(continued)
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Sheep Won't Follow Strangers
"And the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow" (John 10:4-5).
While Jesus' sheep won't follow "strangers," they will follow "pastors" (which word literally means shepherds) which Jesus sets over his flock: "I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:15). "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof... And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:2, 4). "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28).
The sheep that are caught and scattered under some shepherds hired by Jesus are the same sheep that Jesus is the good shepherd of and gave his life for: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep" (John 10:11-12). Pastors hired by Jesus can "become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered" (Jeremiah 10:21). "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:1).
While Jesus' sheep are following his hired pastors they will not follow a stranger, but if their pastor does not watch over them properly and guard them, as Jesus said, "The wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep" (John 10:12). And as Paul said "After my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:29). It is at this point, when they are scattered apart and no longer being guarded by any pastor and are being attacked by wolves that the hearts of many of them will turn away from God: "They shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matthew 24:10-12). "The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1), and this departure from the faith (the falling away or apostasy) will happen before Jesus comes to rapture us (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).
I expect Satan will use the failure of the pre-trib rapture to happen as a great weapon against Christians who believed with all their heart that Jesus had promised them a pre-trib rapture. He could say something like: "Jesus promised you that he would whisk you away before the tribulation started, but did he keep his word? No. Just like he kicked poor Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden to keep them from eating the tree of life and living forever, as it says in Genesis 3:22-23, so even now he doesn't want the best for you; he just wants you and your poor baby to suffer and starve to death for his amusement! You don't believe me? Read it for yourself in Job 9:22-23 and Proverbs 1:26. But look here, I'm not laughing at you, I'm offering you and your baby food to eat. Why? Because unlike him I care about what happens to you. All you need to do is take this little mark on your hand or forehead and worship me and my man here for a little bit and we'll take perfect care of you; and once we're all united we'll storm heaven together and I'll let you eat of the tree of life and live forever and do as you please."
I believe it's possible that some Christians, desperate in their suffering, could fall for this deception, for haven't many already fallen for a false gospel which says Jesus saved them from the tribulation?
"They shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness" (Isaiah 8:21-22).
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"I never knew you"
Some say "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23) means they were never saved. But the word used in Matthew 7:23 is the same word used in John 2:24-25, which says that Jesus knows all men, for his Spirit is everywhere and knows everything about everyone.
I believe what Jesus meant in Matthew 7:23 was that they had never borne any fruit of righteousness by which he might know them as his servants, for a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:20). I believe the Lord "knows" the way of the righteous (Psalms 1:6), but that Christians who just say the sinner's prayer and get baptized in the Spirit and do miracles, but never stop their sinful practices will be lost (Hebrews 10:26-30).
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Sealed By The Spirit
Some say that once we're sealed by the Spirit there's no way we can lose our salvation. But isn't every one who has faith in Jesus sealed?
"After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13).
Weren't the Corinthians and the Romans sealed; didn't they both "stand" by faith?
"Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand" (2 Corinthians 1:22-24).
"Thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off" (Romans 11:20-22).
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Perfected Forever
"We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10-14).
The context doesn't require that we can never fall from grace, never again become imperfect before God, but that Christ's sacrifice by which we are sanctified was for all eternity -- there will never be another sacrifice for sin for our sake.
The writer of Hebrews goes on to say in this same tenth chapter that because of this, if, after we have been sanctified by the blood of Christ, we subsequently trample on it by committing unrepentant sin, we are damned: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:26-29)
Note that "he was sanctified," just as "we are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10).
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"I do that which I would not."
When Paul said "I do that which I would not," I believe he was speaking about the situation of someone under the Mosaic law (Romans 7:5-18), without the Spirit of Christ (Romans 7:24-8:2). I believe if we continue in sin without repentance after receiving the Spirit, we will be damned (Romans 8:13, Hebrews 10:26-31, Galatians 5:16-21).
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Future Sins
"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past" (Romans 3:25).
Some believe we're already forgiven for future sins. But I believe we won't be forgiven for future sins until we confess them (1 John 1:9, Luke 11:4), sincerely repent from them (Hebrews 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:20-21, Revelation 2:5), and also forgive others (Matthew 6:15, Luke 11:4).
How can we confess sins we haven't committed yet?
Some say that we need to repent of sins, but only to restore fellowship with God, not to prevent our losing our salvation. But how could our fellowship with God ever be broken if he's already forgiven us for everything?
Some believe the word "confess" in 1 John 1:9 is properly translated "agree with." But this is not necessarily the case. See verses such as Romans 10:9, Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8, John 12:42, and Acts 24:14, where the same Greek word is translated again as "confess," and where "agree with" wouldn't make as much sense.
