Double-speak, FK. If being saved is guaranteed, then temporal cocnepts do not matter. The Bible, however, makes it clear, that temporal salvation is not just another concept, but something that will happen to those repentant souls who await Him until the end.
God will keep His end of the promise, but we can't say that for ourselves. That is placing way too much trust in our sinful nature that keeps on sinning.
Those who "fall away" PERMANENTLY were never "there" to fall away from in the first place
More twisted words, FK. Makes you think a lawyer wrote it. :) How can you fall away from something you were never there to fall away from? Get real. The Bible speaks of falling away by those who were there.
Again, God will keep His promise and those who hope in Christ will not be snatched away, but those who reject God at some point in their lives (happens all the time) will be lost for good. The Bible tells us that we can't serve God and Mammon. Clearly it is a choice we make, and as long as we live on this earth we can make choices. God doesn't make that choice for us.
As WM posted, if God is good for His word, and we think He is, then a true believer cannot fall away permanently
Again, we are not compelled to love God. Those who love God and believe in Him will not be let go by Him. But there is no guarantee that at any point in your,life you can be driven to the devil's side.
How can someone who believes in Christ and loves God go "postal" and kill a dozen former co-workers? And, I want to stress this, anyone can be driven to violence. Anyone can give in to evil.
In addition, Paul teaches against any notion of "free ride", and we are the ones quoting it to you. What does it take for us to convince you that we don't believe that?
The "free ride" comes form the double predestination fantasy of the Reformed, which they find in Paul. If you are predestined to be saved, then there is nothing that will change that. That's a "free ride." That absolves you of all responsibility for your actions. It's a free ticket to sin boldly and call on Christ at the same time. Devilish indeed.
This is also where your misunderstanding of what Luther was saying comes in. Luther never taught what you are saying above
I am misunderstanding Luther? LOL! How can anyone sin boldly and believe? Those who love God cannot sin boldly. They will sin, unintentionally, but they will not do so forthright.
FK: That sounds positively Reformed
No it doesn't, FK, because because it implies a free will to choose God or to choose evil. By dying on the Cross, God gave us all an opportunity to repent. That much was given to all humanity. The rest is our decision.
My original comment and your response both mentioned the regenerate man not wanting to sin like he used to, instead his general disposition would be one of wanting to please God
And how does that "fit" into Luther's pecca fortier formula?!? Sinning boldly and wanting to "please" God is an oxymoron, FK.
Double-speak, FK. If being saved is guaranteed, then temporal concepts do not matter. The Bible, however, makes it clear, that temporal salvation is not just another concept, but something that will happen to those repentant souls who await Him until the end.
I'm afraid I don't follow any of your logic here. If I guarantee you today that I will cut your grass tomorrow, then don't I still have to actually come over tomorrow and do it? It's the same with the different uses of "saved". ALL are guaranteed for the elect. There could never be three without the fourth.
How can you fall away from something you were never there to fall away from? Get real. The Bible speaks of falling away by those who were there.
You can't. That's part of my point. One CAN though fall away in one's own mind from something he THINKS he's a part of but really isn't. It's not truly real, but it is real to the person who is under false pretenses. That's what the Bible is talking about, a person fooling himself.
The Bible tells us that we can't serve God and Mammon. Clearly it is a choice we make, and as long as we live on this earth we can make choices. God doesn't make that choice for us.
Then your hope should be in your choices, and mine will be in my God and His promises. I sleep real good at nights. :)
How can someone who believes in Christ and loves God go "postal" and kill a dozen former co-workers? And, I want to stress this, anyone can be driven to violence. Anyone can give in to evil.
Sure anyone can do evil. We still do. The thing that isn't possible is for a saved person to do enough evil such that he loses his salvation. God promises that cannot happen.
If you are predestined to be saved, then there is nothing that will change that. That's a "free ride."
It's only a free ride if salvation is otherwise earned. The Bible, and the doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints, says that true believers WILL produce good fruit by doing good works and following God's laws. The first cause just isn't us, it's God.
I am misunderstanding Luther? LOL! How can anyone sin boldly and believe? Those who love God cannot sin boldly. They will sin, unintentionally, but they will not do so forthright.
As I was saying ........... :)
FK: My original comment and your response both mentioned the regenerate man not wanting to sin like he used to, instead his general disposition would be one of wanting to please God.
And how does that "fit" into Luther's pecca fortier formula?!? Sinning boldly and wanting to "please" God is an oxymoron, FK.
All it takes is a basic understanding of the context. Once again here is the famous paragraph:
As you can see, Luther's point was in highlighting the value of what Christ did for us. He and I disagree with those whose beliefs hold that Christ did comparatively little. "[B]elieve and rejoice in Christ even more boldly" means wanting to please God.