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Sunday 21 April 2013

RESPONSE: Scriptures that does not support OSAS


"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.

Many a times, I ask my friends who object on the statement “OSAS”, that do they keep commandments to be saved, on which most of them respond by saying they strive, infact they try. Does this mean they are not saved?
Believers are born again when they believe:
1-    John 3:3, Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
2-    Titus 3:5, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
For a Christian to lose his salvation, he would have to be un-born again. The Bible gives no evidence that the new birth can be taken away.

Now for the same case, if we take the story of Rahab, she lied to save the spies, yet she was saved, isn’t this a contradiction that though she broke the commandment, and yet was saved? When Bible commands, not to lie, we should not lie, though she was saved because of her faith. Also, saying once saved can lose salvation doesn’t means one has to keep on doing works to be saved. Doesn’t it makes a salvation a work based salvation?




“Romans 11:19-22
19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”


Let me give you a very good example. I have a 2 year old nephew. Sometimes he loves to play in the kitchen. In order to get his willing cooperation, I may tell him to stay away from a knife, when all the time I have no intention of ever letting him go into a position where he would be injured. Romans 11:20-21 is a warning passage, not a threatening passage. If you read Jeremiah 32:40, Psalms 34:7, Romans 14:4, and 2 Corinthians 4:8- 9, and 14, then it helps to clear up the confusion. In the light of these verses, if we see Romans 11:22, standing firm is not a requirement in the sense that nobody will be finally saved on the last day unless I stand firm. Of course, that doesn't compromise grace, for it is God's grace that enables us to stand firm, that keeps us from falling. So God enables us to meet His own requirement, as He always does with His elect.



“"If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." 1 John 2:24.”

We need to read this in context starting from verse 18 till 24. One of the important verse in here is verse 19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
There's no doubt that, when God saves a person, God keeps that person. And by the way, from verses 18-24, John writes about the antichrist and those who deny the Son. A quick question to you, do Calvinist deny the son?



“"If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38.”

Hebrews 10:38-39 is speaking to saved Jews. Verse "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39) Those that "turned back into perdition were the Jew who professed Jesus Christ as Savior, but who were never saved. The Book of Hebrews was written to "Hebrews" as its title states. Many who had professed faith in Jesus Christ were looking for the Messiah to come and liberate them from the Romans and the persecution they were enduring. They had a false concept of who Jesus is and what He came to do. He did not come a political leader, but as the Savior who died for the sins of the world. He came to redeem men from sin. Yes, in time He will fulfill the promises God has made to Israel, but only those who will be a part of that Kingdom (Millennial Kingdom) are those who are spiritually reborn in Jesus Christ. Saved people do not draw back into perdition. Hebrews 12:6-11 explains that the true child of God who turns from the truth and goes into sin will be chastened by the Lord. God says He chasten "every" child of His who goes into sin and refuses to repent. Never, does God say He will withdraw their salvation. In 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 explains that God chasten with sickness and death those who do not "discern" the body of Christ. That means those who live sinful lives not mindful that Jesus had to suffer for our every sin. 1 John 5:16-18 explains there is a sin unto death. God will take the life of a believer who refuses to repent and turn from their sin. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 explains that a believer is saved, but if he does not live a godly life can lose any reward. He gets into heaven "as by fire" meaning by the skin of his teeth in a modern expression. This passage does not teach a saved person can be lost.




“"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch." John 15:6”


If there is no vital union with Christ there is no spiritual life.  The term translated “dries up” is the exact same term found in the parable of the soils in Mark 4:5-6:
(Mark 4:5-6)  “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.”
In the parable in Mark this term is used by the Lord of the growth found in the “rocky soil.”  Jesus’ own interpretation of His words is, “and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.”  Hence, the Lord indicates two things about these people: they have no “root” and they do not “abide in the vine.”  These, therefore, have not been “pruned” by the Father, they bear no fruit, and are hence those described by John in 1 John 2:19:
(1 John 2:19)  They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
The doom of the false professors, while not in any way supporting the idea that salvation is contingent upon what we do rather than upon what Christ has done, is not by this consideration lessened in the slightest.  It is vital that we examine ourselves and not ever engage in haughty pride, but in humility of mind serve the Lord Christ.




