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I don't buy the "once saved always saved". I've known some incredibly hateful "Born Again Christians". They say that the Bible gives them license to hate and carve out the snippets of verse to support them.

I have a friend who does alot with the Right To Life organizations. She said that while they were praying across the street from the main abortion mill in Houston a woman brought in her teenage daughter for an abortion. The mother came back out to scream at the protesters that she was saved and God has already forgiven her for getting her daughter's abortion.

Recently a Southern Baptist friend told me that if you lost your salvation by walking away or backsliding that you could never get it back. That I don't believe either.

And yes, I know people who claim to be Catholic but you couldn't tell it.

I have a friend who does alot with the Right To Life organizations. She said that while they were praying across the street from the main abortion mill in Houston a woman brought in her teenage daughter for an abortion. The mother came back out to scream at the protesters that she was saved and God has already forgiven her for getting her daughter's abortion.

Realizing that this is an extreme example (only in degree, not in kind), this is the main reason I could never be a Protestant. Once saved, always saved makes no sense, especially because it exists in the subjective theological context framed by Protestantism. Who's to say this woman is any different than the conservative Born Again who says that his recurring minor sins (white lies, watching a little porno, using contraceptives, having pre-marital sex, getting a little drunk once in awhile) are already forgiven by Jesus when He died on the Cross? And I mean "Who's to say" literally. Without any sort of final, central authority who *is* to say?

And the whole retroactive removal of the person from "the elect" ("Well, he was never really truly saved in the first place") always seemed like a theological cop-out to me.

"I don't buy the "once saved always saved". I've known some incredibly hateful "Born Again Christians". They say that the Bible gives them license to hate and carve out the snippets of verse to support them."
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I never thought you did think you had the blessed assurance of knowing JESUS has you in his hand and won't let go. If you thought that you couldn't be a Roman Catholic.

I'm sure we've all seen shocking things. I have yet to meet anyone who is SAVED by FAITH not by works who hasn't become a changed person. I've never met anyone who is SAVED who ran around claiming that gave them the right to be hateful. Born again Christians have a habit of reading their BIBLES and know that JESUS commanded us to love our neighbor.

You know you never really answered my question. What are the works your church demands of you in order to be in a state of grace?