How can you say that if you also believe that we do not earn our salvation? :) Perseverance makes perfect sense simply because God commands it in His word. It is for our own good and makes us useful to Him as tools to fulfill His perfect plan. If we all just kept on sinning, then how could our relationship with Christ possibly grow? I don't think it could.
[On the elect wanting to please God] To what purpose? And HOW does a man please God, if God does EVERYTHING? Sounds like God is pleasing Himself through His puppet manipulation.
From God's POV, He does do everything that is good, but from our POV we choose to obey God to please Him. Even though God gets all the credit, perhaps it pleases God that it pleases us to obey Him. How many times in the OT do we see the phrase "an aroma pleasing to the Lord"? Does God literally enjoy the smell of burning animal flesh? :) We can't be certain, but it may refer to pleasure He derives from watching us "think" we did it all on our own. This is certainly an analogy that carries over to our own experience with children. Loving parents derive exactly that type of pleasure.
What difference does it make whether faith enters a person as a child or an adult? Don't you believe that faith comes from God, not man?
Sure faith comes from God, and by itself, it doesn't matter whether faith comes as an adult or child. But in the context of infant Baptism, it does make a difference because the order is being reversed. As far as I know, in every single case where the words appear in the Bible together, it is ALWAYS "believe and be baptized". It is NEVER "be baptized and believe". I just doubt that is an accident.
Who is the command to persevere given to, God or man?
If given to man, then it is HE who must persevere, not God! God will offer the graces we need, but WE must persevere in using them. This is the basis of how God judges us. On whether WE persevere. God doesn't judge Himself!
Regards
Amen. There is overwhelming Scripture to the effect that God named His flock from before the foundation of the world and that He will not abandon them. Rather, He will boldly and confidently lead them to the victory which Christ won on the cross for them.
But men will always seek to control other men, and so they try to tell us that salvation is something we must do for ourselves and they can help us do it.
(Isaiah 46:4) "And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you." (John 5:24) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 6:37-40) "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. {38} For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. {39} And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. {40} And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:47) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." (John 6:51) "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (John 10:28-30) "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. {29} My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. {30} I and my Father are one." (John 11:25) "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" (John 17:24) "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." (Romans 4:8) "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (Romans 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 8:17) "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:28-39) "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. {29} For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. {30} Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. {31} What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? {32} He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? {33} Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. {34} Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. {35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? {36} As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. {37} Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. {38} For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, {39} Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 11:29) "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Philippians 1:6) "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (2 Timothy 2:19) "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (2 Timothy 4:18) "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 7:25) "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 10:14) "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (1 John 5:13) "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (Ecclesiastes 3:14) "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him."
From monergism.com --
"Perseverance of the Saints does not mean "once saved always saved". This corruption of the doctrine has been popular in recent years, but has never been a true representation of the doctrine. "Once saved always saved" is more keenly given the name "Perseverance of the sinner" instead of "the saint". For it teaches that man can be saved by Christ and then sin habitually, do whatever he wants, and then still "persevere to the end".
"Perseverance of the saints does not teach this. Perseverance of the saints teaches that once God has renewed the heart of a sinner through the application of the redemption wrought by Christ upon the cross, he will continue to be saved and show forth the fruits of that salvation. The sinner perseveres because of Christ, but he continually shows himself as one who has been changed by Christ. God has saved the individual and will sanctify him until the end when he is ultimately glorified, and in heaven. It does not mean man has a license to sin. Those who think they have a license to sin are not changed and saved by grace. They are still in sin. Those who are saved by grace and changed, desire to show forth the fruits of that salvation. God motions the heart to good work, and continues that good work to the end."
I understand where OSAS believers are coming from and I think it's certainly a preferable doctrine than the "eghads, we're doomed unless we cough up the cash" crowd.
A sure and certain confidence in Christ's redemption of us is the gift that keeps on giving.
"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." -- Philippians 2:13