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BNR32FAN

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Actually, what Paul's statement shows is that warnings are one of the ways that God keeps believers from falling away.
That means that the choice of turning away and denying him never has any appeal to them and so they never choose to do so.
Those to whom falling away has appeal and who choose to do so are not born again and do not receive these persuading graces.
So why would Paul say that Jesus would deny him if that’s not actually a real consequence? I mean if Paul actually taught that believers would never want to deny Christ then what’s the point of threatening with the consequence of being denied by Christ and even including himself as being able to face that consequence that you’re saying true believers can’t actually face?
 
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Clare73

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It says if it bears fruit this year fine, if not cut it down. So it’s not a matter of the tree eventually producing fruit, it’s a matter of whether or not the tree produces fruit or if it is cut down.
It is a matter of both. . .the tree producing fruit in the allotted time, or the tree being cut down. . .depending on the nature of the tree (born again, or not).
 
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BNR32FAN

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It is a matter of both. . .the tree producing fruit in the allotted time, or the tree being cut down. . .depending on the nature of the tree (born again, or not).
Amen Jesus tries to save everyone but unfortunately not everyone will cooperate, Amen?
 
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Clare73

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Amen Jesus tries to save everyone but unfortunately not everyone will cooperate, Amen?
Precisely. . .because not everyone is sovereignly (whose sovereign choice is as unaccountable as the wind, Jn 3:6-8) born of the
Holy Spirit (Jn 3:3-5) and able to "cooperate."
 
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BNR32FAN

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Precisely. . .because not everyone is sovereignly (whose sovereign choice is as unaccountable as the wind, Jn 3:6-8) born of the
Holy Spirit (Jn 3:3-5) and able to "cooperate."
I think you’re misunderstanding that passage. This was the case before Christ’s crucifixion when no one could come to Him unless The Father drew them. That’s changed now according to John 12:32 where Jesus is drawing all men to Himself.
 
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BNR32FAN

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It is a matter of both. . .the tree producing fruit in the allotted time, or the tree being cut down. . .depending on the nature of the tree (born again, or not).
So, why would Jesus be trying to save trees that The Father hasn’t enabled to be saved? If The Father said “cut it down” why would Jesus intervene and even try to save that person if they’re not capable of being saved? Does Jesus not know that they’re incapable of producing fruit unless The Father has made them born again? And if that person was born again by The Father to be saved, why would He tell Christ to cut it down? I’m still not seeing the logic here.
 
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Clare73

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So, why would Jesus be trying to save trees that The Father hasn’t enabled to be saved? If The Father said “cut it down” why would Jesus intervene and even try to save that person if they’re not capable of being saved? Does Jesus not know that they’re incapable of producing fruit unless The Father has made them born again? And if that person was born again by The Father to be saved, why would He tell Christ to cut it down? I’m still not seeing the logic here.
Was it Jesus who intervened or Jesus who cut it down?

Jesus is the Judge.
 
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BNR32FAN

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Was it Jesus who intervened or Jesus who cut it down?

Jesus is the Judge.
According to the parallel passage in John 15 it’s The Father that cuts off the branches in Christ that don’t bear fruit.
 
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Clare73

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Amen Jesus tries to save everyone but unfortunately not everyone will cooperate, Amen?
Unless the fig tree is the Jewish nation, not Gentiles, and the owner of the fig tree is the Father, who ordered the tree cut down because it bore no fruit (faith in Christ).
 
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Clare73

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I think you’re misunderstanding that passage. This was the case before Christ’s crucifixion when no one could come to Him unless The Father drew them. That’s changed now according to John 12:32 where Jesus is drawing all men to Himself.
But it's a matter of fact that not all "the drawn" do come to him. . . because the Father has not "given "all to Jesus (Jn 6:37, 39-40).
 
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Clare73

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According to the parallel passage in John 15 it’s The Father that cuts off the branches in Christ that don’t bear fruit.
Jn 15:1-8 is not a parallel passage of Lk 13:6-9. That is a misuse of "parallel passage."

