Quote:
Originally Posted by Preterist
As I stated before, the real issue is not what we do but what God has done in us. HE has regenerated us; HE has redeemed us; HE has made of us a new man, a new creation; HE has made us alive in Christ. In order to lose our salvation, we would have to UNdo all of these works wrought by God alone. We CANNOT do that! We never had the power to accomplish them in ourselves in order to save ourselves; we do not have the power to undo them!
In Christ, Preterist
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Preterist,
The fatal flaw in your approach is in the two little words "we cannot." You seem to think that all the data of Scripture can be forced into your logical system. We must let
all the statements of Scripture stand even if we cannot force them into our system.
Believers can fall from faith because
the Bible teaches that believers can fall from faith. In explaining the parable of the sower our Savior says, “Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away” (Luke 8:13).
Paul writes to the Galatians, “you who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
Again Paul writes, “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to the faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith” (1 Timothy 1:19). To shipwreck one’s faith is to destroy one’s faith.
The Bible warns us, “
If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Among the other passages that deal with this are Matthew 13:18-23, Luke 8:11-15,Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 10:26, and John 10:27-29. Luke 8: 13 clearly speaks of those who believe for awhile and then fall away. Hebrews 6 is perhaps the strongest because it speaks of those who fall as having been enlightened and having shared in the Holy Spirit. It seems to refer to those whose fall is final because they commit the sin against the Holy Spirit. We also have the example of David who fell from faith and was restored.
But in times of doubt we should not look at our feelings to see if
we ever felt saved but at the truths of objective justification which proclaim what Christ has done for us once and for all. Our works, which testify to the presence of faith in us, are an assurance of our calling and election, but for our confidence we should look outside ourselves to the verdict of God (1 John 3:20). The faith the Holy Spirit has worked in us assures us of our election (Ephesians 1:11-14).
Knowing when to preach either of these two teachings is a matter of recognizing the difference between the Law and the Gospel. The Law is to warn the complacent, the Gospel is to comfort the troubled.