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What If We Forget A Sin?
I believe if we are his, Jesus lets us know when we've sinned: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19).
I believe that Jesus would not let those he loves continue in sin. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye *******s, and not sons" (Hebrews 12:6-8).
Some say that while God may chastens his sons, they don't cease to be his sons. I agree. But I believe sons can still lose their salvation, for some of "the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12).
"The good seed are the children of the kingdom" (Matthew 13:38).
Some ask, what if we die right after doing a sin? I believe God will always give us time to repent: "The Lord... is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Revelation 2:5). "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19).
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How Many Sins Before We Lose Salvation?
I believe 1 act of sin is enough for us to lose our salvation, if we don't repent from it; and 1,000 are not enough, if we repent from them.
I believe if we Christians continue in a sin until death without repentance, then we will be damned: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:26-29) Note that "he was sanctified," just as "we are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10).
But if we Christians repent from our sins we will not be lost: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Revelation 2:5).
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Repentance
Regarding a besetting sin, we must ask ourselves, are we really "honestly" trying not to sin this sin? Have we thrown away everything that leads us into this sin? Have we broken every wrong relationship, so that there is nothing external left to help us commit this sin again? If not, then we haven't truly repented from it.
If we have gotten rid of every external thing that we can related to this sin, have we examined our inward motives for it? Are we angry with God about something, do we hate him deep down for something? For we show our love for Jesus by obeying him (1 John 2:3-5, 5:3).
Have we been baptized in water and had hands laid on us to receive the Holy Spirit? (Acts 19:5-6) For the burial of water-immersion baptism makes us dead to sin (Romans 6:3-7) and only the indwelling Holy Spirit can keep us from sin (Romans 8:9-14).
I believe some recurring sins are also due to demonic influence. Have we gone to a Pentecostal or charismatic type church and asked for deliverance from the spirit of this sin? Have we prayed and fasted for deliverance from every evil spirit? (Mark 9:29)
I believe that while God himself never tempts us into any sin (James 1:13-15), it's only by God's grace that we can be kept from being tempted (Luke 11:4, 22:40), and it's only by God's grace that we can truly repent from any sin. I believe we need to pray and fast that Jesus would give us true and lasting repentance (2 Timothy 2:25-26) from this sin.
Lack of worship and thankfulness toward God can lead us into heinous sins (Romans 1:21-32), as I believe can judgment of others for sins that we ourselves are kept from being tempted into only by God's grace toward us. We may find that as soon as we judge another for some sin (that is, think within ourselves something to the effect "how disgusting; I myself would never do such a thing") -- that within a few days we'll be doing the exact same sin (Romans 2:1), just to teach us not to judge (Matthew 7:1-5), and not to forget that it is not we who are keeping us from temptation and sin, but our merciful savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Falling Away
I believe Hebrews 6 teaches the loss of salvation through falling away: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost. And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame" (Hebrews 6:4-6). Note that it says they were made "partakers" of the Holy Spirit, just as it says we are made "partakers" of Christ (Hebrews 3:14) and his heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1).
I believe falling away is apostasy, where Christians turn away from Jesus: "The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1). "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:10-12).
Some say a true believer will never turn away from Jesus. But how can someone apostatize from a faith in Jesus they never had? And then how do we know we're a true believer unless we endure to the end? (Matthew 24:13)
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Hebrews 4:11).
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Keep You From Falling
Jesus "is able to" keep us from falling (Jude 1:24) if we remain willing for him to (John 15:6; 2 Timothy 2:12).
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Suicide
I personally believe suicide is murder, and that it says an unrepentant murderer has no eternal life in him (1 John 3:15). Does it say we can repent after we die? What do you make of 1 John 5:16?
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The Unforgivable Sin
I believe Mark 3:29 says to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin. I believe the context (Mark 3:22-30) shows that this means ascribing to Satan a work done by the Holy Spirit.
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Complacency Or Wrong Fear
I think we have to hold onto both Philippians 2:12 and Philippians 2:13 at the same time. If we take one and not the other we can fall either into the wrong kind of fear (1 John 4:18) or into complacency (James 2:24).
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The Hope of Salvation
Though we are saved now, salvation is also something we still hope for:
"We are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Romans 8:24-25).
"The hope of salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
"Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Romans 13:11).
"Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5).
"He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Matthew 24:13)
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Sanctification
Some say sanctification doesn't require salvation. But note that 1 Corinthians 7:14 doesn't refer to being sanctified by Jesus. I don't believe someone can be sanctified by Jesus and not be saved: "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). "To give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified" (Acts 20:32). "That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" (Acts 26:18).
