Saved, Lost, Saved Again.

scripturally it's impossible to be regenerated, fall away, and be regenerated again [Heb 6].

Let me use myself as an example. At 16 I asked Jesus into my heart like a good Baptist would But, I had no clue that salvation meant you gave all of your life over to God. That did not happen until I was 46, when I was truly reborn of Spirit and Water. From my perspective, those 30 years were pretty "ify" in my book. I have often said that I was on my way to hell until that point, because I was not living for God - even though I was serving in the church.

Was I truly ever saved at 16? I don't know. Maybe I was for short time, but because I did not pursue a life in God, then I lost it. I thought I always was in the ensuing years, but never grasped that the acceptance of salvation means that you must submit everything to God. There is a difference in my heart, mind and soul in the last 11 years, so I know that what I had to begin with is not what I have now. Not even close.

 

I will reiterate - that is impossible. Paul told us that if you recant, you cannot be "re-saved". You can backslide, but if you fall away, you have rejected salvation and cannot be renewed once again. This is why we must contend for the faith, work out our salvation with fear and trembling. You CAN lose your salvation and if you do, you cannot come back again.

Heb 6: For it is impossible for those once having been enlightened, and having tasted of the heavenly gift, and becoming sharers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and tasting the good Word of God, and the works of power of a coming age,
6 and having fallen away, it is impossible for them again to renew to repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God, and putting Him to open shame.

 

So one can have a testimony about being born-again (and thousands of those who believe OSAS do), but one cannot have a testimony about losing that salvation and then posting here as a Christian trying to defend as fact that people do lose their salvation?

So in essence, there is no such thing as a person who believes one can lose salvation after possessing it who will then be found in a church teaching it? They must then be teaching something that they have never experienced and cannot produce anyone who has within the church. Yet they continue to believe it is a fact.

Yet these same people do believe that there are people who seem to be converted yet never were?

This is strange. They cannot produce any soul who has personally lost salvation to give testimony yet they believe it does happen!

God Bless! </font>[/QUOTE]when a person loses salvation, they hate God. they become atheists often or turn to other religions. so, christians are not going to have a personal testimony of losing salvation, when it is not a testimony but a moot point. most of them, who do "testify" are hateful people who mock and persecute those who are believers.

you also have people who believe they are saved because of their denomimational membership or because they have done good works. As Jesus said, many will prophesy and cast out demons in My Name, but I never knew them.

if you read carefully through the NT, those who fell away rejected Christ - this is why there is to be a great falling away. It is not unbelievers who fall away, but those who were once saved.

The Parable of the Sower shows us exactly what happens. As Jesus clearly explained. Some DO BELIEVE, but have no root and fall away - satan steals the Word. Some DO BELIEVE, but the care and temptations of this world take them away. Some DO BELIEVE, but trouble or persecution cause them to lose faith and they fall away. These people are not going to be avaible in the church to give witness to this.

Often you have people in church who are there because it is the thing to do. Their hearts are cold towards God and believe that being in church will save them in the end. Some can be lukewarm christians - as Jesus also said in this parable some will produce 30, 60, or 100 fold. Not everyone is running the race casting off all hindrances.

Your premise that a "christian" is going to testify that they fell away and will come forward to say they hate God and don't want Jesus ain't gonna happen because they are no longer a christian

Mark 4:13 And He said to them, Do you not know this parable? And how will you know all parables?
14 The sower sows the Word.
15 And these are those by the wayside where the Word is sown. And when they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the Word having been sown in their hearts.
16 And likewise, these are the ones having been sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the Word, they immediately receive it with joy,
17 yet they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then trouble or persecution having occurred through the Word, immediately they are offended.
18 These are those being sown into the thorn bushes, those hearing the Word,
19 and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts about other things entering in, they choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 And these are those being sown on the good ground, who hear and welcome the Word and bring forth fruit, one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundredfold.

 

Problem with this theology is that salvation doesn't depend upon how one lives but the timing of one's death.

 

Right!

Further, I would say that if our salvation depended on "how one lives," before or after being saved, then no one would be saved!

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (ESV)

Of course, how we live does make a difference.

Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In any case, salvation is the gift of God.

 

But gifts can be neglected, misplaced, thrown away, and otherwise lost.

 

yes, yes, yes. The gift of salvation is FREE - by grace and faith. Yes, yes, yes.

The ACCEPTANCE of the gift is by the will of man. That will must continue in submission to God in order for God to His work in that person. It is simple. So simple. We must continue in the Word, contend for the faith, run the race, etc or we will spiritually die from lethargy.

 

If i received the "gift" of liposuction, can I ever neglect, misplace, lose or throw that away after I had it? What about taking a friend to a football game? The tickets are not the "gift", the going to the game is. The eqation of salvation being a "physical" gift and something that can be lost or discarded, and not an event is misleading.

 

This does not coinside. An atheist cannot hate that which they believe does not exist. Those who turn to other religions do not hate God either, they simply ignorantly choose another path to the after-life. Most all religion claims to love a god or gods or they do not believe in any God at all just as the atheist. Therefore no hate involved. Now we know and believe from scripture that to reject the one True God is to hate Him. But this is only from God's point of view, the individuals mentioned above do not necessarily personally feel hate towards a God.

God Bless! </font>[/QUOTE]Jesus said, if you are not for Me, you are against Me. If you do not love God, you hate Him. It's real simple

 

God's will continue to offer the gift of salvation until Jesus' return.

Rom 11:27 And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." Isa. 59:20, 21
28 Indeed, as regards the gospel, ones hostile toward you, but as regards the election, beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the free gifts and the calling of God are unregrettable.
30 For as you then also disobeyed God, but now have obtained mercy by the disobedience of these,
31 so also these now have disobeyed, so that they also may obtain mercy by your mercy.
32 For God shut up all into disobedience, that He may show mercy to all.

 

Sorry, but it does not say " the offer of gifts and callings of God are without repentance". If it did I would have no place in asking you to answer! Your answer does not fit the verse. Cute spin though!

God Bless! </font>[/QUOTE]God offers it - we have to accept or reject unless of course you are an universalist