"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" [1Tim 4:1]
"and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame" [Heb 6:6]
"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness" [2Pet 3:17]
The Scripture tells us that many will fall away, that the Spirit explicitly says some will fall away, that this is irreversable, etc.
Clearly what you quote in Luke 15 reflects God's desire to find all His lost sheep, but it is also clear from the rest of the Scripture that those who reject God because they decide to follow the "error of principled men" and pay attention "to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" are not snatched but are doing is willingly and knowingly.
Those who know God have choices. From what you write it seems clear that you deny that we have choices. You believe in 'captive' love; love that imposes. You keep bringing up the example of not allowing your children to walk into traffic or jumping off the cliffs...nonsense. God allows calamity and evil. God allowed Adam and Eve to 'jump off the cliff' and ruin it for themselves and all subsequent generations.
The Parable of the Sower [cf Luke 8] makes it clear, if you read all of it, that the soil we, as seedlings, end up on depends on our hearts and not on chance, nor where God placed us.
We must be free to give back to God what God has given us freely. Otherwise we have something other than love. Love is not a duty. Love is not an obligation. Love is not captive. You cannot make someone love you. Those whom you love you will protect, but if they want to leave because they don't love you, you must let them go. Love is not imposing. Love only gives — freely.
None of the verses you cited mentions "sheep", OR "children" for that matter. The descriptions are not of the truly saved, but of pretenders (some of the goats). We are told that the pretenders will be exposed, especially in the end times. We are told to not be like unto them. Goats can wander among the sheep, but they are not sheep. They never were and never will be. They must be divided.
Matt 25:32 : 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
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Those who know God have choices. From what you write it seems clear that you deny that we have choices.
Not at all. We absolutely do have choices, more so after we are saved. But even then, we have choices, but they are subject to parameters. With my age and experience, I cannot "choose" to be a professional baseball pitcher. Likewise, the saved cannot "choose" to leave the true faith permanently. There are always parameters.
You believe in 'captive' love; love that imposes.
You better believe it! :) By myself I would spit on God's love for me. God imposes a changed heart upon His elect and then they are free to love Him as He intended.
You keep bringing up the example of not allowing your children to walk into traffic or jumping off the cliffs...nonsense. God allows calamity and evil. God allowed Adam and Eve to 'jump off the cliff' and ruin it for themselves and all subsequent generations.
Yes, God allowed Adam and Eve to sin, as He does with us all. But this has nothing to do with the only thing that matters here, eternal destiny. In my examples, Adam and Eve never 'jumped off a cliff', unless you believe they are in hell today. I don't think that's true, and I don't think you do either. Adam and Eve sinned, which did earn them eternal death, if there was no Savior.
We must be free to give back to God what God has given us freely. Otherwise we have something other than love.
In terms of love, we do exactly this. Believers send the love He has given us back to Him. But that is not a return, as in "no thanks". After giving Him love we do not lose it, in fact we get more in return from Him. This is not like giving a gift back. The same is true of saving grace. Once given, we have it for life. We cannot return it.
Those whom you love you will protect, but if they want to leave because they don't love you, you must let them go. Love is not imposing. Love only gives — freely.
Well, it doesn't work that way at all in MY house! :) If one of my teenagers wanted to run away from home because he/she didn't love me, there is no way I would let them go if I had the power to stop it. NO WAY. At that point my love would be doing some pretty industrial strength imposing! :)
I keep getting the impression that you all use the Father-child Biblical analogy to refer to parents with adult children. I don't think this is accurate at all. Consider: human parents with small children, and human parents with adult children. Which relationship is closer to the gulf between all humans and God? It's not even close, is it. We are like sheep, right? I'd say that's a far cry from being like dolphins. :)