Please assess my current theology

[Nicholas25]

I am 27 years old and was raised in a Free Will Baptist Church. I was actually saved and baptized in a Baptist church during a time when I left my FWB Church (18 years old).

*I do believe that salvation is only by the grace of God through our faith.

*One can do good work after good work, and not be on their way to heaven

*I do not believe one is saved by grace through faith, and then kept saved through works.

*Now here is the point where many of you (my brothers and sisters in Christ) are going to disagree with me.

*When John 3:16 says whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, I think it is talking about a continual belief.

*When the scripture says grace through faith, I think it is talking about a continual faith.

*I believe one can quit believing and lose their faith.

*I do belive it is a hard process to walk away from God.

*I do not think it is something that happens overnight

*Some FWB's get caught up in the kept saved by works deal, but I think one's work will be there if they have the faith and belief.

*Salvation is all God's grace, it has nothing to do with us.

*But I do not think we will go to heaven against our will. I feel if we quit believing and quit having active faith, God is not going to force himself on us. I believe one who lives in wicked, continual sin who once professed Christ, may still profess him with their mouth, but that is only head belief. Christ is no longer in their heart.

*Now please do not bash me. I love all you guys even though I have never met you. It does not mean I am not a Christian just because I have a different theology than you do. Thanks and God bless. :type:

 

[saturneptune]

Christ is no longer in their heart.

*Now please do not bash me. I love all you guys even though I have never met you. It does not mean I am not a Christian just because I have a different theology than you do. Thanks and God bless. :type:

I agree with a lot of what you write except the above. It is not that Christ is no longer in their heart, its that Christ was never in their heart.

Your post is very well written. I wouldn't worry about being bashed. There are many on here who only see a shallow view of being a Christian by obeying a set of rules, some in leadership positions.

Good post and hope you get some good responses.

 

[KJVkid]

You might have left the Free Will Baptist but they didn't leave you.

*I believe one can quit believing and lose their faith. One might get to a place in their life where they are in such a backslidden condition that they don't really believe in anything. But one can never lose Gods Salvation. Scripture....it's permeated all through Scripture.

 

[webdog]

Can one ever, truly stop believing that which is true?

You accept gravity by faith...can you ever NOT believe this once you experienc it?

 

[Nicholas25]

:saint: You are right my brother, the Free Will Baptist did not leave me. That is probably why after walking away from serving Christ for five years, when I rededicated my life to Christ, he led me back to the FWB Church I grew up in. I believe he also led me back to my old church because of all the many works he had for me to do there. I teach a Sunday school lesson on my churches radio broadcast on Sunday morning, and teach the teens Sunday school class at my church. I also have a part in the jail ministry, and have taught to the congregation on Wednesday and Sunday nights. I would have went back to the Baptist Church if I would have felt the Lord leading me there.

 

[PastorSBC1303]

I do not believe one is saved by grace through faith, and then kept saved through works.

I am glad to hear you say this. I have had conversations with other Free Will Baptists who have basically held that we hold on to our salvation through works. Very dangerous stuff.

 

[just-want-peace]

But I do not think we will go to heaven against our will. I feel if we quit believing and quit having active faith, God is not going to force himself on us. I believe one who lives in wicked, continual sin who once professed Christ, may still profess him with their mouth, but that is only head belief. Christ is no longer in their heart.

Bolded mine

I believe this says it all - Verbal profession and true acceptance aren't necessarily the same. One who rejects Christ after having known Him, never truly accepted Him- IMHO!

In other words, I don't believe you can be un-born spiritually any more than you can "un-born" yourself after your mom went through all the trouble to nuture you from a cell into a person!

 

[Nicholas25]

I truly appreciate the responses, and I can understand someone who has never "returned to the world" not believing a true Christian can return to wicked sin, but I was saved in 1999 at 19 years of age, and returned to living for satan. Before anyone says I was not truly saved, I must tell you I was, I mean all of us who are true believers know what salvation is. I lived in sin without remorse for five years. I believe I quencehd the Spirit, atleast for a time. I rededicated my life in Sep. 2004 at 4:00 in the morning.

For five years I lived a life against God. There was no sign of him in my life. It depends on your personal theology as to where you think I would have went if I would have died. I thank God that he drew me to repentance through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit so there is not doubt about anything. I did not quit believing with my head, but had I quit believing and having faith in my heart? This is good stuff, lets keep it going in love.

