Spiritual Resurrection vs Born Again

[Ron Gurley]

SEE:

https://www.christianforums.com/threads/losing-salvation.8010090/

https://www.christianforums.com/threads/you-can-lose-your-salvation-through-apostasy.7785433/

Can True born again BELIEVERS lose their spiritual POSITION in Christ?

Can a Christian Lose His Salvation?

Willful Sin after Salvation and Eternal Security

 

[Northwest Savant]

I found an article about soteriology from an Anabaptist perspective. It also explores eternal security.

The Security of the Believer

I believed in eternal security since I was raised Southern Baptist, but this article has made me possibly reconsider eternal security.

Basically, the writer of the article states that you can only be born again once, and he cites Hebrews 6, that being born again should entail going through the conversion process all over again (faith, repentance, baptism, etc.), so those who apostasize may have been truly regenerated, but succumbed to sin and failed to perservere.

Instead, he states that a Christian can cease being a believer through unrepentant sin. He was truly born again at first, but his backsliding makes him a "dead" Christian, and that people who repent and return to Christianity after leaving the faith are "resurrected" rather than "born again." I'm paraphrasing a lot, here. It's made me rethink eternal security, at least how it is typically defined in evangelical and Baptist circles.

What do you think?

What do you think?

I think Hebrews 6:4-6 is true, and I think the interpretation by Richard Mummau is false.

Hebrews 6:4-6:
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

"tasted":
This is the same Greek word that is used in Matt 27:34 regarding Jesus’ tasting the wine mixed with gall during His crucifixion. After tasting what was being offered to Him He refused to drink it. Perhaps the use of this word in this passage (vv 4-6) refers to those who superficially “tasted” the gospel and outwardly appeared to embrace the Christian experience, but inwardly never committed in full surrender to Christ. In this case, the act of “falling away” was simply the public expression of their true position and their rejection of Jesus as Messiah regardless of the evidence.

 

[Ron Gurley]

Hebrews 10 (NASB)...THEME: One Sacrifice of Christ Is Sufficient for salvation of true believers

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things (sins), there is no longer any offering for sin.(necessary)
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.(rewards)

26 For if we (believers) go on sinning willfully after receiving the "knowledge of the truth",(but no true salvation)
there no longer remains a sacrifice for (his) sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
(Under the Mosaic Law, NOT the New Covenant...FOR EXAMPLE
28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much severer punishment do you think he (not truly saved) will deserve
(TRUE BELIEVERS DO NOT
who has
1. trampled under foot the Son of God, and has
2. regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and
3. has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” (for UNbelievers ONLY!)
And again,
“The Lord will judge His people.” (BELIEVERS for their spiritual works)
31 It is a terrifying thing (for UNbelievers) to fall into the hands of the living God.

True Believers have a spiritually secure POSITION in Christ...truly saved from eternal separation.

UNbelievers have NO POSITION in Christ...truly lost and HAVE eternal separation.

 

[Cuddles333]

It is crucial that the Bible student be able to distinguish the Holy Spirit's power from His person. This is where countless Christians get into a jam. Especially in the book of Hebrews on this subject.

The best example of a 'disciple' possessing the Holy Spirit's power without possessing His person is Simon in Acts chapter 8.
Simon had been a sorcerer before he was water baptized and saw that other baptized people were receiving the Holy Spirit after the Apostles came down from Jerusalem and laid hands on them. They immediately possessed miraculous gifts, and he wanted this gift as well and offered Peter money in exchange for the Holy Spirit's power.
It is obvious that since he thought the 'Holy Spirit' could be bought, that he most definitely did not have the Holy Spirit's person dwelling in him like the other disciples.

What was occurring in the book of Hebrews was that unbelieving former Jews had hands laid on them by Apostles and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.... without having first receiving the Holy Spirit's person. (true belief)

Therefore, the Hebrew writer encouraged the (oikos) house, dwelling, temple, to check themselves for confidence of their being truly converted so that the church there [building of God] will continue to stand and not disperse.