Results 1 - 4 of 4
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | eternal security | 1 John 5:11 | Scribe | 43158 | ||
Thank you. Once again you are saying the same thing that I am. You are saying that those that LIVE that way habitually do NOT have the promise of eternal life. And this is true. I cringe when I hear doctrines that for anyone listening or reading sound as if the speaker is saying a 'christian' can sin like the world and still go to heaven but loose rewards. I am glad you know that is not true. I agree that no saint can be plucked from the Father's hand. I do wonder sometimes when I hear this quoted why the context is not mentioned His sheep hear his voice and follow him and no man can pluck them from His hand. It seems that if the sheep are not hearing his voice or following him they are not His sheep at all. I suppose my main point is never to cast doubt on the eternal security of the believer, but rather to warn the froward. The coming of the Lord draws nigh and I tremble at the idea of what will happen to some I know who have no sense of danger for their soul and who claim salvation while walking in all manner of sins of the flesh. I see a night and day difference between repenting of sin (and all sin was paid for at the cross) and living in known sin without repenting. If people comfort themselves in their imaginations that they can "fall and repent later" then they are nigh unto cursing. If they are sincere in their repentance, even if they fall a thousand times God will lift them up. Of course what really happens is if they are sincere in their repenting they will get victory over sins a lot sooner than they may think, or it will not take a thousand falls if they are crying out to God to be avenged of their adversary as the widow before the judge in Jesus' parable. The Lord will avenge them and that speedily. It is all about the condition of the heart and that we do have a choice in. Yes we have free will and we can cry out to God this day. And God has established it so that He will not do anything for us unless we ask in faith. Oh I know HE does many things for us that we did not ask for, but this verse still means something and what it means is that we will not fulfill our true destiny until we rise up in fervent faith. James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. I am convinced based on the reading of the Bible that there will be many that will say they are sheep that they cannot be plucked from His hand and Jesus will say, you are a goat and I never knew you, you worker of iniquity. So for argument's sake I agree with all my baptist (and other denominations) brethren that say Once a saint is converted they cannot be lost. But I also hope they will preach to those unconcerned and indifferent souls they see living a life that is wicked that they have not right to claim they are saved or that they are a sheep or that they are in the Father's hand. Why is that important. Because without holiness no man shall see the Lord. God bless you and God bless this forumn for mutual edification and not for fleshly strife. |
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2 | eternal security | 1 John 5:11 | farout | 43362 | ||
Dear Scribe: In 1John 4:10,18 5:12to 20 are Core theology for me. I feared God for my first 37 years. I felt very simular to what you express. You can not love someone you are afraid of. Do you know God loves all human kind? The Fathers will is that all mankind would come to a saving knowledge od Jesus Christ. I do not think scaring someone to pray the sinners prayer is a valid conversion. I am not saying a carnal christian is not on thin ground. I am saying what you sow you will reap. My experience with Goats, and I mean live real goats has taught me much. Goats do not need the constant care or watching over them as sheep do. Goats are very self reliant, and require little from man. Goats eat anything, from poisin oak,ivy or cedar trees, what ever can be put down their mouth. Sheep are completly dependant on the shepherd! By the way goats and sheep both acknowledge their master voice. Jesus used the sheep and goats because people back then were totally fimular with these animals. Few today know much about chickens say nothing about sheep and goats. I know if sheep do not have trust and faith in the shepherd the will perish. The same is true in the spiritual life as well. I profoundly do not believe in sinless perfection. I have never heard any preacher say you can live like hell was your home and still have salvation. I am glad our loving Father knows who are his, because just as wrong are people who say a prayer and depend on that to save them, is the extreme view that we judge people to hell. Love never fails, so Paul said. I am quick to point out Christian maturity takes a life time. I question that if we share Christ with someone and they truely want to make Christ LORD, unless you are prepared to disciple them you are planting seeds on ground the birds may well eat. Sound tough? I really mean it! I have seen too many who were eager to "win a soul to Jesus" as if it were a notch on their spiritual gun. Would you agree? Please bare in mind for 37 of my 57 years I lived with fear of God and I could not understand the "loving Father" part at all. So I react out of 37 years of hell fire, and fear of God. How many others in this world are living like I was? I believe many. Gods Love and peace, farout |
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3 | eternal security | 1 John 5:11 | Scribe | 43411 | ||
