Anyone care to explain how Paul possessed eternal life while in his heart and mind he hated Jesus and His followers, and would have still gone to heaven if he had died in this condition?
I see you can't comprehend my post you quoted. I do not believe Paul was born again until the road at Damascus. Also, it would have been impossible for him to have died in an unregenerated state because Jesus said "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me". In other words, all of the elect at one point in their live experience the inward call and divine quickening by the Holy Ghost, thus becoming regenerated. What I was attempting to explain to you was that salvation occurs in stages, not all at one time instantaneous as you believe. It is called the "ordo salutis" doctrine of salvation.
The
ETERNAL PHASE is God's plan and choice from eternity to save His elect from sin. Since He is eternal and sovereign, God planned in eternity all that He does in time.
The
LEGAL PHASE is God's work to satisfy His holy nature and perfect justice for the salvation of His elect. Because every sin must be punished, He sent a Substitute to die for their sins. His perfect holiness and justice cannot overlook sins and acquit wicked men. He must punish their sins in Another, even Jesus Christ. And this He did at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago.
The
VITAL PHASE is God's application of these benefits to us personally and individually. Though He planned to save us from eternity and legally did so with Christ's death on the cross, we still have a depraved and wicked nature at enmity with Him. So He regenerates us into a new life by His Spirit and gives us a new heart that loves Him and righteousness. This is being born again, and it is done entirely by the power of God sometime during our lives.
The
PRACTICAL PHASE is our response to His salvation. We hear the gospel, and we believe it. This is how we learn what Jesus did for us 2,000 years ago. We want to be baptized to show Him our love. We want to know more of what we can do to please Him, and we gratefully cherish all His promises, which give us comfort and peace now in this time world in our experience.
The
FINAL PHASE is that great day in the future when we shall be declared the sons of God to the whole universe and enter heaven for eternity. Our bodies will be raised from graves and glorified into new spiritual bodies, and we will be thoroughly purged from all sin to be perfectly holy in His presence forever. This great conclusion to the plan of salvation is yet in the future.
For anyone interested, below is my full post that Brother Steaver was referring to and took out of context and thereby shows his ignorance of failing to grasp my post. I gave him scripture to prove the various stages of salvation I afore mentioned.
"Here is proof of the phases of salvation. Paul said he was saved before the world began, "9 Who hath saved us (past tense), and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,", but he also taught he was saved when Jesus came into the world, "15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15), but he also said he was saved when he was regenerated, "5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5), but he also also declared people would be saved when they take heed and continued in doctrine, "16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Timothy 4:6). This is being saved in time, and is the 'saving" Cornelius experienced when he believed Peter's doctrines taught in the Bible. The Bible makes a distinction between being saved eternally (eternal life) and being saved in time (conversion). Scripture very clearly says the gospel brings "life and immortality to light" (2 Timothy 1:10), but brother Steaver would have us believe the "gospel brings life and immortality" and leave out the "to light" part, big difference don't you think? Who am I to believe you are the Bible? Finally, Paul says he would be saved sometime in the future after he believed, "11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." (Romans 13:11) This is when we get our new bodies. Now brother Steaver, I have walked you through all the phases of salvation, given scripture to support each phase, why then do you say they are men's opinions? If the word "saved" always means the same thing and there is only one aspect to being saved, no phases, how then did Paul declare separate, distinct, different times in history of when he was saved?"
