“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
It’s pretty clear - do the will of the Father.
Indeed, there will be among the saved that inhabit the new earth fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, the avaricious, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers who did little to nothing in their lives to honor and glorify God.
Uhhh. OK, what about scripture that tells us explicitly that such won't inherit?
The Calvinist/Reformed doctrine called "Perseverance of the Saints" doesn't work the same way as OSAS.
So exactly what in Pastor Greg’s explanation made sense?
Interpretations. Everybody has one.
Does all this mean that Elvis Priestley is in the heavenly band.
Positively false on all accounts: “you shall know them by their fruit.” No, sorry, there is no once saved, always saved. It is either a true salvation by divine grace, or there is no salvation. Period.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
No one can pluck the saved from Almighty God's hand. And no one can save the unsaved from multiple self-deceptions including that they are saved because they insincerely uttered the sinners prayer, pastored a megachurch, or even offered their body to be burned but had not love.
It's about the promises of God to the believer.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 10:25-30 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
2 Corinthians 5:4-8 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
The relationship we have with God requires both God and us. God reaches down to us to save us and in return we begin the process of conforming ourselves to His will. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and in truth, none of us are in any position to question how God measures out His grace to us.
That said, if Greg Lauire is teaching this in his church, I think he is dangerously close to teaching a false doctrine to his followers.
I read somewhere this statement .
“ to know the Bible is one thing, to know the author is another thing all together.”
I don’t know who God saves. I don’t know who is saved but for my own self. I have trusted in the shed blood of Christ as an atonement for my sins. We should each know with out doubt if we have the salvation offered for the sins of the world. Our relationship with Him is important in knowing our salvation.
I hate to ask, and no offense)but how have you managed to miss this before? My churches (I am Southern Baptist)Have all taught that.
What are the churches teaching?
It doesn’t even matter if someone altogether abandons their Christian faith.
Many of us may pay penalty’s in this life for our actions or our words.
Some of those penalty’s may be brought about by our own actions, some by God or some by the devil.
John 6:40
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
God is the only one who knows who believes in him with the exceptions of those we know died for him.