I don't believe someone can be sanctified by Jesus and not be part of the church: "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:2).
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Delivered to Satan
I believe 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 does not refer to the killing of the person that sinned, but to his punishment (2 Corinthians 2:4-10).
The Early Church believe in Eternal Security:
120-205 AD Irenaeus "Christ will not die again on behalf of those who now commit sin because death shall no more have dominion over Him.... Therefore we should not be puffed up.... But we should beware lest somehow, after [we have come to] the knowledge of Christ, if we do things displeasing to God, we obtain no further forgiveness of sins but rather be shut out from His kingdom" (Heb. 6:4*6). (Irenaeus, pupil of Polycarp, Against Heresies bk. 4, chap. 27, sec. 2)
140-230 AD Tertullian "Some people act as though God were under an obligation to bestow even on the unworthy His intended gift. They turn His liberality into slavery.... For do not many afterwards fall out of grace? Is not this gift taken away from many?" (Tertullian On Repentance chap. 6.)
200-258 AD Cyprian "It is written, 'He who endures to the end, the same shall be saved' [Matt. 10:22]. So whatever precedes the end is only a step by which we ascend to the summit of salvation. It is not the final point wherein we have already gained the full result of the ascent." (Cyprian Unity of the Church sec. 21)
"And pray ye without ceasing in behalf of other men; for there is hope of the repentance, that they may attain to God. For 'cannot he that falls arise again, and he may attain to God.' "
Ignatius of Antioch,To the Ephesians,10(A.D. 110),in ANF,I:53-54
"Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time. "Didache,16(A.D. 140),in ANF,VII:382
"And as many of them, he added, as have repented, shall have their dwelling in the tower. And those of them who have been slower in repenting shall dwell within the walls. And as many as do not repent at all, but abide in their deeds, shall utterly perish...Yet they also, being naturally good, on hearing my commandments, purified themselves, and soon repented. Their dwelling, accordingly, was in the tower. But if any one relapse into strife, he will be east out of the tower, and will lose his life."Hermas,The Shephard,3:8:7(A.D. 155),in ANF,II:41-42
"[T]hat eternal fire has been prepared for him as he apostatized from God of his own free-will, and likewise for all who unrepentant continue in the apostasy, he now blasphemes, by means of such men, the Lord who brings judgment [upon him] as being already condemned, and imputes the guilt of his apostasy to his Maker, not to his own voluntary disposition."
Justin Martyr,fragment in Irenaeus' Against Heresies,5:26:1(A.D. 156),in ANF,I:555
"Now, in the beginning the spirit was a constant companion of the soul, but the spirit forsook it because it was not willing to follow. Yet, retaining as it were a spark of its power, though unable by reason of the separation to discern the perfect, while seeking for God it fashioned to itself in its wandering many gods, following the sophistries of the demons. But the Spirit of God is not with all, but, taking up its abode with those who live justly, and intimately combining with the soul, by prophecies it announced hidden things to other souls."
Tatian the Syrian,To the Greeks,13(A.D. 175),in ANF,II:71
"Christ shall not die again in behalf of those who now commit sin, for death shall no more have dominion over Him; but the Son shall come in the glory of the Father, requiring from His stewards and dispensers the money which He had entrusted to them, with usury; and from those to whom He had given most shall He demand most. We ought not, therefore, as that presbyter remarks, to be puffed up, nor be severe upon those of old time, but ought ourselves to fear, lest perchance, after [we have come to] the knowledge of Christ, if we do things displeasing to God, we obtain no further forgiveness of sins, but be shut out from His kingdom. And therefore it was that Paul said, 'For if [God] spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest He also spare not thee, who, when thou wert a wild olive tree, wert grafted into the fatness of the olive tree, and wert made a partaker of its fatness.' "
Irenaeus,Against Heresies,4:27:2(A.D. 180),in ANF,I:499
"But some think as if God were under a necessity of bestowing even on the unworthy, what He has engaged (to give); and they turn His liberality into slavery. But if it is of necessity that God grants us the symbol of death, then He does so unwilling. But who permits a gift to be permanently retained which he has granted unwillingly? For do not many afterward fall out of (grace)? is not this gift taken away from many?"
