You should really read what the covenant was between God and the Jews.
“Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.””
Exodus 24:3-8 NASB1995
This was the covenant with the Jews. So not every Jew was saved because not every Jew kept their part of the covenant. Being grafted into the covenant with God didn’t mean that someone was saved, it meant that they were given the opportunity to be saved if they held up their end of the agreement, which no one could keep the covenant that was given to the Jews.
So, you acknowledge that the Israelites were in the olive tree to begin with because they were the
"natural branches" and not because they were all saved. Good.
Romans 11:1 - I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew .. 24 For if you were
cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are
natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that
blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so
all Israel will be saved.. When did this cutting out of the olive tree happen for the "natural branches" (Israelites) happen and when will these "natural branches" be grafted back in and all Israel will be saved? Can you place the timing of these events?
That’s why God had to make a new covenant, one which man can actually keep. Unfortunately, some still refuse to comply. So being grafted into the covenant doesn’t guarantee salvation but being cut off from it does result in condemnation if the person doesn’t repent and get grafted back into it. A covenant is an agreement, if you fail to keep your part of the agreement it can be nullified, and if you have no agreement with God you have no assurance of salvation, but if you keep your part of the agreement, then you do have an assurance of salvation.
The new covenant is a ministry of righteousness that exceeds much more in glory. (
2 Corinthians 3:6-9) Assurance of salvation is found only in Christ. (
John 1:12;
10:9;
14:6;
Acts 10:1-4;
Philippians 3:9;
1 John 5:13)
And again you keep quoting
1 John 2:19 out of context. He said “THEY WENT OUT FROM US”. He didn’t say “if anyone goes out from us”. John was talking about a SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE. The word “THEY” never implies everyone or anyone, it’s always used in reference to a specific group of people. Furthermore the word “WENT” is used in the past tense which is another indication that he’s talking about a specific group of people who at some point in the past left the church. NOTHING IN THAT PASSAGE GIVES ANY INDICATION THAT HE IS REFERRING TO ANYONE IN THE PRESENT OR FUTURE OR ANYONE OTHER THAN WHO HE IS SPECIFICALLY REFERRING TO.
Specific group or not, the key here in
1 John 2:19 is -
for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. So, OSAS is true IF you are truly of us (saved) to begin with. (
Psalm 37:28;
Jude 1:1 - preservation of God) (
John 6:39-40 - Jesus loses none) (
John 10:27-28 - Jesus' sheep hear his voice, follow Him, He gives them eternal life and they shall never perish or be snatched from His hand) (
John 10:26 - in contrast with those who do not believe) (
Romans 8:30 - those He justified He also glorified, ALL of them) (
Ephesians 1:13-14 - those who believe the gospel are sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promises who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession) (
Philippians 1:6 - God finishes what He started)
He said these people left the church because they were not “OF US” and you extrapolate that statement into saying that “if anyone leaves the church they were never of us” when that’s not what he wrote at all. And you also have to make an assumption of what he meant by the words “OF US”. Maybe they were never professing believers, maybe they were Judaizers, maybe they were false professors, maybe they were not sent from the apostles, or maybe they were not of those who persevere and endure to the end. There are really a huge number of possibilities the term “OF US” could mean, not that it really matters because he isn’t talking about anyone in the present or future or anyone other than that specific group of people.
That's a lot of maybe. You need to look no further than,
"for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us." That settles it for me.
And on top of all that the way you’re applying that passage directly contradicts
James 5:19-20. There are so many problems with your usage of that passage. You’re adding to it things that John never said, there’s no was of defining what he meant by “of us”, you’re ignoring who the passage refers to and when it referred to them, and your interpretation of the passage directly contradicts what James wrote.
I ignored nothing and I
properly harmonized Scripture with Scripture before reaching my conclusion. No contradiction with James.
James’ statement is very clear about who he is referring to. His statement cannot refer to anyone other than a true believer because only a true believer’s soul can be saved from death by turning BACK from apostasy. NO ONE ELSE CAN POSSIBLY BE SAVED BY TURNING BACK.
If this wanderer was a true believer, then the death spoken of here is in James 5:20 is physical death. (
1 Corinthians 11:29-32;
1 John 5:16)
The only death anyone can be saved from is a spiritual death and that can ONLY HAPPEN IF SOMEONE BELIEVES IN CHRIST.
Not according to Scripture. (
1 Corinthians 11:29-32;
1 John 5:16) Be sure to go back and read post #367.
What James wrote in
James 5:19-20 can only refer to one specific group of people and your usage of
1 John 2:19 directly contradicts what James wrote in those verses.
Once again, if this wanderer a professing Christian, whose faith is not genuine, or a sinning Christian, who needs to be restored? For the former, the death spoken of in vs. 20 is the "second death" (
Revelation 21:8); for the latter, it is physical death. (
1 Corinthians 11:29-32;
1 John 5:16) That is in perfect harmony with 1 John 2:19 -
for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. 
