OSAS - I was wrong...again

[Romans 8]

the Bible teaches that salvation requires continued faith and obedience to God.

Salvation requires faith, yes I agree.

But for how long must I show faith then, or how much? Is there a minimum amount of time for that? And what must I also do to be saved? How many good deeds would equate to salvation? Is there a list of deeds or a scale to weigh them? If I sin do some of my good deeds get erased? Do I need to start over again? Did the thief on the cross manage to do enough deeds while he was on the cross? Or was he awarded good deeds from his time before the cross? This is really confusing. Which is why it's just not true.

apostasy—a deliberate turning away from Christ—is a very real possibility, and the Bible warns against it. They point to scriptures like the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3–9) and warnings to endure to the end (Matthew 24:12–13) as evidence that a person's faith can fail.

Not everyone believes right away, leading to salvation. Not everyone that hears the gospel, immediately gets saved.

Example#1 For instance, if I invite someone to church that has never heard the gospel. I would not expect that person to immediately believe everything the pastor told them. It will probably take a few visits to comprehend the gospel, and allow the person to realize that they are in danger of hell fire, and that they are walking on thin ice between this world and the one to come. That if they were to die in their sins, they would definitely go to hell.

Example #2 Next take a person that's swimming on the beach and gets taken out to see in a riptide. How long do you think it would take that person to call out in Jesus name to be saved? Probably not as long as the person voluntarily going to church.

Example#3 The thief on the cross.

Examples 2&3 show an immediate need and desire for a savior. Example #1 This person might attend church because of the social club the church has to offer. Or, maybe they like the worship band. Or, maybe they joined a church offering the prosperity gospel and they believe Jesus grants wishes.

If a person who has genuinely believed in Jesus deliberately rejects their faith and walks away from Christ, they are no longer saved

If a person genuinely believes, God will put His spirit in him:

Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

And He will keeps us:

John 6:39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.