Hey Wattie,
Sorry if my mannerisms seems direct, it is just the way I talk.
'God won't leave me, but I can leave God' -- Freewill, inasmuch as Adam and Eve, Lucifer and the fallen angels (all of who was in direct fellowship with God) had that choice. Of which freewill, it is said, 'chose you this day between life and death, blessing and cursing, good or evil...but as for me, I choose....' If we have chosen evil and then repent of that and chose good, why then can't we choose to return to evil once we have chosen good?
Many many Christians here, believe this statement. I don't want to attack anyone personally, but I do want to challenge them to think about this statement logically.
First logical problem: If God won't leave you, then He will be staying with you, in the process of you leaving Him! -- But if you turn away from Him as your Light, is He not still there behind you beckoning you back Home? He is not the one who turned His back, it was the backslider. We can only have one light before us (one master).
Second- The Holy Spirit indwells someone at salvation. How can they 'leave' something INSIDE them. -- if anyone defiles his temple, I (God) will defile that man.
If I have had something put inside me, I can't 'leave' that. It could be surgically removed by someone else.. but I can't just 'walk away' from it. -- we are speaking spiritually, not physically. In as much as someone can have an evil spirit indwelling in them (possession) and have that spirit expelled (by the opposite of defilement (purification)) through calling upon the name of Jesus, so too can one who has the indwelling of God's Spirit expel Him (by the opposite of purification (defilement)) through obedience to another lord.
So.. 'God won't leave me, but I can leave God' is a fallacy-- illogical. -- Not if you understand that freewill still exist after making a chose. God will not hold me against my freewill (we are not prisoners held captive), as He did not do it to those I mentioned who has a direct relationship with God. That conclusion you have said is the same as saying that a racer cannot exit the race but is forced by officials to complete it even though he has no desire to do otherwise. If the prize is at the end of the race for both the physical and spiritual racer, then would either receive any prize if he forfeits the race?
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. -- Yes, we know His Voice and follow Him, but then again, a sheep can wander. And yes, He will come after that sheep, but as the Prodigal son, he must first repent and turn back around to the Shepherd who is standing behind him with open arms to welcome him back home, sheep was made alive again and who was lost, but was found walking back Home.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. -- and no man can. But that does not say that they who wish not to have Him as their Strongtower does not still have that freewill that had when they first believed. Again, if we have that chose to believe, then why would it be taken away from us when we do believe?
Eternal salvation.. is from God.. and belongs to Him. We don't own our eternal salvation. It isn't ours to just take or leave once we have already accepted Christ. -- Salvation is through faith and was brought about by a gracious act of God. Salvation is offered to all. If salvation is a gift for the taken by the simple act of faith, cannot even one return it if they became in a state of reprobate? To say it cannot be lost, is the same as saying that one is free to do as he wishes, knowing it cannot be lost. I am not saying that you are teaching a licentious gospel, but can you imagine how proponents of Universal Salvation concludes that it does not matter how you live, we all will be saved in the end? And to that conclusion, I can only say, why then will we have our deeds judged?
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.