 

[TCGreek]

I am 27 years old and was raised in a Free Will Baptist Church. I was actually saved and baptized in a Baptist church during a time when I left my FWB Church (18 years old).

*I do believe that salvation is only by the grace of God through our faith.

*One can do good work after good work, and not be on their way to heaven

*I do not believe one is saved by grace through faith, and then kept saved through works.

*Now here is the point where many of you (my brothers and sisters in Christ) are going to disagree with me.

*When John 3:16 says whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, I think it is talking about a continual belief.

*When the scripture says grace through faith, I think it is talking about a continual faith.

*I believe one can quit believing and lose their faith.

*I do belive it is a hard process to walk away from God.

*I do not think it is something that happens overnight

*Some FWB's get caught up in the kept saved by works deal, but I think one's work will be there if they have the faith and belief.

*Salvation is all God's grace, it has nothing to do with us.

*But I do not think we will go to heaven against our will. I feel if we quit believing and quit having active faith, God is not going to force himself on us. I believe one who lives in wicked, continual sin who once professed Christ, may still profess him with their mouth, but that is only head belief. Christ is no longer in their heart.

*Now please do not bash me. I love all you guys even though I have never met you. It does not mean I am not a Christian just because I have a different theology than you do. Thanks and God bless. :type:

Young man,

Hang your theology on that bolded line above. :thumbs:

 

[webdog]

Young man,

Hang your theology on that bolded line above. :thumbs:

Why not this one

*I do believe that salvation is only by the grace of God through our faith.

 

[Amy.G]

Why not this one

*I do believe that salvation is only by the grace of God through our faith.

Because if grace had anything to do with us, it wouldn't be grace.

We receive salvation through faith, but we receive grace because of nothing more than God's desire to extend it to those He loves.

 

[TCGreek]

Why not this one

*I do believe that salvation is only by the grace of God through our faith.

That definitely would be factored into that above sentence.

 

[tonyhipps]

*I believe one can quit believing and lose their faith. One might get to a place in their life where they are in such a backslidden condition that they don't really believe in anything. But one can never lose Gods Salvation. Scripture....it's permeated all through Scripture.

I remember listening to a sermon by the great Lester Rolloff.

He said if you can imagine a lady walking down the sidewalk dragging by one arm a kicking screaming child. That's what a backslider is like. They're going to be dragged home kicking or screaming like it or not.

At some point in their life they begged Christ to save them and let the Lord into their heart.

It may had been 30 years earlier and gradually over time they came to a miserable backslidden condition.

But just like that screaming child, their going home like it or not!

 

[Nicholas25]

I remember listening to a sermon by the great Lester Rolloff.

He said if you can imagine a lady walking down the sidewalk dragging by one arm a kicking screaming child. That's what a backslider is like. They're going to be dragged home kicking or screaming like it or not.

At some point in their life they begged Christ to save them and let the Lord into their heart.

It may had been 30 years earlier and gradually over time they came to a miserable backslidden condition.

But just like that screaming child, their going home like it or not!

This is the part that is hard for me to get a hold on. I mean one can believe almost any theology, and if they are allowing the Holy Spirit of God to lead, guide, and direct their lives, hey, there is no doubt we are going to be in heaven together. I am troubled by people who claim salvation based on OSAS, but have lived in sin with no remorse or conscience for years. Again, I do believe people can be saved by the grace of God through faith, and return to the world. The flesh is weak and wicked, and the devil is always trying to get believers to turn away from God. But I do want to say again, I do believe it is a hard thing to get walk away from God. I think it is a slow, ugly process. I do not like the phrase "lose your salvation, because you lose your wallet, you do not lose Jesus.

 

[J.D.]

I remember listening to a sermon by the great Lester Rolloff.

He said if you can imagine a lady walking down the sidewalk dragging by one arm a kicking screaming child. That's what a backslider is like. They're going to be dragged home kicking or screaming like it or not.

At some point in their life they begged Christ to save them and let the Lord into their heart.

It may had been 30 years earlier and gradually over time they came to a miserable backslidden condition.

But just like that screaming child, their going home like it or not!

So what happened to the backslider's free will? I thought God gave us all free will as a supreme expression of his love.

FWB theology is consistant. It says that we are saved by our free will and we are kept by our free will, and we can surrender it by our free will. Free will is supreme. It's consistant.