“"If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John 8:51.”


If "perseverance of the saints" is wrong, then why can't you see that you cannot lose your salvation? There is no such thing as "probation." Jesus, who is our Messiah, WON our freedom from spiritual death and sin. Once you cross over from spiritual death to spiritual life, you are SAVED. Saved from death, and to eternal life. Period. I wish so much people would stop reading anything except for the bible.




“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.2 Peter 1:10”
Here Peter isn't using the term "make" as a synonym for "cause". Instead, he is using the term "make" as a synonym for "identify." To make our calling "sure" in this case is to provide evidence for it, to show by one's behavior that the calling is real.
Jesus uses the same word in Matthew 12:33 in which he appeals to his hearers that they use good judgment when evaluating his miracles. The scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus of doing his miracles by Beelzebub. Jesus is asking, "does that make sense in light of what we know about the devil? Where is it said that the devil goes around healing people and giving glory to God?"
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
To "make" the tree good is to evaluate each tree according to the fruit you find and declare (or "make") the good trees to be good and the bad trees to be bad. That is, make an evaluation of a tree based on the fruit it produces. We know a tree to be bad if it produces bad fruit. And we know a tree to be a good tree if the tree produces good fruit. So, in this case, Jesus is using the term "make" to mean "make an evaluation of the tree and draw a conclusion about the tree based on your findings." So, I would add to your dictionary
In 2Peter 1:10, Peter is asking his readers to examine their calling based on the criteria he listed to see if, in fact, they have been called.
I don't think 2Peter 1:10 supports the corporate view of election. With regard to the corporation, it would be understood that the group would have such qualities as Peter describes. But Peter wants his readers individually to evaluate whether or not God has called them personally, checking themselves against the list of criteria.




“"For we are made partakers of Christ, If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end." Hebrews 3:14.”

If we read Hebrews 3:5-6 along with the verses 14, "And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant for a testimony for those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."
The word most of the non-calvinists point to in these verses is "if." They interpret the verses as teaching that people become members of the House of Christ and partakers of Him and then only remain in this state IF they "hold fast".
But is this a correct interpretation of these verses? Is the writer teaching what a person must do to remain in the House and in Christ; or is he declaring what the mark of a genuine believer is? Reread the verses slowly and carefully.
Following the latter interpretation, if the recipients return to Judaism as they are considering, it will demonstrate they were never really in the House and in Christ to begin with. So a mark of one who has been genuinely saved is perseverance to the end. 1John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."




“"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: If we deny him, he also will deny us." 2 Timothy 2:12.”

If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself
Notice that Paul says that we deny Christ, Christ will also deny us. Does it mean that we can loose our salvation?
Second verse seems to imply that God cannot be unfaithful to us if we are unfaithful. Also, Peter denied Christ, yet, Jesus did not deny him.




“"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Hebrews 10:26”


Jesus has told us in John 10:27-28 that all to whom He has given eternal life will never perish.  Also, 1 John 2:19 says that those who leave the faith were never believers to begin with.  So again, Hebrews 10:26 is most probably discussing the issue of the Hebrews who knew full well who Christ was, as well as His work and sacrifice, and yet continued to walk in their sinful and rebellious ways by rejecting the sacrifice that God had provided.
So, can a Christian commit such willful sin that he no longer has a sacrifice for sins?  The answer is no.




“"If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15.”

As I mentioned earlier, you need to read this in context. I though have already answered you this, still. The context is as follows.
In 1:1-4, John speaks about the manifestation of Christ in the world.
In 1:5-10 he speaks about God being light and the forgiveness of our sins.
In 2:1-6 John says he writes so that we will not sin, that Christ is the propitiation for our sins, and that we are to keep his commandments so as to demonstrate that we are walking in him.
2:7-11 is where John writes about a new commandment about loving your brother and walking in the light rather than darkness.
In 2:12-14 tells us that our sins are forgiven, that we have overcome the evil one.
In 2:15-17 John tells us not to love the world and that the world is passing away with its lusts.
In 2:18-24 he writes about the Antichrist and those who deny the Son.
In 2:25 he speaks of the promise of eternal life, of loving one another, etc.