Parallel passages would be
Jn 6:1-3 and Lk 9:10-17, or
Jn 12:1-8 and Lk 7:37-39, or
Jn 12:12-15 and Lk 19:35-38, etc.

There is no parallel passage of Lk 13:6-9.
 
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BNR32FAN

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Jn 15:1-8 is not a parallel passage of Lk 13:6-9. That is a misuse of "parallel passage."

Parallel passages would be
Jn 6:1-3 and Lk 9:10-17, or
Jn 12:1-8 and Lk 7:37-39, or
Jn 12:12-15 and Lk 19:35-38, etc.

There is no parallel passage of Lk 13:6-9.
Ok so there’s no connection between branches not bearing fruit being cut off from the vine and trees that Jesus is trying to save being cut down for the same reason.
 
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BNR32FAN

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But it's a matter of fact that not all "the drawn" do come to him. . . because the Father has not "given "all to Jesus (Jn 6:37, 39-40).
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭44‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Those who are drawn are given to Him. Why would Jesus draw people to Himself if they’re not permitted to come to him that’s just absurd.
 
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NewLifeInChristJesus

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Yes, eternal life is about a quality of life as well as about a duration of life. It is God's (divine) life, which is not the same as human life.
Very insightful Clare. The fact that eternal life is the same life Jesus has is evident...

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1 Jn 5:11–12 NASB)​
And that it lasts forevever is also evident...

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25–26 NKJV)​
 
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NewLifeInChristJesus

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“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭44‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Those who are drawn are given to Him. Why would Jesus draw people to Himself if they’re not permitted to come to him that’s just absurd.
It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. (Jn 6:45).

All are taught and all hear. But only those who learn go to Jesus for salvation. And he saves everyone who goes to Him.
 
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BNR32FAN

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It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. (Jn 6:45).

All are taught and all hear. But only those who learn go to Jesus for salvation. And he saves everyone who goes to Him.
Amen, the others were not permitted to understand because they didn’t believe the OT prophecies.
 
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BNR32FAN

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Very insightful Clare. The fact that eternal life is the same life Jesus has is evident...

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1 Jn 5:11–12 NASB)​
And that it lasts forevever is also evident...

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25–26 NKJV)​
What if someone stops believing?
 
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NewLifeInChristJesus

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What if someone stops believing?
Well, I have personally known only a handfull of people who have said they stopped believing. I have no way of verifying what they stopped believing or whether or not they ever possessed etverlasting life, but all of them had symptoms of a negative reaction to leglistic doctrines. I have not seen one of them for many years, but the last time I saw him he seemd to have recovered and I never thought of him as being lost or as having given up his trust in Christ. I have had regular contact with three others. The lifestyle (and beliefs/opinions) of two of them would likely lead a fruit inspector (which I am not one) to conclude that they are not saved and never were saved. The lifestyle (and beliefs/opinions) of the third is harder for me to read.

But I can say that when a person puts his trust in Christ, Jesus gives him everlasting life (this is supported by many Scriptures). This means he will never perish (per Jesus in John 10:28 and other verses). If he perishes (ostensibly because he stops believing), then the life he received from Christ was not everlasting life. In the case of this person who perishes, we can't conclude Jesus was mistaken that those to whom He gives eternal life will never perish, so we must conclude that Jesus never gave him everlasting life in the first place. By extension, since we know that Jesus gives everlasting life to everyone who trusts in Him (John 3:16), we can conclude that nobody that perishes ever put their trust in Christ.

That's the best I can do to answer that question.
 
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Clare73

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“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭44‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Those who are drawn are given to Him.
Why would Jesus draw people to Himself if they’re not permitted to come to him that’s just absurd.
But are not all drawn (Jn 12:32)? (Yes). . .Do all come? (No)
Those whom the Father gives him will come to him (Jn 6:37).
The Father does not give all to him, for all do not come.
The Father draws all to him, but the Father does not give all to him.

You'll have to take up the "absurdity" with Jesus.
 
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