I guess two important questions to ask would be "what is grace?" and "what is salvation?" and a third to ask would probably be "do I have freedom and what am I?"
Eventually it would be nice if believers could get to the heart of this matter, and I think Paul does a pretty nice job of getting us there and understanding why there is diversity of sights on many of these matters:
Romans 9 does a really decent job of it, though I readily admit that Romans 9 in the hands of a butcher determinist can be an abomination:
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it,
Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of
the same lump to make
one vessel unto honour, and
another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Me is the same lump in which is contained both vessels.
Paul sets up these matters
in Romans 7 where he shows that EVIL is present with him (can anyone spell vessel of DISHONOR) and shows the same thing again
in Romans 11:8 where he shows that the spirit of slumber was put upon the people of Israel (can we again spell vessel of dishonor) and also shows that each of us are to purge ourselves from the vessel of dishonor in 2 Timothy 2:20-21.
Believers are called to understand these things personally.
So, in the same LUMP of Paul, there was Paul, a vessel of honor, a saved beyond any doubt child of God, and there was also THIS vessel of dishonor who could in no way be saved, legal, under Grace, forgiven or granted mercy by God for any reason whatsoever:
2 Cor. 12:
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn
in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
Paul was unquestionably saved. The messenger of Satan, the vessel of dishonor, the TEMPTER in our own minds and hearts will assuredly not be saved, period.
Therein lies the core of this matter for any to see and come to understand.
IF that vessel of dishonor REIGNS in this present life, then that person who might have believed is still saved, but they have assuredly fallen PREY to the other in this present life.
We are to RULE and to REIGN over the facts of our own indwelling sin, which in fact is DEMONIC.
I know that at least ONE PARTY in the lump really doesn't like to hear this GOSPEL, but it IS GOSPEL.
s