So, 2:18 is the immediate context of John telling us that many antichrists have arisen and then in v. 19 he says that they were not from us.  Now, some people say that this verse does not prove eternal security because the people who left were antichrists and that they naturally would not have stayed.  But, John is not telling us that if the antichrist's had been of them they would have stayed with him. That would make no sense.  The reason the antichrists left was to show that they were not of us; that is, of God.  But John declares that if these people had been "of us, they would have remained."  Antichrists aren't going to remain; only the true believers will.

This declares clearly that those who really are of God will remain in those who are not will leave.  It does not say that Christians become antichrists or that Christians lose their salvation.  It differentiates between those who are true and false and states that the false will leave and the true will stay.




“"Ye are my friends, If ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:14”

We are not expected to walk perfectly. Our savior knows that is impossible. What he does expect is that we will make “every effort” – see 2 Peter 1:5 – to grow in Christ and obey him first of all no matter what the cost. It is important to stay within the circle of God’s grace and do the things that identify us as His children.




“"John 15:6 - If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." Romans 8:13.”
I believe we have already answered John 15:6 above. In regards to Romans 8:13, which says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The answer is found in the very next verse, which says, "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." So, those who are living according to the sinful nature are not sons of God at all, but unbelievers. The verse does not refer to believers. Elsewhere, Paul makes it clear that there are "so-called brothers" who are really unbelievers, practicing evil within the church body. Paul says to kick them out of the congregation.




“Exodus 32:33 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of the book of life”

You can’t relate Exodus 32:30-33 to OSAS because the promise of Eternal Security was given only to the Church.  No group before or after the church has been or will be promised such a blessing.   Also, the Book of Life spoken of in Exodus contains the name of everyone ever born (Psalm 139:16).  Your name is also written in the Lamb’s Book of Life which contains only the names of those in the Church (Rev. 21:27).
As part of the Church, all the sins of your life were forgiven at the cross (Colossians 2:13-14) and your salvation was guaranteed from the moment you believed (Ephesians 1:13-14).  In fact God Himself will make you stand firm in Christ.  He set His seal of ownership on you, and put His spirit in your heart to make sure of it (2 Cor. 1:21-22).   Your name can never be blotted out of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5).




“James 5: 19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;”

Since the Bible is clear in saying that as soon as we believe our inheritance is guaranteed (Ephes. 1:13-14) then the person James was referring to could not have been really saved. He might have been part of the fellowship but had wandered off before becoming born again.  There are many around us who attend church regularly and appear to be part of us but are not really born again.  Bringing such people back to complete their salvation saves them from death and covers all their sins.
Remember, Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life (John 3:16). He also said even if a believer experiences physical death, he or she will live (John 11:25) referring to eternal life.  James could not have said anything to contradict this.




“Galatians 5:19-23 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."”
Galatians 5:16-26 concerns the ongoing conflict between the indwelling Holy Spirit and our sin nature, and needs to be viewed as a whole.
Following the overview in verses 16-18, verses 19-21 contain a partial list of behavior Paul called acts of the sinful nature. The key to this portion is the phrase “those who live like this” in verse 21. In effect, it means that while everyone manifests one or more of these characteristics on occasion, people whose lives are characterized by this kind of behavior are giving evidence that they’re not saved and therefore won’t inherit the Kingdom.
Then in verses 22-23 he offered a partial list of behavior he called the fruit of the spirit. Again, everyone manifests this kind of behavior occasionally, but those whose lives are characterized by it are giving evidence that their behavior is being governed by the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell within us at the moment of salvation.
Here’s the point of the passage. The New Testament makes it very clear that we’re saved because of what we believe, not because of how we behave. (John 3:16) The indwelling Holy Spirit is a result of our belief and manifesting His fruit is evidence of that result.
But evidence is not the same as proof, and we’re admonished to not make judgments about others (1 Cor. 4:5). In his summary, verses 25-26, Paul said that we should observe our own behavior to determine how faithfully we’re following the Holy Spirit’s counsel, not compare ourselves to, or be critical of, others.




