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...there are many of my Baptist brethren, who believe in the plain meaning of OSAS, those who would be MOST susceptible to shirking Christian responsibility, who are among the most active among those I know.

Wonderful!

2Tim.1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

It's all from God.

All we have to do is believe. The indwelling Holy Spirit will guide us to where God wants us. It is not fear of being thrown into hell that guides us. It is the love of our Father in heaven and our Saviour His Son. Works reveal the completed act and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

James 2:20 But do you know, O foolish man , that faith without works is dead?

One of the most misunderstood verses. The works only reveal what is already there. The works did not put the Holy Spirit in the believer. The thief on the cross did not have the opportunity to do any works, but he was saved.

I am confident that all of the elect on these threads could point out how they've changed over the years. How the desire to do bad things has diminished and the desire to please God has become more and more important.

All we have to do is believe. The indwelling Holy Spirit will guide us to where God wants us. It is not fear of being thrown into hell that guides us. It is the love of our Father in heaven and our Saviour His Son. Works reveal the completed act and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Yes. And it never ceases to amaze me how we are accused of being prideful. How can we be prideful when we PROCLAIM from the mountaintops that it is ALL of God? :) The position of the accusers is that man has the power and ultimately decides his own destiny by his choices. So, if man is in control, that is NOT prideful, but if GOD is in control, then we have false pride. What's that about? :)

I am confident that all of the elect on these threads could point out how they've changed over the years. How the desire to do bad things has diminished and the desire to please God has become more and more important.

I am fully confident as well. But to some, our testimonies must be thrown out in toto, because they do not rise to the level of "proof" required by some who do not believe in such phenomena. Short of a personal visit by God through a burning bush experience, I do not think that proof exists for these people in what we are talking about.

***I am confident that all of the elect on these threads could point out how they’ve changed over the years. How the desire to do bad things has diminished and the desire to please God has become more and more important.***

The Gnostic elect? I could point out many public examples (and private ones, too) of the Reformed who went the other way. You have not gotten to the end of your life; you have miles to go before you go in front of the Judge.