Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | once saved always saved? | 2 Tim 4:18 | Hiskid84 | 129022 | ||
Country Girl; thank you for taking time to reply. I'm sorry that your post wasn't completely clear to me. Is it your belief that Christians are saved not once but many times? This is the conclusion I come to when it appears you are saying that there can be no eternal security if the Bible speaks of Christians repenting after they have been saved. I would really like to know your thoughts on this (and please forgive me if I've misinterpreted). I found it interesting that you would interpret Hank's post (as quoted above) to mean there are no Christians that sin (since the verses you quoted dealt with those who are "overtaken in any trespass" or "sins against you") and you wrote that according to "what Hank is depicting" there is "no chance of this happening" (i.e. no chance of Christians needing repentance). When I read the quote from Hank's post that you used above it quite plainly says that "sincere and well-meaning CHRISTIANS...continue to live a life of sin". Wouldn't these be the people you are talking about when you quote verses saying we are to "restore one another in a spirit of gentleness", "bear one another's burdens", and "go and tell him his fault"? Again, just trying to clarify what you are saying. I hope we are able to continue this discussion. Blessings to you also, Karen |
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2 | once saved always saved? | 2 Tim 4:18 | Country Girl | 129074 | ||
I would emphasize John's picture from 1 John depicting christians staying in the fellowship of light from God. You might notice that it's paramount to maintain a proper relationship with all of God's children (fellow christians) in order to keep a good, intact relationship with God. This is very clear from John's writing. The most important point from 1 John applicable to this thread is that of staying within the fellowship of God, represented by light. We could compare this to a common credit account with one of our many creditors throughout America. As long as we maintain a good history record of making regular payments, our credit is good and we're able to enjoy the benefits, including the purchasing power and maybe even a slight bit of prestige when the credit limit is high or the history record is good and long enough. Now in comparison, God bought us back from the devil as our souls were forfeited with all our sins to a hopeless eternal Hell with Satan's angels. He bought us with the most expensive commodity immaginable, His very own son's blood. So now we're in debt to Him, a debt we could NEVER even hope to pay back. So we're obligated to Him to obey Him and comply with all His commands and examples as cited His Holy Word. Now of course, our God is absolutely Perfect and cannot allow sin in His presence including our hopelessly sinful beings...unless we're covered by His Son's blood, thus our need for salvation in accordance with His Son's Last Will and Testament. Now being saved doesn't do away with the sin in our lives so in that respect we're still no different from the most vile sinner on earth. The big, most important difference between these two different groups of sinners is whether or not they're saved, having the blood of Jesus to cover their sins. With that relationship intact with both our God and our fellow christians, then we can look forward to the benefits of coverage by our God even when we're "caught off guard" and die suddenly. As long as we've establish a regular habit of repenting regularly of the sins of commission and omission, we're good to go. That's what the Grace of God is really all about. As long as God knows in our hearts, He's King of our lives and His Grace is continuously active in our lives. Other benefits includes the Holy Spirit's assitance in avoiding the sins in our lives, especially as we mature in Spirit with God and learn to spend more and more of our time with our fellow christians. So in a sense, yes God forgives us over and over again because we are primarily human and are very vulnerable to the temptations of Satan. So we should see ourselves in need of our Lord's assistance in this area. We must never think of this process as earning our way to Heaven. Now, there are certain responsibilities (as you mentioned) like bearing one another's burdens, restoring our brethren. Again, these actions should be looked at as weak feeble attempts to pay our Lord for the debt we owe him. I hope this clarifys a little. Country Girl |
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3 | once saved always saved? | 2 Tim 4:18 | Hiskid84 | 129094 | ||
Country Girl, Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule to reply to my post. I know that you won't have time to reply right away but I thought I would go ahead and respond. In the meantime I would be happy to see Hank or anyone else reply. I'm a little rusty and I think my iron may need sharpening. I would like to say something about this statement you wrote: "With that relationship intact with both our God and our fellow christians, then we can look forward to the benefits of coverage by our God even when we're "caught off guard" and die suddenly. As long as we've establish a regular habit of repenting regularly of the sins of commission and omission, we're good to go." It seems as if you believe at least two conditions are placed upon our salvation. From what I gather, you believe these conditions must be met in order for one to "make it into heaven": 1) We must (currently) be in a right relationship with all Christians we personally know. (By this I mean we cannot harbor any bitterness, resentment, jealousy, etc., towards any other believer) 2) We must have repented of all sins to the best of our ability, making sure all of our sins are "covered by the blood of Christ". I'm wondering what your direct answer to Hank's question might have been when he asked you where you believe a born-again believer that dies with unconfessed sin would end up for eternity (heaven or hell). Hopefully, you'll find time to answer directly at some point. I know that it would take a considerable amount of time since he asked for Scripture references, etc. The other thing I would like to say is that you have pointed out something very important that I believe many times is ignored in the body of Christ. And that is, our love of God and our love of fellow believers is an inseperable thing. Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are to love God with our whole being (sorry, my paraphrase) and love our neighbor as ourself. He said the second command was like the first. (Matt. 22:37-39) Ephesians 2:11-22 reveals a lot about God's plan for our relationship with other believers. When God saved us He not only established our relationship with Him but with all other believers as well (both a vertical and horizontal restoration). I would like to discuss this very important part of our walk more but have to stop for now. I need to go back and see what's already been written about this on the forum. I do thank you for mentioning this in your post. Question to any who happen to read this: Is my description "born-again believer" redundant? In Him, Karen |
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4 | once saved always saved? | 2 Tim 4:18 | mark d seyler | 129101 | ||
Hi Karen, In response to your question of "born-again believer", Paul in 1 Cor. 15:2 speaks of those who are not saved having "believed in vain". James tells us (2:19) that the "demons believe and tremble", they are not, of course, saved. I generally say "believer" meaning "born-again", but being born again is what matters (John 3). Love in Christ, Mark |
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5 | once saved always saved? | 2 Tim 4:18 | Hiskid84 | 129126 | ||
Hi, Mark. Thanks for sharing. :) I hesitated about phrasing it the way I did but I did want to make sure there was no mistaking what I meant. I figured "born-again believer" covered it all. :) Though I haven't been involved with very many forums this one is set up quite differently than what I am used to. Besides having a different format, I normally participate on boards that have a reformed slant. This forum is very diverse. It's taking a little time to get used to. I'm sure I'll have some opportunities to defend what I believe from a Scriptural standpoint and that can be beneficial in many ways. And who knows...maybe I'll learn how to post without rambling on and on... :) In Him, Karen |
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