“1 Corinthians 9: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Paul also wrote that when we first believed, we received the seal of the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephes. 1:13-14), and that God has taken ownership of us and it’s He who makes us stand, (2 Cor. 1:21-22).
The Greek word translated castaway means not standing the test, or being disqualified. The only test for salvation is belief (John 3:16, John 6:28-29. John 6:40) and the only way to be disqualified is to refuse to believe (John 3:18, 2 Thes. 2:9-10).
In the context of 1 Cor. 9:25-27 Paul compared a believer’s life to an athlete’s attempts to achieve victory in a race.  Both involve bringing one’s body into subjection.  This is not a precondition for salvation, but a way to achieve victory over the flesh after we’ve been saved. Therefore this verse is not about salvation, but about living a victorious Christian life.
In 1 Cor. 3:15 Paul wrote that even if all our human works are burned up in the fire we’ll still be saved. In other words, even if all our attempts to put our body under subjection result in defeat rather than victory our salvation will not be affected.




“Philippians 3 : 11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
 

(Please refer to Phil 3:12 below)




“1 John 3:6-10 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
This is an “n o n   s e q u i t o r” cross-verse. Anyways, let’s apply some simple logic here. Consider these two points.
1. If the believer’s security is not eternal, how can God guarantee our inheritance from the moment we first believed in places like Ephesians 1:13-14, and claim that it’s He who makes us stand firm in 2 Cor. 1:21 and then repeat the promise of Ephesians 1 in the very next verse? And how can he claim that once He has his hands on us then no one can snatch us away from Him? (John 10:27-29)
2. Almost everyone agrees that John wrote his letters to believers, in other words people who are already saved. How can John tell believers in 1 John 1:8-10 that if we claim we haven’t sinned then we’re liars and make Jesus out to be a liar too, then promise us that if we’ll just confess our sins, God is faithful and will purify us from all unrighteousness, and then 2 chapters later say that no one born of God continues to sin?
And how can John teach that believers will no longer sin, when Paul spent most of a chapter lamenting the fact that no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop sinning, in fact the harder he tried, the worse he became? (Romans 7:7-25) and then tell us that because of Jesus, man is no longer condemned for his sins, that we’ve been set free from the law of sin and death, and nothing can separate us from God’s love? (Romans 8:1, 38-39) Was John implying that Paul wasn’t saved?
And where is the man or woman from any period in history who having become a believer never sinned again? Have we all been forced to forfeit our salvation? Because we’re all sinners. Everyone of us.
Simple logic tells us that John had to be talking about a particular sin, not sin in general. And that’s exactly the case. His letters were written as a warning against Gnosticism, one of the most dangerous heresies in the early church. It held that salvation didn’t come from faith but from the acquisition of secret knowledge. It also argued that if Jesus was God, he couldn’t have been a man, and if He was a man then He couldn’t have been God. 1 John 1:1, 2:22, & 4:2-3 address this issue specifically. Colossians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Peter also speak against this early heresy. And it’s still here. Freemasonry, the New Age and Scientology are all re-packaged forms of 1st Century Gnosticism.
You have rightly called the denial of Eternal Security a form of bondage. What it takes for us to break this bondage is to use our powers of reason and logic to see the contradiction it presents. We have to ask ourselves if we really believe that God endured the most horrible death ever devised only to present us with a new set of even more impossible conditions for attaining eternal life. The Old Testament condemned men for their deeds, but the New Testament condemns us for our thoughts.
The proponents of conditional security have either had to surrender their own salvation or somehow exempt themselves from its conditions. Because if 1 John 3:9 has general application here’s what’s required to obey it . No anger, ever. No lust, ever. No envy, ever. No idolatry, ever. No favoritism or discrimination, ever. No impure thoughts or deeds of any kind, ever. (Matt.5, James 2) As John said, the man who claims he’s never done any of these things is a liar. But it gets worse. Slip up once and you’re out forever. (James 2:10) Is this the Good News, the incomparable riches of His Grace? I can’t believe so.




