When is one's fate secured?
Those who are of Reformed Theology believe in Unconditional Election in which one's fate is secured prior to them even being born and not conditioned upon anything like faith, which is an attitude, nor action on their part. They are born eternally secure in the fate that God arbitrarily chooses for them.
Faith in Works Christians believe that one's fate is not determined until one actually ends up in heaven or hell, and then they are eternally secure in that fate.
Those who follow the teachings of Jesus and his apostles believe that upon coming to genuine faith in Christ (not to be confused with those of a faith in works soteriology) one is eternal security in their fate, which has been finalized if they had already pass from death to life, bypassing the judgement. Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." John 5:24
Little doubt unbelievers in the latter will respond with their misinterpretations of verses to defend their unbelief. But to dispel one typical notion, namely the idea that those who have been born of God can "fall away" or that it's possible for those born of God to live in sin, which is not descriptive of those who have eternal life, I would present a couple of verses.
"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." 1John 3:9 Thus because of his nature, those born of God not only don't have the ability to fall away, neither do they have the ability to live in sin.
Secondly note 1John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." The principle "if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us", known as the Perseverance of the Saints, indicates that it is not possible, once belonging to fall away.
No doubt the faith in works Christians have their own spin interpreting these verses.
Those who are of Reformed Theology believe in Unconditional Election in which one's fate is secured prior to them even being born and not conditioned upon anything like faith, which is an attitude, nor action on their part. They are born eternally secure in the fate that God arbitrarily chooses for them.
Faith in Works Christians believe that one's fate is not determined until one actually ends up in heaven or hell, and then they are eternally secure in that fate.
Those who follow the teachings of Jesus and his apostles believe that upon coming to genuine faith in Christ (not to be confused with those of a faith in works soteriology) one is eternal security in their fate, which has been finalized if they had already pass from death to life, bypassing the judgement. Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." John 5:24
Little doubt unbelievers in the latter will respond with their misinterpretations of verses to defend their unbelief. But to dispel one typical notion, namely the idea that those who have been born of God can "fall away" or that it's possible for those born of God to live in sin, which is not descriptive of those who have eternal life, I would present a couple of verses.
"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." 1John 3:9 Thus because of his nature, those born of God not only don't have the ability to fall away, neither do they have the ability to live in sin.
Secondly note 1John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." The principle "if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us", known as the Perseverance of the Saints, indicates that it is not possible, once belonging to fall away.
No doubt the faith in works Christians have their own spin interpreting these verses.