Featured Soteriologyish

1st sentence is correct.
Please explain how anyone knows the results of the testing.
Testing is not given without purpose; failure is an option.
There can be no assurance until all testing is finished.
Isn't this obvious?

2nd sentence is ununderstandable.
The new word is offered free of charge.
Perhoops you mean Christ guarantees eternal security.

 

Please, give us a break ...
in post #17, you were referring to Norman Geisler.

 

Okay, I no comprehende da English ... Sorry.
I thought you were in some way referring to this book by Geisler.
Which you say you weren't, and he certainly didn't.

 

My response to you is simply ...
The reason you cannot reconcile those passages with the one's you present is because of a fundamental misunderstanding of man's role in salvation. Until you address that error, those passages will always appear "mixed up".

IMO, you are totally ignoring THE MANY DOZENS OF WARNINGS
given in the NT about falling away, departing, drawing back, etc.
from the faith. The drawing back one is unto perdition,
which some believers insist is NOT hell.
Go figure ... 'cause I can't.

The Holy Spirit does His best, butski man's free will reigns supreme!
That's why Paul told the Roman believers to CHOOSE sin,
or CHOOSE to be a slave of obedience unto righteousness
unto holiness unto eternal life (as opposed to eternal death).

Please refer to a dictionary to find out what the verb "choose" means.

 

Total insanity ... don't understand a word of this!
A super job of total confusion ... well done!
(Like I told you ... no comprende da English.)

I'm thinking of taking 20 years off ...
and going back to start school all over again.

 

Browner

Does this even deserve a response?
butski? da english ...perhoops
a typical Pauline tongue-in-cheek one-liner:
"butski, you incredibly-wonderful guys 'n gals
wouldn't be guilty of such things, wouldest thou!"

then...The Holy Spirit does His best, butski man's free will reigns supreme???

 

If a believer can lose his salvation then what happens to the rewards that he builds up for eternity?
For example:
The crown of rejoicing: 1 Thess. 2:19, 20. & Dan 12:3 To those who faithfully are witnesses to the saving grace of God and leads souls to Jesus. This crown has also been named the soul winner's crown. It seems to indicate here that God will be giving a crown to those who have been witnessing to others and leading people to Christ.

Telling others about the grace of God, telling others about Jesus, is the greatest thing that you can do for someone while here on this earth. When you help someone to be led to the Lord, you have just been used as a vessel of God.

God will judge you by your willingness and desire to be used by Him to witness to others, not necessarily on how many actually get saved, because we are to water and He gives the increase.

So if the saved person faithfully witnesses and then commits a sin let's say looks upon someone with a lustful thought and is killed in a car accident, then would they have lost their salvation and this crown? for these rewards will be given as we see in 1 Corinthians 3:
11 "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

Paul is speaking to Believers here, some will build gold, silver and precious stones, Paul speaks of the crowns believers can gain by there works after salvation, so too James and Peter speak of them. Yet Paul says we can build up wood, hay and straw which is done in works that are not lead by the Holy Spirit.

Paul states where we will receive these rewards for good and bad as we see 2 Corinthians 5:
9 "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences."

We labor as believers and we must appear before the BEMA seat, that is the judgement seat of Christ. As believers we will receive rewards for the things done in this body Paul says, whether good or bad we (believers) will face this judgment seat.

Now let's look too at Revelation 20:11 we see the Great White Throne but it is not referred to as the "BEMA SEAT" the judgment seat of Christ. It is referred to as the Great White Throne and the dead small and great stand before Him. This would be just unbelievers for they are dead in trespasses and sin. They are judged and condemned because their names are not found written in the book of life.

So the believer who falls away from serving will receive rewards and if he has never carried out any faithful service then he will receive wood, hay and straw, " If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." If any believers reward for works is burned up and he has no reward of intrinsic value he will be saved yet so as through the fire. Believers who fall away will be saved. Many believers IMO will have both types of rewards, some will have more of the good of intrinsic value and some will have those that will be consumed, as whole IMO most will have both types.

 

Thanks for your interesting and well-thought-out post.

1 Thess 2:
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?
Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ
at His coming?
20 For you are our glory and joy.

The much more important "crown" in the NT,
e.g. Col 3:24, Rev 22:12, refers to eternal life.
This I can prove from the NT Scriptures.

 

Of course Eternal Life is the Gift of God and therefore is given by Him to all who believe.
Ephesians 2:8 & 9,
8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."
First God's Grace brought salvation and what is grace?
God's
Riches
At
Christ
Expense
In other God supplies salvation by Grace to each and everyone who by Faith belives on Christ and calls upon Him for Salvation. And since it is a gift that salvation is a gift it is never taken back no matter what the receiver of the gift does. Once the gift is taken it is never taken back.