“1st John 3:15 says that "if you hate your 'brother' you're a murderer   and no murderer hath eternal life"”

This is again out of context. In 1 John 3:15, John is writing to the church about abiding in the love of Christ.  In fact, in 1 John, the word "abide" occurs 16 times in the NASB and the apostle continually refers to abiding in Christ (1 John 2:4,24,28; 3:6,24, etc.). Therefore, we see that a true Christian will love the Lord Jesus supremely and in so doing he will not abide in hatred towards his brother. Or will he?




“Phil 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already   perfect: but I follow after”
This is again the next verse to what you have asked earlier. Well, how could Paul tell the Philippians they have to work to maintain their salvation when he had already told the Ephesians (Ephes 1:13-14) and the Corinthians (2 Cor. 1:21-22) that their salvation was guaranteed from the moment they believed.  Earlier in the Philippian letter he said that God is faithful to carry to completion the good work he began in us (Phil. 1:6). We didn’t begin the work, He did.  We don’t carry it to completion, He does. What Paul was saying there is right now salvation is a promise God has given us.  We can trust Him because He’s faithful to turn the promise into reality.
Phil 2:12 is part of a passage where the context is imitating the Lord’s humility. In Phil 2:5-11 He said Jesus was God in the flesh, but made himself as humble as a servant, even forfeiting His own life because His Father asked Him to.  In that context Phil 2:12 is saying that if He who had everything could do that, how much more should we who have nothing come to Him in deep humility, with fear and trembling, because we know we don’t deserve what we’re asking for.  Phil. 2:13 tells us even the act of asking for salvation is due to God working in us to act according to His purpose.  We can’t take credit for anything.  In that context, how could Paul have possibly been saying that we have to work to finish the job God only began? If that was the case we’d be able to take credit for our own salvation.




“Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Matthew 10 contains a set of instructions the Lord gave to His disciples before sending them out on their first missionary journey. But as sometimes happens, He included some tips that obviously are meant for the time after His crucifixion and others that are for the end of the age, after the rapture.
We know this because the Book of Acts confirms the circumstances of Matt. 10:17-20 as being post resurrection, and the phrase “he who stands firm until the end will be saved” from Matt. 10:21-23 appears again in Matt. 24:9-14 where the context is clearly the end of the age after the Church is gone.
More importantly the admonition to stand firm until the end in order to be saved violates several clear promises made to the Church.  Both Jesus and Paul said for the church, salvation is guaranteed from the moment of belief.  John 10:27-30, Ephes. 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 1:21-22 and others attest to this.  Promises like these gave rise to the hymn “Blessed Assurance.”




“1 Corinthians 15:2
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”


Paul explained his point in 1 Cor. 15:3-4 by reminding them of the word he preached to them.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
This is the gospel to which we must hold firm.  We must believe that Jesus died for all our sins and rose again on the 3rd day.  The reason this is so important is that Jesus took all our sins upon Himself (According to 2 Cor. 5:21 He was made sin for us) and then rose again to be seated at the right hand of God. Nothing sinful can exist in the presence of God, so if any of our sins still remained on Jesus, He couldn’t be seated at God’s right hand.  His resurrection is our proof that every one of our sins was paid for at the cross.  If we don’t believe that we’ve believed in vain, because there is no other remedy for our sins.  Either we believe they were all paid for at the cross or else we’re not saved.




