I actually prefer the terms, “preservation of the saints” (Psalm 37:28; Jude 1:1) and eternal security of the believer (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30) over the term OSAS because of all the negative connotations that get attached to OSAS (license to sin/license for immorality etc..) by those who strongly oppose it. I believe in eternal security of the believer, but I don’t believe in eternal presumption.
The Father gave us to Jesus, Jesus died in our place to atone for our sins, and now sealed by the Hly Spirit, so yes, eternally secured by the trinity themselves
That is correct- God will never leave us or forsake us. But we have free will and can neglect our salvation and turn our back on God and be lost
As well as assurance and perserverance @Danthemailman
. God’s Promise to Preserve His People
John 6:37 – “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
John 6:39 – “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
John 10:28-29 – “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand… and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
Romans 8:28-30 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God… Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Romans 8:38-39 – “…neither death, nor life… shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 – “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
1 Peter 1:5 – “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Jude 1:24 – “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy…”
- Assurance of the Final Resurrection and Eternal Life
John 5:24 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
John 11:25-26 – “…he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 – “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…”
- Warnings Coupled With Assurance of True Believers’ Endurance
Matthew 24:13 – “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Mark 13:13 – “…he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Hebrews 3:14 – “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”
Hebrews 6:9-10 – “…we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation… God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love…”
Hebrews 10:38-39 – “But my righteous one shall live by faith… we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
- The Role of God’s Spirit and Faith in Preserving Believers
Philippians 1:6 – “…he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 2:12-13 – “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 – “…sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession…”
Colossians 1:21-23 – “…if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel…”
- Faithful Endurance in Trials as Proof of True Salvation
James 1:12 – “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
James 5:11 – “Behold, we count them happy which endure… Ye have heard of the patience of Job…”
Revelation 2:10 – “…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
2 Timothy 4:7-8 – “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…”
- Examples of Perseverance as Confirmation of God’s Work
1 John 2:19 – “They went out from us, but they were not of us… but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
Romans 11:29 – “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
1 Peter 1:3-9 – Emphasizes that believers are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, and trials serve to refine and prove their faith, resulting in praise and glory at Christ’s revelation.
J.
All the scriptures you provided Johann are conditional….If we will, He will.
Hebrews 10:38-39
Authorized (King James) Version
**38 **Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. **39 **But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Take the very passage you cited. @BrotherDavid
[[Hebrews 10:38–39]]
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
First, notice that verse 38 states a principle, not a threat: “the just shall live by faith.” This is a description of how righteous people live, not a probationary contract.
Second, the clause “if any man draw back” introduces a hypothetical contrast, not an assertion that the justified actually do so. Scripture frequently uses “if” clauses to mark off what characterizes a different group, not to imply both outcomes apply to the same people.
Third, verse 39 explicitly interprets verse 38 for you. The author immediately clarifies that there are two groups, strong textnot one group oscillating between salvation and perdition. One group draws back unto perdition. The other believes unto the saving of the soul. The writer does not say believers may become the former; he says, “we are not of them.”
That is decisive. The inspired author resolves the “if” by identifying who belongs to which category.
Now to the larger issue.
Throughout Scripture, conditional language often functions in one of three ways.
One, exhortative conditions, which call people to act in line with what God has already revealed, without implying uncertainty in God’s purpose.
[[Acts 27:31]]
Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Paul says this even though God had already promised that none would perish. The condition describes the means, not the doubtfulness of the end.
Two, descriptive conditions, which distinguish true states from false ones.
[[John 8:31]]
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.
This does not mean disciples might stop being disciples in essence; it defines who truly is one.
Three, warning conditions, which address mixed audiences and expose the consequences of unbelief without asserting that all addressed persons share the same spiritual state.
[[1 Corinthians 15:2]]
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
The warning does not say salvation is fragile; it says some belief is empty.
Hebrews itself repeatedly uses this pattern.
[[Hebrews 3:14]]
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.
The verse does not say holding fast causes union with Christ; it says holding fast manifests it.
