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No I don't think so, if the decision was real. Jesus said in John 10:28 "I give them eternal life and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from Me".
Yes noone will or can snatch them away from Jesus, but you can take yourself away from Him.
There are too many scriptures that say a person can fall away, and that their name will be removed from the book of life if they do not continue in the way of righteouness.
Who is Jesus talking about in John 10. 28 ?
He is talking about His sheep whofollowHim.
A person's name can not be removed from the book of life unless it once was there. It would not have been there at all if that person had not been added By God.
The once saved always saved doctrine is contrary to the word of God. It is not contrary to the passages that are being used outofcontext to prove that doctrine.
I have a book that I would like to recommend, if anyone is interested. It's called "Totally Secure", written by Dr. Donald Wilton.
This is obviously just another subject that we all will never agree on, but his book may shed some light on how we can feel a little more secure with our salvation.
I know some of you seem very secure, and that's great. I hope you are right with the "once saved, always saved" belief.
I'm suggesting the book for those of you who question this belief, like me. I don't deny that it may be so, I am just very uncomfortable with it and probably always will be. That's why I go to such great lengths to be found "spotless and blameless".
You know, it's not really me I worry about, because I feel I AM secure. My reward may not be great, but I don't have that fear of dying like I had when I wasn't living for the Lord. I know I will go to heaven. I just worry about those who may have a false sense of security due to this teaching.
Does this make any sense?
Anyway, here's a list of 5 "tests" from Dr. Wilton's book on the subject:
1. Am I sensitive to sin?
2. Am I willingly submissive to God's commands?
3. Am I saturated in God's love?
4. Am I filled with the Spirit?
5. Am I Scripturally convinced?
There are chapters in the book dedicated to each one, so the book really needs to be read to clarify the meaning.
AND JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR, a prayer like the following (excerpt from the book) MUST be done first and foremost.
"Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe that you died on the cross just for me. I know that you love me very much. I acknowledge all my sin and confess it to you. Please come into my heart as I repent of my sin before you. I confess that you alone are Lord and I believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead. I trust in you by faith.
Now, based on the Bible, I thank you for coming into my heart. I believe that you have saved me and written my name in God's book in heaven. From this moment on I will never doubt your Word. I am saved for all time and all eternity. Thank you, Lord Jesus. I am totally secure! I pray all this in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."
Saying it and meaning it are two different things. Maybe it is true that those who turn away were never saved to begin with. We just have no way of knowing that, so it's really up to each individual to live a true Christian life as is described in the Bible and find their secure place.
I hope everyone will at least give the book a chance.
Yes noone will or can snatch them away from Jesus, but you can take yourself away from Him.
There are too many scriptures that say a person can fall away, and that their name will be removed from the book of life if they do not continue in the way of righteouness.
Who is Jesus talking about in John 10. 28 ?
He is talking about His sheep whofollowHim.
A person's name can not be removed from the book of life unless it once was there. It would not have been there at all if that person had not been added By God.
The once saved always saved doctrine is contrary to the word of God. It is not contrary to the passages that are being used outofcontext to prove that doctrine.
I believe saying a person can be saved today and lost tomorrow is contrary to the Word of God and I and others have posted Scripture that I believe proves this.
Jesus told Peter he would turn away from Him and deny Him three times and Peter did, yet Jesus final words to Peter were words of comfort. Peters faith was in jeopard, but not his salvation.
2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself".
I believe saying a person can be saved today and lost tomorrow is contrary to the Word of God and I and others have posted Scripture that I believe proves this.
Jesus told Peter he would turn away from Him and deny Him three times and Peter did, yet Jesus final words to Peter were words of comfort. Peters faith was in jeopard, but not his salvation.
2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself".
I believe saying a person can be saved today and lost tomorrow is contrary to the Word of God and I and others have posted Scripture that I believe proves this.
Jesus told Peter he would turn away from Him and deny Him three times and Peter did, yet Jesus final words to Peter were words of comfort. Peters faith was in jeopard, but not his salvation.
2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself".
All I can say to this , is.... I certainly hope you remain faithful unto the end.
I believe I will be separated from God if I do not remain faithful, and I believe you will be also.
The verse right before that, says if we deny him he will deny us.
I believe verse 13 means that he always remains (abideth) faithful hoping we will believe. He cannot deny who he is, he is faithful and true. It does'nt say he is in us therefore he cannot deny us. Read verse 12.
All I can say to this , is.... I certainly hope you remain faithful unto the end.
I believe I will be separated from God if I do not remain faithful, and I believe you will be also.
Amazing that you can say that after reading this verse 2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself".
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 7:21
It’s a Kingdom passage. States so clearly in the verse. Doesn’t have to do with forever and ever, only for the age to come.
"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." - 1 Corinthians 9:27
Castaway from what?
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of [from among] the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:11-14
In this passage, Paul expresses his desire to know him. Do you think they’re strangers? Paul spent three years one-on-one with the Lord in the back side of the desert, yet he desired to know him. What did he want to know? The resurrection power of Jesus the Christ. Why? Because it’s needed because of suffering. Acts 14:22 says, “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
This has to do with conforming the souls (not the spirits; they’re already spiritually saved), continuing in the faith (we are saved by “believe” (verb); we live by “faith” (noun)), and how through tribulation that we may (or may not) gain an entrance into the future and coming Kingdom.
What must I do to be saved?
Believe. Period. Plus nothing.
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." - Matthew 10:22
What salvation is this verse speaking of? (Hint: They are to go to the perishing sheep of the house of Israel. Only those who have life can perish, and sheep are clean animals.)
"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." - Matthew 24:13
Ditto. Is there any “enduring” necessary to “believe” (once)?
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." - Mark 13:13
Same context.
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." - John 8:31
Is everyone who is saved a disciple? The very word denies it. A disciple is someone who embraces the teaching of the person to whom he is a disciple. There were disciples of John, for example.
You must continue to be a disciple.
But, if you don’t continue and you stop believing, guess what? You still believed in the aorist.
What must I do to be saved?
Believe. Aorist. Once. Punctiliar action, not durative.
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." - James 1:12
James 1:21: Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 5:19-20: Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
James is talking about the life you live after you’re saved; not about how to get saved in the first place. That’s already been covered. That life is dependent upon good works if one expects to receive rewards.
If one wants to receive rewards, one must not only be a hearer of the Word (spiritually saved), but a doer of the Word (possess good works) as well. This is the same idea held between “born from above” and “born again”, the distinction between John 3:3 and John 3:5, and all throughout Scriptures.
James is the book for the salvation of the soul. The salvation of the soul has to do with the age to come. Only people who are spiritually saved have the possibility of this, but most who are in the family will fail.
Either way, in the end, they are saved forever and ever, after the age to come ends.
Many of those in the family will be cast out; not out of heaven forever and ever, but you are assuming that it is out of heaven forever and ever, and that’s simply not in the Scriptures.
Works are works are works are works, whether you try to apply them to getting saved, staying saved, or backloading them on to prove that you’re saved, and works don’t enter at all into whether or not one is born from above into the family of God or whether one stays in the family.
Romand 8:38-39: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, only we ourselves shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romand 8:38-39: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, only we ourselves shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Guess which part I added to the original?
You folks have God's love confused with salvation. They are entirely two differnent things. Refer to above post.
You just believe what you want to believe and follow that path right into the abyss.
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Totally Secure?
, a prayer like the following (excerpt from the book) MUST be done first and foremost.
