The topic that has generated the OP title is that of OSAS vs you can loose your salvation. For transparency, I believe in OSAS but the loose your salvation camp has some good points, imo.
I'll start this presentation with James' dichotomy of two types of believers and then expand from there. James lays out a description of two types of 'believers' (this is a key word that may need to be drilled down on). The two types are these...
(believer type #1): one who asks in faith without doubting (Jam 1:5-6), are "doers of the word (Jam 1:22) and “not hearers only (Jam 1:22), they are “not a forgetful hearer” (Jam 1:25). These believers, James says, are “blessed” (Jam 1:25).
(believer type #2): one who asks in faith but doubts; is like a “wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (Jam 1:6), these type of believers are “unstable in all his ways” (Jam 1:8) and are a “double-minded man” (Jam 1:8). These believers are “forgetful hearers” (Jam 1:25), and James says they are “deceiving” themselves (Jam 1:22).
Further establishing these two types of 'believers' in the Christian community. Paul says in 2Cor 13:5, "Examine yourselves [as to] whether you are in the faith". So Paul is speaking to people within the Christian community and telling them to "Examine" themselves to see if they are "in the faith" and suggests at the end of the verse that some might indeed see that they are currently "disqualified" (leaving room for future change here). These in the Christian community that Paul is referring to sound like James' believer #2.
This same type of dichotomy is seen throughout the Bible and in the Parable of the Sower, imo. There are those like soil #2 (believer #2) who “believe for a while” (Luke 8:13) but “has no root in himself” (Matt 13:20) and “in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13); or as Mark writes “and so endure only for a time” (Mark 4:17). Key words in all of this that cross referencing would seem to bring light would seem to be "believe”, “for a while, “no root”, and does not “endure”.
Regarding being rooted: In Colossians 2:6-7 it suggests that being “rooted and built up in Him” is being “established in the faith”. The Greek word here for “established” is bebaioō which means, according to Strong’s, “to make firm, establish, confirm, make sure” (Strong’s G950). In other words, to be established and rooted is being made sure. Thus, if soil #2 has no root then he is not "established" or "made sure". This is exactly the flashpoint I am drilling down on, i.e., the being made sure. THIS, being made sure, is most assuredly the Christian notion of the moment of secure salvation, i.e., our salvation is made sure when we have been established (made sure) in the faith.
How this has been approached, it would seem reasonable to say that there are some, or many, within the Christian community that are in fact currently secured in their salvation. These are the "established", those that have "roots". These have come to be "established" quickly or over a period of time (who's to know but God).
But there are others, like soil #2 that is said to “believe for a while” (Luke 8:13) but are not "rooted" (Col 2:6-7) or "established in the faith" (Col 2:6-7) that can "fall away" from he faith. These may be the exact believers that all the cautions are about within the Bible, the instruction and plea for testing yourselves so that you may discover that a full believing "in the heart" is needed so that you may be secured, rooted, established and not fall away.
Although there are many verses to explore this 'two type of believers', I'll leave it there. Are there two types of believers in the Christian community? Those that are "established" and those that are not yet established and in jeopardy of falling away?
Peace to you brothers
I'll start this presentation with James' dichotomy of two types of believers and then expand from there. James lays out a description of two types of 'believers' (this is a key word that may need to be drilled down on). The two types are these...
(believer type #1): one who asks in faith without doubting (Jam 1:5-6), are "doers of the word (Jam 1:22) and “not hearers only (Jam 1:22), they are “not a forgetful hearer” (Jam 1:25). These believers, James says, are “blessed” (Jam 1:25).
(believer type #2): one who asks in faith but doubts; is like a “wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (Jam 1:6), these type of believers are “unstable in all his ways” (Jam 1:8) and are a “double-minded man” (Jam 1:8). These believers are “forgetful hearers” (Jam 1:25), and James says they are “deceiving” themselves (Jam 1:22).
Further establishing these two types of 'believers' in the Christian community. Paul says in 2Cor 13:5, "Examine yourselves [as to] whether you are in the faith". So Paul is speaking to people within the Christian community and telling them to "Examine" themselves to see if they are "in the faith" and suggests at the end of the verse that some might indeed see that they are currently "disqualified" (leaving room for future change here). These in the Christian community that Paul is referring to sound like James' believer #2.
This same type of dichotomy is seen throughout the Bible and in the Parable of the Sower, imo. There are those like soil #2 (believer #2) who “believe for a while” (Luke 8:13) but “has no root in himself” (Matt 13:20) and “in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13); or as Mark writes “and so endure only for a time” (Mark 4:17). Key words in all of this that cross referencing would seem to bring light would seem to be "believe”, “for a while, “no root”, and does not “endure”.
Regarding being rooted: In Colossians 2:6-7 it suggests that being “rooted and built up in Him” is being “established in the faith”. The Greek word here for “established” is bebaioō which means, according to Strong’s, “to make firm, establish, confirm, make sure” (Strong’s G950). In other words, to be established and rooted is being made sure. Thus, if soil #2 has no root then he is not "established" or "made sure". This is exactly the flashpoint I am drilling down on, i.e., the being made sure. THIS, being made sure, is most assuredly the Christian notion of the moment of secure salvation, i.e., our salvation is made sure when we have been established (made sure) in the faith.
How this has been approached, it would seem reasonable to say that there are some, or many, within the Christian community that are in fact currently secured in their salvation. These are the "established", those that have "roots". These have come to be "established" quickly or over a period of time (who's to know but God).
But there are others, like soil #2 that is said to “believe for a while” (Luke 8:13) but are not "rooted" (Col 2:6-7) or "established in the faith" (Col 2:6-7) that can "fall away" from he faith. These may be the exact believers that all the cautions are about within the Bible, the instruction and plea for testing yourselves so that you may discover that a full believing "in the heart" is needed so that you may be secured, rooted, established and not fall away.
Although there are many verses to explore this 'two type of believers', I'll leave it there. Are there two types of believers in the Christian community? Those that are "established" and those that are not yet established and in jeopardy of falling away?
Peace to you brothers
