Ping!
Hebrews 10:26 (I believe) adds to the fact that it is not once saved, always saved...
I wasn’t aware that there was any church who declared OSAS as a doctrine that must be believed for salvation.
The OSAS doctrine has been modified of late to something like this: if you fall into habitual, unrepentant sinning, you were never saved to begin with.
Really gives you assurance, doesn’t it?
Paul talks about his sins all the time. Where do these people get such ideas?
Because you must first instil doubt before you can undermine their faith.
Another train of thought is that you can never be sure of your salvation, and that you are not truly "saved" until you are dead. In this thinking, any sin can cause you to lose your salvation, and after a life of living for God, a minor sin like a lie just before you get hit by a truck would send you to hell (or to purgatory, I guess).
And yet another view on this topic is that once you are saved, there is nothing that any man or any demon can do to cause you to lose your salvation - but because you still retain free will, you can choose to walk away. To me, this seems to be the teaching that is most in harmony with the Scripture. There is a big difference between falling in a temptation and choosing to walk away from God. If we are living for Him to the best of our ability and relying on His Spirit to do the rest for us, He is not going to cast us away for falling - but if we decide we like it in our sin and want to stay there, then He will remove His presence from us.
At least, that seems to be what the Bible teaches! YMMV :-)
It’s a good thing he’s a Catholic, because he would get an F in theology if he were a Biblicist. Every one of those quotes were taken out of context. Example...How exactly does one continue in God’s kindness? Is it God’s kindness or is it my kindness? For goodness sake, NY, read the doggone passages yourself and notice the context. You would scrap that kooky cult in a second.
I'll save you the trouble ... its not there.
I recall Jesus telling some of his disciples that some demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting ... yet some people would have you believe that you can cast the Holy Spirit out of yourself ...
Where does one get this power?
Eternal life ... isn't eternal ... if you can loose it.
So I guess Jesus -kinda- died for our sins. This explains all the last rites mumbo jumbo,,,,
If I formed a church designed to control humans in the here and now, I would make sure they remained in mortal terror that they could lose their salvation on a whim. More better, id make it to where they never really knew for sure.
That would keep ‘em doing anything I said.
Its pretty clear the whole thing is that we are sinners, and Jesus died for our sins. Religious governments really don’t like that.
Is OSAS in the Bible? If we’re talking about a true conversion, then yes, it is.
God is not fickle. You aren’t acceptable at breakfast, lost at lunch, acceptable again at afternoon coffee break, lost again at dinner, and fine at bedtime.
That is a ridiculous view of a capricious God.
Or maybe you can show me were Jesus ever baptized babies by sprinkling water on them.
Key words in this passage:
σφραγίζω sphragízō ("to seal") signifies ownership and the full security carried by the backing (full authority) of the owner. "Sealing" in the ancient world served as a "legal signature" which guaranteed the promise (contents) of what was sealed.(HELPS Word-Studies)
ἀρραβών arrhabṓn ("down-payment pledge") is the regular term in NT times for "earnest-money," i.e. advance-payment that guarantees the rest will be given. 728 (arrhabṓn) then represents full security backed by the purchaser who supplies sufficient proof they will fulfill the entire pledge (promise).
There are no passages in the NT that ever tells us we are ever unsealed.
Regarding Galatians:
But Paul goes on in verse 4 to say, “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” Paul is talking to Gentile Christians who had been wrongly taught by the Judaizers that they have to be circumcised and obey the Mosaic Law in order to be true Christians. Paul tells them that is false, and if they submit to circumcision and to the Old Law, they will be “severed from Christ.” If once saved always saved is true, though, they can’t be severed from Christ and, once again, Paul’s warning is meaningless.
Context, context, context.
Paul is making the point that if you're counting on circumcision or the Law to save you you're no longer counting on Christ to save you....hence that would be a falling away from the grace of Christ. He is saying if you think doing the works of Law will save you as opposed to Christ.....you are wrong. You are no longer relying upon the forgiveness of Jesus.
Remember who the audience is....Gentile Christians. They are already saved. We have no evidence they attempted to return to Judaism.
The Prodigal Son
Who was Jesus talking to in Luke 15? See Luke 15:1-2
Which groups did the two sons in the parable represent?
Who was attempting to follow God?
Who was not and therefore who was dead?
Who had remained with God?
Who returned back to the Father's house?
Also in Luke 15 read the other two parables about the man who looks for the lost sheep and the woman who looks for the lost coin. What are the reactions of Heaven?
Summary:
The same people who tried to mislead the Galatians are the same people who are trying to mislead you regarding works for salvation.
For those attempting to "earn" their salvation by "works" or keep their salvation by "works; how many do you have to do? How much? How do you know you've done the right ones?
If the catholic dies with unconfessed sin to a priest....do they go to Heaven or Hell? The Roman Catholic Church will tell you Hell as you have severed yourself from Christ due to your sin.
Let me ask this.....were you a sinner before you were saved, that is believed Christ?
Did He allow you into His family then? In other words, were you "good enough" to get in?
Why would He kick you out for your sins? In other words, can you be bad enough that the shed blood of Jesus is insufficient to cover those sins?
Paul was a murderer of Christians and he was forgiven.
David was an adulterer and a murderer and he was forgiven.
Abraham was a liar and an adulterer and he was forgiven. In fact, the Bible says that Abraham BELIEVED God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. And this was before circumcision and the Law.
Peter at one time refused to eat with the Gentiles...yet no one doubts his salvation. He never did.
In fact, none of these individuals ever doubted their salvation.
For those who have placed their faith in Christ, your salvation is secure. We have the Holy Spirit of promise given to us as a pledge of our security.
God does not go back on His promises.
I look at OSAS as delayed Calvinism, or Calvinism by choice.
OK, I don’t hold to OSAS. Neither do any Reformed folk.
What’s your point?
Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.
If you can lose salvation, then everyone would lose it. We are saved by God’s Gace; not by our own merits.