I understand why believing The Gospel is so hard for the EO and RC's. If you did believe it the power of your Churches disappears. However, it doesn't make it any less true.
Yes we are to persevere to the end, but if you think you have the free will to do that you are wrong.
Matt. 24: 12-13 And because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Phil. 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
It is all of God. God saves us. God indwells us to preserve us to the end. God will not abandon those that are His.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said I will never leave you nor forsake you.
So yes, once you are saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ you will not be lost. The Holy Spirit will indwell you and never leave you. Unless of course your saying your church is stronger than Jesus Christ.
John 10:27-28 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
***I understand why believing The Gospel is so hard for the EO and RC’s. If you did believe it the power of your Churches disappears.***
To the contrary. The Gospel provides the basis for the Church, and the rest of the NT describes the evolving Church and its responsibilities, as well as how they are carried out.
***Yes we are to persevere to the end, but if you think you have the free will to do that you are wrong.
Matt. 24: 12-13 And because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.***
This does not prove predestination; as as matter of fact it indicates the opposite. If we were truly predestined in every act, then it wouldn’t have had to be stated over and over again throughout the entire NT.
***John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said I will never leave you nor forsake you.
So yes, once you are saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ you will not be lost. The Holy Spirit will indwell you and never leave you. Unless of course your saying your church is stronger than Jesus Christ.***
After all this debate and all these posts, you really don’t get it even yet? Let me try once again. God never leaves us. It is we who reject Him through sin.
***So yes, once you are saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ you will not be lost. The Holy Spirit will indwell you and never leave you. Unless of course your saying your church is stronger than Jesus Christ.
John 10:27-28 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.***
It most certainly does NOT say that one cannot walk away from God. Scripture does indicate:
Matt 6:
14
11 If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
15
But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.
If you are not forgiven, then you remain in sin and will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matt 19:
16
11 12 Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
17
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. 13 If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18
14 He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
19
honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20
15 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
21
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, 16 go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23
17 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25
18 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”
26
Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
27
Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”
28
19 Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.
If one does NOT do these things, then will not be saved.
Matt 10:
22
You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end 10 will be saved.
23
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 11
24
No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master.
25
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, 12 how much more those of his household!
26
“Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. 13
27
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
28
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
29
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
30
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
31
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32
14 Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
33
But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
34
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
35
For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’
37
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38
and whoever does not take up his cross 15 and follow after me is not worthy of me.
39
16 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40
“Whoever receives you receives me, 17 and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
41
18 Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward.
42
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
Therefore it is plain that it is possible to lose your salvation.
***Unless of course your saying your church is stronger than Jesus Christ.***
Our Church was created by Jesus Christ and has all authority from Him. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. Calvin is not - he was a poseur who created a theology of death.