So when you say, “All these Scriptures are conditional,” that is true in grammar but false in implication. Conditional clauses do not teach that salvation is unstable, reversible, or dependent on fluctuating human will. They teach that faith is living, persevering, and identifiable, and that drawing back belongs to a different path entirely.
Refusing to repent does not “stay God’s hand,” Likewise, the presence of an “if” does not turn salvation into a temporary lease. Scripture uses conditions to address humans in real time, not to rewrite God’s faithfulness as provisional.
Hebrews 10 does not say believers lose salvation. It says believers believe unto the saving of the soul, and those who draw back prove they were headed elsewhere all along.
That is not theology imported. That is the text explaining itself.
So when a modern reader says, “This verse has an ‘if,’ therefore salvation can be lost,” that is not patristic reasoning. That is a modern, overly technical move that neither Greek-speaking fathers nor Latin theologians made.
J.
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I cannot imagine walking in a way that I could actually believe I no longer have a free will and nothing could stop me from returing to my past life (God forbid). What is the purpose of the devil is he can’t temp you to quit on God?
“Freewill” is not free independently and apart from Christ @BrotherDavid
~John 15:5 gives one of the clearest structural statements of dependence.
John 15:5[1]
The final clause in Greek is χωρὶς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν. The preposition χωρὶς with the genitive means “apart from” or “separated from.” The verb δύνασθε is present middle/passive indicative second plural from δύναμαι, indicating actual ability or capacity. The double negation οὐ … οὐδέν intensifies the denial: “you are not able to do even one thing.” The syntax is categorical, not hyperbolic. Capacity itself is denied apart from union with Christ. That is not language of autonomous will.
~Acts 17:28 presses the ontological dependence further.
Acts 17:28[2]
Three coordinated present indicatives, ζῶμεν, κινούμεθα, ἐσμέν, describe continuous action. “We live, we move, we are.” The dative ἐν αὐτῷ is locative and instrumental. Our existence is not merely caused by Him at some distant point but occurs within His sustaining presence. If existence itself is participatory, then the will, as a faculty of the existing subject, cannot be metaphysically independent.
~Philippians 2:13 is even more explicit regarding volition.
Philippians 2:13[3]
The Greek reads Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν. ὁ ἐνεργῶν is a present active participle, “the One actively working.” The articular infinitives τὸ θέλειν and τὸ ἐνεργεῖν function as objects of divine action: “both the willing and the working.” The structure does not say God assists an independently generated will. It says God is the One operating in you with respect to the very act of willing. Syntax does not permit a deistic gap here.
~Romans 8:7 describes the moral incapacity of the fallen will.
Romans 8:7[4]
The phrase οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται contains δύναται, present middle/passive indicative third singular. “It is not able.” This is inability language, not mere reluctance. The will in its “fleshly” condition is not morally neutral and waiting for autonomous choice. It is structured in hostility and lacks capacity for submission apart from grace.
Even Proverbs in Hebrew affirms divine governance over human volition.
~Proverbs 21:1
Proverbs 21:1[5]
The verb יַטֶּנּוּ (yattennu) is Hiphil imperfect from נטה, causative stem, meaning “He causes it to incline.” The subject is the LORD. The object is the king’s heart, which in Hebrew anthropology includes intention and volition. The causative morphology explicitly attributes directional influence over human willing to divine agency.
Put syntactically and lexically, Scripture portrays human willing as real, responsible, and active, yet always contingent. The will is neither robotic nor self-originating. It operates within the sustaining power of God, is morally shaped by nature, and in redemption is renewed by grace. Independence in the absolute sense belongs to God alone. Human freedom in Scripture is creaturely freedom, not autonomous self-existence.
The modern imagination wants a will that stands outside all influence. The biblical grammar simply never describes such a thing.
Also…
Now ~Ephesians 2:1–3.
Ephesians 2:1[6]
The adjective νεκρούς, “dead,” is accusative plural modifying the implied object “you.” It describes prior state, not metaphorical weakness but incapacity. The following verses clarify what that deadness entailed.
Ephesians 2:2[7]
κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα… κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα. The repeated κατὰ shows patterned conformity. Human action was structured “according to” external dominion. The participle ἐνεργοῦντος again appears, this time of the spirit “working” in the sons of disobedience. There is agency at work in fallen willing.
