“FK: I associate myself with BD’s most learned response. :)”
“JK: His response ASSUMES that a person will CONTINUE in Christ. Must I repeat 1 John 5:12 again? Ephesians 2 is presuming that the Christian will continue - and will be saved in the end. It doesn’t say that one CANNOT fall away, that is jumping to conclusions.”
“FK: OK, I’ll bite. Where does he say that? BD already showed that Paul said that can’t happen”
“JK: “I disagree with BD’s explanation”
Then you must disagree with stfassisi who used this quote as the basis for Mary’s eternal moral perfection since it is the same Greek verb construction that Paul uses to encourage the Ephesians that their salvation is a completed act in a believer with continuous permanent results.
“Luke 1:28 has the perfect passive participle, kecharitomene. The perfect stem of a Greek verb denotes the “continuance of a completed action”;(Blass and DeBrunner, 175.) “completed action with permanent result is denoted by the perfect stem.”(Smyth, sec. 1852:b.)”
Is Paul talking about a specific person in Ephesians 2? Is he pointing out someone's name, saying that God WILL complete His work in THAT person?
You are taking Paul's advice given generally and applying it specifically to yourself. It is the Lord who chooses us, not we Him. It is whether HE knew US, not whether we say "Lord, Lord", as in Mat 7:21. Thus, whether God will "complete the work begun in you" is PRESUMING you are one whom God is working within you in the first place with the INTENT on bringing you to heaven.
As long as we remain in Christ, we are safe. Is that so difficult? Why is there this NEED to think "all is done"?
Regards