Tertullian,On Repentance,6(A.D. 204),in ANF,III:661
"Confession is the beginning of glory, not the full desert of the crown; nor does it perfect our praise, but it initiates our dignity; and since it is written, 'He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved,' whatever has been before the end is a step by which we ascend to the summit of salvation, not a terminus wherein the full result of the ascent is already gained. "
Cyprian,Unity of the Church,21(A.D. 251),in ANF,V:428
"Therefore, my beloved, we also have received of the Spirit of Christ, and Christ dwelleth in us, as it is written that the Spirit said this through the month of the Prophet: --I will dwell in them and will walk in them.Therefore let us prepare our temples for the Spirit of Christ, and let us not grieve it that it may not depart from us. Remember the warning that the Apostle gives us:--Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye have been sealed unto the day of redemption. For from baptism do we receive the Spirit of Christ ... And whatever man there is that receives the Spirit from the water (of baptism) and grieves it, it departs from him until he dies, and returns according to its nature to Christ, and accuses that man of having grieved it."
Aphrahat,Demonstrations,6:14(A.D. 345),in NPNF2,VIII:371-372
Free Will & Obedience:
110-165AD Justin Martyr "We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and rewards are rendered according to the merit of each man's actions. Otherwise, if all things happen by fate, then nothing is in our own power. For if it be predestined that one man be good and another man evil, then the first is not deserving of praise or the other to be blamed. Unless humans have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions-whatever they may be.... For neither would a man be worthy of reward or praise if he did not of himself choose the good, but was merely created for that end. Likewise, if a man were evil, he would not deserve punishment, since he was not evil of himself, being unable to do anything else than what he was made for." (Justin First Apology chap. 43)
185-255 AD Origen "He makes Himself known to those who, after doing all that their powers will allow, confess that they need help from Him." (Origen Against Celsus bk. 7, chap. 42)
190 AD Clement of Alexandria "A man by himself working and toiling at freedom from sinful desires achieves nothing. But if he plainly shows himself to be very eager and earnest about this, he attains it by the addition of the power of God. God works together with willing souls. But if the person abandons his eagerness, the spirit from God is also restrained. To save the unwilling is the act of one using compulsion; but to save the willing, that of one showing grace." (Clement Salvation of the Rich Man chap. 21)
190 AD Clement of Alexandria "Neither praise nor condemnation, neither rewards nor punishments, are right if the soul does not have the power of choice and avoidance, if evil is involuntary." (Clement Miscellanies bk. 1, chap. 17)
250-300 AD Archelaus "All the creatures that God made, He made very good. And He gave to every individual the sense of free will, by which standard He also instituted the law of judgment.... And certainly whoever will, may keep the commandments. Whoever despises them and turns aside to what is contrary to them, shall yet without doubt have to face this law of judgment.... There can be no doubt that every individual, in using his own proper power of will, may shape his course in whatever direction he pleases." (Archelaus Disputation With Manes sees. 32, 33)
260-315 AD Methodius "Those [pagans] who decide that man does not have free will, but say that he is governed by the unavoidable necessities of fate, are guilty of impiety toward God Himself, making Him out to be the cause and author of human evils. " (Methodius The Banquet of the Ten Virgins discourse 8, chap. 16
(Author of above study/message unknown)
I remember being at a Creation/Evolution seminar in February and they had a Creation scientist from ICR and Dave Hunt from the Berean Call. There was a general "Q & A" session the first evening and someone asked whether a person who had professed to be a Christian and committed suicide would go to heaven or hell. Both men are OSAS proponents (although Hunt is what you would call a 1-point Calvinist only) The gentleman from ICR fielded the question and answered that because that person, at one time, had prayed the "sinner's prayer" that they would, without any question, as a result, be heaven bound. Needless to say i was left speechless at such reasoning (or lack thereof) !
I have known many a proponent of OSAS and have debated them on a few occasions. Most, thank God, are level headed about such a doctrine and seek to live Godly lives in obedience to Christ. However, sadly, there are some i've met who live like the devil, who give no regard to the way in which they live their lives, confident in OSAS just because they prayed a prayer way back when. The tell-tale sign as to whether one is really saved or not is whether there has been a change in a person's life for the good - where they exhibit the fruit of the Spirit more and more each day -
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature.
"...be in Christ" = abiding in Christ as He says those who truly follow Him will do -
John 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,
except ye abide in me.
If a person fails to abide in Christ -
John 15:6
If a man abide not in me,
he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and
cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Men gather them. The word men is not in the original, and should not have been in the translation. The Greek is "they gather them," a form of expression denoting simply they are gathered, without specifying by whom it is done. From Mt 13:40-42, it seems that it will be done by the angels. The expression means, as the withered and useless branches of trees are gathered for fuel, so shall it be with all hypocrites and false professors of religion.
Are burned. See Mt 13:41, 42 (Barnes Commentary) -
Matthew 13:41-42 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they
shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Notice that, the angels shall gather "out of His Kingdom" - not from those outside the Kingdom.
Seems to me pretty clear, abide in Christ...or else suffer the consequences.
Ray