Peter said we are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation". The FWB understanding is that the power of God hinges on our free will - our own continued faith. When our faith fails, we are lost.

The only way to defeat that theology is to recognize that faith is the gift of God, and not of ourselves. The faith that saves us keeps us saved because it is empowered by the will of God. The power of God is the cause, salvation is the effect, and faith is the means, and all three are of God alone.

Even if we allow that faith is the cause of salvation, we have to recognize that God's power is the prior cause of that faith.

 

[webdog]

Because if grace had anything to do with us, it wouldn't be grace.

We receive salvation through faith, but we receive grace because of nothing more than God's desire to extend it to those He loves.

Wrong. The grace of God is the fact we are saved by His grace through our faith...that there is nothing we have to do to earn salvation. Accepting a gift is not earning anything, nor is the glory given to the one who holds out there hand to accept a gift. Every human puts their faith in something (..."they rejected the truth for a lie"). Even in the event that "saving faith" is given only to the "elect", it is still OUR faith and not God's...so it STILL has "something to do with us".

 

[Nicholas25]

Free Will is not al about us. Any born again believer follows the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit. I stated that it is a hard, long process to walk away from Christ, I do not believe one can wake up one day and say "I do not want to be a Christian any longer." That person probably never was saved, but I believe the Holy Spirit of God will tug and pull at the heart of one who is being drawn back into the world by the lust of the flesh and the temptations of satan. The thing is the closer one gets to the world and living for satan the farther they are from God. They are less and less convicted and start to enjoy and look forward to the sin.

 

[Dale-c]

oops, I posted in the wrong thread!

 

[Tennessee Trumpet]

I am 27 years old and was raised in a Free Will Baptist Church. I was actually saved and baptized in a Baptist church during a time when I left my FWB Church (18 years old).

*I do believe that salvation is only by the grace of God through our faith.
TT- True

*One can do good work after good work, and not be on their way to heaven
TT- True
*I do not believe one is saved by grace through faith, and then kept saved through works.
TT- True
*Now here is the point where many of you (my brothers and sisters in Christ) are going to disagree with me.

*When John 3:16 says whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, I think it is talking about a continual belief.
TT- WRONG
Believe if a one time decision, but sanctification is a 3 fold process

*When the scripture says grace through faith, I think it is talking about a continual faith.
TT- Wrong
JESUS keeps us saved, we do not keep ourselves saved, that is works

*I believe one can quit believing and lose their faith.
TT- Wrong
The Bible says HATH everlasting life
That means to have life forever and ever, that is why the hords HATH and ETERNAL or Everlasting are used


*I do belive it is a hard process to walk away from God.

*I do not think it is something that happens overnight

*Some FWB's get caught up in the kept saved by works deal, but I think one's work will be there if they have the faith and belief.
Works before man is only an indicator for MAN, God knows who believed

*Salvation is all God's grace, it has nothing to do with us.
TT- True

*But
TT- BUT
you do not believe God's WORD
God said whoever believes is not condemmed, but he that doth not beleive is condemned already

Jesus sais HATH, you sir say BUT


I do not think we will go to heaven against our will.

TT-
That is why you were given a choice to accept eternal life, not part time life

I feel if we quit believing and quit having active faith, God is not going to force himself on us.

TTt
- if you were saved you alreadt hath everlasting life
just how long IS eternal life ?

I believe one who lives in wicked, continual sin who once professed Christ, may still profess him with their mouth, but that is only head belief. Christ is no longer in their heart.

TT- that person was NEVER saved to begin with

*Now please do not bash me. I love all you guys even though I have never met you. It does not mean I am not a Christian just because I have a different theology than you do. Thanks and God bless. :type:

go here:

www.eph289.com

 

[webdog]

But I do want to say again, I do believe it is a hard thing to get walk away from God. I think it is a slow, ugly process. I do not like the phrase "lose your salvation, because you lose your wallet, you do not lose Jesus.

If walking away from God is hard, why does Paul state in Romans 6 and 7 that there is a real war going on between the flesh and Spirit? You can give in to each.

In regards to forfeiting salvation by not having faith anymore, Romans 2 states that believers have had their hearts "circumcised". As in physical circumcision (ouch!), once done...it is done. You cannot be un-circumcised. Salvation is a done deal once one is justified.