see a similar pattern.
God spoke through the apostles and the Holy Spirit entered into new believers, who afterwards begin to grow in their faith to God.
In fact, in verse 47 that you noted, we see that Luke gives credit entirely to the Lord as the one who added to the numbers. There is no credit given to anyone else.