However, I've seen too much scripture that shows that one can walk away from their Salvation. Judas walked away from it, and when confronted with his sin killed himself rather than ask forgiveness. On the other hand, Peter denied Jesus three times yet came back to Christ in repentance.
In the Epistles, Demas walked away from Christ when he deserted Paul.
To summarize, I wouldn't place my eternal destiny in a Confession and Dunking I got when I was 12.
You are not rightly dividing the Word.
Agreed. Good post.
**However, I’ve seen too much scripture that shows that one can walk away from their Salvation.**
That’s right. The five foolish virgins had their lamps lit, but they didn’t ‘keep the faith’. They didn’t make sure they had enough oil to make it.
The seed that fell on the ground that had thorns and thistles, and the ground that had little depth of earth, both sprouted to life, but didn’t endure.
All seven churches (souls already born again) in Revelation had this command directed at them: “he that over cometh....”.
The little word “if” found all over in the epistles.
“...”once saved, always saved”. As a matter of fact, if I found out that was correct all along when I get to heaven...”
As I read your comments, I have one question...why are you so sure that you will ‘get to Heaven...’?
That being said, I have a problem with ‘alter calls’. I have seen many respond because someone else has, or because they want to be one of ‘us’...however we are. And then they go out for the church, lite up the cigarette, go home and polish off a six-pack, swear at the TV ‘cause their team is losing...etc...you know what I mean. Was their ‘conversion’ real? Time will tell, but I hope that somewhere in the course of their life here on earth they really ‘get knocked off their horse, blinded’ and really know that they have had a face to face with Yeshua.
For those who have had that experience, in what ever way they have it, but a deep personal experience, I believe that ‘no one can separate us’, not even me.
Your eternal destiny in no way depends on a dunking.
Dunking is purely outward ceremony. Ceremony does not save. Jesus’ righteousness saves. If God has given you faith in that you are his child. Just as you cannot remove yourself from being the child of your earthly parent you cannot remove yourself from being god’s child. His word is much greater than your own.
In the Epistles, Demas walked away from Christ when he deserted Paul.