“Galatians 6:8-9
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”


The Bible, being the word of God, cannot contradict itself, so when it appears to be doing so we know it must be either a translation problem or an interpretation problem.  With so many very clear passages confirming OSAS, many of them written by Paul, we have to interpret questionable ones like the ones you’ve cited in light of them.
For example, in Ephesians 1:13-14 Paul said our salvation was granted at the moment we first believed and at that time we were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.   Then in Ephesians 2:8-9 he said we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works.  It doesn’t make sense that this same writer would tell the Galatians that their salvation would ultimately depend on continuing to do good and could be taken away.
We can determine the context of a given passage by reading several verses either side of it.  All of  Galatians 5 consists of an admonition not to fall back under the law and Gal 6:11-16 are a final warning against it.  Claiming to be saved by grace and then going back under the law is what Paul meant by mocking God in Gal. 6:7.  In verse 8 he said doing so is an effort to satisfy their sinful nature and will bring them to ruin.
Since a person who is saved cannot fall back under the law, the implication is that those who do so aren’t really saved.   This interpretation is consistent with Paul’s other statements on the subject.  So the phrase “doing good” in verse 9 has to apply to living by faith not by works. Finally in Gal. 6:12 Paul warned the Galatians that those who want to make a good impression outwardly were trying to compel them to be circumcised. Obeying the Law can make a person appear “good” to others but only God can determine the motives of his heart.   This confirms that the issue bracketing Gal. 6:7-9 is grace vs. law.
The word, “if”, appears 292 times in the New Testament, Galatians 6:9 is not one of them.  The translators implied it to make the sentence read better in English.  I’m not enough of a Greek scholar to know whether the use of “if” is appropriate or not, but I do know that it’s often used when something is generally assumed to be the case.  Some scholars have used the word “since” in it’s place.




“1 Timothy 1:18-19
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.”


Well, there is nothing in this particular verse. A ship that is wrecked does not reach its intended destination. But this also presumes that you were in fact IN THE SHIP.




“1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.”


Again, 1 John 2:19 says that those who leave the faith were never believers to begin with. (1 John 2:19)  “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”



“Hebrews 6:4-6
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”


There are two facets to our relationship with God. There is union, which happens at the moment of salvation and guarantees our eternity with Him (Ephes. 1:13-14) and there is fellowship, the ability to dwell in His presence and communicate with Him in the here and now. Union is based on our belief and fellowship is based on our behavior.
The context of Hebrews 6 is interrupting our fellowship with God, not breaking our union. The key is the phrase “renew again to repentance.” Jewish believers were being pressured into keeping the law, especially where it concerned the daily sacrifice for sin. Those who relied on the daily sacrifice instead of invoking 1 John 1:9 (confessing directly to God) were in effect crucifying the Lord all over again, since He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The daily sacrifice was a foreshadowing of Him, and when He came the shadow gave way to the reality. The old way was no longer sufficient to restore them to fellowship.
Since 1 John 1:9 says that confession brings forgiveness and purification from all unrighteousness (renewal again to repentance), then by implication anything other than confessing our sins prevents forgiveness and purification and causes estrangement from God. It doesn’t revoke our salvation, but because God can’t be in the presence of sin, it does suspend our relationship, depriving us of blessings we could have otherwise had.
There are many clear verses that unequivocally promise eternal security. Since the Bible cannot contradict itself and still be the Word of God, interpreting Hebrews 6 as having anything to do with salvation is a violation of the rules of interpretation, which teaches that we’re to use clear verses to interpret obscure ones, not the other way around.
There are references in the Old Testament of having one’s name blotted out of the Book of Life (Exod. 32:33). This was a record God kept of the behavior of His people, the Jews. Every year they had 10 days, the time between Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur, to right all the wrongs committed during the previous year. On Yom Kippur the books were closed. If they had not made a legitimate attempt to right their wrongs, their name could be blotted out of the Book of Life and they would soon die.
The Lamb’s book of Life is a different book. Our names were written there before God created Earth (Rev. 13:8).  John 6:39-40 and Rev 3:5 teach us that once our names are written there, they can never be blotted out.



“2 Peter 2:20-21
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred commandment that was passed on to them.”


