Those Who Went Out

tuor,

they were saved as in that they are insiminated with and carrying the spirit of Christ.
the holy spirit was teaching them about who God is.

when it came time to test their FAITH..they feared the love of God was adequate to keep them safe and reverted back to operating under the guidance of the Flesh..the spirit of antichrist.

fearing God in a sense that God is Love..the moment that love was tried..(remember tried by fire)..well, here fire is persecution of others towards the fledgling believer beliefs that forgiving others is the correct doctrine and nature of Christ..
they refuse to believe that forgiving others is what God desires and command us to do.

remember the commandment Love God, Love Man.

these are believers, although acting like carnal babies rather than spiritual babies. carnal children as opposed to spiritual children.

they have the anointing of God within them. unfortunately it isnt flowing through them by their very unbelief that that is who God is and Does.

and yet their distrust of Gods system of Justice appears inadiquate so that they imagine a new christ. one that his followers has to earn their salvation by acheiving and doing...instead of accepting something that is already free.

like forgiveness. and mercy.

and until these "believers" lose the fear of Gods love and understand that is the method that God has chosen for their Life. They will exist in a battle for the control of their will. its Law against Grace.

Me2

 

Yes, they knew that they were saved. Paul addresses the problem of false teachers (and thus their followers) in many books--Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians. Peter addresses them; so does Jesus in Mat.7, and Jude in the book of Jude.

Jude
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

In this passage the ones who separated themselves (from the church, the believers), are carnal, do not have the Holy Spirit (are not saved), are mockers, walk after their own ungodly lusts.

The picture is clear. They left because they were not saved in the first place.
DHK

 

The "if" is a hypothetical. If they had continued then we would have known that they were true believers. The first epistle of John gives one a number of evidences of their salvation. This is one of them--continuance. A true believer will continue in the faith. John knew they were not true believers (just as Jude did), because they did not continue in the faith.
DHK

 

My question remains. Do those who end up no continuing know from the beginning that they were not 'true believers'? </font>[/QUOTE]I think some unbelievers who are looking, acting chritain honestly believe they are christians.

 

Tuor, for once, I agree with you!