Ephesians 2:3[8]
The phrase ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν is crucial. ποιοῦντες is a present active participle, “doing” or “carrying out.” τὰ θελήματα is plural, “the wills” or “desires.” Notice the genitives: “of the flesh and of the thoughts.” The human subject actively performs, but the source of those volitional impulses is located in fallen nature. This is willing, yes. Independent, no.
Then ~Ephesians 2:4–5 reverses the direction of causality.
Ephesians 2:5[9]
The verb συνεζωοποίησεν is aorist active indicative. God is the subject. The dead are the object. The grammar does not present the dead as initiating cooperation. Divine action precedes revived capacity.
Finally, ~Ephesians 2:8–9 seals the matter.
Ephesians 2:8[10]
You agree?
J.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing - KJV ↩︎
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring - KJV ↩︎
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure - KJV ↩︎
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be - KJV ↩︎
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will - KJV ↩︎
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins - KJV ↩︎
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience - KJV ↩︎
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others - KJV ↩︎
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) - KJV ↩︎
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God - KJV ↩︎
"You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Romans 9:19-24 (NKJV)
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There is no more Jew or Gentile….The early Church was predominantly Jewish in the beginning and they still needed to come to Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:28-Authorized (King James) Version
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Luke 9:62
Authorized (King James) Version
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Not everyone that says: “Lord. Lord” shall enter in !! Salvation means deliverance….Deliverance from our present sinful state. Once saved always saved teaches that no mater what- if you have: gone down the Roman Road followed by saying “The sinner’s prayer” You are saved…..no matter what. I withnessed a very sad funeral many years ago that changed my mind about OSAS vs. Freewiil. I knew 2 men that I looked up to,I was young in the Lord and these 2 men I considered mentors and role models. One of the man had an affair with the other man’s wife- and these men were best friends. The other husband found out and came into the guilty man’s work place, pulled out a gun and blew him away, then he turned the gun on himself and killed himself. As we we listening to the minister speak at this very sad funeral, he told us they were both “saintly” men and were looking down from heaven. I for that moment was very confused because how can a murderer and an audulterer possibly go to heaven with no repentance ? Anyway it shook me to the very core of my soul and my world was turned upside down. Not only were 2 men dead, their were 2 widows with 3 young children each, and also the guilty woman was made pregnant.
Luke 9:62
Authorized (King James) Version
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Authorized (King James) Version
1 Corinthians 6:9
Authorized (King James) Version
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Revelation 21:8
Authorized (King James) Version
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
1 Corinthians 9:27
Authorized (King James) Version
27 but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
@TheologyNerd, I accept OSAS because of the biblical passages, especially in the Gospel of John, that teach it. With that teaching of Jesus, I have assurance of his salvation for eternity.
However, it does not degenerate into fatalism, because God has given me the new birth, with which he guides me to do his work here on earth and to pray all day long.
On the other hand, I don’t speculate on other people’s salvation, because, unlike God, I don’t definitively know their hearts.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
This is one of those topics that really bothers me. Why? Simply put, I don’t know.
This I know. There is a God, and He loves us so much that Jesus came and died for us, so we do not have to, and we will be resurrected ourselves in His time.
This I know. The Bible is the very living, breathing, ever truthful, and never wrong. No contradictions, not falicies, no changing with the times. It IS.
This I know. God does not care about my yesterday; He cares about my tomorrow. Now here is my issue. Would I love to believe OSAS? Absolutely. I know a few people who are of the ‘Rocky Ground’ and ‘Thorny Ground’ people. People who heard the Gospel and accepted Jesus, then, for whatever reason, walked away.
One asked to be baptized early, and one even went on a mission trip to Guatemala. Now? They both seem to not only no longer believe, but they HATE God. Family deaths and the other, a lifestyle change. I love both one hundred percent. If OSAS then
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
So if nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, that would include ourselves? Mainly because God knows our stupidity? If this is true, then why do we read this? In the Prodigal Son Parable.
