“Our salvation is determined by our faith, not by how we live. We do, however (imo), still have the free will to deny Christ after we have received Him and thus give up our salvation.”
It does not follow, since all those who are given by the Father to the Son, do come to the Son infallibly (John 6:37). Therefore if you once confessed Christ, and then leave as an apostate, in reality you were not given by the Father to the Son, but are, in fact, a reprobate who was “never of us,” and must leave to manifest that you were “not of us.”
1Jn_2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
It’s also worth noting that if you are GIVEN by the Father, that you should have faith in the Son, then your faith did not precede the giving, but was caused by the giving. Therefore, it is as the scripture says,
Joh_15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
The latter part of this verse also explains the necessity of good works, which do not earn salvation, but are the consequence of salvation.
BEST POST OF THIS DISCUSSION (And Scripturally based); Thank You!
Agreed. I don't think there is any other way of seeing this and which doesn't contradict other Scriptures. If it is by grace, then its grace ALL the way.