Please consider the reality that "non-fellowship-with-God", that "undisciplined" and "unconfessed sin", and that "quenched Spirit", by definition all mean "not saved".
How can any of those things apply to unbelievers.
"Behold I stand at the door and knock" (Rev.3:20)
Spoken to believers.
"for God has not given us a spirit of fear but power, love and self-discipline" (2Tim.1:7)
Spoken to believers.
"If we confess our sin ... (1Jn.1:9)
Spoken to believers.
Do not quench the Spirit. (1Thess.5:18)
Spoken to believers.
None of these things would have any meaning
unless one is saved. They have no application
unless one is saved.
The most important thing I wish to teach here, is that "salvation, is fellowship with God". One who believes in Jesus, fellowships with the Son, the Father, and the Spirit. One who does not fellowship, does not really believe.
One who does not
continue in fellowship is not one who does not believe in Christ but rather one who does not grow in the knowledge of Christ. There is more to Christ than the fact that He died for our sins. This is only the fact of first importance.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 1Cor.15:3
When it comes to unbelievers the Lord has but three words to say:
Wrong, Right and Judgement.
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: Jn.16:8
There is no word of fellowship or disciplne or unconfessed sin or quenching the Spirit. Until a person recognises and accepts those first three words they are not ready for the Gospel. Peter's first sermon in Acts is a great example of these dynamics at work. The people listening recognise they are wrong, that God is right and they must be judged ergo they cry out.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37
Solution? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. On that day about 3,000 souls were saved.
Now they can be instructed in fellowship, discipline, confession of sin and how not to quench the Spirit.
A "new creature", walks in sin??? One who walks in sin, is not a believer. True belief ABIDES in Jesus, and Jesus abides in the believer (participating in his life). Jesus does not abide in sin.
Why do you find it so hard to believe that a new creature can walk in sin? Have you not read the letter to the Laodiceans?
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Rev.3:19
This is "phileo" love, brotherly love. Christ can only call one brother if they are a son of God. These are believers and they are saved but they are most definately
not walking in fellowship with the Lord. By your reckoning they are not saved.
The difference is that I perceive we are "in His garden, by faith"; and I perceive passages like Rom11:21-23 to say "if we do not continue in faith, we will be cut off".
I know you do but you also seem to think being "cut off" or "wandering away" or similar terms the scriptures use automatically means a one way ticket to hell.
To a believer the lake of fire is a non-issue. Sin takes one down into the grave (1st death). The death Christ died, the one from which Christ saves.
Evil is what takes a person into the lake of fire. Evil is the rejection of truth. You cannot believe in Christ and reject the truth at the sme time. To be a believer means you have accepted at least the truth of "first importance" and therfore are saved.
"If anone ENTERS through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture." Jn10:9 We walked into Him. One of the biggest misunderstandings of Scripture is the idea that "man is passive in his salvation, and God is active" --- it's completely the other way. In Matt7:24-27, man ACTS (believes). In Heb11:6, God RECEIVES (men who come to Him BY faith).
You might need to read my analogy again. I never said man does absolutely nothing. I said he believes but if God did not act we could sit there exercising our will till the cows come home and it will not produce salvation. It is only because the Lord is faithful and acts according to His word that we end up saved not because we make a choice.
Please consider the words of Heb12:7-9, if WE are without God's discipline, then we are NOT sons but illegitimate. 1Jn5:11-13 says "he who has the Son, has the eternal life." What if "having-the-Son", is a constant choice, by faith?
Not sure why you said this in relation to what I said. I agree with you. But what sort of children need discipline? Good kids doing the right thing or bad kids doing the wrong thing?
Having the Son is not a constant choice. That is just one choice one time and the Lord delivers on His promise. But if one wants to "grow up" into the full stature of the Son then that is a constant choice.
peace