" For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate." Luke 15:24
He was once with his father, then he CHOSE to leave. He chose not to be there anymore. Now, when he came back, did his father take him back? Of course.
“It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'” Luke 12:32
Again. I do believe if we are trying, even if we fall 7 times 70, God is just and loving enough to forgive us. But if we willfully renounce God and walk away, it is not God leaving us. We left Him. I want to believe so badly that OSAS is true. Help me to understand.
Peter
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Scripture supports the idea that “once saved, always saved,” especially in passages that imply salvation is certain, such as John 10:28–29 and Romans 8:38–39. Other verses, however, stress that genuine believers must endure in faith and good deeds, suggesting that not everyone who professes to be saved will eventually stay so. @PeterC
I like the way my Teacher put it.
Salvation is not just one moment in time, but everyday life we receive from God.
It’s remaining in the teaching of Christ until the end.
JESUS is our salvation ( remaining in His life, action is our life)
There is nothing we did to deserve Him going to the cross for us.
How we’re we quicken to life is “salvation” from beings dead in trespasses and sin. Grace as opposed to earning under works under the law
You believed you were saved, made alive together with Christ.
But now you must stay alive, for God is not the God of the dead but the living- so you must keep on believing, keep on trusting…and the motivation or power behind it is being born again.
So can you go back sinning…once you have been born again? Blessings and cursing have been now set before you…salvation is your choice
Prove me wrong?? We must choose to remain in His teachings…being caught up in His work
Open to correction…let me have it
@PeterC, I don’t think that we can judge at all a person’s salvation or the lack of it by seeing their actions. Christians rebel against God, but they are still saved (witness Jonah’s rebellion, with which I identify, when I rebelled against his call to be a minister; he renewed that call later). Others appear to be saved but are not (in my case, I joined the church when I was 12 following all the rules and saying all the right things, but I didn’t truly believe until I was 16).
That parable’s theme is the Father’s love for both of his sons, who were both lost, as God shows his mercy to us. It doesn’t pass judgment about the prodigal’s faith or lack of it. Each parable has one definite point. Notice why Jesus tells it in context of the three parables about three situations directed at the separatist Pharisees:
Luk 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
Luk 15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Thus, the point is that we must reach out in God’s love for everyone who is lost regardless who they are.
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Nope…Once saved doesnt mean always saved…
Salvation is not reducible to a change in legal status. It constitues an ontological union with Christ that begins in baptism and unfolds as a living communion. The purpose of the Incarnation extends beyond the settlement of guilt or the satisfaction of divine justice; it enables humanity to share in the uncreated life of God. A view that treats salvation as an irreversible possession detached from continued participation would render this transformative process unnecessary and would detach grace from the personal relationship it is meant to establish.
This is grounded on theological anthropology, that the human person is a relational hypostasis, created in the image of the Triune God whose existence is defined by perichoretic union, mutual indwelling wihout confusion of persons. Freedom is not an autonomous independence that stands apart from God but is itself enabled and elevated by divine grace. Synergy describes the cooperative dynamic in which grace does not override the will but perfects and actualizes it. An irresistibe or unconditionally guaranteeing grace that eliminates the possibility of turning away would compromise this freedom, which would reduce human agent to an instrument.
God’s love respects the dignity of the creature by inviting rather than compelling ongoing fidelity.
Consequently, the security of salvation is not mechanial or absolute but consists in abiding in Christ. The metaphor of the vine and branches in Jn 15:4-6 illustrates that those who are genuinely united to Christ can still be severed if they fail to bear fruit. Scripture repeatedly addresses baptized belivers with warnings against apostasy, that “If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Tim 2:12), those once enlightened and partakers of the Holy Spirit can fall away in a manner that precludes renewal to repentance (Heb 6:4-6) and the parable of the unforgiving servant shows tht forgiveness already granted can be revoked on account of subsequent unmeriful confuct as in Matt 18:23-35
St. Paul himself expresses convern for his own possible disqualification despite his apostolic labors in 1 Cor 9:27.
