- Mar 13, 2004
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[/QUOTE]But can't the same be said of your own interpretation of scripture?
Feel free to comment on verses in Mark 13 and Heb 6 and I can share my comments on those passages, I've already done so regarding Heb 6.
Again you fail to note the hypothetical situation John speaks of in the middle of that verse
If they had been of us (ONCE SAVED)
They would have remained with us (ALWAYS SAVED)
The reason why that's the case is summarized in 1John 3:9 "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." Those who have been born of God are incapable of continuing in sin because of the nature of the rebirth. And as such they cannot sin by leaving the faith - which would be a permanent thing.
So far we have different interpretations of 1 john passage, you have not refuted my interpretation, and I believe my interpretation includes your and mine. So I believe my interpretation is including a more systematic approach to include every other verse regarding this. You have to remember salvatio is set, our faith is secure. But in other ways temptation always lingers at the door. I just heard about John Wimber's closest brothers in the Lord fell away. Three of the men who were closest to him, whom he loved and treated as his sons, all fell into temptation and moral failure. They fell away. When I was a calvinist in central valley california, I would travel two cities away to a great college group. We met the most on fire christians from an hour away in all directions that were college age. We had wonderful fellowship. One man was in my wedding. Later this man would reject his faith, and would lead three other college age kids to also become athiests. I found three of them on Facebook recently, 15 years later, they are cynical of Christianity and the bible, and mock it frequently. This goes to prove that while you are saved from any sin by grace, those sins can still cause doubt in the salvation message in your heart. No man can come from outside and curse you, but personal sin can cause one to start doubting the love of Jesus. "Why did God allow me to fall in this way, why hasn't he allowed me victory over this sin, am I even saved?" Why doesn't anyone else have this problem?" So such a person will go from doubting God and salvation to eventually regretting that he tried to repent at all. He starts to see that his repentance failed because it's not a problem with him but on those forcing their morality on others. Christians. Those are the ones causing this problem I am having. They start hating christians and specifically Jesus. God never left them, salvation was always intact and able to save, but the enemy caused them to doubt simply because of a sin that was harder and more stubborn than others. An addictive sin. Instead of getting counselling, buying a book on deliverance, and seeking pastoral help and accountability with other christians, he decided to do it on their own. Satan seen him walking alone and picked him out. Satan can't remove salvation but can cause you to doubt it, eventually shifting your love of God for hatred. You've forfeited salvation.
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