Subject: How many people will go to heaven? |
Bible Note: teresaa - Quoting from your post "...in the church today people believe in once saved always saved." .... True. I do. So does the church I'm a member of. But we believe in the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer, not because it is something we dreamed up, but because Jesus taught it (cf. John 10) and the Pauline letters confirmed it, as did the letters of John, Peter and Jude. ..... You continue, "but there are Bible verses that can prove that this is not true." ..... No there aren't, teresaa, unless they are wrenched from their context and given an eisegetical spin. Using the same level of biblical interpretation, I can give you a Bible verse, Genesis 6:14, that can "prove" beyond any doubt that you and I ought hasten to gather together some gopher wood right now and build ourselves an ark to shelter us from a forthcoming cataclysmic event of epic proportions. ..... It is not only possible but it is relatively easy to thumb through the pages of Scripture and pick out some "proof texts" that one can use to lend a measure of verisimilitude to almost any preconceived idea or half-baked doctrinal stance. The most dangerous doctrines on earth are those that seem true but, when weighed on the balance of God's word, are patently false. Man has no reason and can offer no excuse to stumble around in doctrinal darkness. He has the light of the word of God and instructions on how to use it: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15) ...... Won't you reconsider your position on this important doctrine in light of the full context of what Scripture actually teaches about regeneration and the eternal security of the believer? The regenerate believer can no more "lose" his salvation than he could save himself to begin with. Salvation is wholly of God. Man is as powerless to save himself as he is to keep himself saved. ....... What I have said in this post is intended as a didactic exposition of scriptural teaching and in no sense as a personal attack on you or anyone else. ...... May God bless your spirit and illumine your understanding as you study His blessed word! --Hank |