The doctrine of unconditional eternal security can introduce a tension with the nature of personal relationahsip. A genuine covenant or marital analogy, often used in Scritpure to describe the bond between God and the soul presupposes fidelity or infidelity. While God remains faithful, the human partner retains the freedom to withdraw. Treating salvation as an irrevocable status independent of response risks sepration justification from sanctification in a way that undervalues the integral unity of faith and its fruit.
So…
Salvation is a bestowed as a gift yet must be appropriated, nurtured and guarded throughout life. Baptism initiates participation in the new life but maturity in Christ requires continued cooperation with grace. This does not reduce salvation to huamn achievement; grace remains primary, while human freedom contitues the necessary mode of its reception.
Endurance to the end, as stated in Matthew 24:13, remains the normative condition for final salvation.
Very true. Only God knows the heart. As I said a few times now, the way I read the scriptures, sadly, yes, of course, God will never leave nor forsake us, but sadly, we have the free will to walk away. My oldest Daughter is one. She was saved, baptized, and even went on a mission trip to Guatemala.
Her mother got sick and passed on at 63. (My sister, I helped raise Selina since she was a baby, father in jail) She grew to be a brilliant young lady with two master’s degrees in Psychology. She even worked on a Christian recovery Bus. Then I got into a head-on car crash that left me disabled. (Walk with a cane) Then, in this recovery process, I was diagnosed with, well, a few different ailments.
Her love for God turned to hate. They have a strong emotional trigger around the topic of God. They display intense anger when confronted with religious topics of any kind. This is why I hope OSAS is real and truthful. I would hate to see her will herself to hell.
Peter
Thanks for adding. Unfortunately, I agree with you. I would LOVE to be wrong. I desire to be wrong. I LONG to be wrong. But this makes more sense the way I read the scriptures.
Peter
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Nice to see you around here again. You were missed.
It seems to me that eternal security is the only possible position for those who understand that God rescued them from a peril they hade gotten themselves into. They were helpless to extricate themselves; lost, impotent, and pursuing false aims, “but God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Those who are secure in their salvation reckon their salvation as a work of Holy God, and a demonstration of His divine grace; “for it is by grace we have been saved through faith, and even the faith was not of ourselves; it too is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Eternal security is the only rational position for those who know we are completely “His workmanship,” “elect in Christ Jesus”, we did not earn our salvation, we were never a “chance” to God or a “potential saint”, nor was our salvation left up to our good sense, but we have been specifically “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10 (NKJV) We had the same input to our being “born from above” as we had in our being born of the earth. God did the entire work of salvation, He did it in righteousness, and He does not reverse Himself.
It seems to me that one may feel insecure in their continued citizenship in The Kingdom if that person understands their own salvation to be a result of their personal choice. That is, they possess a free will which God will not override. God made them an offer which they were perfectly free to accept or refuse. They heard the gospel offer and accepted it, enjoining themselves, by choice, into the new covenant. They now live a life of maintenance of that decision. Their salvation is insecure because it began with their choice, and its continuation depends on their constantly choosing to stay in God’s good graces. This is the design of God and we are wise to submit to it. Salvation was chosen by their free will, and so it is reasonable that they can “unchoose” it by that same will whenever it pleases them to do so.
Does this seem reasonable to you?
KP
@PeterC, I too have a daughter who appeared to be saved early in her life. I hope that her profession of faith in Jesus was real, but I don’t know ultimately. She has cut off all communication with me, though I have no idea why. I can only contact her by emails, but she hasn’t answered them in a long time. I’m very sad about her alienation from me; I hope that she isn’t alienated from God too. I have no idea about anything I did to cause her hatred of me; I never abused her in any way. I keep praying for and reaching out to her, but at the same time I leave her in God’s hands.
My point is other people’s actions do not often represent what’s in their inner lives. So, we cannot often tell what God has done in their lives.
Also, my oldest son went through all the motions of joining the church with a Christian family, church, and school; but he says that he has never felt a connection with God, though he follows the Christian lifestyle.
I believe in OSAS because Jesus teaches it, especially in the Gospel of John, but in terms of determining it in other people’s lives, it remains a mystery to me.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
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