Thank You farout. I appreciate your testimony. God is so good to us and so full of Mercy. I like this verse. Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. To know the Heart of our Father is to Know the Son. The Fullness of His Grace and Truth has been revealed to us through the Son. And in the light of the Justice and Righteousness of God we appreciate what the Son has done for us. As many great writers of old have preached concerning the balance of the LAW and the GOSPEL, it is a wonderful thing to understand the balance between the Judgement of a Holy God and the Mercy extended toward us through Christ. I appreciate the precious price He paid that I might be made clean. The greater the degree of appreciation the less likely a man will go back to wallowing in the mud. I do not have to be reminded of my past sins because we know it is completely forgiven. I do not have to fear falling if I do what Christ has commanded. Then my house is built upon a rock. And faith trusts the Lord to help me continue doing what He has commanded until the final day. There are at least two kinds of fear in the Bible. The fear that is of man, or the powers of darkness, and the fear that is of GOD. I embrace the fear of God for it is a positive fear. Some would rather call it Reverence. OK but to Revere God is not quite strong enough for me. Maybe if they said. Trembling Reverence. Or Awesome Holy Reverence. Or how about the rest of the passage from Exodus 34:7-8 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. “And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” If fear of God is something a person feels compelled to explain every time they say it for 'fear'(the negative kind) that someone might think they are afraid of God like they are afraid of a Rothwielder then it would be acceptable to say we should have the ..."make haste, and bow your head toward the earth, and worship Him" kind of fear. This fear Comes to God, not runs from God. This fear does not treat God as your bud that is like you, but reverences God with Love and adoration and Wonder that such a Glorious Holy, Awesome, Unlimited God has allowed you to be His Friend and Fellowship with Him because of what Jesus has done. Since I have been born again and read the Bible and lived my life by faith in Christ receiving of His grace and renewal day by day, I have never lived in fear. I used to be afraid before I was saved. Afraid of many things. But since I was saved I have lived in peace and joy and fear of nothing. However I have had episodes of fear of God as you stated. The negative fear. The fear that I was in danger of hell fire. It has been when I have backslidden. And I was so miserable I could not last more than two weeks without breaking down in repentance. I am sooooooo grateful to God for that fear and dread and feeling that I was in danger of hell fire. I often pray that I would never be so calloused as to pass off sin lightly, that if I were to backslide into a sin or lust of the flesh (of the sort that christians should be rid of within 2 months of their salvation,) that if I should ever go back to those sorts of works of darkness, that I would be so afraid of dieing in that state of sin that I could never find any fun in it. Woe to the man or woman that can backslide into the lusts of the flesh and stay there and not feel the hot breath of hell at their neck. Woe to the man who can call light darkness, and darkness light and say 'may the Lord come again soon' while dragging a wagon load of sin behind him. My prayer for all saints is that their conscience always be tender toward everything that is not pleasing to Christ so that with Joy they are instant to repent as soon as the Lord makes it known to them and if they think for a moment ‘they will hold on to it for a little while longer’ that they will get sick to their stomach at the thought of such a henious act and that they would repent of even the thought of that. This is true christian faith and anything else has been constructed by men of corrupt minds. I say these things to edify not to say you are saying anything different. I am convinced that you would agree with me as most here would. May God Bless you in your study of His Word. |
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4 | eternal security | 1 John 5:11 | farout | 43419 | ||
Dear Scribe: Your tender mercy comes through your words. I too had much to fear for 37 years of being in a gospel preaching church all my life! But the thing missing was repentence. I never herd with my heart, my head heard it, but I always thought it was for the real sinners, which until the Holy Spirit so tenderly showed me, I did not see me as unsaved. God's Love broke through my fears and "Love lifted me" into the arms of my wonderful Jesus. I have not experienced that dreadful fear ever again after making Jesus Christ my LORD on March 27, 1983. I was taking a bath, when I cried out for Jesus. Right then and there I was saved, born again. On April 10, 1983 I was baptized. I went to a Souther Baptist college that summer and completed 4 years of college in 28 months while supporting my family of 4 children and my wife. I went to Seminary in 1985 in Missouri, right after graduation. I got my M.Div. on may 1989, and a MARS in 1991. I was ordained in April 13 1986 with my first church I pastored in Missouri. I say this to point out NOT ANY OF THIS DID I ACCOMPLISH WITHOUT A SUPER NATURAL HELP OF MY LORD ! By the way When I graduated from High School I had only read two books in all my life. Boxcar Children, and the Red Badge of Courage. Unbeliveable right? If God can work with me, who was rough timber, and make me into a beautifull piece of wood he can do the same for anyone who wants to. I never thought I would make it, I felt I would fail, I was afraid, I did not know if I could support our family of four children, there were so many obsticles. But by faith, my wife and I walked together. She too did the same and it took her the normal time. Was it hard? Yes ! Yes ! God was faithful and I stand amazed at His mercy, Grace, and love every day. Please, Please do not take this as anything I or my wife have done, all this was through the power of the Holy Spirit. We give all the Glory and praise to our LORD. In His Debt, farout. |
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