BobRyan said:
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And I am thankful if that is indeed the case. But having said that - I still have to hold on to the truths of scripture as we read them on page ONE of this thread.
in Christ,
Bob
Of course you do.
Lots of people will parse scripture, as you do, to make it fit their predetermined beliefs.
The strange part is your pressing need to make others believe as you do.
I'll stick to what the Lord actually said and leave the parsing to you, leaving you with this last body of scripture, and synopsis of scripture, for you to parse.
They are born again of incorruptible seed which yields the fruit of everlasting life (l Peter 1:23).
They stand before God clothed in the imputed (credited) righteousness of Christ, and not in their own (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:19-21).
His sheep have been given eternal life—they shall never perish (John 10:28).
Their eternal lives are forever hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3).
They are already seated in the heavenlies in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6).
The penalty for all their sin has been forever settled through the perfect and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 4:23-5:2; 5:6-9).
Loss of reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ is certain for the careless Christians, but not loss of salvation (l Corinthians 3:10-15).
God faithfully chastens all of His children, even to the point of taking home those who refuse their Heavenly Father's correction (Hebrews 12:6-11; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; 11:28-32).
They have already been delivered from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; 5:8-10).
They are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:23).
The Lord knoweth them that are His; false professors will be revealed as such at the White Throne Judgment (2 Timothy 2:19; Revelation 20 ~ 15; Matthew 7:21-23).
God is the one Who has begun the good work in the believer, and He has promised to perform it until the day of Jesus Christ; they are to "work out," not "work for "their salvation (Philippians 1:6; 2:12,13).
They are already living stones in the spiritual building of God of which Christ Himself is the Chief Cornerstone (l Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:20-22).
They are members of the Body of Christ, each with a peculiar function and without each one, the Body would not be complete (l Corinthians 12:12-27).
They are kept by the power of God, through faith, not through the efforts or the works of the one who is saved. (l Peter 1:5).
Their incorruptible, everlasting inheritance is reserved for them by God (l Peter l:l-4).
They are God the Father's irrevocable gift to God the Son (John 17:6,7).
Backsliding is a sin, but the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin (l John 1:7-9).
He is able to save them to the uttermost because Christ "ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).
They are upon trusting Christ made "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).
Nothing can separate them from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39).
By one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:10-14).
They cannot be unborn (John 3:6-8).
Christ dwelleth in them for ever (2 John 2).
No man can pluck the Christian out of His Father's hand, and that necessarily includes the believer himself (John 10:29).
All who are justified are finally glorified—none are lost along the way (Romans 8:28-30).
In their flesh dwelleth no good thing; they are saved by grace (undeserved favor) and not by their own works (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
The gifts and calling of God are without repentance; God will never annul His promise or cast out those who have come unto Him through Christ (Romans 11:29; John 6:37;17:2).
