Subject: Flesh or Spirit |
Bible Note: Jlhetrick, Thank you for your comments. You really put the subject back into perspective for me. I do hold to the truth that once God seals us as His with His Holy Spirit, there is nothing we can do to shake off our salvation. The odd thing is, I think I separated the two and shouldn’t have. Funny how I seem to try and work out a subject and separate from everything else not realizing that one directly relates to the other. My point… In attempting to reconcile a backslidden state with what the Spirit will accomplish in us, I failed to take into consideration the fact that once we are saved, truly saved, we have that eternally. I was considering a backslidden state to be something of a period of time, a time in which we intentionally or unintentionally place a distance between God and ourselves, a span of time, not just an individual moment. But as Hank pointed out, every time we sin, it can be considered such a state because we sure don’t pull closer to Him in doing so. But the effect of that span, or moment, in which we do pull away, God can use to strengthen us. The Spirit accomplishes the same. The end result, we are sealed and assured of our salvation. Our obligation is to recognize our sin and repent of it. It is the Holy Spirit that will enable us to that. Thank you for the redirection, or pointing out my misdirection. It is very much appreciated. WOS |