"The Reformed view is that a person with true faith might fall away for a time, even possibly a prolonged time, but the scriptures clearly state that God will not lose one of His sheep, and the person will be brought back into the fold before the end."
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Amen!
Haven't we all fallen short on occasion, or done stupid things, or questioned our faith? I know I have.
It really boils down to, do we believe Scripture. Jesus promised he would save all that BELIEVE in him.
That's not the point in question. The point in question is whether we can know now that we "BELIEVE" in Him with a faith that will not fade.
-A8
Absolutely. In my own case, I accepted Christ just before college. Unfortunately, I had no church and no training, and so I immediately "fell away" for those college years. I put that in quotes because it was more like I never got started in practicing the faith in the first place. :) Right after college I was married and God led us to a church right away. We've been there these last 18 years.
Back then, I didn't have the slightest idea about what God's word said about such things. Now I look back and see that He did exactly as He promised.