We should also realize that when we speak of being ‘saved’ that means different things to many of us, making simple conversation difficult at best. We talk past each other more often than not.
Salvation to many on this board is in reality a done deal at the cross, even though often presented as accomplish at a salvation experience. It is confusion due to the fact that they always point to the cross, yet speak of being saved at a time in their life. I see their definition and use of salvation as contradictory at best due to what I see as a faulty view on the atonement and what it actually acccomplished.
I, on the other hand, do not believe individual salvation was accomplished on the cross, but rather the bridge was built to accomplish it IF one is willing to accept the stated conditions. Furthermore I do NOT view salvation as a one time act on the cross or at a point in ones life. I view salvation in three senses, not one. Individual salvation is a process that begins at ones experience of repentance and faith, continues through our life on this earth and is culminated in finality when we enter in and hear those words, “Well done thou good an faithful servant!” One can readily see why I would shy away from saying one can ‘lose their salvation’ for it is impossible to lose that which in reality has only been gained in part due to our fintite knowledge and our walk by faith not absolute knowledge. One will not ‘lose’ their salvation until they stand before the Eternal Judge, and be found not to be robed in white raiment nor their sins under the blood. In this life they certainly may be candidates for losing their hope of salvation they either felt they had or in fact did posses in measure at one time, i.e., from their finite perspective.
So one can clearly see the difficulty in these discussions with so many often using the same words all the while holding different ideas as to what those words involve and mean.