Sir, the context of 2 Peter 2 is false teachers and their destruction. From other clear passages explaining the certainty of our salvation and the Lord’s commitment not to lose even one of us, we can conclude that those Peter refers to are not and never were saved. Knowing the Lord and knowing the way of righteousness  does not mean that a person has believed in his or her heart. The Greek words used there are all forms of gnosis, which means to know. The Greek word for believe is not related to the word for knowledge, and it doesn’t appear anywhere in the passage.
Those Peter is describing have learned enough to be teachers, but haven’t believed what they’ve learned and are actually leading their students astray. Peter said it would be better for them if they had remained ignorant. As Jesus said to the Pharisees, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim to see your sin remains.” (John 9:41)
Speaking about false teachers John said, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:19).




“2 Peter 3:17
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.”


The Bible being the word of God cannot contradict itself.  God doesn’t say something in one place and then something different in another. Therefore you can’t take one verse whose meaning is not clear to you and use it to negate all the others whose meanings are. There are a dozen or so clear verses on Eternal Security.  Two of the clearest are Ephesians 1:13-14 and 2 Cor. 1:21-22.  I suggest you study them until you understand them fully and can repeat them from memory. Then when someone throws you a curve ball you can compare what they give you with what you know to be true.
Peter was speaking of false teachers who cause people to doubt their faith. They would sew confusion among the people by claiming to know things the people hadn’t heard before.  A couple of verses earlier Peter had said that he and Paul were in agreement on the matter of salvation and these teachers were distorting what they both taught.  In verse 17 Peter said in effect, “you already know the truth so don’t let the errors in this false teaching cause you to doubt your security in the Lord.”  In verse 18 he gave us the same advice I just gave you.  “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  Knowledge is the best defense against error.




“1 John 2:3-4
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,”


Please understand that eternal security is not a license to sin.  The Christian is regenerated.  He is changed from within, being made a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).  Those who were indwelt by the Holy Spirit will war with their sin and not seek to abide in it.  Those who declare that they are eternally secure and then go out and sin on purpose in any manner they so choose are probably not saved to begin with since this is contradictory to what Scripture teaches.




“"Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy FIRST LOVE. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation 2:4, 5, emphasis added.
For the Christian to leave his first love, is to backslide, to fall away, to leave the Lord and His service, and to go over to the service of sin, Satan and the world. The Lord calls upon all such to repent and do their first works (the fruits of love), or else - else what? "I will take thy candlestick out of his place." This is an ultimatum from the Lord. If the sinner responds, repents, returns to his first love, and does his first works, all is well and good - he will be saved. But it is his to choose. If he does not do this, his light is removed, goes out, and the backslider is l”


Rev 2 is addressed specifically to a literal church at Ephesus, whose lack of obedience may be a part of any literal church today.
Their problem was that they left their first love. That is, that they lost the passion and motivation to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ability to give light to a lost world will disappear if they do not repent and begin to act as if they have received the greatest gift in the world, which they have.
I say to you repent of your grotesque commitment to the unbiblical doctrine of works salvation. Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote to that same Ephesian church in Ephesians 2.8,9 "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God so that no one can boast. You were created in Christ Jesus to do good works." Good works never saved a soul, but good works is what the new birth gives us the ability to do.




“1 John 3:2-15
Now lets look at the following verses from 1 John 3:2-15. These verses really go into depth regarding the born again person. Please look at the whole chapter from your Bible and read it.
2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him
as he is."
3 "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
 
4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
5 "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
6 "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him."
7 "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."
8 "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."
9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
10 "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."”


Please read the response for 1 John 3:6-10 above. I am surprised you have again posted the same set of verses. For your information again, the proponents of conditional security have either had to surrender their own salvation or somehow exempt themselves from its conditions. If 1 John 3:9 has general application here’s what’s required to obey it. No anger, ever. No lust, ever. No envy, ever. No idolatry, ever. No favoritism or discrimination, ever. No impure thoughts or deeds of any kind, ever. (Matt.5, James 2) As John said, the man who claims he’s never done any of these things is a liar. But it gets worse. Slip up once and you’re out forever. (James 2:10) Is this the Good News, the incomparable riches of His Grace? I can’t believe so.