Bible Question (short): To my Calvinist friends. |
Question (full): Doesn't 2 Peter 1:1-11 cast doubt on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints? I quote from A.W. Pink: "In 2 Peter 1:8, we read: “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The unescapable inference from this is that, if the “these things” (mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5–7) do not abound in us, we shall be “barren and unfruitful”—compare Titus 3:14. In such a case we bring forth nothing but leaves—the works of the flesh. Unspeakably solemn is this: one who has been bought at such infinite cost, saved by such wondrous grace, may yet, in this world, fall into a barren and unprofitable state, and thus fail to glorify God." If we can be "barren and unfruitful", how long can we be this way until we have proved we are not saved? Just a thought. This relates to my previous question "Who makes the rules." |